Savannah Vacation News

The Hostess City delivers Getty Up for Savannah Getaways

Savannah is a perennial favorite destination of all the savvy travel publications. U. S. News reports in their Travel Section references that the Hostess City is one of the best 11 Destinations for Relaxing Getaways and one of the Top Dozen Fall Getaway Locations in the United States. Today, we will let other experts gush about Historic Savannah for a change in the below excerpted article. We can’t all "Live like a Local" in Georgia's First City, after all.

Savannah offers attractions that will interest history and architecture buffs as well as those who just want to spend time outside and enjoy the pleasant views of nature. Renting or bringing a car could be helpful to explore the surrounding areas, but you'll only need your two feet to get around the Historic District.

Much of Savannah’s charm lies in meandering through the Historic District’s verdant squares -- all 23 of them. Along the way, you’ll happen on numerous historic homes like the Mercer Williams House, popularized by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. There’s the famous Colonial Park Cemetery for a Spanish moss-canopied stroll, and there’s the City Market, which is an ideal place to pick up a few souvenirs. You can also take a quick car ride over to the beach at Tybee Island.

Savannah's Historic District is what keeps the city a tourist mainstay. Well-preserved antebellum architecture lines the streets, and recent visitors recommend the various walking tours. Individual tours are also available for some of the more prominent properties, like the Juliette Gordon Low House, preserved in honor of the Girl Scouts' founder. A centennial celebration will take place in all of 2012.

Savannah’s Best Haunted Restaurant!

I had forgotten how elegant The Olde Pink House could be until we staged a weekend Family Reunion last month to Destination Savannah and the exquisite cuisine was clearly everybody’s favorite. While I have blogged about the Pink House as far back as five years ago, this article I just came across put the Olde Pink House thing on my radar again. The below was written by Historic Savannah Tybee Georgia on Facebook and is also shared in it’s entirety in our Savannah Vacation News channel:

A Colonial Ghost at The Olde Pink House

One of the few 18th century homes to survive the Great Fire of 1796, The Olde Pink House is perhaps Savannah’s most elegant restaurant. It is also her most haunted. The mansion was built in 1771 for James Habersham Jr., a successful rice planter and shipping baron. Unlike his father James Habersham Sr. who remained loyal to the British Crown, Junior used his wealth to help finance the War for Independence. In fact secret meetings of the Sons of Liberty were held in his home here on Reynolds Square to plot the arrest of the Royal Governor.

Habersham lent his elegant home to the colonial freedom fighters much the way he still lends it to visitors today…presiding proudly as its gracious host. Witnesses have reported seeing an elegant looking man dressed in colonial attire in the downstairs tavern. His appearance being so clear that they merely thought him to be a staff member dressed in costume. Upon leaving the restaurant they notice the painting hanging in the foyer to be the same gentleman they just saw strolling about the tavern. Perplexed, they inquire about the gentleman’s identity only to be advised that the man in the painting, James Habersham Jr., has been dead for two hundred years.

Why is the house pink you might ask? It’s because the original bricks beneath the plaster facade, intended to make the house look more elegant, have bled through over time. And though we’re not sure the gracious Mr. Habersham would approve of the whimsical color, we Savannahians believe she is quite pretty in pink.

Georgia Holidays Meant for Savannah Nutcracker Ballet

Every November/December Holiday Season, The Lucas Theatre and The Savannah Danse Theatre join forces with an historic Savannah Theater and a top notch lowcountry ballet troupe to kick off the Winter Holiday Season in coastal Georgia. Join the Savannah Danse Theatre as they bring the magic of this holiday classic alive in 1945 Savannah! Immerse yourself in the spirit of the season as a young girl’s dream turns larger than life with a special nutcracker, a vengeful river rat, dancing snowflakes and sumptuous ice cream at Leopold’s – all choreographed to Tchaikovsky’s exquisite musical score.

Savannah Danse Theatre brings a stellar ballet production to Savannah residents and their children. Each year our Low Country non-profit Theatre presents something just a little bit unique to the Nutcracker with no two years exactly alike, adding many local and regional references to the ballet and featuring local celebrities. The pageantry of the holiday season wouldn’t be the same without this enchanted ballet!

Make your plans to support the arts in Lowcountry Savannah on your Savannah Thanksgiving Getaway for the Saturday after Thanksgiving, 2011. Purchase your tickets at the online location here for the matinee or night performance of this beloved dance classic.