Beautiful Savannah

I went to Savannah two more days.  The first day to go to the City Market which is in the historic district and is full of galleries and shops and restaurants.  I actually bought a couple of things even though I don't usually buy anything because a 17 foot trailer does not accommodate collections!  I bought
a magnet with the following quote of Henry David Thoreau:  "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!  Live the life you've imagined".  Surely appropriate to my travels.

Savannah City Market

Savannah is the first "planned" city in the country because James Oglethorpe, the founder had the area surveyed and the streets laid out in square patterns.  There were originally 24 squares, small parks in the city and 22 still exist.  Streets go around the squares which are filled with Live Oaks draped with Spanish Moss and other plantings.

Each square has a name and usually some kind of monument in the center.  Oddly the monuments
never represent the person the square is named for.  There is an Oglethorpe Square but James Oglethorpe's monument is in Chippewa Square for example.

Girl Scouts in the Square

In one of the squares is this Girl Scout emblem because of the connection of Juliette Gordon Low to the city.

The second day in Savannah I took the Savannah Garden Club's Hidden Garden Tour.  Called the NOGS  (North of Gaston Street) Tour it is in the historic district and the gardens are usually behind walls or in courtyards between row houses and the carriage houses.  I learned about this tour over 10 years ago and have had it on my list of things to do.

This garden is one between a row house and the carriage house.  In the lower right of the picture, just behind the man is the passage through the carriage house to get into the garden.  Most of the gardens were entered through the alleys behind the houses.
After the tour there is a tea at a local historic house.  This year it was in the house occupied by General Sherman during the occupation after the War between the States (as people in the south call it).

The tour is planned to take place when the azaleas are in bloom but this year the azaleas bloomed a month early so many of the gardens were mostly green.  Some year I will have to come back when the azaleas are in bloom.

One thing I like about Garden tours is the ideas I find.  This stairway is beautiful and still has a passage for people.
Next: Charleston