Savannah

We enjoyed a two-hour drive up I-95 from Kings Bay north to Savannah last Tuesday. We arrived at Skidaway Island State Park, about 20-miles southeast of Savannah, and had a nice, long pull-through site. The park is beautiful with its many pine trees, live oak trees covered in Spanish moss and cabbage-palmettos. This is our second time to stay at Skidaway Island as we spent a couple of days here five years ago in May 2014.

Our Wednesday was busy as we went into Savannah for lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room (Trip Advisor’s #5 of 662 restaurants in Savannah). The dining room, open since 1943, only serves lunch Monday through Friday, 11AM to 2PM. We arrived at 10AM and joined about 20 customers already ahead of us in line. Lunch is served family-style, where 10 people sit together at large tables and enjoy some of the best homestyle Southern cooking around. The fried chicken is the best I’ve had anywhere, bar none.    

We stopped at Leopold’s Ice Cream shop (#3 of 662 restaurants) for dessert after lunch. It has been in Savannah since 1919, founded by three brothers from Greece, and their soda fountain business is legendary. Leopold’s premium hand-crafted ice cream was really, really good.  

We went back to Skidaway Island after our big lunch and dessert and decided to go for a walk to work off some of those calories. The state park has several trails and we hiked the three-mile long Big Ferry Trail Loop. It was fun, seeing the old moonshine still, the different birds, especially the beautiful red cardinals.  

On Thursday we drove over to Tybee Island, about a half-hour east of Savannah. It is a Georgia barrier island that has been a popular vacation spot since the 1800s. We enjoyed going out on the town pier and pavilion. The original was built in 1891 and lasted 75 years. A fire destroyed it in 1967 but it was rebuilt in 1996. We also stopped by to see the Tybee Island lighthouse.

A beautiful Friday in Savannah with sunshine and highs in the low-80s. We enjoyed lunch at the nearby Driftaway Café. The fried green tomatoes, panko breaded with goat cheese and buttermilk dressing, were just plain yummy. My grilled fish sandwich and Julie’s shrimp tacos were good too.

We took a hike after lunch at the state park’s Sandpiper Trail and Avian Loop Trail. We did see a red-headed woodpecker, a finch, and one cardinal but I couldn’t move fast enough to get any pictures with my phone.

Today, Saturday, we drove into Savannah for lunch and to take a walk-a-bout. We love the layout of the Historic Savannah houses, live oak tree covered streets, and the beautiful square city parks. There are 22 squares in Savannah. We located the Mercer House, featured in the book and movie titled “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”, based on a true story.

We leave Skidaway Island tomorrow for a short 53-mile drive to Hilton Head Island and a five-night stay at the Hilton Head Island Motorcoach Resort. We’ve already reserved two bicycles to get around. 

Steve & Julie Cornelius