Savannah...that's a wrap!

So, Monday was our last day in Savannah.

But...I planned it so that we didn't have to be at the airport until around 4 pm!

We had a whole day to see more stuff....

Like...Paula Deen's Restaurant (for those who watch the Cooking Channel...she's on there...plus she does a live tour, has awesome recipes & spices & all kinds of stuff...and just seems as sweet as peach pie!)
www.pauladeen.com
So...the line to get into her restaurant...oh, it only wraps around the building...a few times.

This was a Monday morning. These people were waiting for lunch seats.
Crazy I tell you.
Crazy.

So, we went back to the Haunted Colonial Cemetery, and don't worry: parking was not a problem, b/c clearly there was a sign JUST FOR US:


Hello! Our rental was a CRUISER!


Clearly they knew we were coming.
Or, clearly, the Cruiser is the preferred rental of Savannah,GA & they want to be hospitable to out of town guests in their state....perhaps just a sign of that good ol' Southern hospitality.

Or (and this one is the truth)...there was a police station next to the cemetery...& the cruisers the sign refers to are actually police cars.
Whatever. I got a good laugh & really wished that Susan & David were still there for that "CWUUUUUUIZER" moment.

Anyway...so we went to the cemetery...




It was very interesting...and there were grave markers from the 1700s. The 1700s. It was just amazing.


Was he a pirate???


Something that we were told....overcrowding in this cemetery & others...led to decisions of removing every-other-headstone, and also moving headstones from areas that used to be cemeteries, and putting them in other cemeteries. So....they would move the markers, but not the bodies. And now...from what we were told---there are bodies buried under all kinds of squares, & houses, and buildings in the downtown area, but they are unmarked. Also, there is an entire wall of grave markers at the cemetery, but the location of the corresponding bodies is unknown...

[no wonder the place is haunted, right???]

Grave Marker & memorial for Button Gwinnet, who signed the Declaration of Indepence & was the President of Georgia.


The cemetery was very interesting...

We also visited the Mercer House.
You might recall this house from "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil" movie.
(excellent book & movie, by the way)...


Entrance to the Mercer-Williams House (as they are now calling it...)


Those are all of the photos I have of that....we went on a tour through the house...joined it late, and when I almost snapped a picture, I almost lost that finger! We had the tour-nazi running that show, and she was NOT about to let a single image be STOLEN!

So...after that...a stroll through Forsyth Park.
The fountain was being worked on...the flowers were in bloom & beautiful. The mossy trees were just beautiful & different than what we see everyday in Dallas...




So...after that...lunch. And another quick trip down to River Street & Bay Street..

This is the City Exchange Bell.
The Bell was constructed in 1802 and hung in the bell tower of the City Exchange Buidling on Bay Street. The bell now hangs in a replica steeple located just east of City Hall on Bay Street. The Bell is thought to be the oldest bell in the state.

And this is a statue called "The Waving Girl."

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Florence greeted the passing ships that went to the Savannah Port. She greeted them by waving a cloth during the day, and she used a lantern during the night. Some people say she wanted to be the first to meet her husband, as he returned to port.

And then...it was time to gas up the Cruiser & get it turned in before our departure.
Unfortunately, I think this pump was broken. Or, it was duct-taped, so maybe it was fixed.... hmmmm...who knows. I just know that ol' phrase: If you can't fix it, duct it."