Day Three: Savannah Road Trip

Savannah, Georgia: Saturday was the final day of our brief spring break road trip. Our whirlwind trip was gonna bet even busier as we had three sites we wanted to see in just a short amount of time. We were really up against the clock as our rental car was due back at 7pm in Sarasota, Florida. So we hit the city early.

Since we were leaving today, we decided to skip the hotel breakfast in lieu of a local restaurant. We chose J Christopher’s in the historic district. Last night during the walking ghost tour, the guide recommended it so we decided to give it a try. My wife and son had an omelet while I had biscuits and gravy. It was pretty good, nothing spectacular but hit the spot.

After breakfast, we drove around town waiting for the museums to open. We did a few photo stops in some of the city squares and along the riverfront. We then went to TriCentennial Park to walk through Battlefield Memorial Park. This park is a memorial to the 8,000 troops who participated in the Battle of Savannah during the American Revolution. The battle was the second bloodiest of the Civil War.

By the time we finished walking the park, it was 9am and the museums were now open. Our first stop was the Georgia State Railroad Museum. The museum is housed in an antebellum railroad complex, one of the few remaining examples of southern railroads. We spent some time touring their extensive collection of railcars and locomotives. In addition to the trains, much of the original railroad complex is still standing and has been restored to highlight the rich rail history. Unfortunately, our time schedule did not allow for us to ride one of their trains.

From there, we hit the road and headed east to the water for a visit to Old Fort Jackson. It was here that we were introduced to the sand gnat. Probably our only negative experience from the entire trip. But once we got some bug spray, we overcame them and toured the fort. This magnificent fort along the Savannah River was part of the coastal defense for the city. The fort saw action during the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The fort has been frozen in time and can a tour of the fort will transport you to the war time. Historical interpreters help tell the story of soldier life and bring the story to life with activities like canon firing and much more.

Our final stop for the day was the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. The Air Force museum located near Savannah International Airport is a historical representation of the largest air force squadron of World War II. Actions of these brave airmen help bring an end to the war. The highlight of the museum is the B-17 bomber being restored by the museum. The City of Savannah was the 5,000 aircraft processed at nearby Hunter Army Air Field. While we were touring the extensive memorial garden, we were treated to a flyover of four F-18 Hornets from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

After we completed the tour of the museum, it was time to start the journey home. We decided to simply the ride home and do an entire interstate drive home. What a mistake! We hit so much traffic. Traffic in Jacksonville, heavier traffic in St Augustine and miserable traffic in Orlando. It was a nonstop nightmare of a drive once we hit the Florida line. It was so bad, we almost did not make our deadline to drop the car off at the rental agency. But after almost 7 1/2 hours on the road, we finally had the car dropped of and on the final leg to our home. 

Despite the trip being thrown together at the last minute, we definitely had an amazing time. We are going to go back to Savannah to experience more of the city. There was much more we wanted to do but did not have the time. We have been home for two days and the biggest thing I miss is the food. Every meal we had was simply delicious.

Below is the final slideshow of photos from the trip. Continue to check the site regularly as I will be adding in depth reviews of the places we visited during this trip.