Savannah's River Street

Tybee Island is only 12 miles from Savannah so you can get the nice peaceful small-town seclusion of Tybee and in 15 minutes enjoy the best of big-city life. This is Savannah from the West. In the center is the gold dome of City Hall. To the left is the Savannah river and the never ending churn of sea-going freighters, tugs and tourist ferries. And this trip focused on River Street. A mix of boutique shops, cafes, and history.

Everywhere down here are steps, some are closed off, but many are open, but not without warnings.

The history here is palpable. It is not hard at all to see the merchants, farmers and businessmen coming down those steps to bid on cotton coming in from all over the South. And then seeing it plied onto ships from all over the world for transport.

These cobblestones came from inside ships that used them as ballast.

To its credit, Savannah has long recognized its historicity and has attempted to preserve as much as possible even after a purge of misguided renovation in the 70's.

These old building are virtually unchanged from the time when trains would bring in cargo and cotton to be bought and sold on the wharfs of this city. Now, you can spend a day walking up this street and checking out all kinds of shops that sell unique items. One place sold honey (yum). Another ice cream (yum yum). There are fancy priced antique stores interspersed with tourist-type T-shirt and seashell mirrors.

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