You got Georgia on your mind?

A must visit is Collin’s Quarter of New Zealand and Australia fame in the heart of Forsyth Park. They are known for their traditional southern style Grit and Shrimps. We decided to have breakfast on their outdoor patio. Mine was a Beyond Meat burger and fries. The patio is right next the Garden of Fragrance in the Forsyth Park which is a garden created to cater to the visually impaired.

   

All across Georgia, there were these signs that I thought was brilliant. If only we had such provincial laws, no business would need to have been closed due to COVID-19.

This is the oldest living Live Oak tree in Savannah, Georgia, said to be standing there since the 1700s.

We spent the day at the park and took the free DOT hop on hope off tour of the city. At one time we accidently hopped into the paid hop on hope off. The driver graciously allowed us to get off at any stop and purchase tickets to get back. At $38 US per person I guess they offer a lot of information about the city’s iconic buildings and attractions which DOT does not. We got off in front of the 149 year old Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. It was awe inspiring!

The City’s DOT also provides a free cruise on the Atlantic ocean called the Savannah Belles Ferry. It starts at the historic downtown and Riverwalk/River Street area. This is a fabulous walk and there is a set of stairs which is extremely dangerous and steep (yet no signs of disclaimers).

             

There was a sculpture of a man on a bench…. later he got up and walked away!! Surreal.

While waiting for the Belles Ferry we had time to contemplate on this very touching Maya Angelou poem commemorated by this statue.

This cruise takes you to Hutchinson Island which has the Savannah Convention center and Westin Savannah Harbor and Golf Course. If you buy a drink at the bar you can also use the outdoor pool. We went to the Harbor Marina and watched the yachts come in. There was a beautiful one waving a Canada flag! It was from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. I know Lunenburg as it has an authentic Sri Lankan restaurant that serves meals in served and baked in a banana leaf just like at home. And Sri Lanka is where I was born. We were unable to visit Lunenburg last year on our East Coast RV Trip because they did not open up travel to the unvaccinated September 15th 2021 when we were there.

Another must do in Georgia is visit Leopold’s Ice Cream for the original 1919 frozen lemon custard and tutti frutti. These two flavors are unchanged since 1919. Leopold’s ice cream was THE spot to go after all concerts, dances and sporting events. They claimed to make the first tutti frutti ice cream and still serve the same recipe. Movies such as The Sum of All Fears, Mission: Impossible III, The General’s Daughter, and the re-make of The Wolfman were filmed at this store. Stratton Leopold, the youngest son of the founder Peter Leopold still owns and works at the parlor even though he has since gone on to produce Hollywood movies. I had a delicious Butter Pecan ice cream made with Georgia Pecans and hussein had a honey almond ice cream. The line up was so long it took us 45 minutes. The servers came out serving little shot glasses of water so that nobody would get heat stroke!

The store has wonderful memorabilia of film and it feels like you are walking into a Video Rental place more than an ice cream parlor. Regret of the day: We wished we had bought their pints for the road. The next time we came for ice cream the line up was more than twice as long.

This is us waiting for the Belles Ferry. People say this trip has made us look younger by 5 years.

  

Wonder what will we look like after 72 days on the road. I think we are getting greyer, but happier. If you are tired of cancelled flights, give me a call. We make your dreams come true and help you travel relaxed and on your terms.

Tomorrow we take our bikes and head to Tybee Island, Georgia!