Easy Escapes: Breathe in the history of downtown Savannah

Several travel and information websites about Savannah, Ga., ask the same question: “Isn’t it time you visited historic Savannah?”

The answer is yes.

Less than a four-hour drive from the Myrtle Beach area (you can take U.S. 17 pretty much the whole way there or take S.C. 378 to Interstate 95 if you don’t want to drive along the coast through Charleston), you really don’t have an excuse to not make a trip to Savannah one weekend this summer/fall.

No matter what you’re interested in, Savannah has something for you.

History buff? Too easy. Try Forts Pulaski and Jackson, the latter of which offers daily live cannon-firing demonstrations by a docent dressed the part. (If you’re lucky enough, he’ll recruit you for his cannon squad.) There’s also the Savannah History Museum and Pinpoint Heritage Musuem, but a stroll around downtown Savannah is a historic tour in itself.

Religious? Take a tour through the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which are available so long as service is not in session. The cathedral most recently was renovated in 2000 and is located on East Harris Street. You can also meander through Bonaventure Cemetery of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” fame or through Colonial Park Cemetery, where many of those who died in the 1820 yellow fever outbreak are buried.

Got kids? Take them to Savannah Children’s Museum or to Forsythe Park, the latter of which is also popular among dog owners, photographers, joggers and cyclists.

There are also plenty of dining and shopping options along the river, from antique shops to boutiques, to open-air markets and riverboat tours.

Among the popular shops downtown is the Savannah Bee Company, where you can learn all about honeybees, sign up for a honey tasting, book a tour of a bee garden, and buy body care products, meads, and honey products, including coffee.

You definitely won’t run out of things to do. You can sign up for a dolphin tour or take a riverboat cruise with dinner and dancing. If it’s too hot for walking around the city, there are plenty of trolley options that offer all-day passes so you can get on and off at your leisure, or take a trolley tour of the city.

Be sure to swing by Chippewa Square, where the park bench from the Academy Award-winning film “Forrest Gump” still sits. Note: There are lots of squares in downtown Savannah, but they are not all created equal. Just because you’ve seen one, don’t think you’ve seen them all.

Diamonds in the rough

Childhood home of Flannery O’Connor, 207 E. Charlton St. Take one or two hours of your trip and tour the lovely childhood home of popular novelist Flannery O’Connor. The docents are passionate and knowledgeable about O’Connor and about the time during which she lived in the home, and it’s time well spent whether you’ve read O’Connor or not. There is also a little free library underneath the porch of the home, so bring a book with you to leave behind! Call 912-233-6014 or visit flanneryoconnorhome.org.

The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, 175 Bourne Ave., Pooler, Ga. This museum isn’t within Savannah city limits, but it’s just a few minutes up Interstate 95 so you can swing by for half a day on your way in or out. It’s dedicated to the Eighth Division of the Air Force and has powerful, artistic, thorough, and interactive exhibits in each wing, as well as a restaurant, art gallery, gift store and more. Half a day might not be enough time. Call 912-748-8888 or visit mightyeighth.org.

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Easy Escapes: Breathe in the history of downtown Savannah."