Savannah/Tybee Island: Sights

Knowing our time was limited in the area, we only did a brief drive through downtown historic Savannah as we headed for the Riverfront.  But good heavens, was it stunning and charming and beautiful along the way!

I really regret not thinking fast enough to snap a pic of The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist we bumbled upon.  It was beautiful.  I was distracting by the nuns out front taking pics of it themselves.  Ha!  I loved the cobblestone roads and the historic steps and subsequent warning signs.  I snapped that at least, though I took none along the Riverfront either. :}

And one more of the giant trees and spanish moss dropping from everywhere.  It was so interesting to see palm trees on one side of a street and oaks and moss on the other.  What a neat mix of climate and activity ... and history.  Such a special area!

This place on night 2 for dinner and it was absoutely championship BBQ.  Really, really good.  Quite impressed. Though we did have to hide the Better Than Sex barbeque sauces from the kids' eyes. Sheesh.  Good thing they only like ketchup on their meat. HA!

I fell head over heels in love with all the marshland and canals you drive over on the way into Tybee.  They would be dry and muddy in the morning and then flooded again when the tide came in later in the day. It was so cool!  Josh and I wished we could see that water actually coming in when it does. Wondering how fast it happens...

On a whim, we booked a sunset dolphin cruise on our second and last night there.  BUT, weather was looming and they were hoping to call it a go or not just before we were scheduled to leave.

It ended up being to risky and both boats were cancelled as we stood at the dock just before loading.  It was SUCH a bummer! But a wise decision nonetheless.  We skedaddled our way off the island and back to Savannah to hunker down.  I love this shot I caught on the bridge on the way back.

Before leaving town the next morning, I managed to talk Josh into letting us try the dolphin cruise that day even if it meant we left later than planned.  We woke up at 9ish, booked our spots, packed the room, and were headed back to Tybee by 10 for our cruise at 11. Excitement abounded!

DOLPHINS!

Beautiful and in the wild.

It felt great to see them in their natural habitat without the guilt of knowing they were stuck in a tank for our entertainment.

I mean, come on.  How cool is this?!

They can be counted on to trail the shrimp boats...

The furthermost reach of Tybee Island.

Tybee Lighthouse. There was a great big American flag flying from its side too and it was beautiful at full spread in the wind. 

Spotting more dolphins...

We saw many of these shipping vessels in the course of our three days.  They are something to see, they are so entirely massive! And good Lord, the wake they make!  There are dolphins in this shot too between us and the ship - look closely.

See the dolphin jumping out of the water in front as it travels?

And again?  So fun.

Headed back to dock by now.  I have never been on the ocean in a boat before.  Was fun to experience.  We were glad to have gotten spots under the shade.  And glad that Josh did not get sea-sick.

We got to learn a little about Cockspur Island lighthouse on the way back.

Pretty special spot and astounding history ...

It's been there since the mid 1800's.

And of course, also special is this national monument, Fort Pulaski, with all its Civil War history.

 

We'll be sure to do more lengthy sightseeing with the kids another time when they have studied these historical events at all.  Field Trip!

From there, we began the 9 hour trip back home. It went so smoothly and with NO traffic in ATL at all.  It was a Fourth of July miracle, I swear.

We were blessed with beautiful skies on the way home.

And even marked this mileage milestone on the trip.  WOW!  Another first for Kimmie, who has never, ever, ever been with a single vehicle so long.

Great trip to GA and the Island and the Atlantic!