Savannah - a traveler samples the genteel South

PRIME – March 2013 By Shera Cohen www.inthespotlightinc.org Think of the artsy quaintness of Northampton, with the slight warmth of an early summer's day anywhere in New England. Envision a series of street blocks, each bordered by manicured hedges, seating areas, and tall statues and monuments. White houses, all large, and most with outside staircases on both sides of the entry door, line the streets. Within walking distance is cobblestoned River Street, with dozens of boutiques separated by small restaurants. Finally, think of the image of pre-Civil War "Gone with the Wind," with its elegance, and charm. Frame that picture of the Antebellum South with airy, grey-hued Spanish moss floating from the trees. This is Savannah. My Georgia vacation included visiting museums and famous homes, taking in theatre and music performances, and shopping. The impetus behind this getaway was to visit my nephew, who lives and works near Savannah. Accompanied by my other nephew, his brother, we journeyed for five days. I must say that I am an excellent planner – skilled at fitting in a whole lot of culture into a short period of time. I admit, however, that some of the highlights of this trip were unscheduled. Sometimes, you should expect the unexpected. The planned trip The places on my planned itinerary included the following: • The Savannah Philharmonic – I had the pleasure to attend "A Night of Great Opera." Conductor Peter Shannon led the orchestra, chorus, and three soloists as they performed exactly what the program's title stated. Segments of drama and comedy from great operas by Rossini, Verdi, and Bizet filled the bill. It was especially lovely to participate in one of the more elegant, dress-up, cultural events in Savannah. • Lucas Theatre for the Arts – This home of the Philharmonic looks like a movie house of yesteryear. Actually, I discovered, it was, dating back to 1921 – complete with two floors and huge rotunda. Performances throughout the year include opera, country stars, and film series. During the day, Lucas' management offers tours. • The Savannah Theatre – The guidebooks call this theatre "the oldest operating theatre still located on its original site that is still open." The 1818 building is located in one of the most historic sections of the city. I saw "Southern Nights," a revue featuring lots of extremely talented young singers and musicians performing rock, country, Motown, and pop. The lively show ended, not surprisingly, with "Georgia." • Elegant homes – I viewed rotundas, picturesque seating gardens, statues, drawing rooms, elegant dining rooms, and servant-run kitchen galleries, all making for a tourist's dream. • Juliette Gordon Low House – On the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Girl Scouts (founded by Low), it was a special delight to step into her birthplace. The interior tells the story of Low, her commitment to young girls, and is surrounded by all things "Girl Scout," the mansion and garden have been owned by the Girl Scouts since 1956. • Telfair Museums – This complex boasts three separate museums, and they are the oldest public art museums in the South, especially lauded for their fine architecture. Tourists first enter the Owen-Thomas House through the family carriage house, and then assemble in a slave cabin built in 1819. Every piece of furniture and all articles in the home are authentic from the 1800s and 1900s. A singular claim to fame is that Lafayette slept here. The antithesis of all of our other visits is the modern, colorful, whimsical, and youngster-appreciated art of the Jepson Center. In Telfair Academy, which was once a family mansion, visitors see rooms displaying 19th and 20th century art. • Ships of Sea – This museum, once the Scarbrough House (built for the principal owner of the ship Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic) featured room upon room of precise to-scale replicas of ships, including those that brought the first colonists and slave to America. This self-guided tour permits the visitor to experience all things nautical. • Davenport House – The tour guide was especially knowledgeable in giving her audience detailed facts and anecdotes of the era and the rich Davenports; means to keep Southern homes comfortable in the summer months, what "sleep tight" meant, and why "tossing out the baby with the bathwater" became a common phrase. • Harper Fowles House – Dating to 1842, this was yet another seaside mansion with an elegant dining room, antiques, and small garden. Common among these homes are the large white columns, giving the appearance that the large interior of the houses is even larger than life.

The unexpected treats

These places weren't part of my original plan, but were delights nonetheless: • Bonaventure Cemetery – Those who know me are never surprised that I get lost a lot. This time, my "lost" was a gain. While enroute to some of the homes on my "plan," I found myself walking into and around a graveyard smack in the middle of town. Its serpentine sidewalks guided me to stones of three centuries ago. • Dining – I sampled the fare at Johnny Harris Restaurant (where I experienced my first time having chicken & dumplings), Vinnie Van Gogo's (which has white pizza to die for), and Leopold's Ice Cream. After eating a sundae or two at this lovely antique shop, I understood why Leopold's has won "best of" in every Savannah magazine. The usual ice cream flavors were accompanied by lemon custard and rum bisque, with toppings like huckleberry. • City Market – Here you can experience fine or fun dining, browse boutique stores, and watch working artists, all on a long, architecturally intriguing street end-capped by a huge square and fountain. • Tybee Beach – We crossed the state line to South Carolina to arrive at the nearest beach. It was too cold to swim, and only a few (including myself) walked the shoreline in the calm low tide. This was exactly the way a beach should be – white dunes, soft sand, and the proverbial as blue as the eye can see ocean. Shera Cohen is president of In The Spotlight, a Springfield, Mass., nonprofit website dedicated to promoting the arts in the Pioneer Valley. See reviews and more at www.inthespotlightinc.org .