Great spot to visit that I somehow overlooked on my first couple of visits to Daufuskie -- highly…read morerecommend that all visitors check out the museum and store-- great selection of gifts and souvenirs, as well as a nice selection of local craft beers, gourmet barbecue sauces, wines, books on the local history, etc.

Surprisingly rude and void of hospitality. As we walked in, overheard the owner having a…read moreconversation with someone. We received a curt greeting and overheard her say "probably tourists..as if I had to guess". Had no interest in helping or answering questions whatsoever. There are nicer people on the island that care about sharing the unique history...would NOT recommend coming here.

While extra planning will be needed, I highly recommend visiting this local treasure…read more We visited for a wedding and were able to enjoy many aspects of the island. The beaches are so pristine, and you're bound to find a treasure. I was not comfortable getting in the water. You couldn't see the bottom and the jellyFish were in full force. Golf carts are highly recommended and equally utilized. Plan ahead for your ferry ride over (or private rental). If you can indulge on the cuisine made by Sallie Ann Robinson, consider yourself lucky!!! She's a true gem. I am forever grateful that I got to meet her and eat her delicious food!! I would go back just to spend time with her. She's so knowledgeable, so loving, genuinely cares about preserving the Gullah history. She is a True Treasure!!! Pack bug spray! Wowzers. Loved our quick getaway.

Pronounced "Daw-fuss-key" or "Duh-fuss-key"…read more Daufuskie Island has a long rich history, which you can read about on Wiki, but I was first interested in visiting Daufuskie because it was settled by the Gullah for a long time, and I really wanted to learn more about the culture. I have come across Gullah works in various mediums in my folk art studies, and really yearn to know more. In retrospect, I think Sapelo Island would've been a better choice, but in either case, you'd need to have done your own research and historical reading ahead of time, because unfortunately, despite some local-level efforts, there has not been much invested in quality museum preservation of the culture on either island. I hope in the future this will change, and these historic sites will be given funding and national historic recognition. The island is 5mi x 2.5mi, with 3mi of beach. I've been to a lot of beaches around the world, and they do have a really pretty beach here. There are technically 2 beaches by name, but they run into each other. Our captain of our ferry told us a few years ago investors tried to hype Dafuskie up to be a southern Nantucket, but it didn't really catch on. I'd say the feel was more of Ocracoke (Boho artsy & southern nature) meets a small Bahamian island (island-rustic & party feel). There are these random gated communities and condo complexes amidst a very bucolic island bush feel. Golf carts are the main mode of transport, with very few cars, and there is this weird bike attitude, where they warn against trying to ride one on the sand roads, but yet rentals are available? (They recommend fat tire bikes.)       There are homemade YouTube videos on this island, but no major documentaries, and again, that is normally how I research a trip. So an island map is really the best resource I found on how to approach tourism across this island (apart from taking an official tour).  Unfortunately, due to my unhappy dog, I didn't get to explore beyond one restaurant and one beach. But I am aware of a schoolhouse, an iron master artist, a lighthouse (that isn't really a lighthouse), a very cool farm you can tour (that doesn't allow dogs), and a mishmash of old and new residences, where abandoned Gullah homesteads meet Baby Boomer retirement villages. There is also the Freeport town center, where the action is. Many boaters come dock just off the town square, and locals say the boats get rows deep, just tying one up to another. A rowdy party sparks up just about every afternoon, with lots of middle-aged to senior drunk people hanging out to play cornhole and flirt. There were also sketchy bungalow rooms for rent right on the party square for, presumably, boat goers to sober up before floating back to Hilton Head, and, (eek) hook-ups. Seriously, this spot is a maskless spreader zone come lunch time each day, so I steered clear!  Pat Conroy's book, The Water is Wide, is based on Daufuskie. This means nothing to me for the stuff I read, so I can't expand, but it is meaningful to some. People say of Daufuskie, "it feels like another country" ehhh, not really. I guess this is based on the rustic island vibe? If you've been to the Caribbean you know a bigger cultural difference. Even parts of the FL Keys feel more non-domestic than this. I did feel like I was still in SC. One detail that reminded me of small Bahamian islands, was the broken down cars, just rotting in various places. I get that on an island it's not easy to get rid of an old useless car, and I appreciate the rustic character, but there were a lot of them, especially in one particular sport, which was otherwise really pretty, by the water. Perhaps these are going to be reclaimed for their steel by the local steel artist? IDK. But that, for sure, felt Caribbean-y.  Visited in mid-March and temperatures were mid-70s. But on the beach it got hot! Daufuskie is a 45min ferry ride from Hilton Head, and then a short drive to Savannah. It is the last island in SC, before you get to Tybee in GA.

Civil War History…read more Dining at Old Fort Pub is always preceded by our walking tour of the Civil War fort, Fort Mitchel (one L.) Fort Mitchel and other Union forts, together with a superior Union Navy were Key to ultimate Union victory. Old Fort Pub is closed, and visitors to FT Mitchel have decreased. This Fort played a vital role in Coastal defenses.

Fun and Interesting historical presentation on old site of this fort area. Well spoken guide met us…read morenear parking and welcomed us, began discussion readily, sharing Civil war history. We ambled to park benches as he continued, explaining the importance of the area, and fortifications there, preserved as possible despite nearby modern development. His talk was augmented with a second presentor, in character and costume, to explain local sentiments during war times, with good humor and good understanding of historical local, slave and soldier perspectives. Well done! Well appreciated! Give a listen , everyone! Volunteer guides, money supports local history library.

Established on July 31, 1789 by Congress, the U.S. Custom Service is the oldest federal agency. At…read morethe time of it's creation the new nation was on the brink of bankruptcy after the Revolutionary War and in order to survive George Washington agreed to the collection of taxes on imported goods in order to raise money. That same year a customs house was established in Savannah to collect the taxes on imported goods, regulate importers and exporters, and to prevent smuggling and revenue fraud. The custom house that sits here is actually Savannah's third building to serve that purpose. After the second custom house burned down in 1837 the federal government purchased this plot of land across from in 1845 across from City Hall that used to contain a wood frame house used by Georgia founder James Edward Oglethorpe. The cornerstone for the custom house was laid on July 20, 1848 and the building was designed by New York Architect, John S. Norris in a Greek Revival style. It was constructed entirely of stone in order to make it fire proof and the building was completed in 1852 making it the oldest federal building in Georgia. In the 1850's a vigorous slave trade took place outside the back door of the building where humans waited in cages before their turn on the auction block even though it was in violation of the law. A U.S. Post Office was in the basement of the building, the Customs Service was on the first floor, and the federal courts occupied the second story. It was in this court room that the famous trial of America's last slave ship, the Wanderer took place. In 1861 the Georgia State Convention adopted the Order of Secession and control of the building was taken over by the Confederacy. The Civil War ensued and General Sherman returned the building to the Union four years later when he seized Savannah during his March to the Sea. The building was added to U.S. Register of National Historic Places in 1974. Today Savannah is home to one of the largest ports in the country and the building is occupied solely by Customs and Border Protection. Besides being tasked with collecting taxes, they are also in charge of keeping terrorists and weapons out of the country and facilitating lawful international trade. Equipment used today consists of x-rays, radiation, portal monitors, and density meters. Both people and cargo are examined as they enter the port which is vital to U.S. safety. The United States Customs House was steps away from my hotel during a recent visit to Savannah. Unfortunately I was on a tight time line and although I passed by many times it was closed and I was unable to go inside. If you can work it out for your trip, the inside is open to the public and contains displays that include old tools used to test cargo coming into the port and confiscated items. It is definitely someplace I look forward to visiting when I return.

The US Customs House in Savannah was designed by noted architect John Norris and was completed in…read more1852. It replaced an older and less-imposing customs house and has served as functioning customs house since it opened and still serves in this capacity today. The building's use of stone from foundation to roof is not only grand and bespeaks the importance of this building, but also was a reaction to the problem of fires in the crowded city and Norris was known to employ stone as a fireproofing method in many of his public commissions when there was ample money for such. The iron fence surrounding the building includes a tobacco leaf motif that is also found in the columns and elsewhere on the building and is a reference to the crucial importance of tobacco as an export crop at the Port of Savannah at the time the Customs House was built. When completed, the main post office for Savannah was in the basement and the customs service on the second floor while courtrooms for the local Federal district were upstairs. Colonel John H. Deveaux, the first African-American director of a Customs Service office served here following the Civil War and the building is filled with a lot of other interesting local history. As far as I know, anyone can come inside and admire the impressive architecture (the central staircase inside the building is a real showpiece) and while I was there on official business, I noticed they had several exhibits on contraband that Customs officials had discovered on ships in port--the display included antique weapons, ivory, and it seems like some sort of African masks. I hope the building is open for the public or tours are possible, because it's one of the best examples of Norris' archtecture and holds a real wealth of history. It's also interesting to see such a fine building still in use as it was first intended.

I really liked this statue, even though this story is amazingly sad. Luckily it was a stop on our…read moretrolley. We actually got off the trolley at one end of River Street and walked all the way to this end (which is about where this is). I would highly recommend stopping by and reading about this amazing story.

Savannah's waving girl, Florence Margaret Martus is Savannah's famous statue that shows a girl…read morewaving by looking at port in port of Savannah, GA through Savanah River! It seems she was a sergeant girl and her brother was the keeper of the Elba and South Channel lights. The tale says that she felt in love with a sailor and she was waiting for almost 44 years by waving at all ships to maybe able to find his love but she never did. Beautiful statue and nice story. It's wirth to stop by.

The Globe dates back to 1957 when it was constructed as a storage tank by the Savannah Gas Company…read more About two years after completion, it was painted to resemble the planet we're all Yelping though a classroom-style globe. In 1999, it was repainted as it is now, to look like the Earth as it appears from space. It's next to a gas station, Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A. Unless you collect odd water towers like I do, I wouldn't say that you need to go out of your way to visit. Don't miss the "Moon" mailbox nearby. [Review 19932 overall - 619 in Georgia - 905 of 2023.]

We love the Hilton Head Island Chamber because of the personal, passionate staff as well as the…read moreprofessional and exciting events they host!

Located at plot E-98, little Gracie Watson may be the most popular grave at Bonaventure Cemetery…read more Gracie was born in 1883 in Savannah, GA to W.J. and Frances Watson who were from Boston. Gracie's father was the manager of the opulent Pulaski Hotel in downtown Savannah. A beloved only child, she delighted all of the hotel guests who visited until she sadly passed away at the age of six from pneumonia on April 22, 1889, two days before Easter. Gracie initially had a headstone but in 1890 her heart broken father commissioned a sculpture of her likeness using her photograph, from artist John Walz. The marble statue is incredibly detailed and is one of the only headstones in Georgia to be carved in the persons likeness. Through the years local children have left gifts for Gracie at her grave. After the nose of the statue was damaged, the historical society installed a fence around the grave to protect it from further deterioration. Gracie's parents ended up moving back to New England where they are buried. Now Gracie is kept company by the many visitors to Bonaventure cemetery. It is said that her ghost haunts Johnson Square where the Pulaski Hotel used to stand in Savannah.

Since Bird Girl was moved into a museum years ago, the most popular statue/grave to find is that of…read moreGracie Watson. The entire area around here is beautiful. Look up her story and enjoy the browse around this ethereal cemetery while in Savannah.