This was a lovely spot! They hosted the Savannah Book Fair and I loved walking around to all of the…read morespots but they plenty of seating and the Telfair art museum is right next door which I would like to visit

Really interesting historical home with great artwork! The Venice and Ottoman Empire exhibit worth…read morethe visit! Would love to have some facts on home itself on display to read. Great staff with great info!

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.

Smallest Square in Savannah. We actually had to ask the police officers across the street where it…read morewas. I'd rate it higher but there is not a thing that's grand about this square. It's barely a square. Actually it shouldn't even be a square. Maybe at one time it was more grandiose but certainly not anymore...

It was located on Montgomery between State and York Streets. It was paved over to make way for…read moreimprovements to Montgomery Street. A small portion remains and is the site of the "Flame of Freedom" sculpture.

Johnson Square was a nice place to visit while we were in town. We really like taking photos and…read morelooking around the sites and seeing everything that had to offer.

Johnson Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah. Located in the northernmost row of the city's…read morefive rows of squares, it was the first of the squares to be laid out, in 1733, and remains the largest of the 22. We loved walking around the square as well as sitting around, watching people go by....there's plenty of street parking around....some free, some metered, some inside parking garages Johnson Square is east of Ellis Square, west of Reynolds Square and north of Wright Square. Situated on Bull Street and St. Julian Street, it is named for Robert Johnson, colonial governor of South Carolina and a friend of General James Oglethorpe. Interred under his monument in the square is Revolutionary War hero General Nathanael Greene, the namesake of nearby Greene Square. Greene was a Rhode Island native who died in the South.....us being from RI, found this very interesting and eye opening. An obelisk in the center of the square serves as a memorial to General Greene. Johnson Square contains two fountains, as well as a sundial.

Quick stop while I was visiting Tybee Island last year. It is one of the smallest lighthouses in…read moreGeorgia, located on a tiny island in the south channel of the Savannah River. Its part of Fort Pulaski National Monument. Its not open to the public for visiting. You can get close if your kayaking. The national park service does operate Cockspur Lighthouse, see website for the interesting facts about Cockspur. If you love lighthouses its a great stop for the history and views.

Decided to stop in here as we were headed to Tybee Island and we ended up spending so much time we…read moredidn't even go to the island! Fort Pulaski is in amazing condition and you get to walk through the tunnels as well as on top of the fort! They give you a paper with a map explaining history, and another one that tells you about all the canons. They have many original canons that you can see, and the information signs throughout the fort do a great job of just hitting the cool highlights without overwhelming you with information. The walk to the lighthouse is beautiful and you get some great views of the Savannah River.

Stopped in here for a break from traveling and toured this park. It is very large and super nice…read more Clean and orderly and easy to navigate. They have lots of ball fields and plenty of parking. I think the shining part of this park is the fabulous dog park which has tons of features for your four legged friend. Don't be confused if it takes you through a new neighborhood being built. That is the correct way and you'll arrive at the park in no time.

This is a nice park, and an area like Richmond Hill could always use more parks! It's next to a…read moreschool and an expanding neighborhood. I don't know if the school uses the fields for their games and practices, but I would sure hope so! Lovely new tennis courts, several baseball fields and plenty of AstroTurf and natural turf fields. On top of that they've got several paved trails for the bikers, joggers and walkers. The bark park is here too, but if your pups are better off walking with you, you definitely have that option. There seems to be plenty of parking, event for a time when multiple events are going on and everyone heads outdoors to enjoy the great weather.

Located on Bay Street that approaches downtown Savannah and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, this…read moremarker points out the history of the adjacent neighborhood. There is a lot to read on the marker with dense text but there is parking in a nearby closed gas station where you can stop. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "The Hudson Hill community derives its name from the first pastor of the Friendship Baptist Church located on Weldon Street. The church, established on April 10, 1895, was served by Rev. A. Hudson for its first 13 years. Rev. Hudson was such an influential leader in the local community that people began to refer to the area as "Hudson Hill." With the exception of the Jasperville area, Hudson Hill was settled later and developed differently than the other western Savannah communities. Hudson Hill is smaller than Woodville and West Savannah and its growth as a neighborhood expanded in the mid twentieth century after the area was annexed by the City of Savannah in 1939. The growth of employment in the port and industries was crucial to the development of each western Savannah community. However, the later period of significant settlement and proximity to the port and industries along its northern boundary resulted in Hudson Hill developing with a unique mix of single-family houses and employer-built apartments and duplexes. Examples of this housing in the community include the Mutual Quarters duplexes constructed by the Mutual Fertilizer Company, the Union Bag village, and the World War II-era shipyard worker housing developments later renamed Clearview Homes and Bayview Homes." The marker was erected through the cooperation of several organizations including the Federal Highway Administration, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the City of Savannah. [Review 19934 overall - 621 in Georgia - 907 of 2023.]

On a very busy roadway that leads into downtown Savannah, this marker points out some of the more…read morerecent history of the area. It's very small print and thankfully there is enough space to pull over to be able to read it. The marker reads, "Urbanization of western Savannah in the early twentieth century was spurred by growth in employment opportunities at the Central of Georgia Railroad facilities, the port, and the port-dependent industries that included the Hilton-Dodge Lumber Company, American Can Company, Mutual Fertilizer Company, Diamond Match Company, and Union Bag and Paper Corporation. The industrial facilities provided abundant jobs for both white and African American workers in the Jim Crow era, and the major roads and electric railways serving the area helped create the Hudson Hill, Woodville, and West Savannah neighborhoods as workers chose to settle close to the city's major employers. A diverse mix of small businesses that appealed to both neighborhood residents and motorists soon expanded along the Augusta Avenue and Bay Street corridors. These businesses reached their peak in number and diversity in the 1950s and included small grocery stores, seafood markets, fruit stands, restaurants, dry cleaners, pharmacies, and gas stations. They declined in the 1970s as residents shopped elsewhere and finally collapsed in the 1990s when layoffs in the manufacturing sector caused working-age residents to move, leaving fewer homeowners and customers to support local businesses." Quite a few sponsors for the marker including the Federal Highway Administration, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Chatham County and the City of Savannah. It is in excellent condition and has the same text on both sides. [Review 19348 overall - 583 in Georgia - 318 of 2023.]