We spent the night in Charleston and walked the streets after dark. Since I haven’t been to all the coastal Southern towns (yet I’ve been to quite a few), I’d have to say our own Old Town Alexandria is the closest comparison to Charleston I’ve seen…the walled gardens, beautiful homes and streets on a grid, all on a river, just give me the same feeling. Since I’ve done so many hidden gardens in Old Town, I know that there is so much more in Charleston than the eye can see. One of these days (I guess it will have to be in retirement!), I’d love to go to Charleston for the garden tours in April and see some of these hidden treasures. We love to stroll the streets of Charleston, day or night, and peer into gardens where we can. So many are lit at night and it is magical.

The next day, we headed south. After a swing through Beaufort, SC, (think where they filmed “The Big Chill”—it’s gorgeous) we stopped for an afternoon of visiting in Bluffton, SC. This is near Hilton Head Island. Then it was on to Savannah, GA, in the late afternoon.

Now I can’t remember how many times I’ve been to Savannah, but it’s been quite a few—coming and going to Florida, going with my Mother, and good friends…and I’ve always loved it. But this time, I fell in love with Savannah. Maybe it was because it was sunny, 80 degrees, and I was in shorts, tee-shirt and flip-flops, and so relieved to be out of the cold. Or maybe because there was so much blooming. Maybe it was just that it was so green to me this time. Or that every, single person was friendly and smiled and seemed to have all the time in the world to chat. Whatever it was, or all of these things, it just felt good.

Savannah’s historic district is unique because of its 24 squares, each different, laid-out in a grid. Each square is unto itself, named and planted. These are small, city parks, each surrounded by beautiful townhomes, inns and museums. The biggest difference between Charleston and Savannah to me, at least perceptively, is that Savannah is so much bigger than Charleston. While I feel I can walk through most of historic Charleston in one trip, I still feel like there is so much of Savannah I haven’t seen, even after having been there multiple times. As you walk from square to square, the feeling of each area changes and you really do get the idea you are in a different “neighborhood”. Yet the squares unify the city and give it a feeling of “oneness”, too. At the edge of the historic district is Forsyth Park. The day we were there it was filled with people out enjoying the beautiful spring day—walking, jogging, picnicking, biking…it is a park with spaces for all outdoor activities. There’s a band shell and an enormous, cast-iron fountain in the center of the park. Like most Southern parks, Live Oaks dripping with moss overhang the pathway which really does give a cooling effect on a hot sultry, day. While Charleston has its lovely private gardens, Savannah’s gardens, to me, are much more public…the squares can be explored individually, at your leisure, and they are each different from the next. Now don’t get me wrong—I love Charleston, too. It’s elegant, sophisticated and has the best of everything. Yet, while Charleston seems maybe a little more walkable and liveable, Savannah seems friendlier, more laid-back and attainable. And maybe that’s more attractive to me at this point in my life.

In Zone Denial >