This is how I think of Savannah. This part of the US is buffered and protected from the ocean conditions by these tranquil salt marshes. It also provides deep water access to get out to beaches and fishing spots.
There is something very charming about the spanish moss hanging from the live oak trees here. Savannah, Georgia is a destination worth experiencing. And for me, it is also where I grew up. So every year, I try to take my family down to experience some of the low country charm. I feel like this time, we just about did it all...even though I know we only scraped the surface.
There was fishing, and horseback riding, catching alligators, and releasing snakes. There were quiet (and not so quiet) walks along the coast, waiting for dolphins to swim by. We played baseball in my old back yard, and saw the famous Savannah Bananas for the first time. (It is worth it!) We went tubing in the Ogeechee River....pretty close to where we caught alligators, and still had time for a couple of cookouts. April is a great time to visit, especially coming from a colder climate like Vermont.
If you do make it down to Savannah, make sure to spend some leisure time by the coast. The salt marshes provide a wonderful place for kayaking, boating, or just walking. The wildlife and nature is amazing. And as you walk under the dropping moss covered trees, it will seem like time has slowed down. There is a reason that things happen at a different pace in these places.
Good advice, when walking near the Savannah marshes.
A young American alligator watches me carefully as I go in close for a photo.
As always, keep traveling and keep posting.
- Dai Mar
Then I get even closer.
Later at night, we took canoes out into the old flooded rice fields and caught a few gators. Here is David holding a baby, and Lea holding a little bit older one.
I had my three kids in my canoe, so I was on paddling duty. They did great though. Fisher hand grabbed a baby alligator, and we had fun visits from a tree frog and a big moth, which kept everyone entertained.
This was a little ribbon snake that we released. It really did not want to be handled by the kids. It was in full striking mode.
Here is a great shot of three generations of Tamaracks. My dad, handing a small gator to my daughter, with me looking proud in the back.
A tranquil place to kayak on the outskirts of Savannah.
There are so many wonderful views here in Savannah. They call this the lowcountry. You can't really get higher than 15feet in elevation. Sometimes you just have to follow bridges like this to see where they lead.
A group of five white tailed deer ran up out of the reeds, but stopped once they saw us. They were on high alert as they edged closer.
Live oak trees draped with Spanish moss while a young rider gets closer with his horse, makes for a wonderful Savannah scene. In this case, the rider is Fisher.
A drone's eye view. There are so many hidden gems on the outskirts of Savannah. This is down in Richmond Hill.
Waiting for the big one to bite. Hopefully not so big that it pulls her in!
Beautiful views like this seem to be around every corner.
Savannah is the place where you can adventure all day and night, or you can just find a couple of seats like this and wait for dolphins to swim by. This is on the famous Bluff Drive on Isle of Hope.
Savannah is the place for idyllic scenes like this.
One of the many snake species found here in Savannah, a corn snake. This snake is often confused with a venomous copperhead, but this one is docile. It was pretty impressive to watch it climb strait up this tree.
This is one way to explore the Southeast and lowcountry.
Nothing like taking the kids back to the house that you grew up in. Back yard fun is still a thing to do.
