Southern Charm

"Savannah is better for ya. You'd just get in trouble in Atlanta."
—Mammy in Gone with the Wind

We took a little road trip (only 5 hour drive) to the Georgia Coastal Marshlands. Since Savannah was on the way, we spent a night there and enjoyed a day of exploring before heading down the coast. We arrived late in the evening and had dinner and drinks at a great little microbrewery called Moon River Brewing Company. I can highly recommend the Savannah Fest Bier if you like a good German style beer!

One of the great things about Savannah, if you don't finish your drink and you're ready to mosey down the street to the next place, you can just take it with you! That's exactly what we did as we strolled along the riverfront by moonlight enjoying our beverage from Moon River Brewing Company. Slowly making our way back to our hotel for the night, we ran into some very friendly fellows who invited us into a nearby pub to listen to some friends of theirs who were playing live music. No cover charge and we could take our beer in...sure! Why not? As it turns out, we really enjoyed the music and stayed for a couple of sets chatting with Jason and Eric (the duo) of The Train Wrecks in between their sets. Great guys, we got on the subject of Hank Williams and I told them some of the stories of my family ties with Hank Williams, Sr. and Alabama (the state, not the group). They played songs the last set that all tied into things we had talked about. Really nice guys.

The next morning we decided to let the GPS tell us where to go. I punched in The Mercer House (of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil fame) and we ended up at Monterey Square in the historic district. Walking around the square, admiring the old oak trees dripping with spanish moss and the charm of the southern architecture, we noticed an open door in the basement of one of the houses. It was an antique shop! Needless to say, we ventured inside and had a nice chat with Alex Raskin (owner of Alex Raskin Antiques) located in the historic Noble Hardee Mansion. He told us that it was the largest house in the Savannah Historic District and we were welcome to wander around all 15,000 square feet of it. There was so much to take in, Marty and I split up, both admiring the contents as much as the house itself. We crossed paths a few times and just looked at each other in total amazement. It was technically only a two story house but with a basement and attic it seemed to go on forever. Crystal chandeliers hung high above furniture that was piled up in rooms where you could almost hear the music and feel the dancing in what were once two stately ballrooms.

If you're ever in Savannah and enjoy antiques, old homes with southern charm, and a slight chill on the back of your neck as you wonder if there really are ghosts in this world, then this is definitely a place for you to visit.

Alex Raskin Antiques located in the Noble Hardee Mansion

441 Bull Street (the corner of Bull and Gordon at Monterey Square)

Savannah, Georgia (USA) 31401

Incidentally, that is The Mercer House in background of the top photo with the garden view. I've got more photos and tales to tell of the rest of our trip but I'll stop for now. Photo overload - I'll give it a rest.