Mossy Savannah

After enjoying the sunny beach at Tybee Island,

it was back into town to savour the sights of historic Savannah, Georgia. Being the weekend before St. Patrick's Day, the locals were prepping for a week-long party and one of the first signs of these festivities was the greening of the city's water fountains,

including the city's most famous fountain in Forsyth Park.

Savannah prides itself on maintaining its heritage with its countless historic buildings so you can easily spend an afternoon strolling its streets, admiring the architecture, and taking in the unique atmosphere brought about by the Spanish Moss drooping from the massive trees lining its avenues.

The boardwalk alongside the cobblestoned River Street provides a view of the Savannah River and the remnants of the industrial complexes that once graced the riverbank. While this view is a bit unsightly, the major attractions of River Street are the shops and restaurants that promise sweet treats, tasty seafood, and cheesy souvenirs for the tourists milling about.

The river walk is also where you can buy palm roses from one of the many artisans eager to make a sale.

While walking around, the sight of blooming flowers grabbed my attention. After what seemed like a long and cold winter, it was nice to finally enjoy the warm sunshine while being surrounded by colourful flowers perfuming the air around me.

So is Savannah worth driving the four hours from Atlanta?

That's a tough one... but I'll say that it probably isn't, especially considering the two relatively close calls to major accidents I had on the highway. That's not to say that Savannah's historic district isn't nice. On the contrary, it's a nice town for a romantic walk about the town or a picnic with your special someone in one of its many squares but if you're on your own or don't want to take the time to appreciate historic Americana, you'll probably be better off spending your time elsewhere. That being said, I don't regret the long drive as I got an advanced glimpse of spring and now I can say that I've stood underneath the mossy trees of Savannah, Georgia.

Cherry Blossoms in Georgia

Rated as one of the top ten cherry blossom festivals in the world by BudgetTravel, Macon Georgia's International Cherry Blossom Festival's claim to fame is its celebration of its 300,000 flowering Yoshino cherry trees in the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World." Although I was a week early, I decided to see if I could witness an early welcome to spring in Macon.

"You're a week early, honey" said the friendly lady at the Visitor Center.

"You won't be seeing many cherry blossoms today," warned the other.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of extending my visit to Georgia for another week so despite the warnings, they handed me a trail map of the cherry blossom route and I was on my way.

Perhaps my imagination got the better of me but I was envisioning walking through massive parks lined with cherry trees ready to flower in a few days' time, and maybe such a park exists in Macon, but I was not made aware of it so I followed the course set out on the trail map, by driving through the streets of Macon. Not exactly what I had in mind, but you have to accept it for what it is.

 

The start of this flowered landscape began in 1952 after Macon realtor William A. Fickling Sr. began handing out cuttings from his backyard cherry tree to local friends and neighbors. This would explain why the cherry bloom trail winds its way through several residential communities through the city. While the streets were bare today, I can only imagine the traffic once the cherry blossoms are in full bloom during the festival.

So while Macon may in fact be the cherry blossom capital of the world, the blossoms are probably only an excuse to celebrate the start of spring with neighbours and friends during the pinkest party on Earth. Good on them because any celebration is a good celebration.