Savannah and Sheldon Church

We decided to head down to Savannah for one of our days as Savannah is just as steeped in history as Charleston and is only a short 2 hour drive away.  We headed down the old Savannah Highway that dates back to when the cities were first settled and came across this little road side stand/market.  They had great little souvenirs that we bought like a cotton wreath and they had Peach cider.  For all of you who haven't had Peach Cider (don't worry we hadn't either) it is like drinking summer.  We would have brought some home but didn't quite know how to get it there.

Just past this little market was a nondescript road that held a little gem to those who know where to look and luckily I had stumbled across someone talking about it on their blog.  We turned down the road and it was one of those roads you dream about seeing in the south with huge oak trees on both sides arching over the road with spanish moss dripping from their arms.  Not 10 minutes up the road you will see a break in the trees that unveils a magical little scene that feels like hallowed ground.  The sun is able to break thru the trees almost as if putting the spotlight on the ruins of The Old Sheldon Church.  

The Old Sheldon Church stands about half way between Savannah and Charleston in an area that must have been a stopping point for many making the journey.  It was built in 1745....yes you read that right...1745 people.  It is older then our country.  It was then burned by the British during the Revolutionary War in 1779.  And here she stands hidden among the trees.

Old Sheldon Church holds up the long history of every church in South Carolina as it is surrounded by the graves of its early parishioners.

If we lived here this would be a sight for family photos but we had to settle for these.

And we were off again to see Savannah.  We started our visit to Savannah in some old Antique stores I had found online and managed to score some pretty great stuff including some Jadite pieces and Anna found some old spools and started a collection.  We also found some pretty great old architectural salvage stores that made us jealous we don't have them at home.

Savannah is a city unlike Charleston in that IT IS A CITY.  Charleston held on to the charm of its past whereas I fell Savannah allowed the past to peek thru the curtains on the modern day.  Well that isn't completly fair it isn't like it is full of new skyscrapers or anything more like a city from the 1940's or 50's but with that comes a lot more noise and a lot more crowds.  We ventured into the historic area along with waterfront and witnessed what made this city what it is as a large shipping vessel came by on the river with loads of cargo containers.

It was mainly restaurants down on River Street so we climbed the old "climb at your own risk" stairs that were very steep, uneven and narrow up to the city above.

Here is a view from above looking down on River Street below.

Anna really liked Savannah.  I did not.  A lot of it probably had to do with being tired from the drive down and all the walking we had been doing for days I just wanted to sit down in a nice chair with air conditioning and relax.  I also think I was hoping for more charm and less city and it seemed to be quite spread out here.  Perhaps if I had more time to explore the parks and the city itself I would find more to love.