Hilton Head Day 4

Sleeping late in the mornings is wonderful... Wynn has been waking almost at 8:00 on this trip (but she's gotten to stay up late too.)

As expected, there was rain across the region this morning, so we skipped our usual morning beach walk and set out at 9:40 for Savannah, getting downtown there at 11:00.

We spent about 3 hours in the city, exploring the area along the riverfront; having lunch at the Boar's Head Grill; shopping in the antique stores, food vendors, and art galleries; and getting ice cream at Leopold's.

Savannah's historic downtown area is compact and easy to walk through, and there are several companies offering guided hop-on-hop-off bus tours (plus a free shuttle). We were also impressed with the large number of conveniently-located good-quality hotels. With the many museums, theaters, and shops this would be a great place to spend a couple days on a family vacation (and add this to our list of places to come back to...)

The rain ended during our visit and the sun peeked through for the rest of the day. We headed back to Hilton Head for a quick dinner and one final walk on the beach.

Tomorrow we are up at 3:45 am for an early flight from Savannah to New York - a couple hours' layover there - and finally onward to snowy Minnesota. We will miss the beach, we will miss the green plants and blooming flowers, and we will miss walking around outside without coats on...

The area along the river is lined with these multi-story converted warehouses - there are roadways at each level, plus entrances on the river side as well. Lots of touristy gift shops and restaurants but also offices, galleries, and bed-and-breakfasts there too.

Shrimp 'n grits was on our must-eat list for this trip and we finally checked it off at the Boar's Head. This was amazing - of course the shrimp were incredibly fresh, but the grits were spectacular, like risotto and the best mashed potatoes you've ever had. The South has been getting a bad rap about grits, I suspect. So glad we ordered it!

Leopold's is right across from the main campus of SCAD - Savannah College of Art & Design. Lots of college kids around doing creative stuff - there are several theaters within a couple blocks, a big library, and a large art museum about a half-mile down the street. Savannah may have started as a transport hub and manufacturing town, but this college is giving the city new life and making it an exciting place to visit. But enough about that, the ice cream...

The place started in 1919 and still features several flavors from then! All handmade on the premises - absolutely fresh. And as you can see the place is packed.