Unfortunately, I woke up with a less-than-ideal headache, Jonathan insisted that I rest for a while. So I did. He’s a very nice man. He and the kids were very patient with me. So because of the headache and because we had a 4-hour drive ahead of us, we were only able to do one thing. But that one thing was awesome!
After I was relatively recovered, we drove to the Wormsloe Historic Site. It is a 1736 Colonial estate that is quite close to Downtown Savannah. And we nearly died. From the awesomeness. I mean…LOOK AT THIS!! 🤤🤤🤤
This avenue of trees is a mile long and is the headline feature of the whole site. There are over 400 oak trees, the oldest of which were planted by the owner of the estate in the early 1800s to commemorate the birth of his son. This same son’s coming of age was commemorated with the grand masonry arch at the entrance to the avenue.
It was just incredible! I couldn’t get enough of it. Obviously, we took a LOT of pictures. And videos. And we definitely basked.
After we enjoyed the avenue, we decided to check out some of the other offerings of this historic site. We opted to go on the interpretive trail through the forest.
As we walked, we came across several stops that were meant to demonstrate various aspects of Colonial life. (To be honest, I think we must have come at an off-time because I had been under the impression that there would be docents and people in period-dress discussing things at each stop. But that was not the case…sad. Though we did see one person in period dress driving a golf cart… so that’s something.)
There were some pretty random things including a cricket pitch (though no cricket equipment) and a section where one could build a hut out of some tree branches and palm fronds. Like I said, kinda random. But the kids loved it. And I’ll tell you what, it made me miss camping.
Eventually, we came to an old simulated “wattle and daub’ hut that was used to house marines and indentured servants back in the day. Wattle and daub. I feel like that should be a name for a trendy hardware store or something.
Nerd alert: ‘Wattle’ refers to the weaving of branches. And ‘daub’ refers to the stucco-type stuff smeared on the interwoven branches. It was made from lime which comes from crushed and burnt oyster shells, sand, and water. These huts were notable because they used all local materials and required very few nails and therefore were quite inexpensive. This particular specimen had a loft area, which the kids enjoyed climbing into and exploring. Nearby, they also had a small blacksmith’s area and a kiln.
After exploring for a bit, we continued on the interpretive trail, which led us through a salt marsh. After a spell, we came to the Wormsloe Tabby Ruins on the edge of the salt marsh (these ruins are considered the oldest standing structure in Georgia). Tabby is concrete-like material that was used in construction: it consisted of burned shells, sand, water, and ash. In this case, the tabby was used to make a fortified house to be lived in during a tumultuous time of war with Spain.
The tabby ruins were the last stop on the interpretive trail. So after checking them out, we made our way on the trail back toward the visitor’s center and gift shop. We made some small souvenir purchases. And by this point, it was just about time to head back to Atlanta.
So we all hopped in the car, and we got to drive back down the Avenue one more time. And it was just as heavenly on the way out as it was on the way in.
We stopped at Panda Express (Clara’s favorite) for a late lunch/early dinner and then we started driving back to Atlanta.
Savannah was amazing. I’d love to come back. What a beautiful place. It definitely had some New Orleans vibes.
it really was cool! i insisted on sitting on top of the car through the trees. i do not regret doing it also why is grammy not here? #gramywouldlovethisplace
-clara