Posts tagged ‘Savannah Historic District’

If you walk by 1511 Price St.  in Savannah’s Historic District, you’re probably not going to think much. The dilapidated, boarded up home gives no hint of its historic significance.

But it was the home of Mother Matilda Beasley, Georgia’s first black nun and founder of the St. Francis Home for Colored Orphans.

Near the end of her life, she sewed everything she could and gave the proceeds from her work to poor blacks.

Chatham county (where Savannah is located) is now restoring the home to its 20th century condition and using it as an education center, per the Savannah Morning News.

It will also relocate the home to the East Broad Street dog park that bears Beasley’s name.  (The park is a block away from the Gaston Street Getaway, a 3-bedroom, 3 bath vacation rental).

While it’s not clear whether the home will be a tourist attraction, hopefully it will create greater awareness for the contributions of this fine woman. Restoration is scheduled for completion in November, 2009.

In August, 2008, we reluctantly moved to Atlanta from our lovely Gaston Street house (now known as Gaston Street Getaway).   My husband had gotten a great job in the Kennesaw area and we needed the extra income, now that we have a third child.

I was able to convince my husband to let us come back to Savannah for a vacation this month, while he toiled away in Atlanta, eating fast food and lamenting the fact that he’s a “terrible bachelor.”

So for the past two weeks, the baby, two older kids, the nanny and I have stayed at our Gaston Street vacation home,  enjoyed every minute of  downtown Savannah living. However, as a tourist, versus resident, I’m looking at things a bit differently.

For starters, I was always puzzled when I saw people traveling down the wrong way on one of Savannah’s many one-way streets. It seemed so intuitive. But now, I realize how easy it is to head in the wrong direction.

I was driving from Bay Street the other day, and I inadvertently went the wrong way down Taylor Street (which I mistakenly thought was Gordon Street). The folks on the corner laughed at me, but I was horrified. I could have caused a serious accident.

I also realized that the Kroger on Gwinnett Street is not a great place to shop late at night. While there’s security in and around the store, it’s a bit scary when it’s dark. (For some reason, I overlooked that fact when I was a resident).

On the plus side, the playground at  Matilda Beasley Park is far more cleaner than it was a year ago. No more glass, wrappers and litter dot the play area. It also seems to attract a better, family-oriented crowd (in the past, it had attracted some stragglers and seedy folks).  So, that was a very pleasant surprise, and a treat for the older kids.

Finally, I took a good look at our Gaston Street Getaway as a “temporary renter” versus resident. While it’s absolutely lovely, there were a few things that were missing. The living room television didn’t work optimally. So I replaced it.  We didn’t have a handheld dust-buster/vacuum to clean up spills, so I bought one. And, we had mistakenly locked some additional folding chairs in one of the closets. So, I pulled those out and made them accessible.

But one thing I didn’t fully appreciate: the home’s fantastic location and neighborhood. The Gaston Street Getaway is located in a truly wonderful part of the Historic District – it’s so accessible to everything and yet very quiet.  It also has some lovely neighbors, who are friendly and willing to lend a hand.  So, from both a tourist and resident’s perspective, I think it’s a wonderful place to stay.

Before taking a stroll through the Historic District, you may want to stop at one of our favorite spots for breakfast, B. Matthews Eatery, on the corner of Habersham and Bay Streets.

B. Matts (as some locals call it) has a delightful breakfast menu. A few of our favorites include the Shrimp and Grits – stone-ground grits served with bay shrimp and cheddar cheese.

Another nice dish is the French Toast – white chocolate banana bread dipped in  egg/cinnamon/vanilla batter, toasted to golden brown and served with whipped cream.

Prices for every breakfast entrée are under $10.

Besides the wonderful food, B.Matthews has some unique décor and history. The restaurant is very close to River Street, and legend has it that the building used to host a brothel, patronized by sea men who docked their ship about a block away.

Given that the windows are darkened, and passersby can’t see what’s inside, there’s probably some truth to it.

Nonetheless, it’s a wonderful place for breakfast (as well as lunch and dinner) and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. You’ll also get to enjoy Savannah brick first-hand.

Let us know your thoughts. And, by the way, B. Matts is about a mile walk from our historic Savannah vacation rentals, Heritage House and Gaston Street Getaway. So you can burn off the calories even before you even sit down at the table.

Watch the Cars!

Driving in Downtown Savannah is fairly easy.  But, there are also some quirky traffic rules that you should be cognizant of:

- Traffic flows counter-clockwise around the Historic District’s beautiful squares. That means cars turn right to enter a square.

- Cars already traveling around the square have the right of way.  Cars entering the square must yield.  This doesn’t always happen, so look both ways and don’t expect every driver to understand the concept.

- Cars don’t always stop for pedestrians in walkways.  I know, they should.  But truthfully Savannah has seen a lot more tourists since “the book” became a bestseller, and everyone has become slightly more impatient on the road.  This is especially true in downtown Savannah where tour buses slow the flow down.  Don’t get us wrong – we love to show off our town to visitors!  And 99% of the drivers will stop and let you by, plus return your friendly wave.

- One-way streets abound in downtown Savannah, and sometimes the signs are hard to see.  Price Street outside your front door is one way, and unfortunately this inspires some drivers to go too fast.  Please be sure to leave plenty of distance between you and the oncoming traffic as you cross the street.  And always look both ways twice, even if it’s a one-way street.

Planning to visit Savannah? Please check out our historic Savannah vacation rental.