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.

The Historical Society is one of the oldest historical societies in the United States, and the oldest cultural institution in the state of Georgia. Its mission is to “collect, preserve and share” Georgia’s history.

The society has a beautiful library, where thousands of researchers – from all over the world – visit each year.

It’s collections include  such treasures as:

- an original draft of the U.S. Constitution, one of only a handful in existence; – a compass and snuff box belonging to Georgia founder James Oglethorpe.

- records related to the Cherokee Removal and Trail of Tears of 1836.

- the correspondence of national figures such as U.S. presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low.

It also has a manuscript collection of family papers, military records of every Georgia war, the papers of Georgia’s major political leaders,  plantation records, papers of social and cultural organizations, plus a lot more.

The library has some rules and regulations, so please observe them. It’s posted hours are:  Tuesday through Friday, 12 p.m. through 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Besides the libary, the Historical Society hosts many wonderful events that are open to the public. Here is a link to forthcoming Historical Society events.

(Post-script: We researched the 130-year-old Heritage House at the Georgia Historical Society. We were able to find records about the  builder, Alexander Marcus Barbee, and traced more than four generations of the Wessels family, who originally owned the house).