Savannah vs. Charleston

It's a popular question, which city is the most beautiful and interesting. I've always wanted to see Charleston. I can't remember all the reasons why. Certainly "Gone With the Wind" was an influence, but several southern cities were included in that book. Then it was recently suggested that I should go see Savannah. I hadn't thought I'd go this far north, but in planning my return trip, I decided to go through Tennessee, so it became practical to see both cities. And in my limited experience, I'd say Savannah is the winner.

Savannah

Springtime is a great time to visit both cities. The city's famous azaleas are reaching full bloom, the wisteria is beautiful, the Spanish moss and resurrection ferns are lush and green. The only bad thing here are the pesky sand gnats (they're so prevalent, even the city's Minor League ball team is named after them). I have to apologize again for the bad photos, just iPhone pics taken by a poor photographer, sometimes from a trolley and sometimes with a dog pulling on the leash-arm.



I'm always charmed by stairs that are so old they're indented by all the footsteps that have passed over them.

The Savannah Cotton Exchange - historic center of power

Nice city hall

The first African American church - built by slaves at night after their days' work was complete.
I didn't go in to see them, but there are passageways to underground tunnels inside.

So much ornate ironwork in the city

"Dolphin downspouts" are popular on many of the historic buildings and are said to bring good luck


Charleston

Again, springtime enhances the beauty. I didn't have as much time to spend in Charleston, and if I had been there longer, I may have been just as charmed by it as I was Savannah. (The biting sand gnats were present here too, but I was only bothered by them near the waterfront.)

In addition to the beautiful city, another thing I was impressed by in the area was James Island County Park that I stayed at. It was an easy drive in to the city and had all the features you'd expect from a county park with trails and lakes, plus a campground, an off-leash dog park, disc golf course, climbing wall, ropes course and a water park. It could easily be a vacation destination for a family.

The waterfront homes were supposedly painted in such a colorful manner to assist in finding the right house when staggering home inebriated

Charley pausing to greet the patrons of "his" hotel

Dinner on the back porch of the Blind Tiger Pub. Charley, tired from three days of wandering around the cities, was content to just lie down and relax. 

Martinsville

I waffled about whether to go to another NASCAR race while in the South. The weather forecast was for seriously cold weather (down to 20) and some rain threat during parts of the weekend, so I put off making a decision until Thursday. I finally booked a "general admission" campsite at the track, and tickets for the Saturday and Sunday races, and headed that direction.

I knew it would be "dry camping" in the cold weather and prepared for that, and as I was driving Friday, I remembered from being here once for a race over ten years ago, that the terrain was hilly and it was likely I wouldn't have level parking for the motorhome. But I wasn't prepared for the mud. It rained Friday before I got here around dusk, and thankfully the gal at registration suggested I go up the hill 'cause it's not as muddy up in that area. Sure enough, there's no level parking left, but I found a spot that's not too bad when I use my "redneck" leveling boards. But I'm not wearing any good shoes here, and I'll be careful about where I walk the dog. This place is a mess! After I got parked, I met a neighbor, and when I mentioned the mud, he said, "Hey honey, you did good. Some of those folks down there'll need a tow to get out if it rains more." I also didn't anticipate that people would run their generators all night long here. Thankfully I'm a fairly good sleeper, but the hillside literally vibrates from all the motors running. I know I'll have fun at the races, but it's not really my style of camping. Here's hoping I get out before more rain, and that things stay civil up here on Thunderdome!

Red dirt + rainfall = nasty mud roads in places