Day 513 – June 1, 2023 – Midway, GA to Savannah, GA – Isle of Hope Marina

  • 37.1 miles
  • 4 hours 26 minutes
  • 8.4 mph average speed
  • 5-10 mph winds

We had not stopped in Savannah on our first time around and decided to stay just outside Savannah at Isle of Hope this time. We were excited to see that our friends, Caroline and Todd, from Sunset Dreams were docked there although we were only able to have a brief conversation with them as their daughter was graduating from SCAD that weekend and then they were heading back to St. Petersburg. Besides Darci and Steve, who started our incredible journey with us, Caroline and Todd are the Loopers we have known the longest as we first met them in January, 2022 in Key West and ran into them many times along the Loop.

We visited the tabby ruins of Wormsloe Plantation, the colonial estate of Noble Jones (1702-1775). We first learned about Nobel Jones during our visit to Fort Frederica in St. Simons, GA. He arrived in GA in 1733 with James Oglethorpe and established the colony at Fort Frederica among many other accomplishments. We thoroughly enjoyed walking around the beautiful nature trails and visiting before reaching Colonial Life Area.

The marina had two loaner cars so we were able to drive to Savannah where we visited River Street and enjoyed tasty beignets from Huey’s and rode the Hop On Hop Off Trolly around the city. We enjoyed seeing the Mercer-Williams house made famous in the novel “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. Once we left Savannah and began cruising to Beaufort, SC, we listed to the audible version of the book since Kevin had not read the book and we had seen so many of the places mentioned in the book.

Entrance to Wormsloe Historic Site

Over 400 beautiful Live Oaks planted in the early 1890’s line the 1.5 mile avenue to the ruins

Tabby Ruins of Wormsloe Plantation, built in 1745

Simulation of huts used by Noble Jone’s marines and slaves

River Street

Mercer – Williams House was originally built by famed musician Johnny Mercer’s great-grandfather in 1860 although no Mercer ever lived in the house. Williams, the protagonist in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, purchased the home in 1969 and this is where the murder of Danny Hansford took place.

Armstrong House, built between 1917 and 1919

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, oldest Roman Catholic Church in Georgia, built in the late 1870’s

Market Street

Huey’s Beignets!

Waving Girl Statue – tribute to Florence Martus who greeted ships from 1887 to 1931 (44 years!) by waving a handkerchief or a towel during the daytime and a lantern at night. Local legend posits that she was looking for a long lost lover but she herself claimed that she simply did it because the was lonely and did not have much else to do!

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