Savannah's oaks

In mid August we stayed for several days in downtown Savannah, an old genteel city with historic buildings of 3 or 4 stories that predate the Civil War. Restored homes surround 22 squares of green space.  Streets are lined with spreading live oak trees (Quercus virginiana).  Public squares break up the traffic flow and cars move slowly through the streets throughout the day.

Oglethorpe Avenue and Liberty Streets are the main arteries through town and both have wide green medians lined with trees that cast a dappled shade.

This one is Oglethorpe Avenue in late morning.

Another of the busiest intersections downtown around noon, Liberty and Abercorn Streets.

People live in raised townhomes along the streets...

or in mansions along the squares.  All 22 squares are shaded by Southern live oaks, but each space is unique.  Some say that Monterrey Square is the most beautiful.  The home in the background is the Mercer House, the home featured in the book and film, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Wright Square is one of the oldest, now surrounded by small shops.  The trees are magnificent.

 

As are the trees in Johnson Square, with two fountains and a sundial.

The closest square to our hotel is Madison Square.

Also near our hotel, enclosed by a black iron fence is the Colonial Cemetery, 1750-1853.  Even the crape myrtles are draped in Spanish moss there.

Southern live oak trees can live for 500 years.  This one may have been planted before the cemetery was closed, before the Civil War.

On our last day, we stayed at The Mansion at Forsyth Park, built in 1888.  This opulent Victorian hotel feels like a bordello, yet the rooms are outfitted for current travelers.  There is art displayed throughout, with contemporary paintings hung over drapery in the hallways, glass art on the ceilings of the elevators and sculptures outdoors.  

Our room overlooks the Confederate Memorial at Forsyth Park, a 30 acre green space that begins  one block South of Monterrey Square.  At the north end of the park is a fountain constructed in 1858.

With wide walking paths lined by live oaks and Spanish moss, Forsyth Park is designed for strolling.

Savannah is a restful place for lovers, especially those who cherish Southern history, nature and food.  I'd like to return to walk once more through Madison Square.