Savor history and hospitality in Savannah

Each year when March 17 rolls around, Savannah becomes Irish to the bone. It's a time when everyone develops Celtic roots and all fountains in the city turn emerald.

Savannah's St. Patrick's Day parade and related festivities draw quite a crowd.

Geographically, Savannah is in the heart of the marshy low country of Georgia and South Carolina. The nearest city of any size is at least an hour's drive away.

"The whole of Savannah is an oasis," Mary Harty sings cheerfully in John Berendt's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," still known simply in Savannah as "The Book" -- even nearly 10 years after its publication. "We are isolated. Gloriously isolated! We're a little enclave on the coast -- off by ourselves, surrounded by nothing but marshes and piney woods."

Englishman James Edward Oglethorpe first sailed into Savannah's harbor in 1733. From its lush maritime forests, Oglethorpe laid out sequences of squares and cobblestone streets that are today fused into the historic district of public parks, inns, pubs, shops, restaurants, galleries and private homes.

Just over the Talmadge Bridge where South Carolina ends, Savannah begins. Standing as a sentinel over the city of about 350,000, the bridge rises steeply over the swirling, misty waters of the Savannah River. From the top of the bridge, the skyline seems sculptured by towering church spires, cupolas and cornices, and then the highway spills on to River Street, unquestionably the heartbeat of the city.

River Street somehow hasn't quite made the transition from its earliest days to the present. Its cobblestone streets attest to the significance of Savannah's place in early American society. The historic buildings, springing from a collection of cotton warehouses dating to the 1700s, still echo of colonial Georgia: lots of brick -- made from Georgia red clay, of course -- flower-filled gardens and wrought-iron balconies.

As twilight descends upon River Street, the river flickers with gold under the setting sun. From the cafes and taverns lining the riverfront, the piquant aroma of freshly ground coffee permeates the air, mingling with the scent of pastries baking in a brick oven, oysters roasting in an open pit, and daiquiris whirling in a blender.

But with its mild winters and soft, green summers, Savannah is a delightfully walkable city. Just a block from River Street begins a series of 21 historic squares, where nature has set a bountiful table. The sweet perfume of magnolias and gardenias fills the air, fuchsia-tipped camellias and azaleas bloom and thrive -- even in winter! -- and trellised vines of ivy and Confederate jasmine clamor for attention.

Each square has its own blend of history and modern-day appeal. Chippewa Square, where Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump sat with his box of "chock-lits" as he pined away for his beloved Jenny, is named to commemorate the 1814 Battle of Chippewa. Part of the Robert Redford film, "The Legend of Bagger Vance," was filmed on Wright Square, which was named for Georgia's last colonial governor.

The city loves its visitors. As Mary Harty intones, Savannah is "famously hospitable . . . even by Southern standards."

If you go. . .

For more information, contact the Savannah Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 877-SAVANNAH (877-728-2662) or visit the Web site at www.savannahvisit.com. All major airlines and Amtrak serve Savannah. Ghost tours are highly popular and are available through a number of tour operators.

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