Last stop - Savannah, GA! October 13-15

On Friday we left Chattanooga and headed further south and east - this time to Savannah, GA.   Our campground for this stay was the Savannah Oaks Campground, about 12 miles from the historic section of Savannah.  

Saturday we drove to the Georgia State Railroad Museum.  Southern Railway began demolishing several structures on the site of the Savannah Repair Shops.   Concerned citizens halted the destruction and Southern Railway transferred the property to the City of Savannah.  In 1978  the Central Savannah Railroad facilities were recognized as a National Historic Landmark District.   In 1989 Coastal Heritage Society accepted management of the site.   Many of these structures have been restored.  The buildings serve as interpretive and exhibit spaces for the Georgia State Railroad museum.   The former Central Repair Shops are now the largest and most complete antebellum railroad facility of its kind in the world.  Programs on Friday/Saturday include site tours by steam engine, a railcar tour, and an Executive Railcar tour.   Across the street in the old passenger station is the Savannah history museum.   It walks guests through Savannah's history from 1733 spanning the American Revolution and Civil War; all the way to the modern day.

Sunday we drove to Tybee Island Light Station and Museum.  The lighthouse was built in 1773.  IT was the 3rd lighthouse to be built on Tybee.   In 1861 it was burned by the confederates and rebuilt in 1867.  The bottom 60 feet are the original 1773 Lighthouse and the top 85 feet were reconstructed in 1867.

Our last stop was Fort Pulaski National Monument where on April 10-11 Union forces bombarded the fort for 30 hours and forced the surrender of the Confederate garrison.