DAYS 259-261 : Possum Point Anchorage to Isle of Hope Marina/Savannah, GA

Possum Point Anchorage to Isle of Hope Marina: 6.4 mph; 7.6 miles; 1:10 hours

Isle of Hope Marina

We stayed 3 nights so the cost was $2/ft; showers/bathrooms; coin-operated laundry; a mile walk to the little town of Sandfly. FREE car and FREE bikes.

Sandfly, Isle of Hope, Georgia

Sandfly is the little town about a mile up the road from Isle of Hope Marina. There aren’t any sidewalks and traffic runs a little quick. In town we went to the driftaway and Sandfly BBQ; both restaurants were worth the walk. There's a fantastic bakery, Auspicious, and only open Friday to Sunday. You can call ahead with an order though.

Downtown Savannah, Georgia

The best thing, for me, about Savannah was seeing Mike Baja, meeting his wife Toni, and introducing Jim to a little more high school history. I had always loved spending time with Mike and this time was no different. We haven’t seen each other in years but we talked like we hadn't missed a day. David Paterson and Mike Baja were a duo - so seeing them back to back was something special.

Mike and Toni were history majors and Toni’s focus is Savannah; could we had been in better company? They drove us around Historic Savannah to give us some bearings on the town. They also explained the difference between Savannah and ‘North Jackson’ (think Ghent vs West Ghent - if you know - you know). 

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

The 1936 statue, Bad Girl, created by Sylvia Shaw Judson has been removed from the Bonaventure Cemetery. Its current place of residence is the Jepson Center for the Arts . The statue was made famous when it was featured on the cover of the novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil written by John Berendt. Later, the novel gained popularity when it became a motion picture. The statute was removed from the cemetery because the Trosdal family complained of people damaging their family’s burial plots - which is understandable; however, I am a rule follower, would never trample a grave, that’s why we have telephoto lenses, and I really wanted to see the statue in the cemetery, where it belongs.

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

We are big fans of Forrest Gump, or maybe that's just me, and drove past Chippewa Square. We knew the bench in the movie was a prop, had been donated to Savannah, and placed in the Savannah History Museum. In its place, there is a large variety of hostas and other bodacious flora and fauna filling the space. I had hoped a similar bench would have been put in its place - but nope. Maybe I can understand why a replacement bench would have been a problem. Chippewa Square is crazy-busy with traffic and movie fans were leisurely standing in the middle of the road taking pictures where the bench used to be; could you imagine the chaos if a bench had been there too? Those touring trollies already have a devil of a time rounding corners designed for a horse and buggy; add a few film enthusiasts to hectic moving parts and you have a potential life altering problem.

FUN FACTS: THE RIVERFRONT & COBBLESTONE The riverfront is just as I remember it; happy chaos with a little bit of havoc on cobbled streets. The town is preparing for St Patrick’s Day. Did you know that Savannah has the largest St Patrick’s Day Parade, following services at the Cathedral BasilIca of St John the Baptist of course, in America? I had no idea! This is a REALLY BIG deal! How did I not know about this?! Pouring Green dye into the Forsyth Park Fountain is a family event and schools are closed on St Patty's Day! Even the Budweiser Clydesdale horses are part of the parade. It’s, like, a week-long celebration. 

Oh well …

BECK & BAJA HISTORY LESSON: Sorta just for me. The cobblestone roads and building materials came to Savannah from Europe. The stones were used as ballast material for the merchant ships bound for Savannah. When the ships arrived, they tossed out the ballast (granite, chert, quartz, basalt) and filled their ships with product/materials. The residents used the stones for road improvements and building material. I never had to make the connection between a harbor town and cobblestones because I had never had the conversation - pretty cool though. 

They, Jim/Baja/Toni, also explained how Savannah was notorious for shanghaiing, the kidnapping of people to serve on ships. Why? Because sailing crews were bailing ship and heading to California for the Gold Rush. I swear, this car ride could have been a reality show for the History Channel called Riding Down History Road - I learned so much!

Mrs Wilkes Dining Room: $30/each/cash only

W O W. This was so different. Baja asked us where we would like to meet for lunch; we didn't know the area, so we asked where was the best place to find local southern food. This is how we found ourselves at the Mrs Wilkes Dining Room. People begin to line up at 11:00 AM to be ushered into the restaurant which serves its meals ‘family style’ with friends and strangers at the same table - like a boarding house. There are four ten-top dining tables and when you are ushered in, your table is already set for dinner. The host will come over and say, “Now y'all, the food has already been blessed, so dig in.” The host, and staff, move you along with deserts and then tell you that you need to take your plates into the kitchen before you leave. It was perfect southern cuisine and a great choice! 45 minutes start to finish,

The Wilkes Pied-a-terre is part of the original boarding house. Reservations seem to have a three night minimum, Airbnb, and the cost, as of May 2022, runs $346 a night. I am certain this price fluctuates with the seasons. With your reservation, you will also receive two gift cards for lunch at Mrs Wilkes Dining Room. What a beautiful place!

Why did we pick Isle of Hope Marina when it’s further away from downtown Savannah?

Here were the choices: 

• Thunderbolt Marina was the cheapest and offers little a restaurant outside the marina property; $1.85/ft with discounts. The marina looks like a boatyard.

• Hinckley Marina seemed ok but small and not my style; $2/ft. 

• Safe Harbor Bahia Blue was too much of a resort; $2.35-$3.25/ft plus a resort fee

• The Savannah Bend Marina was a contender with a shuttle service to downtown. Their website leads to a FB page and I couldn’t wrap my head around its pricing. However, the reviews tell me the marina has an excellent staff. Maybe they should answer the phone.

• The downtown docks were either in repair or over priced without offering anything more than electric.

Isle of Hope Marina seemed to have everything we needed. They offer a courtesy car, bikes, have all the standards of a quality marina, a little historic area nearby with several restaurants, a bakery, and an Uber ride to Savannah is about $20.