Small Bed and Breakfast Inns in Savannah Share Recipes for National French Toast Day 2013

SAVANNAH Georgia (November 6, 2013) -- You may call this post a petite tease to visit romantic Savannah. We don't mind.

Today several of our innkeepers from the family-owned, small bed and breakfast inns of Romantic Inns in Savannah, Georgia, share their prized French Toast recipes. Don't you agree that it's a grand opportunity to share a favorite breakfast recipes from guest-pleasing, small bed and breakfast inns? 

Definitely, we'd love for you to visit and stay with us. In the end, however, today we share our B&B #recipes to cheer on -- with our unflappable southern applause -- National French Toast Day, November 28, 2013.


Did you know? French Toast has a long list of names -- French Toast, Nun's Toast, Pain Perdu, Poor Knights of Windsor, Egg Toast, Liberty Toast, and a host of more international captions. Remember in 2003 when the House of Representatives' cafeteria renamed the French toast, "Liberty toast" on the menu?

"Extending an olive branch to France, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, wants the House cafeteria to go back to listing "French toast" on the menu; the breakfast staple was rechristened "Freedom toast" last spring, in protest over France's opposition to Gulf War II. But is French toast really French?" -- Brendan Koerner, Is French Toast Really French? Slate.com

Come. Let Savannah Romance You!  Let us know how we might entice you more and assist with your Savannah visit. Here's link to reach all Romantic Inns with one inquiry.  Meanwhile, enjoy!  


FRENCH TOAST STUFFED WITH CREAM CHEESE
from Catherine Ward House in Savannah, GA USA

Filling --
1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup maple syrup
Blend with hand mixer until smooth
Fold in ½ cup strawberries


4 large freshly baked croissants
Slice horizontally, cutting to but not through other side.

Egg mixture --
3 eggs
1 cup half and half or light cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon granulated sugar


Spoon filling into croissant and dip in egg mixture. Cook stove-top with butter – medium heat – 1 to 2 minutes. Plate and sprinkle with fresh berries. Offer maple syrup.

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Banana Foster French Toast
from Presidents' Quarters Inn in Savannah, Georgia
Serves 12 (each serving two thick slices of your favorite Thick French Bread Loaf)

Ingredients --
8 oz . butter
2 cups of light brown sugar
¾ cup maple syrup
6 large ripe bananas
12 eggs
1 cup milk
1 T. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon

Melt butter in large sauté pan. Once butter is melted, add brown sugar and maple syrup. Use a wire whisk to help combine sugar, syrup, and butter. Bring to a simmer and add sliced bananas. Reduce heat to low and cook bananas until soft but not mushy.

While bananas are cooking combine eggs with milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until well combined. Set aside until ready to cook bread. Slice French Bread.

Heat greased flat top griddle to 350 degrees(I use cooking spray like Pam). Dip each piece of bread into egg mixture and put on greased griddle. Let cook 3-4 minute until golden brown and turn to cook other side.

Place on plate and top with warm banana topping and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with your favorite breakfast meats (sausage, bacon, or ham) and enjoy!

*Note from chef, Anna Kelley: You can adjust the amount of brown sugar and syrup to make it thinner or sweeter, can keep the mixture on the stove on low heat. I keep toast on the stove from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and add bananas to it as needed, but keep an eye on it so it does not burn.

# # # 

BAKED FRENCH TOAST *
from Zeigler House Inn in Savannah, GA USA 
* adapted from Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond's recipe. "I just tweak it a bit with fresh fruit and, of course, I bake it in individual ramekins," says innkeeper Jackie Heinz.

Ingredients:
§ FOR THE FRENCH TOAST:

§ 1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
§ 8 whole Eggs
§ 2 cups Whole Milk
§ 1/2 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
§ 3/4 cups Sugar
§ 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

§ FOR THE TOPPING:
§ 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
§ 1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
§ 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
§ 1/4 teaspoon Salt
§ 1 pinch Nutmeg *Optional
§ 1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
§ Fresh Fruit or nuts *Optional

Preparation Instructions:
Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.In a medium sized bowl mix together eggs, milk,cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for several hours or overnight. In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and cut them into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 F. Remove casserole from the fridge and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If
you're using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture. When I make mine in the individual
ramekins I bake it for about 25-30 minutes. I also add fresh blueberries or peaches in season and some chopped pecans to the topping as well.Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with
maple syrup.

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Banana French Toast
from Green Palm Inn in Savannah, Georgia USA

1 stick butter - melted.
Add: 1 cup brown sugar and
2 Tblsp light corn syrup. Mix together.

Prepare with cooking spray a 9x13 pan. Pour the butter/sugar mixture into the bottom. Slice 4-5 bananas and place on top of the butter. Slice 6-8 large croissants, length wise. Place bottoms onto of the bananas. Fill in the holes and make look pretty with the croissant tops.


Mix 1-1/2 cups milk and 6 eggs. Add 2 teas vanilla and 1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour over the croissants. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. Bake 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

"I top the french toast with caramel ice cream topping, whipped cream and nuts," says innkeeper Diane McCray.  ENJOY!

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Interested in the more of the "French Toast" back story? We suggest "The Origin of the French Toast" on ChefTalk.com, and the French toast entry on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  

Copyright (c) 2013 Romantic Inns of Savannah / Sandy Traub

Friendly and Romantic Savannah Places for Savannah Brew Fest + Favorite Pub Food Spots from Romantic Inns in Savannah GA

SAVANNAH Georgia (July 10, 2013) -- Already the drums (or should we say craft beer kegs and beer festival barrels) are rolling with the hype of Savannah Brew Fest. The Savannah beer tasting event is to be held August 31, 2013, the Saturday during Labor Day Weekend in downtown Savannah -- 1:00 - 5: 00 p.m -- attended by craft beer aficionados and locals. 

Beer in character-rich Savannah is legendary. It was a provision on board the ship Anne with the first British settlers traveling to the Georgia colony frontier (ca. 1733).

"...The ship [Anne] stopped in Madeira to take on five barrels of wine to go along with the ten barrels of Alderman Parson’s best beer already on board...." Source: ShipAnn.blogspot.com

Six Pence Pub, the popular British-themed pub for socializing, people watching, food and a brew. Photo: SkeeterMag via Flickr

Our Romantic Inns decided to toss in ideas for friendly pubs downtown -- the fun places to go for delicious Savannah pub food and a beer.

"The idea of legally walking around downtown [Savannah] in broad daylight with an open container was simply too good to be true...." writes Jürgen and Mike in their For 91 Days,com blog about the Savannah to-go cup.

[The few rules are below from the Savannah City Ordinance.]

Preparing for this popular beer festival weekend, the inns will informally champion etiquette for the notoriously popular Savannah to-go cup.

"Our member bed and breakfast inns in Savannah are simply going to inform our lodging guests of the City of Savannah Ordinances. It's a fun part of coming to Savannah, and we'd like to keep it.  So, we'll be adding one more request: 'Please dispose of the to-go cups in proper trash receptacles'."

"That seems so obvious, and we do not know who is doing the littering -- locals or travelers. But, it's troubling. A dozen small inns can do a little to heighten awareness about keeping Savannah beautiful and clean. We are seeing too many plastic cups tossed into manicured landscapes or discarded on window sills or steps," states Jackie Heinz, marketing chair of the Romantic Inns of Savannah association. 

"INTIMATE, ROMANTIC PLACES INCLUDE THE SAVANNAH PUBS," SAYS ROMANTIC INNS IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
You may be surprised, as we were, that none of the larger beer gardens, beer halls with hundreds of beers, or packed bars are on this list of recommendations. The distinctiveness, however, aligns perfectly with the smaller romantic inns, which offer and recommend quieter, romantic places where one gets to converse with the friendly Savannah locals.  

RECAP: The final rundown of favorite, friendly Savannah pubs, according to Romantic Inns' innkeepers:  Crystal Beer Parlor (3); Six Pence Pub (3); Planters' Tavern [Olde Pink House] (2), and one each (alphabetically) for Abe's on Lincoln, Billy's Place, Chart House, Churchill's, Cotton Exchange, Jazz'd Tapas Bar, Molly Macpherson's, Murphy's Law, Soho South, The Public, Wild Wings, and Your Pie.

Cheers! Now for the details.

Zeigler House Inn -- Crystal Beer Parlor
"I will go with the obvious for me here, I’ll take the Crystal Beer Parlor. My favorite dish: Duck Wings – these are on the special menu so they don’t always have them but when they do I always have to get an order.

Tip: get the Duck Wings with the sauce on the side, then you can control the heat (spicy). If they are not on the special menu, their hamburgers are the best with homemade hand-cut fries or potato chips, with blue cheese dressing on the side for dipping of course.

The Crab Soup is a must have with just a drop or two of Sherry! If you’re in the mood for shrimp, their fried shrimp is very good. Nice and fresh.

Best drink: take a look at the beer menu. Fabulous selection! After all it is 'The Beer Parlor'."

Learn the language of beer. Infographic 

Churchill's Pub on Bay Street, downtown Savannah, GA Photo: Jennifer / Gray Guitar via Flickr

Presidents' Quarters Inn -- Churchill's and Six Pence Pub
"We like Churchill's. Love their cheese tray and their wonderful beef pot pie with puff pastry. They make good Bloody Marys; but, the BEST Bloody Mary in town is at the Six Pence Pub. Food not so much. Our families like Churchill's as they have small plates and a large menu that gives lot of options for kids."

Amethyst Inn at Sarah's Garden -- Chart House Tavern and Billy's Place
We like the Chart House Tavern for happy hour, Monday through Friday, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Great app's and special drink prices. Also we like Billy's Place, although we do not get out much!!"

Savannah Villas -- Crystal Beer Parlor, Cotton Exchange, and Soho South "Allen and I like the Crystal Beer Parlor. It's a nice, casual place to go and eat and offers a good value for the money. The bar always has a festive atmosphere where you will usually meet some very interesting people. Every time we go there I have the lamb burger. This is the only restaurant I know which serves this. It seems to be a popular dish.

I also like the Cotton Exchange on River Street. I always get the Reuben sandwich with a side of the potato salad, which is wonderful. Finally, I would say Soho South. They have a Mediterranean sandwich which is wonderful. It has pita bread, banana peppers, and an olive tapenade. It is excellent."

McMillan Inn -- Wild Wings, and Your Pie
"We do not have a favorite pub. We don't go to them very often. We like to get a drink from Wild Wings and carry it over to the tables at Ellis Square. Or Joe will pop in somewhere when we are on a walk to pick up some wine. We love the nacho's at Wild Wings, and the Panini's from Your Pie."

Armstrong Inn -- The Public, Jazz'd Tapas Bar, and The Pink House Tavern
"Comes to my mind: "The Public", recommended by my guests often (over 20 blend of beer, select big wine list), very European flair, worth to try.

Jazz'd Tapas Bar, great music 6 days a week: swing, jazz or classical vocals in the style of Sinatra or Savannah's own Johnny Mercer. Specialty Martini. Unique Food in Savannah - their fabulous Tappaz.z."

The Pink House Tavern [Planters Tavern]. They mix my virgin margaritas (delicious), select wine list, old time singer/pianist. Great Hospitality. My guests love it."

Whitaker-Huntingdon Inn - Crystal Beer Parlor, The OldePink House and Six Pence Pub.
"A larger number of our guests list these three places as enjoyable establishments to have a convenient meal and/or drink after a full day of sight seeing and touring.

I like Crystal Beer Parlor because is it family oriented and offers a wide range of food choices, and is within walking distance of the inn. If someone wished a beer or alcoholic drink, they seem to offer a wide range of choices. Home made style fries and chips, hamburgers and other healthier items such as salads and bison are available.

The Olde Pink House's downstairs piano bar [Planters Tavern] is also a nice place to meet friends or for a couple to go after (or for) a meal or just to relax and listen to live music. The range of meals downstairs are the same as up stairs; but, you can also have a number of after dinner dishes / desserts / drinks.

The Six Pence Pub is also listed in our guest books a number of times. Guests state that they enjoy sitting outdoors and watching the activities along Bull Street, as they enjoy a drink and/or a British style meal in the nicer months or on cooler summer nights."

1895 Inn -- Six Pence Pub
"Start with a Welsh Rarebit and follow it with a Beef Guinness or Open Face Roast Beef, and followed by a Crème Brulee."

We hope you enjoy a few Savannah pubs from the variety of friendly, romantic places listed. We cannot close without inviting you --Let Savannah Romance You! ... beginning in one of the Romantic Inns of Savannah. We'll be happy to help with your Savannah, in-town itinerary.

Talk to us! Follow us on Twitter @RomanticInns and Facebook; romanticinnsofsavannah.com
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[verified accuracy July 2013] Excerpt City of Savannah Ordinance: Sec. 6-1215. Consumption of alcohol on city streets prohibited; limited in certain area.

(b) Outside consumption of alcoholic beverage permitted in certain area; number and size limited. Within the area of the city bounded on the north by the city limits, on the west by the centerline of the Talmadge Memorial Bridge extended south on West Boundary Street to Jones Street, on the south by Jones Street extended east to the railroad track, and on the east by a line extending north along the centerline of the railroad track to the Savannah River east of the Marriott Hotel, then across the Savannah River to include all portions of Hutchinson Island which are within the city, the following regulations shall apply:

(1) One drink on-street limit. Any establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages by the drink for consumption on the premises is authorized to dispense an alcoholic beverage in a paper or plastic cup, or other container other than a can, bottle, or glass, for removal from the premises; provided, however, that no establishment shall dispense to any person more than one such alcoholic beverage at a time for removal from the premises, and no person shall remove at one time more than one such alcoholic beverage from the licensed premises.

(2) Size limited to 16 ounces. No container in which an alcoholic beverage is dispensed and removed from the licensed premises shall exceed 16 fluid ounces in size. No person shall hold in possession on the streets and sidewalks, in parks and squares, or in other public places within the defined area any open alcoholic beverage container which exceeds 16 fluid ounces in size.

(3) Drinking from can, bottle, or glass prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to drink or attempt to drink any alcoholic beverage from a can, bottle, or glass or to possess in an open can, bottle, or glass any alcoholic beverage on the streets, sidewalks, rights-of-way, and parking lots, whether public or private.

(4) Festivals. Unless specifically provided otherwise by ordinance, the regulations provided by this section shall be in full force and effect during the Saint Patrick's Day Festival and any other festival.

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Copyright (c) 2013 Romantic Inns of Savannah / Sandy Traub

Love Notes: Where to Find Romantic Savannah Adjectives?

SAVANNAH Georgia (May 20, 2013) – Where’s the love in Savannah?  That answer is easy:  Everywhere. The old southern city by the sea is picture perfect! 

Great timing, too for this inaugural Love Note from Romantic Inns of Savannah.

Savannah is named among the top 25 Trip Advisor’s Travelers’ Choice ® 2013 USA Destination Cities, coming in at #14.

Romantic Inn's member, Forsyth Park Inn's southern porch with rockers overlooks the breathtakingly beautiful Forsyth Park.

“Let Savannah Romance You!”™ is the Romantic Inns of Savannah tagline. It’s really an invitation to a romantic place – Savannah. What's not to love? Just make your first stop for ideas and lodging at one of our romantic bed and breakfasts!  

Romance is so personal.  So, we have simply chosen a few deliciously descriptive adjectives – the feeling words of love – that fit romantic Savannah so well.  It’s amazing how a teacup full of delightful words can shake loose fresh ideas -- romantic places and romantic things to do – to better enjoy a delightful getaway to Savannah.

Aching --

Have you been aching to lunch again at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room or Wiley’s Championship BBQ? Or, aching (literally from your sports training) to take part in the running events, like Rock N Roll Marathon, November 9, 2013. The 2-person half marathon relay is NEW in 2013! Now, isn’t that a fresh romantic idea? Savannah is a flat city, making it a popular running spot to novice and avid athletes. 

Breathtaking -- 

Especially for travelers arriving from desert climates, the Savannah tree-scapes, sunset cruises, and wide open spaces of nearby beaches are breathtaking.  Experience a day of simple pleasures, salty breezes and relaxation on the Atlantic Ocean shore at Tybee Island – only 18 miles east.  Picturesque panoramic views are showstoppers from the top of Tybee Island Lighthouse.  An intimate, romantic dinner at Alligator Soul, or Sapphire Grill’s Late Night Cocktails – yes, the mint juleps and jet-set-style small plates -- are worth lingering, breathtaking moments!

From Green Palm Inn a daily gourmand breakfast. Varying from Continental to a light chef's breakfast to homemade pastries and tarts, breakfast at all Romantic Inns of Savannah is complimentary.

Convivial –

Begin with lodging at a Romantic Inns’ bed and breakfast for your first introduction to Savannah’s social, convivial life.  Innkeepers will point the way to choice places to meet more of the city’s friendly, jovial people.  Did you know that Savannah’s friendly people made #2 in Travel+Leisure magazine’s “America’s Favorite Cities 2012” poll? 

Decadent to Delicious –

Savannah’s cuisine is gaining a worldwide reputation.  TripAdvisor.com named Savannah #7 among the top 10 Food and Wine U.S. Destinations in the 2011 Travelers' Choice poll. Desserts from places like Lulu’s Chocolate Bar and choice European wines from Le Chai are worth the visit!  In quiet moments at Telfair Museums – Telfair Academy of Arts (The South’s oldest museum), Owens-Thomas House (an architectural wonder in North America), and the modern Jepson Center – you’ll see romanticized portraiture, historical murals, and big and small modern artistic snippets on life.  The SCAD Museum of Art magically blends Savannah’s ingenuity -- old and new -- in exhibits curated by Vogue magazine’s André Leon Talley to the quirkilty modern place for a bite -- TAD café: A tad of art, a tad of whimsy, a tad of everything. The new museum is housed in the restored 1853 freight depot of the Central of Georgia Railroad.

Engaging –

Southerners are known to be a chatty, storytelling bunch.  From her Savannah trip, Harriette Behringer wrote “Everyone has a story” in her article “Oh Savannah” published in Philadelphia City Paper.  The slow movement of horse drawn carriages, sightseeing shuttles, and walking tour guides perpetuate the lore.  From innuendo to specific pointers, it’s easy to glean recommendations for the ‘must do’, ‘must see’, ‘must try’ experiences, places, food and libations here.

A unique Savannah historic inn amenity, adored during summer in Savannah -- a swimming pool at McMillan Inn, a Romantic Inns member

Flowery –

Dancing through the summer breeze in Savannah are whiffs of sweet gardenias and southern jasmine. Tempt yourself and buy an Archipelago Savannah candle – a blend of gardenia and jasmine. In Savannah the fragrant candle is available at boutiques, including One Fish Two Fish near Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room on Jones Street.  You’ll spot beach morning glories in the dry sands at Tybee Island.  Palms and colorful oleanders dress the tidewater highways.

Check out the largest private garden in the National Historic Landmark District. It is located on the expansive grounds of a beautifully restored shipping magnate's mansion, now Ships of the Sea Museum on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

Note: Free admission to Ships of the Sea for National Maritime Day, May 22 annually.  The date honors the launching of the S. S. Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Good-looking –

Yes, indeed!  Savannah’s women are beautiful -- like Sandra Bullock and Charlize Theron, of course. And, the gentlemen are as handsome as Ben Affleck, Will Smith, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jude Law, Kevin Spacey, Dennis Quaid, and Matt Damon!  Fact or legend? Haven’t you seen the movies filmed in Savannah – “Forrest Gump”, “Something to Talk About”, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”, “Forces of Nature”, “Baggar Vance” and “Glory”? 

Any time of day, truly, the head-turners move about the landscape.  And, it’s been that way here a long time. Check out the good-looking hero statues that dot the well-manicured landscapes -- in 22 garden squares, along the Bay Street strand, River Street, and Forsyth Park.  

For a chance to meet up with real-life Hollywood standouts, stop in for ice cream at Leopold’s Ice Cream. The handsome Stratton Leopold, executive producer in box-office mega movies like Mission Impossible III,  may very well be on premise at the family’s legendary ice cream shop. Stratton and his darling wife, Mary, reintroduced the homemade Leopold’s flavors, achieving ‘top 10 in the world’ status – and Savannah a place on Travel+Leisure’s #1 Ice Cream city -- in recent years. 

P.S. Romantic Inns’ beautifully restored historic house inns and boudoirs are good-looking, too!

A romantic breakfast, fit for kings or queens, at Zeigler House Inn, a Romantic Inns of Savannah member.

High-spirited –

The story goes that nightlife for the 20-somethings begins at 10:00 p.m. in Savannah.  Then, of course, there’s another version of high-spirited that points instead to those who imbibe – not needing a 5:00 p.m. cue.  The rumor that Savannah is a “to-go-cup” city is true.  

Newest in the tales of our high-spirited city is the Savannah Slow Ride – a 15-person pedal tour that is popular for bachelor and bachelorette parties, friends and family on vacation in Savannah, or destination weddings in America's most beautiful city. River Street and City Market entertainment, plus music and film festivals help to celebrate Savannah as a fun-loving, get-out-and-go vacation spot.   

Stay tuned!  Romantic Inns of Savannah will have more Love Notes, sharing adoring to unforgettable adjectives that introduce romantic Savannah travel tips.

Copyright © 2013 Romantic Inns of Savannah / Sandy Traub

Romantic Savannah through the Decades: Tales of the 1920s

SAVANNAH Georgia (March 22, 2013) – Stories of Savannah in the 1920s are of romantic places and ideals, romantic adventurers and rascals, romantic movies and debonair villains, West Broad Street jazz and blues, and Frogtown’s soulful folk lore of haint blue door posts and the conjures of root doctors.

Christ Church (ca. 1920) where Johnny Mercer was a choir boy. On Johnson Square, it is a venue for the Savannah Music Festival (March 20- April 6, 2013)  Photo: Library of Congress.

Romantic Inns of Savannah is pleased to share a few of the dear stories, plus ideas for things to do and spots to visit in Georgia's First City.

Savannah’s population was 83,252 in 1920.  “In the 1920s, the ‘Jazz Age’ business flourished in Savannah, as it did in the rest of the nation,” we read in the City of Savannah tour guide manual. 

A Society for the Preservation of the Parks was organized in 1921 and continued to battle against the destruction of city squares through World War II.  Fort Pulaski National Monument, named after Revolutionary War hero General Casimir Pulaski, was first established in October of 1924 by order of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge.   

Born in 1925, Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964) became the three-time winner of the O. Henry Award and posthumous winner of the National Book Award for Fiction for The Complete Stories. She was born in St. Joseph’s Hospital, at the time located at Taylor and Habersham streets overlooking Whitfield Square.  Her family home still overlooks Lafayette Square.

On March 23, 2013 (3 p.m.) at the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home and on Lafayette Square the Flannery O’Connor Foundation celebrates her birth at the Flannery O'Connor Homemade Parade and Garden Party.  Visitors can shop for unique books and gifts and also wander in the garden where a six-year old O’Connor famously taught her chicken to walk backwards.

James P. Houlihan Bridge, the swinging bridge on Highway 17 and Highway 25. Still in operation (now ALT Hwy 17), for decades this was THE bridge between South Carolina into Georgia to reach Savannah.

In 1927, the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge was officially established.

Located along and just across the Savannah River into South Carolina, one would drive across the Houlihan Bridge (photo left, still in operation) to reach the wildlife refuge, a popular spot today for nature photographers.

The city’s first radio station, WTOC, began broadcasting in 1929.  Reading the slang of that romantic era, it is easier to envision the liveliness heard spoken on the radio, in the music, and chatter in Savannah during the 1920s -- “And how!” (I strongly agree) or “Bank’s closed” (no kissing or making out).  

During the romantic era of the Roaring Twenties, it was in Tin Pan Alley -- the music industry in New York, located between 48th and 52nd street – where Savannah’s own Johnny Mercer set out in 1928 when he was 19 to begin his now famously successful career in music.  If you don't know the name think "Moon River,", "Days of Wine and Roses", and "Two of a Kind" -- a Johnny Mercer Bobby Darien recording tapped by Apple for commercials in 2012 comparing the iPad and iPad mini. 

Moon Travel Guides writes of Johnny, “who began his theater career locally in the Town Theater Group”. 

Today you’ll find Johnny Mercer’s bronze statue in Ellis Square, a marble bench to honor him in Johnson Square near Christ Church where he was a choir boy, and his family grave in Bonaventure Cemetery.  And, you can see, row and fish in “Moon River”, which runs by the family's summer home and ‘huckleberry friend’ coastal playground of little Johnny Mercer.

Once upon a time the world was sweeter than we knew. Everything was ours; how happy we were then, but then once upon a time never comes again.  ~ Johnny Mercer (November 18, 1909 - June 25, 1976)

In 2009 for the Johnny Mercer Centennial, Carol Stalvey  wrote A Day at Massie School in the 1920’s: Johnny Mercer's Elementary School in Savannah, Georgia. It gives insights into the child’s school life at Massie School. 

Now open to the public as Massie Heritage Center: Savannah’s Museum for History and Architecture, Massie School on Calhoun Square opened in 1856 as Savannah's first free public school, operating continuously except for its use as a Union hospital during the Civil War. Extensive renovation were completed in 2013.

Tybee Island beach (ca. 1923), an era of oyster roasts, auto and turtle races on the beach. Photo: Library of Congress

The 1920s was an era of “boot leg” (illegal liquor) available in speakeasies (“juice joints”).  It was where one knocked on the door with a secret code to request entrance.

Today Mata Hari (Lower Factor's Walk near River Street) is a private club marketed as a speakeasy. 

In the State of Georgia archives of “Vanishing Georgia” we discovered  a 1920’s photos -- a Savannah policemen and his horse on Oglethorpe Avenue, Kingnut butter display at Chatham County Fair, and Interior of the Citizens and Southern Bank (now Bank of America) located on Johnson Square at Bull and St. Julian Streets.  

Sixth Sense Savannah haunted tours points to a 1920s photo of the root doctor’s house.  Surely there are tales of voodoo and herbal conjures in the folk lore – the tales of Savannah’s Frogtown!  A search of “1920s Savannah” in Google gives us a scrapbook of images, each sure to have character-rich southern stories.

We even stumbled across 1920s Era Entertainment for hire in Savannah today.  

Screen capture from "Stolen Moments". Statuary formerly at Greenwich Plantation is on display at Telfair Museum in Savannah, Georgia USA.  Photo courtesy: FlickrAlley.com

Silent era movies were made in Savannah. The yet-to-be-mega-star and “Latin Lover” of the silent movies, Rudolph Valentino stared in Stolen Moments, principally filmed “at a Savannah mansion on Greenwich Plantation.  Reportedly it rivaled Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, in both size and architecture. Source: essanaytrading.com. 

It was an era when the pipe organ provided the movie score.  Movie photos and city-side Savannah location pictures are posted HERE. The US television premiere was on Turner Classic Movies on May 22, 2006.

Today when one drives to Greenwich Plantation it is Greenwich Cemetery you’ll discover, overlooking the beautiful Wilmington River. “Greenwich Plantation, with its manicured gardens of ancient statuary, exotic plant specimens, and an elegant white marble fountain, was once considered the most magnificent, privately owned estate in the entire South.” Source: City of Savannah, Municipal Cemeteries

From "Stolen Moments" silent movie, showing magnificent gardens and statuary at Greenwich Plantation (now Greenwich Cemetery) in Savannah, Georgia USA. Photo courtesy FlickrAlley.com

The magnificent Greenwich Plantation mansion was destroyed by fire in 1923 just a few years after the Stolen Moments filming.

More than a few of the plantation’s statuary now resides as part of the Telfair Museum collection, on indefinite loan from the City of Savannah.  Many are on display inside the Telfair Academy of Arts and Science, located on Telfair Square in downtown Savannah, Georgia USA. Needing repair, the elegant white marble fountain remains at the old plantation. It is seen in background in a scene with actress Marguerite Namara. 

Rudolph Valentino starred also in the American romantic drama, “Camille” (a silent movie released in 1921), the first movie to be shown in the  Lucas Theatre in downtown Savannah.  Camille was included in Time Magazine's All-Time 100 Movies in 2005. 

Now the Georgia State Railroad Museum, the Central of Georgia Railway: Savannah Repair Shops were designated a National Historic Landmark on June 2, 1978. Photo: Library of Congress (1926)

“Staying on the cutting edge of technology, the [Lucas] theater was the first building in Savannah to install air conditioning in 1923, making the balcony a welcome retreat during the sultry summers. The front row in the mezzanine became known as ‘lawyer's row’ after local businessmen began spending their lunch hours sleeping in the cool, comfortable balcony.” - Source: SCAD.edu/lucas

Today the beautifully restored Lucas Theatre is where, periodically, classic movies replay on the big screen and a continuing series of contemporary events literally light up the night. The vintage marquee announces the 2013 show-stoppers. Also, daily silent movies play on the screen at The Distillery craft brew pub and restaurant, just off Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. near the Savannah Visitor's Center.  

What an exciting era! In Savannah, one historical era builds on another. The City and her citizens keep the best and keep expanding upon it.  

As you can tell the 1920s are very much alive here. Stay tuned for more romanticizing in our Romantic Inns of Savannah story series -- “Savannah through the Decades”. 

Copyright (c) 2013 Sandy Traub.