Savannah, Georgia-Skidaway Island State Park

We are finally out of Florida! We had a great time there this year but are also excited to begin our journey up the coast.

This week, we stayed at Skidaway Island State Park which was very close in to Savannah. It was very wooded, yet spacious and even had some full hook-up sites. There was also a laundry room, which I am always grateful for. The one negative was that the roads in the campground were two-way but really only as wide as one RV. While we did not meet anyone coming in the opposite direction, we were sure nervous that we would!

We visited the small nature center in the park. They had a young alligator that the kids got to pet. And the ranger put it on the ground in front of us so we could watch its cute wobbly walk. We also happened to meet another full-timing family there (the Yum family) and the kids played together for awhile.

There were also a couple of hiking trails and a bike trail. We checked out strange looking plants,

climbed over twisted trees,

and found evidence of a past liquor still.

We were also just in time for their annual Easter Egg Hunt. Jordan worked on a craft before the hunt started.

There were a lot of kids there and sadly they did not let some of the younger ones get a head start. My kids got plenty but you can see how much more Jacob got than she did and some of the smaller kids hardly found any eggs at all! I am sure it was disappointing for them and the parents who had to pay for them to participate. :(

Nearby the campground was the University of Georgia Marine Extension Center and Aquarium. It was a very small aquarium but the diversity of fish was GREAT! And they had a touch tank :)

Out front of the aquarium, they had a turtle pond and the kids just enjoyed sitting there to watch them for quite a while.

And then around the building were some nature trails. One trail took us to this viewing area of the water. Manatees come here in the winter but had already left by this time of year.

We searched for a geocache for a LONG time and never found it (must have been muggled). But did see some old cabins,

liquor still remains and a huge tree that was over 300 years old.

The rods put into the tree were put in by the owner of the land many years ago for fear that the tree would be damaged but according to the information there, the tree has never been threatened.

In Savannah, we took a carriage ride tour. This was a great option for us since they did them in the evening and we could go after Greg got off of work. Jacob and Jordan sat up front with the driver, which they loved.

Well, mostly loved...  Ha ha ha

And the tour was very interesting and gave us a nice introduction to the historic downtown area.

On the weekend, we decided to go to Fort Pulaski.

One of the rangers gave us a tour which was so informative and enjoyable.

Even though we have been to several forts before, this was the first time I had ever seen the casemates with doors on them! I would have never known otherwise. I learn something new with each fort.

They also did a cannon firing demonstration while we looked on from this upper level.

On the outside of the fort, you could still see the cannon balls lodged in the wall.  This fort was used during the Civil War.  Initially, it was controlled by the Confederates to protect the Savannah harbor.  The Union forces began firing on them with the new James Rifled Cannon, which could accurately be fired from 3 to 5 miles away, and within 30 hours had breached this wall.  The Confederates surrendered and the Union forces took control of the fort and this precious harbor. They had the fort repaired in 6 weeks.

And the kids earned not only their Fort Pulaski badge but also their Junior Civil War Historian Patch. This patch is being offered for a couple of years during the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War. To earn it, you must earn a badge at 3 Civil War National Parks.

Before we left Savannah, we had to make one more trip to the historic downtown because it was so beautiful. All of the squares are so pretty and help to break up the buildings, but those too were amazing. Here is just a sampling of the beauty :)

Savannah is definitely a place to revisit.

Next we are heading to Charleston, South Carolina.