This trip was in celebration of our second anniversary. During those two years, Maggie has begged mercilessly to visit either Charleston or Savannah but to no avail. Regional jets, high load factors and having to be back on Mondays made it difficult. The next best alternative was to fly into Jacksonville, FL, and drive the 100 or so miles up the coast.

Southeastern Georgia is more or less one big river in the form of a swamp that drains as much water every year as the Nile. The subtropical climate was enough to lure the ridiculously wealthy here in the late 1800's to setup a "hunting" club and getaway on one of the many coastal isles. Members J.P. Morgan, William Vanderbilt and Marshall Field (to name a few) frequented the club during the winter months to hunt and try out the latest fads (bicycles among the first). At its peak, the Jekyll Island club was said to represent 1/6 of the world's wealth when all the residents were in. It was turned into a state park after WWII and while it isn't exactly a bustling place, it was made a historic landmark.

There are countless other islands to visit but the weather was rainy and we had a different goal in mind. We made our way up to and through Savannah on our way out to Fort Pulaski. We drove through the neighborhoods that are not menioned in the visitor guides, the ones that never recovered from the city's fall from grace. There are bad areas in every town but this was of a particularly bad variety. Boarded up businesses, large southern style houses with chipped paint and overgrown lawns were the norm in the southern half of the city as we made our way East.

Fort Pulaski is the restored fortess used by the Confederates at the start of the Civil War. With walls up to 7 1/2 feet thick, it was once thought impenetrable. Union troops using a new fangled invention, rifled artillery, forced its surrender in under 30 hours. When we tried to visit, heavy rain forced us to stick to the museum although we were able to go again on Monday.

Founded in 1733, Savannah has had several ups and downs that mirrored the cotton markets. Historic Savannah is a picturesque little conglomeration of squares, shops, historic homes and churches. So picturesque that more than several movies have had scenes filmed here including Forrest Gump (though there is some disagreement as to which side of a square it was). People were walking around, resting from the heat of the day in the shade of the trees covered with Spanish Moss. It is a city built for the pedestrian. After breakfast in a little coffee shop, we started walking. We walked several miles on Sunday, along the river, through the squares. We toured several historic homes that had been restored. We ate in some of the many restaurants that served that rich, fried southern food that everyone loves so much.

Sunday night, we went on the world's lamest ghost tour with a guide who didn't even bother to make up some stories about hauntings or murders. Top that off with the fact that 50 people showed up from some teen group and it made for a forgettable experience. Since it was our anniversary, we tried to get something with which to celebrate, only to discover that no libations could be sold in Georgia on a Sunday. Nothing. Room service was our only saving grace.

On Monday, we drove around some more and after visiting Fort Pulaski, made our way back South. Though there aren't many things to put in Jacksonville guidebook, it does have one bright spot, the Budweiser plant. We took the tour, took our free samples and took our time heading home.