Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary, Savannah Event

March 12, 2012 marks the Girl Scouts 100th anniversary.  While Girl Scouting is a worldwide institution, Savannah is the birthplace of Girl Scouting in the United States.  As such, our member inns look look forward to this amazing time when they and the city bear witness to many girls in green, khaki, and blue in honor of this 2012 National and Savannah Event.

And welcome them, we will!


For those of you who lack a Girl Scouting background, let us fill you in on a brief bit of history.  Juliette (nicknamed Daisy) Gordon was born in Savannah in 1860, and married to William Mackay Low in 1886.  During her life and travels, she met Robert Baden-Powel, founder of the Scouting movement, and recruited Juliette into the Girl Guiding movement in England.  Juliette organized troops in England and Scotland before she returned to Savannah.  Once home, she recruited girls and leaders to register the first troup of American Girl Guides on March 12, 1912.  Thus the modern-day American Girl Scouts were born.

We expect a pilgrimage of literally thousands of Girl Scouts and their leaders to visit the city in honor of this milestone.  Girls from more distant homes are expected to stay at least three nights in the city.  Savannah therefore has activities planned in honor of the March 12, 2011 anniversary date, and the weekend prior.

On Saturday, March 10, 2012, a sea of girls and scout leaders are expected to walk across the Talmadge Memorial Bridge to symbolically bridge to the next century of girl scouting.  On Monday, March 12, a sunrise service in Forsyth Park will be held in honor of this very special day.  The Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia will host events for girls of all ages.

The Juliette Gordon Low Girl Scout National Center, or Low House, was Juliettes birthplace.  Consisting of the Low House and Girl Scout club-room carriage house, this National Historic Landmark is already booked solid with tours for the Anniversary Weekend, and additional abbreviated tours will be offered from the 12th through the 16th to accommodate more of the anticipated visitors.  In fact, the attraction will probably be very busy throughout the remainder of 2012, as scout troops make post-Anniversary trips to the city.

Savannah, Georgia bed and breakfast inns are happy to welcome and accommodate Girl Scout troops during their visit to our beautiful city!  Contact the inn of your choice for price and availability.

Savannah River Street Pirates, Savannah River Tour

While staying at your favorite Savannah bed and breakfast, prepare to board with the Savannah River Street Pirates, a unique, fun filled experience for swashbucklers of all ages!  This new Savannah River Pirate Ship tour will depart from the dock at the Hyatt Regency hotel on River Street.  The River Street Pirates Savannah river tour attraction will open in the Spring of 2012.

The Pirate Ship attraction is being met with excitement from Facebook fans throughout Savannah and around the US.  From what we can see, a Savannah River Street Pirate tour will be an unforgettable experience for all!

The 60-foot Renegade pirate ship is currently being built.  It will feature snacks and drink service, a full-service bar for adult swashbucklers, an on-board restroom, audio system, lighting, and ships store where you can find your own pirate booty!  Also on board are 16 water cannons to defend the ship!  For the safety of their guests, the Pirate Ship will meet current United States Coast Guard regulations for safety and equipment.

Programs for all ages are currently being planned, including:  family fun cruises, sunset cruises, and evening cruises with pirate cocktails.  We have also noticed that the tour group is working with William Mayhem: pirate, magician, and entertainer from Saint Augustine, Florida... perhaps he will be visiting the Renegade on occasion?

Custom charters and historical group programs are also being advertised. It may be that you can have your own pirate wedding aboard the Renegade in the future! Birthday parties, Corporate Events, Field Trips and Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties will also be options aboard the Renegade.

The Savannah River Street Pirates vessel will be located on the dock behind the Hyatt Regency. Prices will range from $10 to $30 per swashbuckler.  From what we can see, there should be something for everyone aboard the Renegade.  We look forward to discovering the launch date of the Savannah River Street Pirates tour season!

Make plans to stay at your favorite Savannah Georgia bed and breakfast inn this spring and get a taste of the pirates life during your visit!

Savannah Black History, Savannah Culture

Cultural roots in Savannah run deep.  No matter what your ancestry lineage, there are always things to see and do in Savannah which will bring you closer to both your own history, and the history of others.  And Savannah Culture would be incomplete without commemorating our Black History.

The month of February, 2012 is Black History Month in the United States, and Savannah is rich with Black history, tradition, and life today.

There is so much to see and do to commemorate this rich heritage, that it is impossible to list them all.  However, a few selections are listed below.  Ask your Savannah B&B inkeeper for additional information and ideas.

Locations of interest include:
The Savannah Beach Institute at 502 East Harris Street was established in 1867 by the American Missionary Association to educate newly-freed slaves.  The building is now home to the African-American Cultural Center with art displays, programs, and exhibits for the public.

The First African Baptist Church at 23 Montgomery Street is the oldest Black church in the U.S., and was a stop on the Underground Railroad.  Many features of the church interior are original to the building, including the Nine Patch Quilt on the ceiling, denoting the building as a Safe House for slaves.  More Underground Railroad and Church hisotry can be discovered at the church museum.
The Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum at 460 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. follows the civil rights struggle in Savannah from slavery to the present.

The Haitian Monument, on Mongtomery Street near West Julian Street, reminds us that not all of the Black History in Savannah stems from Africa.  The Monument commemorates the 750 Haitian freemen who fought with the Colonial troops against the British in the Siege of Savannah on Oct. 9, 1779.

You can visit these locations and more on your own, or you can take a guided tour with Day Clean Soul, Savannah Visitors Center, Mikkis Tours by Taste, Georgia Tours, or any of several other tour hosts in the city.

Activities include:
February 1-16, 2012:  The Savannah Black Heritage Festival is currently in the planning stages and should have their schedule listed soon!  The theme this year is Journeys, Passages, and Transitions.

February 11, 2012:  The Savannah Black Heritage Festival Grand Festival Day.  This is a day for the entire family at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Arena in the Savannah Civic Center.  There will be activities for youth, food and retail vendors, and performances by nationally-known recording artists.  Actual schedule is yet to be published.

Soul Food:
Savannah is known for its great restraunts, and we have our fair share of soul-food-serving eateries.  The Wilkes House, Alligator Soul, Nevaea Soul Food, and the Garden of Eden are just a few of the great eateries specializing in great southern classics that will make you loosen your belt!

Come celebrate Black History Month in Savannah!  Our amazing Savannah Bed and Breakfast inns will gladly provide you with an unforgettable lodging experience as you explore the rich history of African-Americans and Hatians in Savannah!

Historic Tybee Island Light Station and Museum of Tybee Is.

Historic Tybee Island Light Station and Museum of Tybee Is. is one of many awe-inspiring sites to see on a tour of Tybee Island.  First ordered by Gen. James Oglethorpe in 1732 this lightouse is one of America's most intact left with all of its historic support buildings on its own five acre site.

Rebuilt several times the current light station display's its distinct 1916 day mark with 178 stairs to the magnificent 9 foot tall First Order Fresnel lens, this beacon of light continues to guide mariners safely into the Savannah River as it has done for over 270 years.

Under the management of Station Keeper Cullen Chambers and his staff, they keep the Tybee Island Light Station as one of North America's most beautiful Maritime museums in use.

Whether it is for business or pleasure, give one of our Savannah Inns a call or book online one of our many beautiful guest room in historic Savannah Georgia.  Happy 4th of July!

Visit Georgia Historical Society during 2011 summer vacation

Visit the Georgia Historical Society during your 2011 summer vacation for great vacation ideas throughout the Peach State.  The Georgia Historical Society has many wonderful ideas from Civil War commemoration events and festivals to road trips along its 2,000+ Historical Marker routes.

The Society has been publishing Georgia history almost since its founding and remains committed to this vital part of its mission.  They are the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history.

Chartered by the Georgia General Assembly in 1839, the Georgia Historical Society is the state’s oldest cultural organization and first and only statewide historical society with offices in Savannah & Atlanta ready to serve you.

Do your vacation plans include a trip to Savannah?  Make it a more special visit by staying at one of Romantic Inns of Savannah’s unique bed and breakfasts.

Garden Club of Savannah presents the NOGS Garden Tour 2011

The Garden Club of Savannah presents the NOGS Garden Tour on April 29 & 30, 2011 from 10am – 4pm each day.  The tour formally known as the North of Gaston Street Tour has changed to North of Gwinnett Street Tour to incorporate the southernmost streets of the National Historic District and their Hidden Gardens.

One of Romantic Inns of Savannahs very own, the Azalea Inn, was chosen as a stop on this prestigious tour this year.  The walking tour includes eight walled gardens and the Owens-Thomas House English inspired par-terre garden.  The gardens are selected each year for the excellence of design, historical interest and beauty.  Hostesses at each garden will greet visitors and point out special plants, garden features and interesting historical facts.

From 2 – 4 pm daily ticket holders are invited to tour the historical Harper Fowlkes House and enjoy a southern tea in its beautiful garden. There will be entertainment provided during the tea and they are hinting at a surprise guest appearance.

It’s not too late to make plans and get tickets to this lovely event. Tickets are $45/ per person, $40/ per person with 10+ people (Promo Code: c7B72u4).

If you can’t make it this year mark your calendar for next year’s tour which will be held April 20 – 21, 2012. And don’t forget to make your lodging reservations in advance at a premier Savannah bed and breakfast.