Description: Before you do anything else in Savannah, stop at the visitors center and history museum. Follow Route 16 to the end and take a left on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. It is an old train station made of brick. At one time it was the center of activity, so it really spreads out. A café called the Whistle Stop is in the building near the museum, and you can eat outside, weather permitting, or in a fancy dining car. Parking is free for the whole day at the visitors center.
All the tour trolleys come into the visitors center and are lined up. They are all different colors and offer a variety of tours, so if you have something specific in mind, be sure the trolley will go there. If you buy a ticket on one color trolley, you can only get on and off that color if they offer on-and-off service. The shuttle stop for the CAT (free trolley and green in color) is right in front of the center. If you have nothing in mind but seeing historic Savannah or you know exactly what you want to see, take the CAT.
In the gift shop are beautiful Gone With The Wind porcelain figurines, and if you want a copy of the Bird Girl statue from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, they have them in every size. A copy in the original size was on display in the museum. They also have copies of "the book" and a newsletter that has a great map with all the places indicated that were in the movie. You can sit on Forrest Gump’s park bench, as well.
Articles from the original train station were on display in the free part of the museum, and for a few dollars, you can go through the rest of the museum. The fee includes a movie about historic Savannah. A quilting guild is always working on a beautiful quilt and had several for sale. A big bale of cotton and a working cotton gin, invented in Savannah by Eli Whitney, are on exhibit. Johnny Mercer’s Oscar is there (songwriter who wrote Moon River, Autumn Leaves, etc.) and Juliette Gordon Low’s (founder of the Girls Scouts) family carriage is displayed next to a very early horseless carriage. Expect to find a lot more.
Someone is always at the information desk and can help you find exactly what you’re looking for and, if you’re not sure what is offered in Savannah, they will suggest ways for you to enjoy your visit.
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