Hi guys, it’s Nick and this is my blog about this candy place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina so here is the story. My Dad and I were driving home when we saw this candy store. We had seen it before and thought it would be fun to go to, so we drove on over and got some pictures of it from the outside. Then we went in, well let’s just say the outside is the cool thing about this place.
Inside it had two things that looked cool: one was called a Goo Goo Cluster and the other was Devil’s Toe. There is a big fake tree in the middle but that is it. It was just about all the normal candy you get at a basic candy or grocery store. I would not most likely go back to this place, but it is good for pictures and there is an ice cream place across the street. People were using this places parking for it though. So that is our candy store adventure.
Attitude is everything. We thought we were booking one of the trolley ghost tours. When we looked closer we had booked a walking tour. Initially I thought, man this is going to be rough and 3/4 of the group were whining. However, once the sun went down, it was a nice night for a walk and we got to see some things that I think we would have missed if we were riding. The pace was pretty slow as well. Masks were required for groups of 6 or more, as well per Savannah’s COVID restrictions.
Savannah has a ton of history. The city is the USA’s first planned city. In fact, the original city was layed out in England before they even came over to build. Our tour guide said there were Native American burial sites and settler burial sites under the city’s streets and buildings. At one time there had been two cemeteries in the downtown area, but there is now only one, Colonial Park. Some of the tombs look like stone/brick tents, but they also extend underground. There are shelves inside to house the deceased, and just like in New Orleans, bodies got moved down to make room for new family members. Per our tour guide, Colonial park cemetery has 600 gravestones, but 1100 dead. The cemetery has lost both ground and tombstones, due to city growth and graffiti. Some were moved, but there are 4000 unmarked graves now outside the gates. Supposedly, some of the lost tombstones happened when the Union army was stationed there for a couple of months. When it got too cold for their fabric tents, some took shelter in the tombs. The sidewalk around the cemetery has special decorative bricks. We learned that the bricks actually mark the lost and unknown graves. Each circle represents an unmarked, lost grave. (Our guide pointed out that sitting in a cemetery for months in the cold had to be boring. Then add in that some states allowed as young as 14 to enlist, there wasn’t a lot of supervision, they were away from home, and whiskey was part of the daily rations. “You had a bunch of bored drunk children with no parental supervision away from home…”)
Ben’s favorite story was the Marshall House. It was a boarding house and a hotel, but during the Civil War, there were a lot of injured soldiers coming from Atlanta. It was turned into a hospital. There were a lot of surgeries and amputations. It reverted back to a hotel, and then to a hospital again during two yellow fever outbreaks. Afterwards, it would become a hotel again. During renovations in the 1990’s, they pulled up the floor to find saws and other surgical equipment, as well as bones. It was a medical dump site.
I didn’t find a lot of evidence to support the story of the bricks (although I did not see a similar design around the city), or the bones at Marshall House (although even AAA wrote about it). I was a little disappointed, as I like the ghost tours we go on to the have some facts to them, not just ghost stories.
Have you gone on a Savannah Ghost Tour? What was your favorite story?
Our campground is out in the middle of nowhere. It is close to the highway, but about an hour drive from Savannah, Hilton Head, or Charleston. I was looking for quick things to do in the evening after work/school that were close by and saw the Old Sheldon Church Ruins on several lists.
It is off of a two lane road, but cars go speeding by. There is a dirt parking lot directly across the street from the ruins, but it is not very well marked, so slow down when you get close or you might miss it.
The church must have been gorgeous back in the day, because the ruins are still spectacular. There are a few graves around the grounds, so we needed to be careful where we stepped. The plaque on the wall stated that the church was burned in 1779 by British forces, rebuilt, and burned again in1865 by “Federal” forces. However, there was some written evidence later found that the inside of the church had simply been gutted by local people having to rebuild their homes after Sherman came through.
It was interesting to visit, but I would not drive specifically to see it if you are not already in the area.
After walking River Street, and eating a hearty breakfast, we decided to check out one of the sightseeing/history tours. There were three bus/trolley tours available as we walked around. We went with the Old Savannah Tours and the “hop on and hop off option”. Although we chose the on/off option, we didn’t end up using it as we just stayed on for the whole 90 minute tour instead. We found a $5 off adult tickets coupon at breakfast, which was nice.
We walked a few blocks and picked up the tour at their Visitor Center. It was already pretty full, but we did manage to catch the next bus. It was all open air/open window as well, but we still kept our masks on. (Georgia just recommends masks, although they are required indoors at many places, so we kept ours on the entire time we were out.)
We saw lots of neat architecture, learned about local attractions and soaked in some great Savannah history.
We drove by the Mercer House (Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil), Forsyth Park, Lucas Theater (first public building to have air conditioning in Savannah), the Owens-Thomas house (first indoor plumbing in the US, even before the White House!), the Sorrel Weed house (where the feather drifts from the roof in Forrest Gump), the Mickve Israel (only gothic synagogue in North America), the Scottish Rite building (corner building with really neat detail near the roof), and the first Girl Scout headquarters. We also learned that the stone streets were made from using ships’ ballasts, thus the bumpy ride.
We learned about Haint paint (aint blue, aint green, per our tour guide) and how it was used to ward off evil spirits. I looked it up later, and it was believed that evil spirits (haints/haunts) could not cross water. People painted their porch roofs (interior) a blue shade to make the spirits think that it was water and therefore were unable to come into the house.
Old Savannah Tours also had a couple of stops where a historic figure (actor) would come on board to say a few things. This could have been cool, but it was my least favorite part as they were not wearing masks. Luckily, we were not in the front row. We have also found that the tour guide makes a huge difference in your experience. It was a nice way to see the city and learn some its history.
After we got off of the tour, we walked around the River Street area some more. We stopped by the Plant Riverside District, based on the tour guide’s recommendation. This is part of the JW Marriott, and contains the skeleton of an ice bear, several huge geodes, mammoth tusks, and a chrome replica of the largest dinosaur ever found. It is an amazing space.
We traveled down the river walk, grabbed some cookies at Byrd’s, a coffee at Starbucks, and watched some ships coming in. We found where X marks the spot to hear your echo at Rousakis Plaza. We had walked by it earlier and didn’t even notice, but our tour guide pointed it out. We had to stop back and try it. You can hear your echo if you are in the right spot, although it is faint due to all the background noise of the city. You can also find some great views of the River, the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, and the cargo ships here.
It was a great day exploring and learning about Savannah. If you have been to the Savannah area, what were your favorite activities? Send us a comment and we will be sure to check it out.
Although the epic parades were cancelled this year in New Orleans to prevent the spread of COVID, they tried to keep the Mardi Gras spirit alive by decorating their houses. They called them “float houses” and we were lucky enough to see some of them during our stay.
Here are some of the houses we saw while in New Orleans. (There are a lot of images, so it may take awhile to load. Sorry!)
One of our favorites!Bernie sightingEven a RV was decorated at our campground!Balconies (even the police station decorated!), Bernie sighting #2Balcony decorations Even Walmart decorated!
One of the things I love about New Orleans is their zest for life. Although it is clear that the pandemic has hit this tourist town pretty hard, their resilient spirit shows in how they live their daily lives. Thanks New Orleans for bringing a little joy into this tough situation. Laissez les bon temps rouler…. even if we have to be a little different than normal.
One of the reasons for going on this trip was to learn/see new things and to expand the boys’ views of the world. We wanted them to be able to think and research, listen to both sides, and come up with their own conclusion, to not just take everything at face value.
The museum is in a really neat building and is the oldest continually running museum in Louisiana.
DETAILS:
TICKETS: Due to COVID, you need to email the Museum to make a reservation for the day/time you want to visit. You pay for your tickets once you arrive ($10 adults, $5 kids ages 7-14). It was only open Thursday to Saturday when we were in New Orleans.
PARKING: Pay parking on street or nearby lots
BATHROOM: Yes, downstairs
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1-3 hours
The museum is on the main floor of the building, with the bathroom downstairs. They had some neat pieces of history on display. It was mostly reading with one video. There was a small gift shop as well.
We started on the left side of the museum and one of the first exhibits we saw contained a Dix! New Orleans has history to the city. Being on the water, the city had plenty of trading with ships coming and going. At one point, the city was separated into French and American sides. Canal Street separated the French and English speaking parts of New Orleans. Each side had their own currency (French bills and American/English). Per our tour guide at Sazerac House, people met in the middle of Canal Street to do business, as it was considered neutral ground. One bank there decided to create a new currency, the Dix (French for 10). It was printed in English on one side, French on the other, and was a $10 bill. It later was nicknamed a Dixie, and hence the name for the South was created.
Battlefield trees with shrapnel embedded Top: Uniform and gloves of Daniel Merwin. He lost his right arm in battle. His “Invalid Fork”, and 2 Left Hand gloves. Bottom Left: Sucession Badge image.We find the mention of Ohio in the strangest places.Different artillery shells.Silver crown given to Davis, link of chain (boats), Stonewall Brigade Medal, Seal of the Confederacy
It was interesting to see this perspective on the Civil War. There were some signs that definitely had a Southern slant to the way they were worded. There was no real addressing the issue of slavery, it was mostly facts and information about battles, soldiers, and Jefferson Davis. It did give us a few good talking points to go over with the boys.
The gift shop was an interesting mix of wooden toys (chess board, 9 pins, chalkboard, Jacob’s Ladder etc.), hats and t-shirts, patches, stickers, quill pens, and the Confederate flag.
Chalmette Battleground and Cemetery is another part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. When we were there, the Visitor Center was only open on the weekend. The park itself was open until 4:00 pm most days.
It is a battleground site. This was our first battleground visit on our trip. There is not a lot to see: a Visitor Center, the obelisk monument, a memorial urn statue, and a plantation house. If you climb the levy, you can look at the river. There is a nice paved walking trail around the monument to the house. There is also a driving path (I did see lots of people walking it too) that leads further back on the battlefield and to the cemetery.
Pano of the Park grounds
The Rodriguez Plantation house is still on the property, although the second story staircase is gated off with a danger sign. We saw that the second story balcony was missing several boards.
The Park’s grounds also contain a National Cemetery, although only 4 from the War of 1812 are buried there. I didn’t know until after our visit, but there is also an audio tour available by calling on your cell phone (number is 504-799-0803 per their website) and there is also a virtual tour.
Cemetery: Can be accessed by walking or driving on the “self-guided driving” path
As a side note: Will saw one of the paintings featured on an informational plaque at the park in his history textbook. He thought it was pretty funny that the image included in his textbook had a National Park Service plaque memo that the image was inaccurate, as the river “was not crowded with ships during the battle”.
We found this cemetery on Atlas Obscura. There was only on-street parking. The cemetery is on both sides of the street and is free to go through (unlike some of the older cemeteries close to the French Quarter).
The thing that makes this cemetery unique is the backstory. Yellow fever hit New Orleans hard due to the mosquitoes in the summer. In 1867, the Reverend in the parish prayed to St. Roch (patron saint of invalids) to spare his parishioners. If no one died, then the Reverend would build a shrine to St. Roch. The parish did not lose any of its members to yellow fever and the shrine was built. People who prayed to St. Roch and recovered from their illness would leave things at the shrine. The items left would be medical devices (dentures, crutches, prosthetics).
The St. Roch shrine was closed for repairs, so we could only see the outside and peer in through the windows. We could see a few of the items left.
We took a tour of the Pharmacy Museum. (Thanks Claire for the idea!)
The Pharmacy Museum was located in the French Quarter. It was $5/person to visit. Due to COVID, they were limiting admission to 15 people per hour, so reservations were required and could be made online. This limit gave it a nice open, non-rushed feel. It was currently a self guided tour over two floors and the courtyard. When you check in, you received a hand out that describes the exhibits on the main floor. The second floor also had a hand out. When we were there, the handout was on the counter in the first room you entered at the top of the stairs. The exhibits were well labeled and had interesting descriptions.
It was interesting and I think we each learned something new. I do think it is probably a one time event though.
DETAILS: *
TICKETS: $5/person, but increasing to $10/person starting 2/1/21. Due to COVID, they are limiting to 15 people per hour. Reservations/tickets required to be made online.
HOURS: Wednesday to Saturday at 12, 1, 2, 3, 4.
PARKING: Pay parking on street or nearby lots. There are a few spots of free parking in the Quarter, but they are taken quickly.
BATHROOM: Yes, downstairs in courtyard
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1-2 hours. With social distancing, the museum is asking for a 45 minute time limit.
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.
We mostly enjoyed walking Bourbon Street during the day. Even with the COVID restrictions, it still was busier at night. One of Ben and my “bucket list” items was to attend Mardi Gras. We lost this opportunity, but wanted to make the best of it and still experience Bourbon at night. We also didn’t want to be in the midst of everyone down in the street.
Images on Bourbon during the day. Not quite the Scooby I remember 😂
We were lucky enough to book a hotel room on Bourbon Street at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel had most of the 2nd floor under renovations, so we were on the third floor. We did have our own balcony (some of the rooms share a balcony). The rooms currently did not have a mini fridge or microwave with Covid being cited as the reason. Our room had two double beds (doubles or Kings only).
It was nice to have an unlimited hot water shower. The bathroom consisted of a sink, the toilet, and the shower/tub.
The room was pretty standard, I feel like you were paying mostly for the location. There was a closet with a luggage rack, a chair at the desk, two double beds (a little softer than I like and feather pillows), and an ottoman tucked under the shared nightstand. There was a TV as well, which the boys enjoyed. The balcony had two chairs with double doors that opened into the room. There were no screens on the doors, so in the summer I imagine the bugs could be a problem. The pool was open, but it wasn’t heated, so it was a little chilly for us. There was also a Grab & Go Breakfast option, as the sit-down dining was closed. Breakfast was not included in your stay.
Bourbon Street picked up a little on the weekends, and last weekend (1/16/21) was busier than we had seen it this month. (Still not as busy as it was in 2017.) Bars closed at 11:00 pm, so about 10:00 the lines started getting longer to get in. The one right across from us was doing temperature checks to get in. We walked around and got back to our room about 4:00 pm. Our our way back to the hotel, we only saw about 60% of the people out wearing masks. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of mask wearing as the night progressed.
Pool and elevator
We saw some crazy stuff: horses on Bourbon Street, a guy dancing on a trailer bed. There was a drum band next to the hotel, and later a religious group complete with a cross came to stand by the hotel as well. After the kids went to bed, we did see it get a little rowdier.
Pano view from balcony, street performer, horse group, cross bearing religious group, crowd watching drummers
