Lafayette Square in the Spanish moss-draped historic district is near Congregation Mickve Israel, the country’s only Gothic-style synagogue. Savannah Convention and Visitors Bureau
by Hilary Larson Travel Writer
There’s something irresistible about Savannah. Something, dare I say, bewitching.
And it’s not just because the city’s dark, mysterious history and romantically draped moss were featured in the 1990s novel and film “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” — though the movie did spark a tourism renaissance in this sleepy Southern burg.
When it comes to Southern cities, sophisticated Savannah may just be the most purely enjoyable. Atlanta is sprawling and modern; Charleston is lovely but frequently tourist-clogged. Gracious Savannah maintains its delightfully languorous pace and its elegant sense of history without ever feeling touristy or stuffy.
And it’s a perfect destination for fall. While the Northeast slowly turns cold, the sunny Georgian coast basks in lingering warmth, allowing visitors to swim in the Atlantic and
lie on white-sand beaches well into wintertime.
Savannah’s beautifully preserved downtown is compact and walkable, featuring cobblestoned streets and more than 20 picturesque squares. Friendly locals enjoy iced tea on white-pillared porches, shaded by ancient oak trees and fragrant white flowering vines.
From its inception, Savannah has always boasted a significant Jewish community. Today nearly 4,000 Jews make their homes here, sustaining Orthodox and Reform temples and a Jewish community center.
Congregation Mickve Israel was founded shortly after the first Jews landed in Savannah’s harbor in 1733, and its circa-1876 building is the country’s only Gothic-style synagogue (and its third-oldest overall).
Founded by Portuguese Sephardic Jews, Mickve Israel is now a thriving Reform temple and a popular tourist site. Its historical museum includes two Torah scrolls that date to pre-Columbian times, in addition to an impressive collection of presidential letters.
On Sunday, Oct. 28, the synagogue will host the Shalom Y’All Savannah Jewish Food Festival, an annual event that combines the tastiest elements of Southern and Jewish cuisines. Held in nearby Forsyth Park, the event features food (of course), Jewish music and dancing, and puppet shows for children.
In addition to its museum and historic building, the synagogue also offers year-round custom Jewish tours of the city through its “Savannah Jewish Experience” program. Participants can also combine tours of Savannah and nearby Charleston, with highlights of Jewish history as well as contemporary kosher dining.
Indeed, guided tours are especially popular in Savannah. Many longtime residents love to share their fascination with local lore and show off their favorite, sometimes hidden, pieces of Savannah history.
One of the best guides is Harriet Meyerhoff, a former schoolteacher whose business, Personalized Tours of Savannah, offers historical and Jewish heritage tours of Savannah’s Historic District. Meyerhoff enjoys escorting Northerners around the city’s hidden gardens, elegant antebellum homes and oft-overlooked Jewish landmarks, such as the 18th-century Jewish cemetery tucked away on Oglethorpe Avenue.
Old meets new at Savannah’s Telfair Museum of Art, which boasts of being the oldest art museum in the South. The landmark-district institution recently expanded on its two historic buildings, adding a 64,000-square-foot shimmering glass modern art center designed by Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie.
Known as the Jepson Center, the new wing showcases 20th- and 21st-century art alongside a chic café. Two promising exhibits open next week and run through January in the spacious, sunlight-filled hall. “East End Artists, Past and Present” offers highlights of Long Island art from Lee Krasner and Alfonso Ossorio to the new Hamptons generation of painters, while “Ansel Adams: A Celebration of Genius” features highlights of that photographer’s legendary black-and-white landscapes.
An even more singular Savannah experience is a visit to Juliette Gordon Low’s birthplace. Low, a well-to-do Savannah native, founded the Girl Scouts of America in the early 1900s; her family home in the Historic District is a popular pilgrimage site for generations of scouts and their nostalgic moms.
It’s worth a visit simply to step back into the late 1800s, when the young Low was attending balls and being courted by her husband here in between travels in Europe. The circa-1821 English Revival house, a stately white manse, is a registered landmark, and its interior faithfully reflects the gracious Southern postbellum lifestyle Low’s family enjoyed. A current exhibit displays historical Girl Scout uniforms, from the early 1900s to the present day.
Near the Low Birthplace at Jefferson and West St. Julian streets is City Market, a historic open-air marketplace that has been redeveloped as a dining and arts destination. It’s a fun spot for lunch or coffee and people-watching, as well as home to a series of galleries showcasing local artists.
Another popular restaurant and nightlife area is River Street, a revitalized promenade along the Savannah River.
Resources:
Telfair Museum of Art:
www.telfair.org
Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace:
www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/birthplace/
Congregation Mickve Israel and Savannah Jewish
Food Festival: (800) 728-6610 or www.mickveisrael.org
Personalized Tours of Savannah:
(912) 234-0014 or www.savannahsites.com
Savannah Convention and Visitors’ Bureau:
www.savcvb.com n
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