During the Civil War, Savannah suffered from sea blockades so fierce that its economy crumbled. Saved from the fires set by Union soldiers throughout the Southeast, the city was offered by Union General William Sherman as a Christmas present to President Abraham Lincoln. It’s been said that Savannah was spared from fire because General Sherman was so impressed by its beauty that he couldn’t destroy it.

Today, Savannah is Georgia’s fifth-largest city and third-largest metropolitan area. It is an industrial center, important Atlantic seaport and one of the busiest tourism destinations of the Southeast. Through wars, fires, widespread disease and the threat of demolition, Savannah has remained a cultural and historical hub of the South.

There are a few marinas smack in the heart of the riverfront district of Savannah but due to lack of wave protection from the constant water traffic. We opted to stay at a much more protected place six miles away called Thunderbolt. Georgia has tidal range up to 9 feet (strong current) so docking our boat presents a constant challenge. We’re never too proud to ask for docking assistance whenever possible.

Shortly after our arrival, we Uber into Savannah’s waterfront district. Within minutes we found ourselves being serenaded with live music, watching the beautiful sunset over the Savannah River, taken aback by the sweet smells of freshly-made candy. The atmosphere on River Street was bursting at the seams with incredible beauty, everything from gorgeous Spanish moss to passing paddle wheel river boats, boutiques, candy shops capturing the art of praline-making. And yes, they give out free samples, plenty of them to satisfy our sweet tooth. Claudia is not embarrassed to take a few and then some.

Next day we took the hop-on-hop-off trolley tour of the city – At Chippewa Square, where Forrest Gump told his “Life is like a box of chocolate” story. The famous bench is no longer there, but that doesn’t stop people from visiting and snapping photos; Forsyth Park, with its famous 19th-century fountain, is one of the most photographed corners of the city; Leopold’s ice cream, named one of the top 10 ice cream parlors in the world, where countless celebrities like Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Anthony Hopkins & Sylvester Stallone have visited; Second African Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. recited his “I Have a Dream” speech for the first time in 1963.

As the trolley tour continued, the conductor reminded us of the sad chapter of the Savannah slave trade history. While the details we learned were heartbreaking, we felt like it was an important part of southern history that we owed our attention to, as well as stories of resistance and resilience that will stay with us long after the tour is over.