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Shaded by huge Spanish-moss draped oaks, perfumed by magnolias and surrounded by historic buildings, squares and gardens, few American cities are more beautiful than Savannah. James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the Colony of Georgia, took much care when laying out Savannah in 1733. He wished the colony's first settlement to be a gentile place of quiet retreats and gathering places and it is this pattern of social spaces that gives the city its tangible charm.

Savannah became an affluent cotton trading port and was spared from destruction by General Sherman in 1864, at President Lincoln's behest. After the Civil War the city fell into decline and it was only in the 1960s that loving restoration began. As a result, the city exudes a captivating historic authenticity.

The city's finest buildings include the Owens Thomas House, considered one of the finest examples of Regency architecture in the US; the Green-Meldrim House; Davenport House; the Telfair Mansion; and old Fort Jackson, which has been a part of Savannah's history for nearly two centuries.

The city's waterfront is reached by assorted stone staircases and atmospheric alleyways, its tall brick warehouses today home to popular seafood restaurants and lively bars. While here look out for River Street which is cobbled with the ballast from long-vanished tall ships.