Insiders' Guide® to Savannah & Hilton Head by Georgia Byrd

Author:Georgia Byrd
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493018352
Publisher: Globe Pequot Press

MARCH

Historic District

CELTIC CROSS CEREMONY, Emmet Park; Bay and Price Streets; (912) 233-4804; savannahsaintpatricksday.com. Members of the city’s Irish organizations gather at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist for mass at 11:30 a.m. on the second Sunday of the month, then march in procession to Emmet Park, where they lay a wreath at the Celtic Cross and listen to a speech about their heritage. The cross, officially named the Irish Monument, was carved from a single piece of Irish limestone in County Roscommon, Ireland. The Savannah Irish Monument Committee erected the Celtic Cross in 1983, the 250th anniversary of the founding of Savannah and Georgia, to commemorate Georgians of Irish ancestry. The ceremony starts about 1 p.m., and it’s open to the public.

FIRST SATURDAY, Rousakis Plaza, River Street; (912) 234-0295; riverstreetsavannah.com. Browse through the wares of artisans and craftspeople from throughout the Southeast and listen to various forms of music during First Saturday on the plaza on River Street. While enjoying the breeze blowing off the Savannah River, you might find yourself staring at a large cargo ship as it glides along the waterway, so close you’d swear you could reach out and touch it. The 40 to 60 open-air arts and crafts booths on the plaza offer a variety of treasures, everything from original oil paintings and watercolors to rocking horses fashioned from wood scraps. If you can’t turn up something that catches your fancy among the artists’ booths, visit the shops in the renovated cotton warehouses lining River Street.

Hungry? You have your choice of restaurants dishing up a variety of cuisine. The Savannah Waterfront Association presents First Saturday festivals 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on—what else?—the first Saturday of each month, with the exception of January and February. Some are part of expanded, more distinctive festivals: the Fine Arts festival in April, the Savannah Seafood Festival in May, Oktoberfest in October, and Christmas on the River in December. By the way, a fireworks display is staged at dusk every first Friday. Admission is free.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE, various downtown streets; (912) 233-4804; savannahsaintpatricksday.com. You’ll know it’s March if you choose this month to arrive in Savannah. The flowers will be in full bloom, painting the town with blazing colors. Strolling locals will shed their winter coats in exchange for green sweaters. Irish tunes will ring from the walls of St. Vincent’s Academy as the girls practice their salute to the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day Grand Marshall. Sidewalks will be adorned with green and white souvenirs that spill out of shops proclaiming that the day is upon us. Closer to March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day), fountains will turn to green, and the demeanor of Savannahians will turn from ho-hum to jovial. It’s a time when the Irish Catholic community comes together, and those who aren’t join in the festivities.

On the morn of St. Patrick’s Day, even the most introverted will come out. Adorned with everything from “boingy” shamrocks to green beads, green and white buttons, and fake beards and moustaches, some celebrants even dye their dogs green.

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