Savannah Gardens

In the early 1700s, along the bluffs south of the Savannah River,
General James Oglethorpe established the city of Savannah.

 He essentially created a series of small villages
 with a garden square at the center of each.

And without a doubt, the most beautiful thing about Savannah, Georgia
is the way the small city is laid out along tree-lined streets and garden squares.

Johnson Square was the first of an original four:

Johnson Square photo is from Savannah Georgia Vibe Guide website.

Click here for details and photos about the other squares:

http://www.savannah-georgia-vibe-guide.com/

We stayed on Lafayette Square, home to the Hamilton-Turner Inn;

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist; the adult home of Juliette Gordon Lowe,
founder of the Girl Scouts;

and the childhood home of fiction writer Flannery O'Connor.
This square also has a law office or two, despite Oglethorpe's original decree
that lawyers were not allowed in Savannah.

This is the O'Connor home (left):

I thought the O'Connor home looked rather austere and cold.

This next photo is of the Lowe home. 

Our tour guide said the garden in front of the home was unusual for its time

because southern ladies preferred to do their gardening 

out of view behind their homes.

Unlike Johnson Square, which is closer to downtown,

Lafayette Square holds a grassy lawn and more trees:

Tomorrow, some of the details that keep Savannah decorative and unique.

<>