(Photo) Ironwork at Juliette Low Birthplace.

Piece 1: Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace/Historic District. Located in the North Historic District of Savannah GA (10 East Oglethorpe Avenue) is the birthplace of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low.

Born in Savannah in the mid-19th century, just before the start of the American Civil War, Juliette gained the nickname “Daisy”, which later inspired the title of the Girl Scouts’ introductory program for young children…Daisies.

Over her formative years, Juliette developed an interest in art, poetry, and community service. Later in life, she met the founder of the Boy Scouts (Sir Robert Baden-Powell), who helped her develop the Girl Scouts in America. The organization’s programs progressively spread across the United States and Internationally, helping girls around the World develop practical knowledge and leadership qualities.

The home where Juliette Gordon Low was born was acquired by The Girl Scouts of the USA in the early 1950’s and soon after became a museum, displaying many of the Gordon family’s original furnishings and selected pieces of Juliette’s artwork.

We really enjoyed our guided tour of the house, which was built in the early 1800’s. It features some beautiful woodwork, including a mahogany staircase, and decorative plaster ceilings. The outside of the house includes a garden space, some unique ironworks, and a bronzed sculpture of Juliette with her dog (a popular photo opportunity for visitors).

Beyond the Juliette Low birthplace, the larger Historic District of Savannah is interesting to explore by foot or on one of the narrated trolley tours available.

The grid-pattern layout of the district includes 22 “squares”, which are central points of each district ward. Originally designed for militia training, the squares ultimately evolved into beautiful public gathering spaces.

Chippewa Square, located next to the Historic Savannah Theater, features a sculpture of Savannah founder James Oglethorpe. It was also the location of the bus bench scenes in the popular Tom Hanks movie “Forrest Gump”.

There are many well-preserved houses and buildings in the Historic District, representing a variety of architectural styles; including Federal, Georgian, Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate, Regency, Romanesque Revival, and Second French Empire.

We were particularly excited to see the Sorrell-Weed House (circa 1840), an example of the Regency and Greek Revival architectural styles. Sorrell-Weed is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in Savannah, and has been the subject of several “ghost hunting” television programs.

Marquee at the Savannah Theater

Piece 2: Savannah Theater. A five minute walk southeast from the Juliette Low Birthplace is the Savannah Theater (222 Bull Street).

Established in late 1818, the Savannah is one of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the United States, serving as both a cinema and live performance venue.

The historic building has undergone several restorations over the years following fire damage, and was renovated into its current art deco style following a fire in the late 1940’s.

We enjoyed spending time in the lobby of the Savannah; looking over the display of photos, newspaper articles, and artifacts that describe the remarkable history of the theater. Noteworthy performers at the Savannah have included comedian W.C. Fields, actor Edwin Booth (brother of Abraham Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth), and baseball legend Ty Cobb.

We got tickets to a lively and engaging 1950’s musical review at the Savannah, and it was outstanding. The acoustics and site lines in the 500+ seat performance space are great, and we were able to meet the cast members after the show in the theater lobby.

The Historic Savannah Theater is an entertaining (and educational) experience!

Copper Kettle Sign at Savannah Candy Kitchen

Piece 3: River Street. About a 15 minute walk north from the Juliette Low Birthplace is Savannah’s River Street, which runs roughly two miles along the southern shoreline of the Savannah River.

The street’s cobblestone pavers were reputedly sourced from “ballast material” sailing ships carried (along with cargo) to improve vessel stability. This ballast material was typically offloaded once ships docked in Savannah, which provided settlers in the city an accessible and affordable supply of stones for building.

Many of the large brick buildings along Water Street were constructed in the early to mid 1800’s to be commercial enterprise spaces, and were promoted to prospective business tenants as “fire proof”.

The modern Water Street retains an old world feel while offering visitors an array of shops, galleries, restaurants, pubs, public art, and hotels.

We particularly enjoyed browsing around the Savannah Candy Kitchen’s flagship location at 225 East Water Street, one of the largest candy stores in the South. The whole place is a visual and aromatic feast; we loved watching the candies being made.

While all the confections made at the Savannah Candy Kitchen are wonderful, their pecan pralines are probably the most popular item they sell. They are special.

Another highlight for us on Water Street was seeing the action sculpture of Florence Martus, better known as the “Waving Girl”.

For almost 45 years beginning in 1883, Florence greeted ships approaching Savannah by waving a cloth. She did this, per lore, because she was searching for a sailor she had fallen in love with as a young girl.

To honor her role in local maritime history, a bronze statue of Florence (waving a cloth) was dedicated in 1972 in Morrell Park on East River Street, overlooking the waterfront.

The full sculpture includes a lantern sitting by Florence’s feet, which she used to signal to ships at night, and a large collie dog by her side. Florence and her brother George reportedly bred the dogs on Elba Island, located in the river just east of Savannah.

The Waving Girl is an extraordinary piece of public art, just a five minute walk east from the Savannah Candy Kitchen. We got some fresh pralines, took a pleasant stroll along the waterfront, and spent some quality time with Florence.

CLICK on the Facebook logo below to visit the 3 Piece Trips Facebook Page now!