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Live oaks thrive in the Low Country that stretches flat and finger-like along the southeastern seaboard. Laden with moss, the massive trees at once evoke a sense of history – of the past and of history in the making. Travelers experience both, especially when visiting Savannah, Georgia, and stops along Route 17 on the way to Florida.

Founded in 1733 as a Crown Colony, Savannah was designed with six public squares for the townspeople to meet while drawing water from public wells. Today, there are 24 squares in Savannah. Though elaborate fountains have replaced the wells, people still gather in the park-like settings now surrounded by landmarks.

Some of the landmark buildings require a ticket for admission, like the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts of the USA. At the Gordon house, visitors learn about Mrs. Low, or "Daisy" as her family called her, and see examples of her art and sculpture. Built in 1821 for Savannah's mayor, the English Regency house was home to four generations of Gordons before the property was sold to the Girl Scouts organization. Other homes in the historic district, like those painstakingly renovated inns or bed and breakfasts, require a different kind of reservation.

Guests at the award-winning Gastonian Inn B&B step back into an elegant era when they enter this Regency Italianate house, c.1868. Nonetheless, they receive all the pampering of the present – a choice of breakfast menus, afternoon tea, evening cordials with dessert, and exclusive views of one of the city's original 17 gardens.

Near the other end of the historic district, Factor's Walk joins River Street or Riverfront Plaza. This area follows the curve of the harbor and brims with galleries, restaurants, and shops.

Savannah is also home to the South's oldest art museum, the Telfair Museum of Art, and to art colonies such as City Market with rows of working studios, and on nearby Tybee Island.

Housed in an 1819 mansion on Telfair Square, the Telfair Museum's restored period rooms provide a spectacular showcase for its decorative arts collection. In addition, the museum has acclaimed examples of American and European impressionist and realist art. In sharp contrast, the Jepson Center for the Arts, which opened in 2006, provides a stunningly modern setting for the Telfair's collection of 20th- and 21st-century art.

City Market is located a few blocks away between two of the city's original squares. The commercial heart of 19th-century Savannah, today the area claims art galleries, boutiques, and trendy eateries such as Café GelatOhhh! as tenants. Café GelatOhhh! serves scoops of freshly frozen gelato in colorful plastic cups with cookies on the side. It also sells gourmet salads and panini, Italian sodas and espresso coffees.

Tybee Island, between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, is a terrific day trip from Savannah. On the way, a stop at Fort Pulaski provides lessons in fort design, weaponry, and the reason that Americans celebrate Casimir Pulaski Day. It is also the site of early baseball games, as photos in the welcome center attest.