I thought my trip to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens would take a couple hours, three hours tops. A little over four hours later, I finally set out on the road for Savannah. But we’ll get to that in a bit.
Magnolia Plantation far exceeded my expectations. It was much larger than I imagined, and more beautiful. I got there early, around 8, just as it was opening, so I beat the rush. There were many times I was completely alone as I strolled the grounds, taking in flowers, statues, lakes, bridges, and those gorgeous southern live oaks with Spanish moss. I toured the plantation house, which, if I were recommending the trip to someone, I would say you could forgo and still have a great time, but I wouldn’t say I regretted taking the tour. There are peacocks on the grounds as well and they get close enough to you, that you can get a good photo.
The place offers many extras for additional fees. The plantation house was an $8 fee and so was the visit to the Audubon swamp. Here, you can see birds like ibises, egrets, and various heron species. I also saw turtles and alligators. In fact, I may have almost walked up to an alligator without realizing it as I filmed another. I saw about eight or nine alligators. Most of them were small, though, about three or four feet in length, so while they would undoubtedly do damage if they bit you, I don’t think one could have dragged me into the swamp and killed me. Though I did see one who was proper gator size out in the middle of the swamp sunning himself on a wooden plank.
Because O’Connor’s house was pretty small and non-descript, and because we weren’t slowed down by other visitors, I finished with enough time to check out two museums that are right next to each other on the same square. They, along with the Owens-Thomas House (more on that later) are all part of the Telfair Museums, and you can get a pass to see all three for $20. The first I visited is the Jepson Center. This is a small museum of modern art. It had some really cool interactive pieces that used digital imaging to incorporate the viewer into the piece. Here’s a link to their site. The Jepson Center also houses the famous Bird Girl statue that served as the cover for the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (and the subsequent movie poster). She was originally located in a cemetery, but it was moved to the museum to protect the cemetery grounds from all the tourist traffic after the book came out.
The second museum, also quite small, is Telfair Academy. This has older art including copies of classic sculptures, and a portrait of Kahlil Gibran. The building itself is historical and part of the museum is a pair of rooms with period pieces of furniture and original wallpaper.
After a long day, I sought succor at the Pirates’ House, a restaurant located in the oldest building in Georgia. It is said to have been frequented by pirates like Blackbeard and Anne Bonny, and there’s a legend that Captain Flint from Treasure Island died there. Now, obviously, Flint is a fictional character. But the book does say he died in Savannah, and the belief is that Stevenson was referring to this restaurant and was inspired by it when he wrote the novel. Whether the Stevenson stuff is true or not, it is a building with a long, storied history, and I love that stuff. I like piratey things. They have people dressed as pirates there, and of course, their menu is heavy on seafood. I wanted to get something I wouldn’t get somewhere else, so more quotidian fare like shrimp and salmon were out. I decided to go for the crab soup and the pan-seared scallops. I’m not actually a big fan of scallops, but these were good as far as scallops go, and the soup was good. I was seated in a small, back room with a couple who turned out to be from Michigan. So we chatted a bit and I offered my suggestions for Charleston, which is where they were headed next.