Latest news with #GeneralSherman
Times
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The charming Deep South city with movie-star good looks
Positioned around a series of garden squares, Savannah is one of those rare US cities that is easy to explore on foot. Built in 1733 as the capital of the thirteenth American colony established by Britain, Georgia's oldest settlement survived the Revolutionary and Civil wars — and still manages to look radiant. With its oil lamps, ornamental ironwork and oak trees dripping with spooky Spanish moss, it's so quintessentially Southern that Hollywood loves it, having used it as a location for plenty of films, including Forrest Gump. But there's more to this Southern beauty than magnolia-scented boulevards and wraparound verandas. Take a guided tour of its mansions and you'll unearth tales of ghosts and pirates. Wander the 18th-century harbourfront and you'll find paddle steamers, jazz cruises and dolphins. Head to the nearby barrier islands and you'll swap cobbled streets for the gorgeous beach used in the Baywatch film. • Morning: Green-Meldrim House• Eat at: the Lost Square• Afternoon: First African Baptist Church• Drink at: Better than Sex• Evening: Savannah Hauntings Ghost Tour• Dinner: Common Restaurant • Morning: Tybee Island• Eat at: the Olde Pink House• Afternoon: Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters• Drink at: Congress Street Up• Evening: Savannah Riverboat Cruises• Dinner: Fleeting • Savannah is full of grand homes offering guided tours, but none charts the American story quite like the gothic-revival Green-Meldrim House. General Sherman of the Union Army made it his HQ while he burnt his way across the Confederate South; the future of newly emancipated slaves was first planned here; and one of its most scandalous residents made the iconic pink suit worn by Jackie Kennedy when her husband was shot (£12; • Jingle Bells, Methodism and the I Have a Dream speech all have origins in the pretty chapels of Savannah. But you should also check out the unassuming First African Baptist Church. Built by enslaved people and the site of kidnappings of 'free blacks', it has air holes in the floorboards that enabled hidden runaways to breathe before escaping to freedom in the north (£11; Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, a ghost tour of the 'most-haunted city' in America is a fun way to explore its dark past. You'll wander around graveyards cloaked in spooky Spanish moss and hear tales of dismembered soldiers, cruel slavers and the pirate abductions that inspired Treasure Island (£22; The Georgian coastline is dotted with barrier islands where locals go to relax, surf and kayak among dolphins. It's a 16-mile drive (about £25 by taxi) to the pier, crab shacks and dune-flanked lighthouse of Tybee Island. While there, check out the Marine Science Center, which can arrange everything from marsh treks to turtle-hatching walks (from £18; The guides at the Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters do a fantastic job of bringing to life this Regency mansion, with its grisly history of slavers and the enslaved. Upstairs, you'll swoon over its Gone With the Wind-style glamour (the place is a fantasy of marble, mahogany, gilt and Greco motifs); downstairs, you'll hear heartbreaking tales of floggings and family separations (£24; See Confederate ramparts, a shipwreck and maybe a dolphin or bald eagle on a 90-minute, Mississippi-style sunset cruise down the Savannah River. Some paddleship cruises include live jazz or gospel performances. The highlight, though, is the £5 peach cobbler and ice cream sold in paper cups — delicious (from £28; This casual, rooftop hangout in the wharfside district has a menu that is part Mediterranean tavern, part American sports bar. There is great red shrimp with harissa, Calabrian chicken wings and black-eyed pea falafel with pickled fresno, tzatziki and lettuce (small plates from £8; Some of the innuendoes on the menu of this seductively lit cocktail and dessert lounge would make the Carry On writers blush, but the mixologists are creative geniuses. Think peanut butter whisky served in a glass with a white-chocolate rim or spiced rum topped with a crunchy pecan pie crust –— naughty (cocktails from £6; If Raymond Blanc and Grandma Walton opened a restaurant, it might be something like this place, which serves hearty Southern comfort food with a fancy European twist. Try fusion dishes such as short-rib ravioli, gumbo risotto, fried-green-tomato caprese and traditional shrimp and grits served with pancetta and hondashi aioli (mains from £16; • Read our full guide to the United States Back in the city, American favourites are served beneath grand chandeliers and portraits of wigged grandees at this white-tableclothed stalwart. Crowd-pleasing dishes are put together with a creative flourish — such as the chicken and sweet potato, which comes with a pecan-vanilla butter, and crispy flounder topped with a sweet apricot and shallot sauce (mains from £14; You'll hear how the founder of Savannah accidentally killed a man in a bar fight (and later tried to ban alcohol) as you make your way through the only Prohibition museum in America to drink moonshine boilermakers and French 75s in this easy-mingling speakeasy (£23 including a cocktail; This swish, open-kitchen restaurant draws inspiration from the state's natural pantry, with lots of seafood, wild herbs and seasonal veg. Come during one of the regular pop-up evenings, when chefs don trucker caps and champion nose-to-tail cooking using trotters, snouts and less popular cuts (mains from £20; This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue Simple Southern charmBuilt on the site of John Wesley's former parsonage, the classy, no-nonsense Planters Inn is a short stroll from the riverfront, main shopping street and the best bars and restaurants. With four-poster beds, floral pelmets and freshly cut hydrangeas, it's elegant without being pretentious. Make sure that you're back at the lobby piano bar by 4.30pm for the free 'Communion wine' and cheese (room-only doubles from £105; Sleek urban oasisThis former power plant on the waterfront is Savannah's answer to Battersea, with art displays and upscale shops and restaurants in its turbine room. The suites are incredibly sexy, offsetting the industrial aesthetics with touches of purple crushed velvet and polished marble. Its rooftop cocktail bars and poolside cabanas, however, are as far removed from south London as you can get (room-only doubles from £228; • 10 of the most beautiful places in America Ice-cool retreatThis hotel-cum-members' club feels more Miami than Savannah, with its peach-and-green palette, palm-lined pool and chill-out bar. There are suite-like rooms, a stunning bird-cage atrium, a brooding cocktail lounge and one of the city's top restaurants, Saint Bibiana. There's also a huge gym and vitamin IV drips at the spa, in case you're not quite ready to strut around the pool (B&B doubles from £279; Virgin and British Airways fly via Atlanta or New York to Savannah airport, from where it's an £18 taxi ride into the city. Savannah is a doddle to explore by foot, but there are also free trolley buses and hop-on, hop-off tours (from £30; If you want to extend your journey through the historic South there are twice-daily trains between Savannah and Charleston in South Carolina. The journey takes 90 minutes and costs from £21 one Edwards was a guest of Visit Savannah ( and Savannah/Hilton Head airport ( Have you visited Savannah? Share your memories in the comments
NDTV
09-05-2025
- NDTV
"Feels Like Narnia": California's Sequoia National Park Is A Wonder Waiting To Be Explored
Nature has a way of bewitching us with its wonderful creations. Majestic mountains, dense forests and vast oceans — every element reminds us how small we are compared to nature's grandeur. Enter California's Sequoia National Park and you will be gripped by a similar feeling. Blessed with giant sequoia trees, dating back 3000 years, they stand tall, braving storms and wildfires like a warrior. Recently, a travel vlogger, Aakash Malhotra, visited this natural wonder and shared his experience through an awe-inspiring video on Instagram. The video opens to the vlogger sharing the details of Sequoia National Park. He says, 'Situated in California, USA, Sequoia National Park is a place that feels like a natural wonder. Here you will find five of the world's ten largest trees.' The most iconic one is named General Sherman. 'It's not just tall, but it's massive by volume too. It's the largest living tree on Earth,' explains the globetrotter. The towering sequoias feature a reddish-orange bark and the treetop is often hidden above the highest branches. The other grand sequoias — General Grand, President, Lincoln and Columbia, each have their own story to tell. Interestingly, when the wrath of wildfires is unleashed here, 'everything gets destroyed except the sequoia trees.' They rise from the ashes like a Phoenix. 'Their thick outer layer aka the bark, is more than 2-3 feet thick and it protects them from fire, diseases and insects,' shares the vlogger. He admits that standing beneath these huge trees felt like time had paused. On a concluding note, he says, 'It felt like nature reminded us, only the ones who bear all the hardship can achieve greatness.' Watch the full video below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by AAKASH MALHOTRA ???????? (@wanderwithsky) All About Sequoia National Park The Sequoia National Park, housing the largest trees in the world, grows along the west slope of the Sierra Nevada. Established on September 25, 1890, it is the second-oldest national park in the United States after Yellowstone. It was created to protect the giant sequoia trees, especially the General Sherman Tree. Flora And Fauna There are more than 1300 plant species at the Sequoia National Park, like lupine, Indian Paintbrush, Mariposa Lily, Western Wallflower, Monkeyflower and Yarrow. Some of the animals that can be found here are black bears, mule deer, bobcats, California kingsnake, striped racer, western whiptail lizard, and gray foxes, among others. There are a total of 300 species. One of the most unique features of sequoia trees is that they retain their seeds in closed cones for as long as 2 decades. During a wildfire, the hot air dries out the older cones and they crack open. After a couple of weeks, the trees release seeds onto the scorched ground, paving the way for a new life. There are primarily 3 places to explore at Sequoia National Park. They are the Sequoia groves, the General Sherman tree and the General Grant. Sequoia Groves: Here you can explore the Giant Forest, the Grant Grove, the Redwood Mountain Grove, Muir Grove, Big Stump Grove and the Converse Basin Grove. General Sherman: Visiting General Sherman in winter is a whole new ballgame. The trail might not be too steep, but is likely to be icy or snowy. Wear proper shoes if you are wishing to hike. General Grant: The Dead Giant and Sunset loops offer a picturesque hiking trail winding through the grove's edges, lush meadows and a mini waterfall. The Redwood Mountain Grove is a haven for backpackers to walk through the scenic sequoia forest. Reactions overflowed in the comments section. 'Those are some beautiful trees,' admitted a user. Another praised the vlogger's impressive 'storytelling.' 'Amazing,' wrote a travel enthusiast. Echoing a similar sentiment, one person noted, 'So pretty.' 'Loved the narrative and the visuals,' confessed an individual. 'Feels like you are in NARNIA,' read a remark, hinting at the fantasy book series.
