jamiedaviswrites

One Perfect Weekend – Chattanooga, TN

When I lived in Atlanta, one of my favorite weekend jaunts was Chattanooga. Just far enough away to make you feel as though you are going somewhere, and just close enough to make it not a hassle to get there.

If you live in or near Atlanta, and are itching to get away for the weekend, listen up because I am about to let you in on my perfect weekend in Chattanooga. First of all, I have always been partial to The Chattanoogan Hotel. My next favorite choice would be to stay in the Bluff View Art District.

When you wake up on Saturday morning, head straight over to Rembrandt’s Coffee House and get fueled up. If you do it properly, this will carry you through your Aquarium and Hunter Art Museum touring. Truth be told, the Aquarium sort of loses me towards the end, but it is worth it if you’ve never seen it before, and I still really love going. The penguins are hysterical show-stoppers. The last time I was there, they had a few little penguins separated from the pack (I guess they were misbehaving and had to go to penguin jail), and some of their friends were gathered around them trying to figure out how to bust them out. They had a lot of heart, those penguins. Much better than just watching the fish float around blowing bubbles (but the fish were good too – I don’t want to get any angry emails calling me a fish hater). Come to think of it, the seahorses were almost as good as the penguins. I loved how many of them held onto each other with their tails. You could really tell those seahorses loved each other. Either that, or they had major separation anxiety. I prefer to think they were in love.

Hunter Art Museum - Chattanooga, TN — ***Hunter Art Museum – Chattanooga, TN***

As for Hunter, this is a venue that offers American Art from colonial times to the current day. You can tell this from the architecture of the complex before you even go in! The main building is a stately old mansion, and to your left is the modern wing. This facility will always be special to me because it was the first art museum I ever introduced Bob to. There are some fantastic spots within the museum to relax and look over the Tennessee River.

When you are finished up with the museum, you have to make one last stop, and it is pure touristy kitsch at its finest. You have to go to Lookout Mountain and see Rock City. It really is a beautifully maintained former private garden, and when you hit it towards the end of the day you will have some privacy and can pretend that it is your own backyard. It goes a little awry at the end, but I still recommend it. For you locals, notice that I made no such recommendation to see Ruby Falls. I don’t have anything against the Falls, but you just can’t see everything in one weekend, so I am cutting it from the itinerary.

For dinner, you can walk to the Terminal Brewhouse from The Chattanoogan Hotel. I would like to be able to tell you that I eat an entrée when I come here. But inevitably, what happens is that I start off with Mr. Frogs Super Happy Fun Journey, and then that’s it. I love that stuff. After dinner, walk next door to the Chattanooga Choo Choo and poke around a bit. This is a really cool old train station that is now a hotel.

Walnut Street Bridge - Chattanooga,TN — ***Walnut Street Bridge – Chattanooga,TN***

The next morning, take a walk across the Walnut Street Bridge and take in a shop or two at the North Shore. Your last stop before you head home is Cloudland Canyon State Park. Take the 2 mile waterfalls trail down to the base of both falls. This is such a good workout, because you will be going up and down a lot of stairs in between your hiking!

Congratulations, you just completed Jamie’s Chattanooga quick fix perfect weekend getaway.

As always, our weekend getaways are always indexed inside our “Play” Journal by Stealth Journals. A sample entry page is pictured below:

Further Reading:
http://www.bluffviewartdistrict.com/subpage.php?pageId=140
http://www.chattanooganhotel.com/
http://www.tnaqua.org/Home.aspx
http://www.huntermuseum.org/
http://www.lookoutmountain.com/rock-city
http://terminalbrewhouse.com/
http://www.choochoo.com/
http://www.chattanoogafun.com/members/walnut-street-pedestrian-bridge-1822
http://www.gastateparks.org/CloudlandCanyon

October 29, 2013 0

Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island has a well-earned reputation for being a beautiful, desolate wilderness beach. Owned by the National Park Service, and accessible only by their ferry or private means, it takes some effort to get there. But it is oh so worth it! We caught the 9:00 a.m. ferry out of St. Mary’s, Georgia, to Cumberland. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the Dungeness Dock. Once we landed, we walked up the gravel path and on toward the driveway leading up to the Dungeness Ruins.

Dungeness Ruins - Cumberland Island, GA — ***Dungeness Ruins – Cumberland Island, GA***

This is the old Carnegie estate, which fell victim to an arsonist in 1959. Much still stands, though. And it isn’t hard to imagine the old grandeur at all. When I arrived at the old iron gates leading up to the house, I paused for a moment and let my imagination soak it all in before I took a step back in time.

We enjoyed exploring the grounds, the cemetery, seeing the wild horses, the pergola remains, and even stumbling across some rusting remains of Carnegie automobiles!

Wild horses - Cumberland Island, GA — ***Wild horses – Cumberland Island, GA***

Pergola - Cumberland Island, GA — ***Pergola – Cumberland Island, GA***

Rusting Carnegie Cars - Cumberland Island, GA — ***Rusting Carnegie Cars – Cumberland Island, GA***

When we were finished rambling through the grounds, we continued on through the boardwalk that passes through the salt marsh. In just a few short minutes our boardwalk ended, and we were climbing up sand dunes that looked as if we had landed on the surface of the moon. No one else was around. We had it all to ourselves! We strolled a little further down the path and found the actual entrance to the main beach. I’d never seen anything like it. Just a gorgeous, wild desolate beach. Miles and miles were ours for the taking. We’d packed a picnic lunch so we picked a spot and enjoyed our private picnic. We then played on the beach for a few hours.

Soon, it was time to walk further south to exit the beach for the Sea Dock ferry pick-up. The entrance off the beach is like some kind of fairy tale land. The trees are magnificent! Winding, and interloping with each other. I was walking under a gnarled canopy of oak trees, and feeling as if I might be stepping into Hobbit territory.

I was so tired I fell asleep on the return ferry. We selected Borrell Creek Landing for dinner in St. Mary’s and were not disappointed! This is a fantastic local place that has a deck overlooking a salt marsh and great quality food combined with excellent service.

This trip is definitely earning a spot on rotation for a quick Saturday escape.

As always, our travels can be found indexed inside our “Play” journal from Stealth Journals. A look inside the Play Journal can be found below:

Cumberland Island: Indexed inside our Play Journal, by Stealth Journals

October 20, 2013 1

Surviving Yellow Fever: A Night Out at the Davenport House

Last night Bob and his significant Savannah freelance writer saw the 7:30 Dreadful Pestilence performance at the Davenport House Museum. Variations of the program have been running for ten years now, but being new to the city, this was my first time seeing it.

We began in the courtyard and walked across the street to the old Kennedy Pharmacy to observe an 1820 town hall meeting that covered the events of sickly season (May – October) from the perspective of two dueling newspaper editors. During the meeting, we heard from the mayor and several townspeople as well. It is a story as old as any city, I imagine. One editor wanted to report freely on the deaths because he believed that health officials were hiding the extent of the disease, and the other editor accused him of over-reacting and inciting panic in the city. This storyline is very much relatable to our time.

The people blamed foreigners, mostly the poor Irish families who were accused of living in filth and spreading disease. It was not until the very end of sickly season when the mayor had suffered the death of his own wife that he realized Yellow Fever was not a disease limited to the poverty-stricken population of Savannah. It could happen to anyone, and he advised his citizens to flee immediately if they had the means to do so.

Once dismissed from the town hall meeting, we entered the candlelit house where we observed the doctor treating a young girl, and then we climbed the cantilever stairs all the way up to Yamacraw (staged in the authentic haint-blue, peeling paint attic, which is generally off-limits to the public). In Yamacraw, a slave told us that the Africans had to bury all of the city’s dead, while their own population remained uncounted in the death toll.

The night ended at a wake. A young girl had passed. A few days before, her mother saw the corpse candle in the girl’s bedroom (a single floating flame in the room, but without a candle to ground it) which was a sure sign of impending death.

In the end, we gambled and drew slips of paper to let fate determine our chances. After four days of suffering, I fought hard and rallied. I survived the deadly pestilence. Bob was not so lucky.

October 12, 2013 0

More Art That Reminds me of Halloween

A compilation of more art that reminds me of Halloween for some reason.

Paul Klee’s Schoolhouse

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/32590

Francis Bacon’s Study After Velásquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X

http://emuseum.desmoinesartcenter.org/

And of course, no Halloween collection would be complete without Edvard Munch’s The Scream

October 6, 2013 2

The Fitzpatrick Hotel – Your Home Base in Washington, GA

I am posting part of an email that I received from The Fitzpatrick Hotel in Washington, GA.

“Weekend Special — October 4th and 5th, 2013
Spend a delightful weekend with a stay at the Fitzpatrick Hotel and experience the outdoor cemetery drama, “Resthaven Revisited”.

For a limited time, book a Standard room* at the Fitzpatrick Hotel on October 4th and/or 5th for $115.00 and receive 2 tickets to “Resthaven Revisited” on Saturday evening October 5th.

“Resthaven Revisited” takes place in the historic Resthaven Cemetery and gives you the opportunity to meet some of its most famous residents. Their dramatic tales will haunt you for a LIFEtime! Performances begin every 20 minutes from 6-9 pm. Transportation to and from the cemetery will be provided at no charge by the Washington Pilot Club. Guests may also go directly to the cemetery if desired.”

The Fitzpatrick Hotel - Washington, GA — ***The Fitzpatrick Hotel – Washington, GA***

The Fitzpatrick Hotel is located in historic downtown Washington, GA in walking distance to the Robert Toombs House. One of the best things you can do is eat dinner at Talk of the Town and then stroll around the neighborhood.

There are so many antebellum homes out there! Can you see the ghost in the upstairs window?

Washington is one of the few towns in Georgia that actually has Revolutionary War and Civil War History. What’s more, Washington, GA is the last place the Confederate Gold Treasury was seen. Somewhere around $450,000 in silver and gold coins went missing during a train robbery. Callaway Plantation is nearby, and is allegedly the sight of many Confederate ghostly spirit guests. They certainly have some authentic props around the house. Check out the hair art and the coffins. Yikes!

Callaway Plantation – Washington, GA

The Mary Willis Library is gorgeous! They even have one of the original Confederate Treasury chests on display.

Mary Willis Library – Washington, GA

Further Reading:
http://www.thefitzpatrickhotel.com/
http://www.historyofwilkes.org/sites-callaway.html
http://www.gpb.org/georgiatraveler/202-legend

October 4, 2013 0

Oglethorpe Trolley Tours

Last Sunday evening, I found myself boarding a blue trolley outside of the Pirate’s House and embarking on a haunted tour. Off we went, and the Savannah freelance writer strikes again. Currently, I am working on my second book (this one will cover haunted hotels), and the Kehoe House recommended this tour company.

Joan Altmeyer was our guide, and she was a perfect mix of Southern Lady, Comedian, and Storyteller. She started giving the tours in spring of 1999. She made the tour a lot of fun! Joan said she hasn’t had any personal paranormal experiences, but she is a believer because of some of the things that have happened to her mother and grandmother. I asked her what her favorite Savannah ghost story was and she said she enjoys the Alice Reilly story, which focuses on Wright Square. “I think that things that really happen, history-wise, are much more fascinating than fiction. Alice Reilly was actually the first woman to be executed in Georgia, because of the murder.” Joan was recorded several years ago telling the story, and you can listen to it here: http://bit.ly/19VYvVv

For further reading about Savannah’s ghosts, Joan recommended Margaret DeBolt’s Savannah Spectres and Other Strange Tales.

Some of the highlights of the tour for me were getting to drive past the infamous Hampton Lillibridge House on East St. Julian St., seeing the old Savannah Women’s Asylum (actually an orphanage for girls) that is currently a private residence, and hearing about the Marshall House Hotel (a former union hospital).

As for the Kehoe House? Joan believes this former mortuary is a happy place, and there are stories of the Kehoe children returning to their childhood home after they have lived to old age elsewhere. Children are heard running around the third floor playing.

At dusk, reigning supreme over Columbia Square in downtown Savannah, the Kehoe House appears like a beautiful, happy home. Surely if it is haunted, it must be full of boundless, childlike energy, just like Joan’s version of the tale.

Exterior Kehoe House — ***The Kehoe House – Savannah, GA***

Stay tuned for when Oglethorpe Tours is allowed back into the Old Candler Hospital’s Morgue Tunnel! Access is currently denied due to the construction on the new law school. A sneak peek at what has been going on over there can be accessed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoMeeP53UUM&list=FLJNDOoyWBbQzJ0RXmH0rJFg&index=8

One of the great things for out of town guests is that the trolley will pick you up from your hotel in the historic district and drop you anywhere else downtown if you would like.

http://oglethorpetours.com/

October 2, 2013 0

Medfield – The Shutter Island Hospital

Llewellyn published my article about Medfield in their journal!

http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2389

Medfield – The Shutter Island Hospital

September 30, 2013 1

Wormsloe Plantation

About a mile and a half up this road, arguably one of the most beautiful roads in Savannah, you will find the Colonial ruins of the oldest structure in Savannah.

Wormsloe has a nature trail that will take you by the marsh, and behind the ruins you will find the old family cemetery plot. The reason you came, though, is to walk oak alley and imagine you have stepped back in time, all the way back to 1733. It is easy enough to do.

Richard Scott Hill – The Rembrandt Mask Series

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia is definitely on the list of “Top Things I Ever Spent $5 on.” The museum is part of Tula Art Center, a self-described hidden treasure (agreed) in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. Bennett Street is also home to the Atlanta Photography Group Gallery.

For some reason, this exhibit just sprang to mind tonight. It must be that Halloween is in the air. Richard Scott Hill created some of the best Halloween art I have ever seen. I don’t think that is what he was doing, but to me, it is perfect Halloween art. Hill took self-portraits of Rembrandt and then cut the eyes and nose out and pasted them onto images of other people. It is brilliant and hilarious and disturbing all at once. I love it and think it is just so wildly creative. His images actually remind me of the book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

The Rembrandt Mask Series - Richard Scott Hill — **The Rembrandt Mask Series – Richard Scott Hill**

Take a look.

The expression of Rembrandt pasted on the pregnant woman could actually be very close to her real facial expression. This is the most true to life example.

Next, we have the toddler.

A toddler acting or appearing as an old man kills. Every time. Think of the baby commercial where he is talking in his grown-up voice when he finds out that riding the dog is “apparently frowned upon in this establishment.” It kills me, it really does.

Lastly, we have a skeleton with a face.

Need I say more? He actually looks happy to me. He could practically join the animated cast of Nightmare Before Christmas.

I love Halloween.

Jamie Davis Writes

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