OPS Central - OPS Visits Savannah, The Haunted Capital of the South

      The OPS Team has just returned from a trip to Savannah where they were in search of the elusive ghosts that haunt the old majestic city. Savannah really caters to the tourists. Savannah has done a fantastic job with the beautification of the city, the accessibility of all the attractions to the public and visitors, and the ability to keep the city moving forward while the culture and its history keeps the residents and visitors laid back and enjoying life there. 

      One of the first things you will notice in Savannah are the old trees that are covered in Spanish moss that seem to frequent every yard, square or piece of land. The homes are rich in tradition and age, and many of the business have converted old homes and factories of their time into the structures you see today. There are restaurants on every corner and most come with their own haunted history.

      No trip to Savannah is complete without a stop at Bonaventure Cemetery.This is such a massive area that keeps you wondering around for hours in amazement at the grave markers, statues and headstones. The most famous statue in Bonaventure would be that of "Little Gracie". She is still supposed to haunt one of the old buildings in Savannah. The cemetary had to place bars around her place of rest to keep people from stealing and defacing the statue.

      Savannah is the home of Paula Deen's restaurant. The wait is long so make sure you have the time to take it in. While we were not able to eat there on this trip, we did go by and look at the line waiting to get inside and eat. We highly recommend stopping in and eating at Fiddler's on the Riverwalk, it was great food and had a great atmosphere. If you have a couple of hours to waste and are hungry, we highly recommend staying away from Mardi Gras on Bay Street. This is horrible food and a horrible experience all the way around. We did notice a trend with the restaurants that are located in the older buildings, the kitchens seemed to be on a different floor then the eating area, the wait staff in Savannah has to be in great shape.     

            Spending time talking with some of the locals, you really start to get a sense of where the ghost stories of Savannah come from. Most of the people we spoke with have either had an experience of their own or they know someone who has. You also find many of the buildings or structures in Savannah also come equipped with their own stories as well.  

      Savannah is definately designed for either walking or bike riding. A trip down to visit Bay Street or River Walk and you will notice real quick that there is a great lack of parking. The city does have many trolleys and buses burning up the roadways though. River walk is an experience everyone should partake in. From the shops that line the cobblestone streets, the muscians that play at the waters edge, the eateries and pubs you can walk into and grab some local fare or a quick drink you can take with you, or just the sheer size of the ships that seem to block out the sun for minutes at a time and pass within touching distance, they kept us watching for a while. How a ship that size can make it through that narrow water way is a mystery.       

      Savannah is a place we hope you have on your list of places to visit and stay. It is a great little get away from home and life's worries. We hope that we can return to Savannah and investigate more of the local folklore and legends that surround this city. This city is to big and the paranormal activity stories to widespread to tackle in just four days, OPS will need at least a year, well maybe two. If we hit the winning numbers with the official OPS lottery tickets we bought, OPS just might just have to relocate to Savannah. SPS-it just does not sound right.    Mark Hall