We had a nice complimentary breakfast at the Inn and then walked over to Middleton Place.  The formal gardens on this former plantation were laid out in 1741 and were constructed by 100 slaves over a ten-year time period.  The Middletons were a famous family--Arthur was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and is buried on the site.  The Union army destroyed all the buildings during the Civil War.  One of the flank houses has been reconstructed and we took a 1/2 hour house tour.  Plantation life has been recreated in buildings showing many aspects of life hundreds of years ago.  A small home, Eliza’s House, was built for freed slaves after the war.

We left Middleton Place around 11:30 and drove to Beaufort for lunch at Plums on Bay Street.  We headed to Hilton Head but didn’t go around the island because of lots of traffic lights.  We drove to Savannah, arriving at the Savannah Bed and Breakfast around 4:00.  We settled into the Red Cottage, then walked less than a mile to The Olde Pink House Restaurant.  This is a famous mansion where the Declaration of Independence was first read in Savannah.  The old historic city is very easy to navigate and is only about a mile square.  The B & B is just a block away from the famous Monterey Square and the Mercer Williams house where the true crime story of  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil  took place.  The B & B was owned by Jim Williams in the 50s.

We drove 160 miles today and walked 6.8 miles.