A Coastal Ramble
St. Augustine, Savannah and Charleston, steeped in charm, hospitality and ghostly legend, make for pleasant fall touring.
By Deborah Petticord

Being a resident of the mountains, I often enjoy a ramble along the coast to soak up a bit of history and enjoy some of the finest food in the hemisphere. Aside from touring the cemeteries, parish churches and lovely squares on my own, I’ve found that one fun way to pick up the local folklore is to book a ghost tour. In fact, you can engage a tour guide for your entire family, bring the cousins too, and have twice the amusement.

St. Augustine
Each of the cities mentioned here is situated on the coast, has an old fort, beautiful architecture, an exceptional college and a relatively violent history that makes for excellent ghost stories. We started our tour in St. Augustine, the oldest city inhabited by Europeans in the Americas. Founded by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565, it changed flags a number of times before finally being turned over to President Andrew Jackson. In the early 19th century the city was heavily invested in by railroad tycoon Henry Flagler, for whom the local college is named. Flagler College is located in the heart of the old city and is said to have its own ghost, that of Henry’s mistress, who hanged herself in a fit of jealous rage when Henry’s wife intruded on their private time, back when the building was a hotel. Keep in mind, the lines between truth and legend tend to blur with time.

A stone’s throw away is the historic Casa Monica Hotel, owned by the Kessler Group, where you can have Starbucks coffee in its corner café and a gourmet meal prepared by Chef René Nyfeler in the main dining room. I had the lump crab cake served with spinach and olive salad and topped with buttery lemon dressing. The chocolate mousse, one of three light desserts in shot-glass size servings, proved to be a good choice before an afternoon of shopping in the nearby Galaxy boutique, while my husband browsed the Lightner Museum across the street from the hotel. If museum and shopping excursions make you yawn, sign on to board a replica of a 19th-century blockade runner (operated by Schooner Freedom Charters) sailing 3 times daily out of the municipal marina, for a look at the harbor.

At dusk, Ancient City Tours was our host to a "Ghostly Encounter" which began at the Spanish Hospital. Our guide Brian, in bowler hat and suspenders, led us through the streets of old town with his lantern, ending his colorful stories near the Casa Monica. Just before Halloween the hotel generally offers special ghost tour packages that include the tour and a martini in Casa Monica’s Cobalt Lounge at the conclusion. "Pumkintinis" featuring spicy cider, amaretto cream and spiced vodka, and "Black Widows" made with vodka and sambuca are the perfect finale to a fairly entertaining tour. We had dark-and-stormy night weather, so the Black Widow concoction made retiring to the room all the better. The Casa Monica has its own ghost that seems to play tricks with the lights and whisper in the posh corner suites, but he didn’t show his face while we were there. The hotel opened in 1888 as the Cordova Hotel, its Moorish arches, hand-painted tiles and tower suites are elegant reminders of the Old World in this ancient American city.

Savannah
Savannah, the Belle of the South, is less than two hours up the coast from St. Augustine and has as much historic charm as any European city. General James Oglethorpe designed the original settlement and its beautiful architecture and lush landscaping characterize the private homes and churches along square after square, in Savannah’s historic district. Curio and candy shops along River Street appeal to visitors almost as much as do the colorful residents of the city who often appear as extras in the many movies that are filmed here.

Savannah is home to the Savannah College of Art & Design, which is responsible for much of the restoration in the old city. The Trustees Theatre has been preserved, as have many buildings that house the school’s campus, sprinkled throughout town. The school is the young blood of Savannah, but Savannah is more. From the eerie Colonial Park Cemetery where the victims of the 1820 yellow fever epidemic lie resting, to the columns of Christ Church Episcopal on Johnson Square where John Wesley was the third rector, Savannah is a unique cultural experience.

Delicious food is served up in eateries large and small. If you’re not an old hand at Southern cuisine but want to know more, allow the two hours it takes for Chef Joe Randall’s Cooking School at 5409 Waters Avenue. Your gumbo technique will be vastly improved.

Savannah’s first luxury hotel opened in April of this year. The 126-room Mansion on Forsyth Park was built onto an existing 1888 mansion and is now owned by Orlando-based hotel developer, Richard Kessler. Like the Casa Monica in St. Augustine, the Mansion is part of the Kessler Collection. Kessler, along with Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson and a crowd of supporters celebrated the grand opening at the Mansion located in the heart of the historic district’s galleries and museums, only 20 minutes from the beach. The original 18,000 square-foot Victorian-Romanesque mansion houses the restaurant and cooking school. The 200,000 square-foot Mansion on Forsyth Park is being billed as "chic and luxurious—an experience in art and music." Rightly so, since more than 400 pieces of original European and American artwork are showcased throughout the hotel and restaurant. The paintings, bronze sculptures, glass and marble pieces, antique mirrors and crystal chandeliers were chosen by Kessler himself, an avid collector. In addition to the art, it is the only hotel in the states known to have three of Vienna’s superlative Bosendorfer pianos. The hotel is home to the 700 Drayton Restaurant which offers Savannah-style nouvelle American cuisine by Chef David Hackett and is attended to by three staff sommeliers to help you choose the perfect wine from an exceptional list representing vineyards from around the world. "Romantic Bohemian Nights" packages begin at $379 and feature a distinctive open-air bath, chilled champagne and a gourmet breakfast in bed.

Is it haunted? We heard no such rumor, but the local ghosts are completely impressive, according to Greg Proffit who is well-known in Savannah for his "Creepy Crawl" haunted pub tours. Proffit tells spooky tales from Savannah’s past, walking backward and stopping only for a Guinness at each pub on the tour. It makes for great stories, but in fact Proffit says he strives for accuracy, checking his stories with a variety of sources and doing research at the Georgia Historical Society. A pub called Churchill’s was where a skeleton was found in the basement, draped in rags. At historic 17 Hundred 90 Inn and Restaurant, he tells the story of Anna, the abused wife of a boardinghouse owner. According to Proffit’s tale, when her husband learned she was about to run away with her true love, he locked her in an upstairs room until the lover’s ship sailed out of Savannah Harbor.

Afterwards her body was found and her death ruled a suicide, but Proffit says her spirit does not rest. "When things happen and there’s no justice, that has a lot to do with ghosts."

Charleston
Charleston may not be the capitol of South Carolina, but it is definitely the capitol of the Low Country, with its lovely homes and Low Country cuisine. Its Gullah influences are pronounced in the culture—especially evident in the food, the ghost stories and the legends of the area. Gullah superstitions abound in stories about boo hags and haints. Choosing the right ghost tour here was to be a challenge.

Overwhelmed by so many things to do in the area, after checking into the lovely Francis Marion Hotel I walked down to King Street to do a bit of therapeutic shopping. Browsing at the English Rose Antiques gallery and Croghan’s Jewel Box before really getting serious at Putamayo gave me the focus I needed to think about local lore. If local history doesn’t appeal to your fellow travelers, you might suggest they spend an afternoon at the South Carolina Aquarium—but folklore was what we came for and after a quick tour of Fort Sumter, we focused on the ghost walk.

Ghost & Legends of Charleston at 58 1/2 Broad Street offers excellent one-mile walking tours based on the books of local authors, particularly M.R. Martin’s Charleston Ghosts and John Bennett’s Doctor to the Dead. Books on historic homes and revolutionary patriots also inspired a number of enticing morning tours. There is a Civil War Walk, the Historic Homes Walk and the Patriot’s Walk. The Charleston Preservation Society’s 29th annual Fall Candlelight Tour of Homes runs from September through October, featuring some of the most beautiful and gracious homes in the world.

We took the early evening tour so we could linger over dinner, and fascinated by descriptions of Sue Howard’s ghost we chose the tour that focused on her unfortunate life.

After the tour we returned to the Swamp Fox Restaurant at the Francis Marion for classic Southern cuisine. Blackened Atlantic salmon in Madeira peach glaze dissolved our hunger. The vintage hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America. It was originally opened in 1924 and re-opened again in 1996 after a $12 million National Trust award-winning restoration. Other great comebacks for the city include the College of Charleston, founded in 1770, which is today ranked among the best in the nation by the Princeton Review College Guide.

The following day we spent touring Middleton Place, a National Historic Landmark and a carefully preserved 18th-century rice plantation on the banks of the Ashley River that has survived revolution and civil war. It is cited as one of only six U.S. gardens of international importance. This working exhibit is also dedicated to saving several endangered breeds of livestock and remains an excellent educational resource. Our delightful lunches of hoppin’ John and shrimp with grits in the Middleton Restaurant followed by a luscious Huguenot torte—a colonial delicacy made of apples, walnuts and cream—completed the day. All I had to do was make it back to Spa Adagio at the Frances Marion for its Minuet treatment ($115 half-hour massage, facial and manicure), fall into bed and try not to dream about ghosts.