Savannah, Georgia

On Georgia's border with South Carolina sits Savannah, the sleepy grand dame of America's east coast cities.

More than 20 city parks or 'squares' lie within the downtown area alone and each are resplendent in the green-grey hues of the spanish moss that drapes itself from every bough of every tree.

The Savannah Historic District is one of the largest national historic districts in the nation and boasts so many 17th and 18th Century homes that most don't even rate a mention in the tourist brochures.

The driving part of our visit involved motoring up and down the beautiful tree-lined avenues at slow speed, looping counter-clockwise around all of the squares along the way.

We parked close to City Hall, taking the elevators down to River St and the Savannah Riverfront.

The free Savannah Belles Ferry took us from City Hall Landing across to the International Trade and Convention Centre and back to Waving Girl Landing, offering views the entire way of the historic waterfront.

We walked back along River St, paralleling the streetcar line as we strolled past former wharves and moored paddle steamers.

Later we drove out to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, just across the border in South Carolina.

There we drove the four-mile nature trail, seeing more examples of glorious tunnels of oak and spanish moss.

We also spied an alligator or two, including a baby stretched out on a log in the lingering afternoon sun.

We are happy to be heading back to Florida for Christmas though, not only because we'll be with dear friends, but also because the weather forecast for Savannah predicts a minimum of minus four degrees Celcius from the day after tomorrow.