Ask the Savannah Visitors Bureau for brochures on hotels and tours (222 West Oglethorpe Avenue, Savannah, GA 31499/Tel: 912-9440456). For more about Georgia, contact the state tourist office at 1-800-VISIT-GA or P.O. Box 1776, Atlanta, GA 30301. In Savannah you’ll find a rich selection of historic inns as well as the usual chains. I divided my stay between the East Bay Inn, a former cotton warehouse, and the Hyatt Regency, which occupies prime territory on the water (ask for a riverside room).

The nonprofit Historic Savannah Foundation (P.O. Box 1733, Savannah, GA 31402/Tel: 912-233-7787) runs excellent tours, including one of the Victorian District. Various commercial companies cover much the same ground. Two special events to plan a spring visit around are an annual house tour (April 9-12) and one featuring hidden gardens (April 14-15).

On Calhoun Square the Massie Heritage Interpretation Center provides an invaluable introduction to the city’s architecture. Savannah’s black heritage is carefully preserved in the King-Tisdell Cottage, now a museum. Historical tours offered by the museum have been organized by the highly knowledgeable W. W. Law, a sixty-six-year-old postman, who still makes his rounds.