MAKING MY WAY IN Savannah

This historic Georgia destination welcomes around 15 million tourists each year. Among them are visitors like me who have disabilities and unique travel challenges. Thankfully, the Hostess City of the South lives up to its nickname

- BY FRANCES MACDOUGALL

I’ve been visiting Savannah for more years than I’ll admit, spending several hours there on the way to see family in South Carolina's Lowcountry. As a child I loved going on ghost tours and trolley rides, eating at Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room, and exploring the parks. On a recent trip, I stayed a few days in Savannah to see it in a way I never could have as a child. I wanted to dig deeper into the city’s harmonious contrasts: quirky and stately historic houses; town squares that are as elegant as they are organized; and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), which educates future artists, architects, curators, and other creatives.

For 20 years, I was an editor at a design magazine, and now I find myself drawn to cities that are committed to historic preservation and have plenty of antiques stores, design shops, galleries, and museums. My husband, Thierry Guyader, is an enthusiastic enabler, and we both love a thriving local food scene.

Just as my tastes have changed since childhood, so have my travel habits. I have multiple sclerosis and thus have difficulty walking distances, which necessitates thorough preparation and more intense scrutiny of prospective destinations. I refuse to stop traveling. It is one of the joys of my world today. But there are certain accommodations that apply to every journey. Savannah is compact, making it dense in options for seeing and doing. This worked in our favor because there was less ground to cover, but I knew from my experiences in other old cities (this one was founded in 1733) that I’d have to contend with uneven sidewalks, bumpy roads, and unpredictable obstacles. That said, it’s easy to get distracted by the magic of this place.