To visit the city of Savannah in Georgia, USA is like stepping back in time. Gorgeous old colonial and antebellum period buildings paired with a delicate, homely ambience downtown creates the sense that you are no longer in the twenty-first century. History is found on every street. The natural and preserved nineteenth century beauty of Savannah is truly something to be admired. For those visitors who prefer to relax in the sun, the nearby Tybee Island beach is just a short twenty-five-minute drive away, boasting beautiful white sands, boardwalks stretching out into the Atlantic Ocean and summer temperatures reaching the hundreds. It is this combination of history, culture and beach paradise that makes Savannah my favorite place I’ve visited. It was early November 2018 and, as the morning sun seeped between the moss of the iconic Savannahian Southern Live Oak trees, we made our way to Chippewa Square – the filming location of the classic movie 'Forrest Gump'. I had never visited the city before and I did not expect to find the rich culture and history that I encountered. The buildings in Savannah are one-of-a-kind. Most have bold cream pillars surrounding the traditional front porches and wooden shutters framing every window. This really is some of the most beautiful colonial architecture and you won’t find such great examples elsewhere in the States. I found myself longing to live in a house as awe-striking as these. When we reached the square it was as if we had stepped into the scene from 'Forrest Gump' itself. I could just imagine the film crews setting up for the day whilst the Savannah Sparrows flitted overhead, from branch to branch of the many trees that bordered the square. A few blocks north was the famous Olde Pink House restaurant and, despite it being November the sun was beating down rather warmly, so we went inside for a cool drink and bite to eat. A visit to the American South would not be complete without a taste of the local delicacies. I ordered sweet iced tea and a portion of fried green tomatoes, and for dessert chopped Georgia peaches with rich double cream – a true southern meal. After enjoying a taste of the local cuisine, we headed for the riverfront through Downtown Savannah. This area was bursting with culture, creativity and vibrance. There was a musician playing guitar. An artist painting a Savannahian scene. Children playing in the fountains. Horse and carriages trotting by. The pure energy of the town filled me with content. Once at the riverfront we bought some ice creams from an old-fashioned parlour – I chose 'Georgia Peach' flavor – and sat for a while watching the most beautifully majestic steamboats chug past, most on their way towards the Mississippi River and down to New Orleans. I didn’t realise that these boats were still in use but seeing them on their journeys transported me back to the 1830s, when steamboats were one of the main forms of transportation in the south. We ended the day with a visit to Bonaventure Cemetery. The cemetery is well known thanks to John Berendt’s non-fiction novel 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'. After also having heard that Savannah is supposedly the most haunted city in America, I thought if we were going to see any ghosts then it would be here. Covered from end to end in moss-strewn Live Oak trees the cemetery certainly had an eerie, haunted atmosphere about it. As the darkness crept upon us, and the trees began to create unnerving shadows that played tricks on my mind, I began to self-consciously feel as though I was being watched. I didn’t catch sight of any ghosts though – if they were watching me, they were kind enough to remain hidden in the shadows! Although my stay in Savannah was short, it was undoubtedly one of the most influential and memorable. I did not expect to experience what I did on this trip. There is so much to explore in this often overlooked, historically preserved city that is unparalleled anywhere else in America. We may not have invented the time machine yet, but time travel is most certainly possible with a trip to Savannah.