Andrew Low House Museum

In addition to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist [1], another major landmark on Lafayette Square is the Andrew Low House Museum (329 Abercorn St., 912/233-6854, www.andrewlowhouse.com [2], Mon.–Wed. and Fri.–Sat. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Sun. noon–4:30 p.m., last tour at 4 p.m., $8 adults, $4.50 children), once the home of Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, who was married to cotton heir William “Billow” Low, Andrew Low’s son.

Despite their happy-go-lucky nicknames, the union of Daisy and Billow was a notably unhappy one. Still, divorce was out of the question, so the couple lived separate lives until William’s death in 1905. The one good thing that came out of the marriage was the germ for the idea for the Girl Scouts, which Juliette got from England’s “Girl Guides” while living with her husband there, Savannah [3] being the couple’s winter residence.

Designed by the great New York architect John Norris, the Low House is a magnificent example of the Italianate style. Check out the cast-iron balconies on the long porch, a fairly rare feature in historic Savannah homes. Antiques junkies will go nuts over the furnishings, especially the massive secretary in the parlor, one of only four such in existence (a sibling is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Author William Makepeace Thackeray ate in the dining room, now sporting full French porcelain service, and slept in an upstairs room (he also wrote at the desk by the bed). Also on the second floor you’ll see the room where Robert E. Lee stayed during his visit, and the bed where Juliette Gordon Low died.