Mercer House, Savannah, Georgia

The Mercer House is a beautiful, antebellum home in Savannah which was painstakingly restored by owner Jim Williams, a locally renowned restorer, antique dealer, and raconteur who is the central character in the book , Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. This house was made famous by the movie rendition of the book which was filmed on location in Savannah. Tours are available of the ground floor which still contains most of the furniture and art seen in the movie. Jim Williams has passed on but the house is still owned and occupied by his family. They must live on the second floor, or at least go off to work each day while the tours are happening. All tourists are gone when occupants return home at five o'clock, I guess. It takes a lot of money to maintain such a property, but still, I am not sure I would want strangers treading on my carpets on a daily basis. Of course, tourists are not allowed to sit down on the furniture or snoop in the 'fridge so I guess the impact is minimal.

God bless you, Mr. Cronkite.