This year’s annual Christmas vacation was almost spent at home. The boys were busy with sports and Fortnite. I was content spending quality time at home with B.A.E. (books and edibles). But my always adventurous wife, Amber, suggested we go south if the weather was nice. Savannah, Georgia seemed ideal: the forecast read sunny and mid-60s, we hadn’t been, and Airbnbs were still available a few days before we left 

The 10-hour drive to Savannah was relatively easy, thanks to an overnight stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. The only hiccup was multiple accidents on I-77, which forced us to take Route 321 through rural South Carolina. 

Man…small town poverty in the Deep South is something else. Rural South Carolina towns off 321, oddly named after Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway), were in ruins. Outside of a Chinese restaurant or liquor store here and there, there was little sign of life.

Anyhow, poverty pics are not my thing. So here are a couple pictures of nicer things we saw: a colorful Mustang whose wheels may or may not be able to turn and a Piggly Wiggly offering a soul food special. 

Tacos don’t come to mind when you think of Savannah, but Tacos +Tequila was our first stop after checking in to our Airbnb. No worries about authenticity. Brown folks made ’em and the tacos were similar to what I’ve had in Baja California.

From there, we walked around the historic district. Our two youngest kids weaved through crowds, pausing only when I told them to “stop acting like crackheads!” Of course they continued until the cold got the best of them. (It was in the mid-30s at night.)

Not before we took a stroll down River Street. The views were cool and we found hidden tunnels where you could hang out with ghosts.

We began the next day with a 4.5 mile drive and hike through Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. If you’re into bird watching, this is your spot. We also saw alligators. Feeling brave? There aren’t many barriers in the park. You can pet a gator and see if it’s up for a selfie.

Next, we drove to Forsyth Park. As you can see in the picture taken near the fountain, the runt of my litter was suffering from Fortnite withdrawals. He cheered up when he got to the playground. There was also a stage where he and his bros had the chance to “emote.” (Fortnite terminology, don’t even bother.)

We also checked out nearby mansions and Jones Street, widely known as “the prettiest street in Savannah.” I don’t know about all that, but I liked the house representing our hometown Buckeyes.

After our walk, we were lured into a tourist trap seafood spot. I won’t name the restaurant because I’m hoping to be more selective with my hate in 2025. Just know that it’s on Broughton Street and their clam chowder ain’t have no clam in it.

After the seafood disappointment, I wanted a guaranteed good dinner. So I bought a big ass ribeye from Whole Foods. The doorbell rang as I was cooking. I thought maybe our Airbnb host double-booked or it was an attempted home invasion. (The latter thought comes from watching too much true crime.)

The person at the door said, “DoorDash for Amber Gibson!” I looked at Amber like, “We don’t even use DoorDash.” She confirmed that she ordered, so I opened the door.

It was my best friend and his husband. They had driven up from Miami and conspired with Amber to surprise me. Gotta keep my eye on those three.

Nothing like a rainy walk through a cemetery to catch up with old friends and show the kids a good time. The following afternoon, we did a self-guided tour of Bonaventure Cemetery, made famous by the book and film “Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil.” There were thousands of centuries-old graves, many with elaborate headstones.

After the cemetery, we had lunch at Simple Soul of Savannah. It’s a new black-owned restaurant, not too far from Forsyth Park. Their collard greens put mine to shame, and theirs didn’t even have bacon in ’em. The baked chicken was all juicy and falling off the bone. I tore it up. Amber got a thick bowl of shrimp and grits. The kids got fried chicken. “Dada, this tastes better than Chick-fil-A.”

We spent the rest of our last full day in Savannah at Tybee Island. It was only like 55 degrees, unfortunately not thong weather, but at least we had the beach to ourselves. The kids didn’t mind either way and ran around like it was summer.

Tybee’s beach isn’t as stunning as San Sebastian’s, for example, but it was really clean and reminded me of Pacific Beach in San Diego. It’s a good beach vacation spot if you want to skip the crowds at nearby Hilton Head.

We packed up the next morning with tentative plans to stop in Charlotte for the night. The Charlotte Hampton Inn we stayed in on the way down was newish and within walking distance of a sushi restaurant and Trader Joe’s. These are the finer things in life for just $113 a night.

But there were severe storms and tornado warnings throughout the region. Visibility was poor, so I did what any good dad would do after being inspired by “Twisters.” I drove 10 hours through the storm and made it home before midnight.

-Dewan Gibson