For Thanksgiving this year Laura and I decided to do something different. Instead of letting Laura do a lot of cooking this year we decided to go with Kate and Omar to Savannah, GA. Actually it was Kate who came up with the idea, and I was the one kind of holding out to stay at home at let Laura do the cooking. Michael was going to be involved with festivities leading up to the big football game of Florida State vs. Florida. Kelly and Lindsey were out in Logan and they could look for ways to celebrate Thanksgiving there. This left just the four of us to try and fend for ourselves. One reason for the trip is because Omar’s father works for a Hilton hotel and so Omar can get the employee family rates. So why not do something different?
Now understand that Kate is a planner. She likes to research and come up with a schedule of activities. There is no downtime or playtime when she is involved! One of the advantages is that Kate and Omar really enjoy Savannah. They have been up there several times before and so have favorite places they want to see again and new places they want to experience. Several days before we left we had our itinerary and places to see. No need to book a travel guide.
Savannah is about a 4 hour drive from Kissimmee. We went to Omar and Kate’s house in St. Augustine (about half way) and loaded up their car and drove to Savannah on Wednesday, getting there about 6:00 p.m. Kate and
Omar for some strange reason like to eat at the Casbah. It is a Moroccan Restaurant with Belly Dancing. Omar likes to watch the belly dancing and Kate likes to dance. Well, at least she volunteered to get up there and
dance with the pro when I refused. Now I know why they wash your hand both before and after a meal. Those poor Moroccan’s can’t even afford eating utensils! I was still able to enjoy the lamb and couscous using my fingers.
Savannah is one of the older cities in the U.S. that still has a preserved historical section. It has been burnt down 3 different times, yet there are a huge number of historical and old residences that people still live in. It survived the Civil War thanks to infamous (at least in the South) General Sherman who burned Atlanta and most Georgia towns on his way to the coast but presented Savannah as a gift to President Lincoln for Christmas in 1864. The historical area is next to the river which acts as a deep port. Once it was used to ship cotton and rice. Today it offloads container ships and is the third largest port in the U.S. The city itself was founded in the early 1700’s and was laid out using an English style of 24 park squares surrounded by residential streets.
Wednesday night we walked along the riverfront, which has gone touristy with its many shops and restaurants. We also walked through some of the squares. Safety is not a concern with a high police presence. Musicians,
dog walkers, joggers and tourists made the streets a lively place. Horse carriages, pedicabs, and tourists trolleys were in abundance. They even have a fleet of city trucks to clean up after the horses.
For Thanksgiving dinner I had done some research on where to go. Golden Corral was available but while it was a wonderful deal we wanted more ambience. We settled on the 17 Hundred 90 Restaurant. This restaurant is in a building constructed in 1790 and is now used as an Inn and Restaurant. Old brick floors and walls gave a feel of antiquity along with wonderful food. All the Thanksgiving dishes were there with a true Southern twist. Where
else would you want to try black eyed peas or pecan pie but in a true Southern city like Savannah? After dinner we strolled through more squares and saw more of the city.
Thankfully most of stores were closed so there was not much shopping done on Thanksgiving. At least until “Grey” Thanksgiving. I made a special effort to find a newspaper that had the Black Friday ads. I was
disappointed that there were few things to get me excited. How many flat screen televisions can you have in one house, for example? We did go to see a movie, a tradition we sometimes keep if we’re are not wrapped up in
Thanksgiving NFL Football. The remake of Red Dawn can probably be avoided, but it did help me understand that I need to watch more of the National Geographic “Doomsday Preppers” shows and get better prepared for when the balloon goes up. Either other people felt the same way I did about Holiday Deals or Savannah folks are more low key about going to Walmart at 11:00 p.m. The crowds and lines were small. In fact, I went in walked around
and was ready to leave in 10 minutes, but then Kate and Laura came in and that’s when the shopping began. We bought a few things, “saved” our requisite hundreds of dollars and were out of the store before 11:00 p.m. A
new record.
On Friday we took a trolley tour of Old Savannah, scouted out the cemeteries, read I don’t know how many historical markers (Laura read them all), went to art galleries and museums, toured old houses, and shopped. Oh
yes, the stores were now open and Kate and Laura had a grand time going to the boutique type of stores that tourists love to visit. That is not so bad until they expect someone else to carry the shopping bags. For lunch we
ate at “ Lady and Sons,” Paul Deen’s Savannah restaurant. What more could you want than more Southern cooking such as fried chicken, black eyed peas, greens, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, etc.
Locals suggest that it is Paula Deen and the book and movie entitled “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” that has helped to revitalize Savannah. The book was on the non-fiction best seller’s list for 5 years
and tells the story of an eccentric millionaire who killed a live in roommate. Tours can be taken of the house. Sorry, that was one house we did not get to tour. Maybe next time. Another reason Savannah has been
revitalized is SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design. Founded in the 1970’s by local business people who had a vision. They started by purchasing the abandoned Armory for a song and a dance and they continued
to buy more buildings and grow their artistic programs. Today it is a well-respected college (tuition is $41,000/year but they have over 10,000 students) and Savannah has more art galleries than New York City per capita.
Another place we had to try was Leopold’s, an ice cream store founded in 1919. We talked with one the grandchildren of the founders. He is a movie producer who has produced such movies as “The General’s Daughter”, Mission Impossible 3, etc. He is in between movies and so he was helping out at the ice cream store. He said he finds it refreshing to talk with real people. I guess he meant Laura and me, as opposed to Tom Cruise who he had seen the week before. Understand he used the term “real people” and not “common people.”
On Saturday we visited Forsyth Park, saw the farmer’s market with many stands of locally grown organic food, and still got home in time to watch the Florida State/Florida football game. Michael was at the game in
Tallahassee. It turned out to be a disappointing loss for Florida State and Laura.
I had been the one somewhat reluctant to try something different than a traditional Thanksgiving this year. I enjoyed the trip and would go back to visit Savannah again. I will not visit it in the summer though when it
would be brutally hot and humid. Will we take another trip for Thanksgiving? I guess it depends upon how much preplanning Kate does.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and that you were able to recall the reason for our celebration. I know that it helped me to appreciate more the country that I live in plus also the great family that I am a part of.
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