December 31, 2024 - January 7, 2025 -- Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA
Written By: Wendy
When we returned to our trailer in South Carolina, we were excited to be back home and in our own space. Our kids were happy to have their own bed and content to play for hours with all their toys they hadn't seen in a month. But it was cold (40s & 50s), and we were at the same not great campground, with dirty toilets, cramped sites, and a broken playground. So we began to question if we should keep traveling or just throw in the towel.
Then we reached Skidaway Island State Park just outside of Savannah, GA. Upon driving into the campground, there were large old Live Oak trees laden with Spanish moss lined up and down the road. The sun peeked in through the branches and was like a warm embrace leading us into the park. It was a breathtakingly beautiful drive. The campground looked well taken care of, with a newly renovated visitor's center, clean bathrooms, two large playgrounds, and several different hiking/biking trails. As we pulled into our spacious campsite and smelled the warm salty air, Scott and I both looked at each other and breathed sighs of relief. I smiled broadly and said, "This is why we are traveling. This is absolutely lovely." Ok, so need to second guess ourselves about traveling; we just needed to do a better job of picking campgrounds. That night was New Year's Eve, and we had a relatively quiet night as we settled in and eargerly made plans for our highly anticipated week in Savannah.
The next day, New Year's Day, we decided to tackle downtown Savannah. We headed right into the center of town to Forsyth Park. We let the kids burn off some energy at the playground and on the grassy fields. It was teeming with other families celebrating the new year, and we enjoyed the energy and positive vibes of everyone. We had a delicious southern brunch of chicken and waffles at the little cafe in the park, and then walked through old town. Savannah instantly captured our hearts. Walking through the town, it is impossible to avoid passing through the 22 squares that are scattered throughout downtown. Each square provided a momentarily relief from buildings and anxiously walking on crowded city sidewalks with kids. At these squares, our kids could run free for a few moments, or we could sit and take a break on a bench and discuss the statues and historical figures in most of the squares. It made for a very lovely afternoon and an extremely relaxed way to explore the city. Eventually, we made it to the waterfront and watched the big shipping containers slowly chug along down the Savannah River. We walked along the waterfront and poked our heads in and out of shops until we made it to the end of the walkway. Next stop was dinner at The Pirate House. Parker was particularly excited about this, and we all enjoyed learning about the history of the building, as it is the oldest building in Savannah and was a place where pirates actually gathered in the 1700s. As we waited for our food, we were able to peek down into secret hidden passageways and read various plaques about the rich history of the building. The kids were given pirate hats and eye patches while they happily munched on Davy Jones's (chicken) fingers. We went home that evening with full bellies and happy hearts from a day well spent.
As our week in Savannah slid by, we spent more time exploring downtown Savannah and the surrounding areas. We headed north of town one day and spent a chilly afternoon discovering Fort Pulaski. We went to a ranger talk to learn more about the history of the fort, and our kids were enamored with the story chronicled by the park ranger. Scott and I were certain that one would have to leave after a couple of minutes as the kids would quickly loose interest, but they both sat perfectly still through the 30 minute talk and took in every detail with wide eyes trying to make sense of the many battles the park ranger retold with great enthusiasm. Excuse me for a moment while the history lover in me dives into the history of the the fort. Please feel free to skip ahead if you are not a fellow history buff. The fort was built in the 1830s & 40s to protect Savannah, but it was hardly used or updated in the first couple decades of its existence. In 1861, it was seized by the confederacy and became a fully stocked and guarded Confederate fort in the Civil War. In April 1862, the Union bombed the fort for 30 hours, and the confederacy surrendered. It was then a Union controlled beacon of hope for slaves in the region. If slaves were able to make it to the fort, they were then considered fully freed. March Haynes, a formerly enslaved man, helped guide hundreds of slaves to freedom through the narrow and confusing water passageways to Fort Pulaski on Cockspur Island. Ok, there is your history lesson for the day! After the ranger talk, our kids enjoyed exploring the various parts of the fort, seeing the cannons, sitting in the jail cells, and looking out at the view of the surrounding islands from the top.
A different afternoon was spent at the gorgeous Wormsloe Historic Site. This is the site of one of the original plantations of Savannah, built from "tabby," a mixture of sand, water, lime, and oyster shells. The remains of the original building built in mid-1700s is still there to see. In order to get to the ruins, you first must walk, or bike, or take the complimentary shuttle, down the 1.5 mile driveway that is lined with more than 400 Live Oak trees. It is stunningly beautiful to see, and excellent place to snap a family photo. We opted to take the shuttle on the way down and then took a slow meandering walk gazing in awe up at the all the trees on the way back. Our kids played hide and seek, running in and out of the trees and popping out to scare us throughout the walk. It was another lovely afternoon where we truly felt the slow pace that Savannah fully embodies. There was no rushing, nowhere else we needed to be, or anything else we needed to think about. We just were there, enjoying each other's company and taking our time to breath in the fresh air and take in the beauty of the area.
As our time in Savannah came to an end, we reluctantly packed up and said our good byes. We truly fell in love with Savannah, and Scott and I agreed that it has a spot in one of our top 5 favorite places we've been to. We were already planning trips to come back. Luckily, though, we were heading to an equally exciting destination, even if it was planned at the last minute and would be no easy feat to make it there, we knew it would be worth it. But I am getting ahead of myself, you'll just have to read the next post to find out our next stop!