Since Tim was off work between Christmas and New Years Day, we decided to take advantage and go on a camping road trip to see some of our favorite cities and spend some time with some of our favorite people. We will admit that we felt a little like Christmas with the Kranks since we wanted to leave the day after Christmas...but we were so thankful for some time away and in the warmth so it was worth it!
We left on December 26th in the late afternoon. Griff actually did really well with the drive...and I think was really excited we let him watch so many Disney movies :) We ended up making it a little past Knoxville that evening - we probably would have made it further but we hit a bad wreck with a bunch of traffic and sat in stopped traffic for at least an hour. We stopped really late at night (around midnight or 1 am) and it was a lot colder in Knoxville than we planned(there was snow on the ground!), so we knew we'd need to stay somewhere with electricity to have heat. We ended up getting lucky and finding a KOA where we could check in through their outside drop box late and it had a pull through site, so we parked there to sleep for a few hours and get warm and then woke again early (around 6 am) to continue on.
Griff was so excited to continue on that he actually woke up at 6 am too when we went to get him in the car - but luckily he just happily chattered at us until 7 or 8 am. We stopped once or twice to get changed in the camper and get gas but ended up making it to Savannah and our campsite around 4 pm. We spent the evening just hanging around our campsite and getting set up. We stayed at Fort McAllister State Park - where we stayed last time we were in Savannah as well.
The next day we got up and headed out to Tybee Island first thing. We were excited to get Griff to the beach - one of his favorite places. We spent the morning hanging by the water and letting Griff play in the waves and had a lunch we'd packed as well before getting in the car to get Griff down for a nap. After his nap, we went downtown and walked along River Street for a bit. River Street is one of Tim and I's favorite places - we love the history and watching the boats along the water. We knew Griff would like watching the boats too. We went back after walking a bit and had dinner at the campsite before settling in for the night.
The next morning we started our day at Forsyth Park. We let Griff ride his bike along a couple of the outer paths and up to the fountain in the middle. We also had a picnic in one of the grassy areas and let him push his truck around in the open. After Forsyth Park, we drove over to Bonventure Cemetery. We downloaded a walking tour on our phone and used that to learn a little more about the cemetery and those buried there. We left to get Griff down for a nap and get a coffee and decided to drive around the city a bit to see some of the parks and then came back to walk through the cemetery once more. After this, we headed back to the campsite for dinner and a campground walk.
Our last day in Savannah, we went down to the River Street area again for an early morning walk and then spent the rest of the morning playing at the campground playground in Savannah before heading back to pack up and head to Charleston. We drove to Charleston during Griff's nap. We arrived in Charleston on New Years Eve. We were lucky enough that they were doing a drive through light show for the holidays and it was still running when we got there! It was one of the best holiday light shows I've ever seen - we spent a long time driving through it and even ended up going through it multiple times! It was the perfect way to spend New Years Eve. We capped the night off watching a Disney movie back at the camper and toasted with some sparkling juice with Griff - which he loved!
The next morning, New Years Day, we got to spend the morning with my Uncle Pat and Aunt Linda! We were lucky enough to have them over for a New Years breakfast and visit with them. We were so thankful to get some time with them! It was the highlight of our day and trip.
After breakfast, we spent some time playing on the campground playground before lunch and then decided to head downtown. We spent the afternoon walking around downtown and seeing some of the highlights of the city. After this, we went back to the campground and had dinner and settled in.
The next morning we woke up early and headed over to Sullivan's Island - we wanted to get in one last visit to the beach before the end of our trip. Griff had a blast playing in the waves and even got to drive his truck around the beach. After spending some time at the beach, we went over to Patriot's Point to meet my Uncle Pat and Aunt Linda - they were nice enough to offer to meet us there and get us in (since my Uncle is a volunteer and needed to pick up something). They were able to walk us up to the main ship and get us settled in to start our tour. It was so special to see Griffin experience seeing the ship for the first time - he LOVED all the boats and planes. Tim and I both have seen it before (and I've toured it many times with my Uncle, which is where I've learned everything I know about it!)...but it never gets old. It is such an amazing vessel and there always seems to be something new to learn about it!
After touring the ship, we spent some more time that afternoon walking around the downtown area before heading back to the campsite to begin packing up. We left the next morning around 5-6 am and made really good progress (thank goodness for Disney movies for Griff!). We usually try to plan on 2 travel days but we thankfully did really well making it in one and didn't have to make too many stops (though we did stop at Bass Pro Shops outside Sevierville to let Griff stretch his legs and see the fish tanks!).
We were so thankful for a chance to get away, feel the warmth, and see some of our favorite places and favorite people. Traveling in the time of COVID is still so very different, and we definitely felt that. We avoided any inside activities for the most part and were still very cautious even outside (wearing masks if we passed within a couple feet of anyone, trying to visit with family outside, etc). We were beyond thankful for a chance to travel and visit but also wanted to continue to do our part to limit the chance that we could spread anything to anyone unknowingly. Despite the difference with Covid, it was still an amazing trip and the best little getaway for our family and only makes us look that much more forward to the day when life returns to more normalcy again...and until then we'll still be making memories in our own way 💗
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