Thanksgiving in Savannah

Zoe and I flew to Savannah to spend Thanksgiving with my middle sister, Tammy. We left Turkey Morning, arrived before noon and got to enjoy some long-overdue quality time with Turtle, as Tammy is affectionately known in our family.

Tam, the perennial bachelorette, wowed us with her cooking skills and layed out a spread of food that would make the Colonel (as in KFC) proud. Yes, we had chicken for Thanksgiving ... but it was fine, even if it did make Zoe ask if we were breaking some sort of rule or something.

After lunch and a nap, we went to see The Blind Side (loved it!). Next day's itinerary: tour of downtown Savannah, walked around the old part of town, had lunch at a quaint and tasty deli, went to the beach, shopped and then made our way to a rendevous station with a giant tour bus that Tammy "guides" as one of her part-time gigs.

From there, we rode in first-class style up to Nashville, Tenn., stayed at the Opryland Hotel, saw "Ice" and The Rockettes, just for kicks, and ate a whole lot more along the way. A 6-hour driving trip back to Indy rounded out our version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles for this holiday extravaganza.

The last time I was in Savannah, Zoe was about 6 months old and it was July 4 weekend. The weather was so unbearable I told myself I would never, ever return. There's something about having your lungs sear the instant you step out of a car or building that detracts from the whole vacation experience.

This time around makes me want to go back and back again, with a really great camera in tow. The architecture is stunning. The history is a storyteller's dream. The people are warm and gracious. And the pace is low-key and calming.

Our next trip may very well be sooner than later. Fall 2010 is sounding pretty good to me right now. And Paula Deen's restaurant is on my list of places to visit. With reservations this time.