Our Savannah Adventure – September 5-13, 2026
After months of planning, it was finally time to point Big Blue and Frances east toward Savannah, Georgia.
Savannah had been on our bucket list for quite a while, and this trip gave us the perfect opportunity to experience the city while spending time with friends and fellow Airstreamers. Our route would take us through Birmingham, Alabama, and Hamburg State Park in Georgia before settling in for nearly a week at Skidaway Island State Park.
We had tours planned, friends to meet, plenty of food, and—as we would soon discover—more than enough rain.
Another Airstream adventure was underway.
September 5, 2026 — On the Road to Birmingham
Hoover Met RV Park — Site #102
We got on the road around 7:00 a.m.
The stretch of I-20 through Jackson is terrible, but fortunately it only takes about ten minutes to get through the worst of it. Slowing Big Blue and Frances down to around 50–55 mph certainly helps.
Our first stop was the Flying J in Pearl, where we pulled onto the CAT Scale to check our weight. We like doing this before longer trips because we’re usually carrying more than normal.
Big Blue was loaded with two bikes, a power jack, chairs, a table, ten gallons of drinking water, tools, generator and all the other things that somehow find their way into the truck.
Frances was loaded too. We were carrying more food than normal, about 50% fresh water, and less than 10% in the gray and black tanks.
Total weight: 17,580 pounds. That put us 120 pounds under our recommended GCVWR of 17,700 pounds. It was only a 15-minute stop, but it’s always worth it for the peace of mind.
Once we got past Brandon, we discovered that MDOT had repaved much of I-20 toward the state line. What a difference! It’s normally some of the worst road we travel. Today, it was probably going to be the best road we would see all week.
We arrived at Hoover Met a little before noon and pulled into Site #102. We made good time, and the travel day was easy. Big Blue continues to do a great job towing our girl.
With both air conditioners and our big fan running, we got Frances cooled down fairly quickly. After BBQ for lunch and a short break, we headed to The Summit.
An Afternoon with Andy and Tecovas We met Andy for ice cream and had a good visit, catching up on Pam, the kids, and everything going on with the family. It was good to see him and spend a little time together.
Afterward, we stopped by Tecovas. We didn’t buy anything, but we did a little scouting for possible Black Friday purchases.
Back at the campground, we had red beans and rice for dinner and watched some of the soccer tournament taking place around the Hoover Met complex.
The Hoover Met RV Park doesn’t offer many traditional RV resort amenities. We jokingly call it a glorified parking lot. But the entire complex is impressive, with soccer fields, baseball fields, a large indoor facility, playgrounds, and the Hoover Met baseball stadium, where the SEC Baseball Tournament is played.
Site #102 wasn’t perfectly level, but it was good enough for one night. Our biggest problem was the streetlight directly over the campsite. That thing was bright enough to make you wonder if the sun had forgotten to go down!
September 6, 2026 — Hamburg State Park
Hamburg State Park — Site #30
We had never stayed at Hamburg State Park before. It’s about two hours east of Atlanta, and we chose it as our meeting point with Chris and Carey before traveling together to Savannah.
Traffic through Atlanta wasn’t too bad on a Sunday morning. We weren’t in any hurry, and during one of our stops I made sandwiches that we ate in the truck.
It was about a six-hour travel day. We arrived shortly after Chris and Carey. Chris was actually still setting up when we pulled in.
Since we were leaving again the next morning, we decided not to unhitch Frances.
Hamburg State Park turned out to be a beautiful little stop. The sites were roomy, the grass had just been cut, and the campsites were along the water. Internet service wasn’t much to speak of, but we expected that considering how far off the beaten path we were.
That evening we had dinner together and caught up. It was great seeing our friends again.
Over dinner we talked about our plans for Savannah. Chris and Carey had been there several times, but they were excited about doing some organized tours with us.
By the end of dinner, we had a pretty good plan: a trolley tour, a historic Savannah walking tour, and a house tour or two.
Tomorrow, Savannah!
September 7, 2026 — We Made It to Savannah!
Skidaway Island State Park — Site #50
Our drive from Hamburg State Park to Savannah was about four hours.
Chris normally drives a little slower than Jack on the interstate, so we adjusted our speed to around 60 mph. And we learned something: our fuel mileage climbed to more than 14 mpg. With diesel costing more than $6 a gallon, we’ll take that!
We got on the road around 8:00 a.m., made a few fuel and bathroom stops, and arrived at Skidaway Island State Park around noon.
Our first impression was wonderful. The entrance road winds beneath beautiful trees covered in Spanish moss. It immediately gives you that feeling that you’ve arrived somewhere different.
Getting Frances back to Site #50 took a little more concentration. Some of the roads were tight enough that it required all eyes on deck.
They allowed us to check in early, so the boys got the rigs powered up and we all had chicken salad for lunch. Then there wasn’t much time to waste. We were off to Savannah.
Our Savannah Trolley Tour
Our trolley tour was the perfect introduction to Savannah’s Historic District. We traveled beneath the live oaks and through the city’s famous squares while learning about Savannah’s colonial plan, working waterfront, historic homes, churches, monuments, food, and film history.
More importantly, the trolley tour helped us get our bearings and identify several places we wanted to return to on foot.
After the tour, we had an early dinner at The Shrimp Factory. Everyone’s food was very good, and the crab cakes and stuffed mushrooms were especially good.
Then it was back to Skidaway to walk the dogs and make plans for tomorrow.
September 8, 2026 — Walking Historic Savannah
We chose a 9:30 a.m. walking tour, which meant everyone needed to be up and moving early enough to leave the campground around 8:30. Traffic wasn’t a problem, and neither was parking.
The tour lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes. Thankfully, much of it was in the shade. Our guide did a great job of keeping us underneath the trees whenever possible. And we all really enjoyed it.
Walking Savannah gives you a completely different perspective than riding through it.
Savannah’s beauty comes not only from its live oaks, iron balconies, historic churches, and 22 surviving squares, but also from its unusual city plan and generations of preservation work. There is also a much more complicated history beneath all that beauty—a story involving ambition, slavery, development, loss, and renewal.
Afterward, we ate lunch at one of our guide’s recommended restaurants and made a Walmart stop before returning to Skidaway. We all needed a rest.
Later, Jack and I took a slow walk to the camp store. It’s actually a very nice little store, and I came home with some Tupelo honey.
That evening Jack cooked chicken and green beans. Carey brought salad, dessert, and some of her homemade bread. Then came cards. The boys were winning.
After dinner we took the dogs on a long walk. By the end of the day, everyone had logged more than 10,000 steps.
September 9, 2026 — Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters
Rain was in the forecast, so this seemed like the perfect day for an indoor activity.
We already wanted to tour one of Savannah’s historic homes, and we chose the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters.
Our guide did a good job, and one thing we especially appreciated was being able to tour the entire property rather than seeing only a portion of the house.
The tour presented two inseparable sides of the property’s history: the architectural achievement and privileged lifestyle represented by the main residence, and the forced labor of the enslaved people who made that lifestyle possible.
The house itself has undergone many changes through the years, including periods when it was used as a boarding house and apartments, so not everything we saw was original. Some of the colors were certainly different from what we expected.
One particularly interesting part of the collection was seeing actual family letters. It was a fascinating look at Savannah history from several very different perspectives.
Related Story: Our Tour of the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters
Related Story: What Is Tabby? Savannah’s Historic Building Material
Savannah GA
September 9, 2026 — Telfair Museum
After our house tour and lunch, we headed to the Telfair Museum.
Telfair is actually more than a single museum. The Telfair Museums encompass three different sites that collectively tell parts of Savannah’s story through fine art, contemporary art, architecture, and social history.
Founded through a bequest from Mary Telfair, the museum opened to the public in 1886.
Of all the artwork we saw, my favorite was Julian Russell Story’s The Black Prince at Crécy. It is massive.
The painting has so much happening within it that you can stand there for quite a while discovering new details. The 1888 work depicts Edward, the Black Prince, honoring King John of Bohemia following the Battle of Crécy. It was definitely the painting that stayed with me.
And then came the rain. I had my rain jacket and a tiny umbrella. Everyone else was on their own!
Thankfully, it didn’t pour during our entire walk back to the van, although we definitely got some more exercise. Another 10,000-step day.
Back at Skidaway, more members of our group had arrived. We visited for a while and later had smoked meats and green beans, with Carey bringing quinoa and zucchini.
Then it was time for cards again. Boys versus girls. Night number two. The boys smoked the girls again.
September 10, 2026 — Bonaventure Cemetery
We had a 10:00 a.m. tour scheduled at Bonaventure Cemetery. Naturally, it rained on us on the way there.
There were six people in our group along with our guide, Steve.
The first hour wasn’t too bad temperature-wise. The second hour was another story: hot, humid, sweaty.
But there is so much history at Bonaventure that we’re glad we went. The cemetery itself is beautiful, and many of the monuments and markers are works of art. The details carved into some of them are remarkable.
Steve did a good job sharing the history, although some of his jokes were pretty corny!
Afterward, we stopped at Whole Foods for lunch. Jack and I had enough of a snack to get us home.
Then came an unexpected part of our Savannah sightseeing itinerary: the AT&T Store. Carey needed to upgrade her phone and thought it might take about 30 minutes. We knew better. But we also knew what we were getting into, so it was fine.
After that we made a stop at Ulta before finally returning to the campground for a little rest.
Several more members of our Airstream group had arrived while we were out, so later we joined everyone for happy hour and a visit.
September 11 — UGA Marine Education Center & Aquarium
It had rained every day. Sometimes the rain cooled things down. Other times it simply made everything even more humid. Typical coastal weather.
We had an easy morning with nowhere to be until our 1:00 p.m. group tour. Jack and Chris worked on a few things together while Carey made chicken salad and served it with her homemade bread.
Then we headed to the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium.
We expected a relatively small aquarium. Instead, it turned into a fascinating introduction to Georgia’s coastal environment, marine life, salt marshes, and university research.
Our guide did a really good job, and the aquarium was only about ten minutes from the campground. At $15 per person, it turned out to be an enjoyable afternoon activity.
Afterward, we drove through the Isle of Hope neighborhood. The homes were beautiful.
Then it was back to the campground for happy hour and dinner with the group.
Related Story: Our Visit to the UGA Marine Education Center & Aquarium
September 12, 2026 — Our Last Full Day
For our last full day in Savannah, we intentionally didn’t plan anything. And that was perfectly fine.
Everything was still wet and dripping from all the rain, and we needed to start getting ready for tomorrow’s drive home.
Carol and Jackie went all out with breakfast: eggs, pancakes, sausage, and fruit. It was fabulous.
Chris, Carey, and Woody went to Isle of Hope for a long bike ride while we stayed around the campground. I got some cleaning done, and Jack took care of some of his usual pre-travel jobs.
Later we played a team game before gathering for happy hour and dinner. Richard and Darla prepared a chicken taco bar, and Greg sang a few songs.
Then the thunder started. That was our signal. Everyone scrambled back to their trailers so we could finish getting things ready for an early departure.
The plan was 6:00 a.m. At least, that was the plan.
September 13, 2026 — Going Home
We were both awake early. Very early.
At 3:15 a.m., I asked Jack if I should just get up. He said no.
About fifteen minutes later, it became obvious neither one of us was going back to sleep. So much for the 6:00 a.m. departure.
We were on the road at 4:15 a.m.
There was one advantage: Atlanta wasn’t bad at all.
Jack drove the entire way home while I kept nodding off. We made plenty of stops along the way and just kept moving.
A few minutes after 2:00 p.m., we pulled into home. Our Savannah adventure was over.
Our Home Base — Skidaway Island State Park
Skidaway Island State Park was a great home base for our Savannah visit.
We stayed in Site #50, a large gravel-and-sand site surrounded by lush greenery, mature trees, and plenty of shade.
The almost-daily rain had one beautiful side effect. The resurrection ferns growing on the oak trees were bright green. These fascinating ferns can appear brown and dead during dry weather, only to seemingly come back to life after receiving rain.
And we certainly gave them plenty of rain this week!
The wildlife around the campground was another highlight. Butterflies seemed to be everywhere, and we regularly had an eight-point buck, a doe, and a young deer visiting near our campsite.
Between the trees, Spanish moss, ferns, wildlife, and large campsites, Skidaway felt like part of the Savannah experience rather than simply a place to park Frances.
Savannah Odds & Ends — A Few Final Thoughts
Savannah is officially checked off our bucket list. And we’re glad we went.
The trip wasn’t inexpensive. Diesel was running around $6 a gallon at times, and we estimate that we spent somewhere around $700 on fuel.
But that’s part of traveling with Big Blue and Frances.
Savannah itself was hot, muggy, and much rainier than we expected. It rained every day, and this wasn’t always one of those quick afternoon coastal showers.
But the weather didn’t stop us.
We toured Savannah by trolley and on foot. We walked through historic homes, wandered through an art museum, explored Bonaventure Cemetery, learned about Georgia’s coastal environment, drove through Isle of Hope, and spent plenty of time simply enjoying Skidaway Island.
We also appreciated our tour guides. Each brought something different to the experience and helped us understand more about Savannah’s history and character.
But as is so often the case with our Airstream travels, some of the best memories weren’t necessarily the tourist attractions.
They were the meals. The card games. Happy hour. Walking the dogs. Sitting around the campground. Laughing with friends. And spending time with members of the SC Coastal Airstream Club.
The places we visit are important, but the people we share them with are often what we remember most.
Once we got home, Frances was unloaded and returned to storage. Big Blue still needed to be cleaned out. That could wait until tomorrow.
Savannah is now checked off the bucket list—another good trip, another collection of memories, and another rivet in the journey.
Live Riveted.
Travel Information
Tropic Hideaway RV Resort – August 21 – 24, 2026
Miles and Cost Info
| Miles | 671 |
| Avg Fuel Cost per Gallon | 5.84 |
| MPG total | 13.19 |
| Fuel Gallon | 114.81 |
| Cents per Mile | .44 |
| Total | 671.43 |