Ditching Family For Thanksgiving? Try Savannah

SAVANNAH, GA — Thanksgiving kicks off a string of potentially stressful family gatherings. For every Hallmark-moment where everyone is thrilled to see a horde of relatives hunkered down around a table, there's an equally dysfunctional gathering of people complaining about the food, the host and the travel time.

So if you want to ditch your minefield of a family gathering and just get away, US News has a list of 30 spots to spend the holiday, which is an early Nov. 23 this year on the calendar. Some of the site's destinations seem obvious — Hawaii, Amsterdam, New Orleans, London, Florence, Italy — while others just say surf and sand, like San Diego and Miami Beach.

Also on the list is historic Savannah, Georgia, which begins the Christmas season that weekend with a boat parade of lights.

Here's what US News says of Savannah:

"With antebellum architecture, horse-drawn carriages, Spanish moss-lined streets and historical treasures, Savannah delivers on Southern charm. And in mid-November, you can take advantage of shoulder-season discounts, pleasant temperatures in the 50s to 70s and even a twinkling tree-lighting ceremony followed by the Boat Parade of Lights on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Take in more of the city's genteel charms on Black Friday as you explore the City Market, check out River Street or people-watch in photogenic Forsyth Park in the Historic District. What's more, over the long weekend, you can count on mouthwatering low country cuisine, from shrimp and grits at Cotton & Rye to biscuit buns and scones at Back in the Day Bakery."

Another consideration: spending the holiday in Savannah lets you avoid the increased security screening at the nation's airports. All electronic devices larger than cell phones must be taken out of carry-on luggage under procedures recently announced by authorities to strengthen security at airports nationwide. The changes have already been rolled out at some airports this fall, and will continue through the holidays.

Items that can be brought through checkpoints will not change, but passengers will be required to remove more of their carry-on belongings and put them into bins on conveyor belts for screening. Cameras, tablets and e-readers are among the items that should be taken out of bags for screening and placed into bins with nothing above or below them, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

PHOTO: Tourists walk along River Street on May 20, 2004 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images))