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For the last stop on our vacation we got in the car and headed to the outskirts of town to see Bonaventure Cemetery. But before we got there, we stopped at the Catholic Cemetery which was stunning in its own right. I took pictures of some fantastic statues. They were beautiful and weathered. I could have spent hours in there, but Bonaventure was right down the road and time was short.

Bonaventure is absolutely beautiful. The statues, the palm trees, the Spanish Moss all come together to make a an eerie yet beautiful landscape. It’s a massive place that you could spend hours if not days touring, but we only had time for a quick visit. We did what you might expect and went to visit the grave of Johnny Mercer. I’m embarrassed to say that I know nothing of Mercer, but obviously know his songs. I was unaware of his catalog until recently and I recognize so many titles.

So that’s it then. Time has run out. We’ve reached the end. It’s time to head home. What a wild four days it’s been. I feel like we’ve done a huge amount of things, but at the same time we’ve barely done anything. There is so much left to do. Who knows when we’ll be back, but I’m looking forward to it.

Our Riverboat tour was ridiculous, the food was really good and the entertainment was completely unexpected. The food was served buffet style and the selection was plenty of shrimp, vegetable casseroles, fruit, roasted chicken, pork tenderloin and roast beef. All of it was excellent and there was plenty to go around. No reason to be shy about going back for seconds.

I was a little hesitant about the live entertainment of a DJ with microphone and keyboard setup. This usually instills fear, and the Captain and Tennille vibe didn’t help matters either. But, he was excellent. His song selection was great and he got up and got involved with the crowd. He called people out for their birthdays and anniversaries and did plenty to get people dancing. His version of the "Electric Slide" is probably the stuff of legend on the high seas.

We saw a marriage proposal and witnessed the booty swinging stylings of Kiki who surely missed her calling as a solid gold dancer. You better stand clear or those hips will knock you clean overboard!

The chance of rain was supposed to be slight, but there was a massive rainstorm with plenty of lightning about 30 minutes after we left the dock. The entire coastline would light up and this especially exciting when we passed the freightliner in the dark. The opportunity presented itself to collect another souvenir glass if I ordered the right drink, so I did, a Riverboat Rita decked in red, white and blue. I will take every opportunity to get a cheesy cup full of booze. I will now add the hurricane glass to my skull glass from the night before.

That was a great tour and yes we bought the cheesy souvenir photograph and yes I plan to do it again. If you get a chance, it really is fun.

Since the rain had stopped, we ducked into Huey’s for a beer and pasty. Friend dough covered in powdered sugar is always a good time. I swear if I have to go through the tunnel, down the stairs, through the kitchen and into the catacombs one more bloody time to go to the bathroom, someone is getting cut. This is total madness. Why is going to the restroom so damn forbidden in this city?

I think the boat tour has been the highlight. I thought it was going to be a little lame but the entertainment was great. The food was really good too. Maybe it was because of the other people, but it was a hell of a lot of fun. The murder mystery tour they offer would be kick ass and if we came back we’re definitely doing it.

We finally saw the Bird Girl as featured in the movie and on the book cover. I’m a little disappointed actually. She has nothing to do with Savannah, or a Savannah artist, or a little girl of some prominence or even Bonaventure. Its just a statue made in 1936 that everyone ignored until it’s picture was taken at the last minute for the book cover. The guy got lucky and photographed a creepy little statue for a murder mystery. I thought the statue would be steeped in history and lore. Absolutely not. It’s just a statue of a girl holding two bowls. It used to be in the cemetery, nowhere near Johnny Mercer or John Williams, but when people went down there to see it, it was yanked out of there. Now it sits in an art gallery where you can’t take pictures of it, this way you’re forced to buy little statues that cost an absolute fortune! They are trying to milk out every dime from tourists. It’s an interesting statue, but after learning the real story behind it, it’s commercialization, and it’s complete lack of a tie in to anything related to the movie or Savannah, I’m sort of put off.