Kayla Griffin

If you’re looking for a romantic getaway for you and your loved one but Paris seems a little out of reach, have no fear. Turns out there are several romantic getaways just hours from Savannah, and lucky for you, we’ve already done the research. Whether you’re looking to be swathed in luxury or escape to the mountains, our quick trips will give you the motivation to plan your perfect romantic escape.

Images by Ivan Feign

By Jeff Vrabel
Photography by Colin Douglas Gray

From personal training and embodying wrestler personas like The Devil’s Advocate to bouncing at night clubs and instructing personal security classes, Sean Haire has made a career of jumping from one tough-guy profession to the next. Now he’s trying his hand at something new: hair styling.

Sean Haire is a former professional wrestler/mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who has also been a 17-time Toughman competition winner, boxer, personal trainer, strip club bouncer, bodyguard, trainer of other bodyguards, and three-time WCW World Tag Team Wrestling Champion. He still looks the part: At 41, he’s 6′5″, 280 pounds, and with the fire-and-spiderweb tattoos, it’s hard to miss him in a coffee shop that’s currently really into Jack Johnson music.

Two or three times during our interview, Haire says something cool and outside the window, perfectly timed lightning shatters the sky. Some people have a flair for the dramatic. Which is one of the reasons he plans to make a great hair stylist.

He’s also got a flair for the gregarious, and a disarming forthrightness. He mentions, not without regret, the days and nights that found him “really mean,” and then worries how that would sound in this article. His past has been on occasion messy—I mention I used to work at the paper on Hilton Head, and he responds half-jokingly, “Oh, so you’ve read some bad stuff about me.”

On the other hand, he has an awful lot of pictures of his cat on his phone.

Over the course of two hours, we blaze through his history as a fighter (street and otherwise), his handwritten and long-abandoned professional wrestling personas (including Sean O’Haire and the never-quite-finalized Devil’s Advocate), his partially reconstructed and reinforced titanium jaw and orbital socket, the National Kodak Medallion of Excellence award he won for photography in high school, the time he fought a K-1 kickboxing champion and didn’t know it (he lost), his boxing stint in New Jersey, several stories involving “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, two marriages, two divorces, an almost-detour into professional mountain biking, his girlfriend of four years, a Savannah anesthesiologist he calls a “calming influence” and enough WCW/WWE name-dropping to deeply entertain a writer who grew up watching scrambled WrestleManias on pay-per-view.

One could be forgiven for struggling to find the thread that connects all of this, but before long it’s clearer: a mix of constant motion, found opportunities and an inclination to take the unplanned detours at the moments when many people would find excuses to back away. Sean finds a way to think, “Why not?”

To read the full story, grab a copy of South magazine.

Images by John Alexander

Images by John Alexander

The Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Public Broadcasting invite you to celebrate the launch of Today in Georgia History!

Today in Georgia History is an exciting educational collaboration that promises to make history come alive with television, radio and online segments that focus on historical events or people associated with a particular day in Georgia history.

Join us for drinks and hors d’oeuvres as we preview select segments of the television program, and hear from GHS Senior Historian and host of Today in Georgia History, Dr. Stan Deaton.

Today in Georgia History is a joint collaboration of the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Public Broadcasting.

RSVP to twhite@georgiahistory.com

www.todayingeorgiahistory.org

This post was submitted by Brian.

As many great travelers can attest, some of the greatest vacations you’ll ever have are found close to home. So grab a tent and a backpack and run away for a few days. You don’t have to go far or spend much for an adventurous escape into nature Some consider camping in the Lowcountry to be some of the best in the world. Between the barrier islands and semi-tropical forest spots, it’s no wonder thrill-seekers flock to the coast.

Deep in the backwoods of Georgia, equipped with nothing but his creativity and a chainsaw, Thomas Bland creates massive pieces of art. A forester by trade, he’s spent his whole life sizing up logs and lumber, but now he looks at trees from a new perspective

1. The race will be governed by the current Racing Rules of Sailing and applicable class rules, except as modified by this NOR or the Tybee 500 Sailing Instructions.

2. Classes will consist of production Formula 18 and Nacra 20 catamarans.

3. Classes shall consist of 8 or more boats, with a limit of 30 total entries for the race.

4. The warning signal for the first race shall be at 9:55am, May 10, 2010 in the ocean, off Islamorada, FL.

5. Advertising will be unlimited on the sails; however, race sponsor decals may be applied to any area of the hulls of any registered boat.

6. Registration will be available online at http://www.tybee500.com. The entry fee will be $500 per boat, and must be received by March 31st, 2010. After March 31st, the entry fee increases to $600. Checks or money orders should be made payable to: Tybee Island Sailing Association, Inc. The entry form and waiver forms shall be printed, and accompany the entry fee. The entry form must be signed by the boat’s skipper and crew prior to the race. All participants must agree to be bound by the current Racing Rules of Sailing and all other rules and instructions that govern the event. Mail entries to: Tybee 500, P.O. Box 1867, Tybee Island, GA, 31328. Cancellations received after March 15, 2010 will be refundable, minus a $100 administrative fee.

7. Entrants will be weighed prior to the start, safety equipment will be verified, and sails will be officially measured and marked by Race Officials. Factory hull numbers and rating certificates may be required. Proof of liability insurance will be required, with a copy submitted with registration. Sailing instructions will be available online shortly after advanced registration.

8. THE COURSE:

• Day 1 – Islamorada, FL – Hollywood, FL
• Day 2 – Hollywood, FL to Jupiter, FL
• Day 3 – Jupiter, FL to Cocoa Beach, FL
• Day 4 – Cocoa Beach, FL to Daytona Beach, FL
• Day 5 – Daytona Beach, FL to Fernandina Beach, FL
• Day 6 – Fernandina Beach, FL to Tybee Island, GA

Cost: $500 per boat

More Info: Visit Tybee500.com