Charleston or Savannah

[Kitty 34]

DH and I will be doing our 2nd trip down to Charleston in early May. Our middle DS and wife live there.

Last year in our 4-day trip we did Folly Beach, Sullivan Beach, and "downtown" Charleston. We ate at one of the rooftop restaurants downtown which was fun. They took us to Tavern and Tables on Shem's Creek (I think they called it that) That's where we saw tons of dolphins. Awesome area! We ate at Holy City, a brewery. It was OK

This year we will be going to the newly open Folly Beach Pier. There's a restaurant right there. I want to go back downtown and probably eat at another rooftop restaurant. Michael wants to take us to Cypress Gardens up in Goose Creek this time. Unfortunately because of my lungs I can't do a lot of walking but I'm hoping I can navigate around a bit.

And, thanks to RedAngie and the pics of those awesome bridges, it hit me why my son and wife ended up down there! When he was a little boy he loved any and all bridges!! It's because of him we started our Mackinac Bridge trips every year.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I've been to Savannah but not Charleston (not yet yet). We went to Savannah for 3 days and we were running out of things to do and see by the second day. So, IMO, I think 5 days is too long. There is a ferry that takes you to Hilton Head. We didn't do that though. We did take a drive to Tybee Island which isn't too far. I'd recommend Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room. People start lining up hours prior. Even though we got in line very early on, it took us 2 hours to get seated. The place is small, the food was good and I'm glad I got to go. They don't take reservations or credit cards. Another restaurant is The Pirate House. I'd say most people order the fried chicken, we did and it was delicious. You do need a reservation there. Also took the river cruise boat. It was just okay. Didn't do the dining package, heard it wasn't too good and not worh the cost. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Savannah on E Bay Street. Great location. River street in front of us, historic section in the back. Walking distance to everything.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I've been trying to get to Savannah for ages, Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil totally grabbed me. I looked last month but picking flights became such a nuisance I stopped looking, maybe time to try again. At this rate I'll never get anywhere, no idea why it is such a pain now.

I did notice Disney has Hilton Head Island near there and was thinking it might be fun to use that as a base but again frustration in the process won.

***Came back*** Excited for a moment & looked at Hilton Head again. Grrr, again empty handed, every random date I try says nothing open. It would be better if the system would default to prices on available dates with a calendar and I could build my trip from what is open, but nope

 

[sheilafri]

Savanna has a fantastic ghost tour if you are into that. I would say my second favorite after Boston. We went in the founders of the girls scouts house and we went in a second house and a graveyard. Lots of great history.

I’ve toured the Johnny Mercer house, too. Read Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil about Savannah’s scandalous murder case.

 

[kymom99]

I've been trying to get to Savannah for ages, Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil totally grabbed me. I looked last month but picking flights became such a nuisance I stopped looking, maybe time to try again. At this rate I'll never get anywhere, no idea why it is such a pain now.

I did notice Disney has Hilton Head Island near there and was thinking it might be fun to use that as a base but again frustration in the process won.

I don’t know how far away you are, but I’m finding driving to be more efficient lately.

 

[JLTraveling]

Why not do both? That's what we did when we went to Charleston for the eclipse a few years ago. Especially if you're able to get the full 5 days, spend 2 in each. It's a short, pleasant drive between them.

 

[sheilafri]

I don’t know how far away you are, but I’m finding driving to be more efficient lately.

I have a good friend so fed up with air travel she refuses to fly. I’m pretty much with her. We just look at the road trip as part of the adventure. Of course, we have the time to do that.

 

[Darcy03231]

Here's another vote for Savannah. We were there for 5 days for a friend's wedding and didn't have any trouble finding plenty to do. We enjoyed touring the old mansions, walking along the riverfront, did a low country boil, took a riverboat cruise, did a ghost tour, and in general just had a wonderful time.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

If you choose Savannah, read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" before you go. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Good-Evil-Savannah/dp/0679751521 That will make the trip much more interesting, plus it's a good read. We go to Savannah often either for a short stopover or for DH's job. There are several good restaurants. We think Elizabeth's on 37th is the best, but several others, including The Olde Pink House, are also very good. As with all locations, there are some I wouldn't recommend.

It's been a few years, since we've been to Charleston, but there's definitely more to do there for a history buff.

Three days are are pushing it for Savannah. With 5 days, you'd want to add a couple beach days or day trips. You may find yourself needing to fill a day or more in Charleston as well, if you aren't laidback tourists.

ETA: After reading further, I see others mentioned Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil. It really is a good book that's worth reading, even if you never plan to visit Savannah.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I've been trying to get to Savannah for ages, Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil totally grabbed me. I looked last month but picking flights became such a nuisance I stopped looking, maybe time to try again. At this rate I'll never get anywhere, no idea why it is such a pain now.

I did notice Disney has Hilton Head Island near there and was thinking it might be fun to use that as a base but again frustration in the process won.

***Came back*** Excited for a moment & looked at Hilton Head again. Grrr, again empty handed, every random date I try says nothing open. It would be better if the system would default to prices on available dates with a calendar and I could build my trip from what is open, but nope

In case you didn't know, Disney's Hilton Head resort isn't on the ocean. I personally don't see the attraction, but I'm obviously in the minority. If you knew that & still want to go, I hope you find availability soon.

I'm with you on Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil. It was probably the most captivating book I've ever read.

 

[Dcgc28]

I’m from SC and I prefer Charleston but you can’t go wrong with either. Both are awesome little southern towns.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I don’t know how far away you are, but I’m finding driving to be more efficient lately.

I so want to do a great big roadtrip in a RV and all, the quintessential American vacay IMO but I simply can't get anyone else in the family on board. Trouble is other dads spread some nasty rumors about it being very unfun, so thanks for that other dads. When I say I'll drive with a friend I get Thelma and Louise wisecracks.... sigh.

 

[Dcgc28]

I so want to do a great big roadtrip in a RV and all, the quintessential American vacay IMO but I simply can't get anyone else in the family on board. Trouble is other dads spread some nasty rumors about it being very unfun, so thanks for that other dads. When I say I'll drive with a friend I get Thelma and Louise wisecracks.... sigh.

I think there are few of us that still long for this but it’s a bucket list thing for me as well! My wife always asks why, but the idea of having a camper/rv and driving around the country seems amazing to me.

 

[LeslieLou]

We love Kiawah Island and day trip to Charleston

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I enjoy both cities equally.

But Charleston’s bridge is more awesome than Savannah’s.

View attachment 753409

View attachment 753410

Awesome bridge you say?
Hold my Anchor Steam.

 

[ambula603]

If you do go to Charleston, the French Quarter Inn is absolutely fabulous. We've stayed many times and love it - champagne at check-in, wine and cheese in the evening, room service brings continental breakfast, impeccable service. Just really great.

We stayed there in 2007 for our first anniversary trip - glad to see it is still as wonderful as ever!!

To the OP, I now think you should do both! That would be SUCH a fun trip. Then report back to us which one you liked best!

When we went to Savannah we also did a night in Beaufort. We drove around and looked at the houses. Part of Forrest Gump was filmed there (as well as Savannah!) so we tried to find some of the spots. We also did a drive to the Hunting Island State Park Lighthouse. Click Here! It was beautiful and serene. The drive in the state park actually reminded me of something out of Jurassic Park! The Lighthouse is in the series Outer Banks so my teen daughter was pretty stoked about that! I do see they are doing some work at the park but wanted to suggest it to anyone going in the future.

 

[RedAngie]

Awesome bridge you say?
Hold my Anchor Steam.

Hey, onion brain, we’re discussing two southeastern US cities here, not Northern California.

But since you went off topic, you can have your Anchor Steam. I’ll go with cheap Keystone Light and this bridge.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Hey, onion brain, we’re discussing two southeastern US cities here, not Northern California.

But since you went off topic, you can have your Anchor Steam. I’ll go with cheap Keystone Light and this bridge.

View attachment 754040

Keystone is a beer you chug AFTER your taste buds start to go numb.

As for your bridge Meh. We got one off those too. We try to steer tourists the other way so they don't see the ugly thing.

 

[tcufrog]

Shoot. They both sound fabulous. We considered doing both if we go for 5 days but I was worried that we'd feel rushed. Now I'm reconsidering. I have a beat-up copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil because I've read it so many times. I love that book. It's not the sort of book though that my husband would like.

 

[OKW Lover]

Shoot. They both sound fabulous. We considered doing both if we go for 5 days but I'm worried that we'd feel rushed.

I thin you could do both in 5 days without being rushed. They are a fairly short drive from each other so you wouldn't loose much time driving on the changeover day.