I've been to all three cities you listed, and if you're thorough I'd allocate 3 to 4 days of sightseeing for Charleston, 2 to 3 days for Savannah, and ca. 3 days for St. Augustine. Depends on how much time you have, where else you want to visit, and what you want to do in these cities, of course.

I can't argue with bachslunch's schedule. Where you begin your loop doesn't matter.

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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

Hi, bachslunch--We have 10 days, not counting flying days. Your reply surprised me a little. From my reading in preparation for the trip, it has been my impression that Savannah would merit more time than Charleston. If you have a moment, I would love to kinow what it is about Charleston that especially draws you in, that is, why you would devote more time to it than Savannah.
Regarding where else we'd want to visit--we're pretty much keeping to the three cities listed with less emphasis on St. Augustine than on the other two. We've added St. Augustine mainly because we want to connnect with friends who live in that area. Our question concerns things we might detour to on those long stretches between the cities. I've already mentioned Beaufort, but we're wondering what else, not necessarily for an overnight, but for an interesting stop along the way.

@ Orlando-Vic--Thank you, too, for your reply. I imagine it sounded a bit--stupid, I guess, for lack of a better word--asking about the loop the way I did. You're right. A loop is a loop. What we were trying to figure out is with a 5:30 PM arrival at JAX, would we be better off time wise to go south immediately and spend our fly-in night around St. Augustine (a shorter drive), or do we pick up the car and go directly to either Savannah or Charleston (much longer drives). That travel day will be no use to us in any case when it comes to settling in and enjoying the area. So, unless there are real points of interest to be visited on the longer stretches, maybe we should just head north right away and work our way south, ending up at St. Augustine which would be closer to JAX where we would fly out at noon on our last day.

Please read" Mrs Whaley's Charleston Garden". I am sure it will add to your enjoyment of Charleston! Have a great trip.

cmcfong, Thank You for the recommendation. For me, one of the most delicious facets of a trip is the preparation. Just finishing Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil now and am ready for more. Following your recommendation, I went on Amazon and ordered Mrs. Whaley's book along with Very Charleston by Diana Gessler. Beyond that, though, I've spent part of this morning with you. I was interested in so many of your former posts. Gave special attention, of course, to your Beaufort post as well as Jekyll Island but also wandered into other areas. Especially enjoyed and deeply touched by your post sharing how your mom and dad met and finally your mom's memorial service and the beautiful tribute that was given. Also, as for getting a second dog, please do. We have three rescue dogs and it breaks my heart to think that had we not been there for them, they might have been put down. If you're looking for a companion for Tyrod--he's probably an alpha male and a female would be best because she would not be a threat to his dominance. Good luck with that...and I plan to go back a read more of your posts. I enjoyed keeping company with you this morning.

I am so pleased you found my trip reports helpful. Thank you for taking the time to read them and let me know. I especially appreciate your comments about my mom's memorial service.

I believe after reading "Mrs. Whaley's Garden" you might decide you want to read "Mrs. Whaley Entertains". These are delightful books and offer some wonderful insights into Charleston society.

As for a tour, consider the Gullah tour of Charleston, a different view of that city's extraordinary history. Check for posts from suewoo, she is a resident and has many good suggestions.

Now, about the dogs. I was endorsing the adoption of a second dog by another poster....I have six rescue pups. Five of them are certified therapy dogs. I use their therapy work as a platform for adoption of adult, mixed breed dogs on death row. And I usually add a few shots about spay/neuter, too, while I am at it. These dogs have done more for people than I can ever put into words and I am so grateful their lives were spared. They all live exceptionally well now! Thanks for saving yours.

I look forward to reading your trip report when you return home. Safe travels.

Bo2642, the rationale behind more time in Charleston vs. Savannah has to do with the number of attractions and how long it takes to see what's there. Note that I like full sightseeing days, often done to the exclusion of a sit-down lunch.

I spent two full days in Savannah as follows:

-Day 1. (morning) Savannah History Museum, Telfair Mansion and Museum, Juliet Gordon Low's Birthplace tour, (afternoon) Davenport House tour, Owen-Thomas House tour. Explored the River Street/Factor's Walk area in the evening. All done on foot.

-Day 2. (morning) Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, Andrew Low House tour, Green-Meldrim House tour, (afternoon) First African Baptist Church tour, Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, Forsythe Park walk-through. All done on foot.

While walking between the various sights, I also got to see nearly all the squares in the historic area.

Had I had a car, I would have considered spending a third day seeing Old Fort Jackson, Fort Pulaski, and Fort McAlister, all located a short distance away but definitely not within walking distance.

"Garden of Good and Evil" based sights are on some folks's must-see list here, but I had different priorities.

One thing that helps keep things to two days in the historic district is that the Telfair and Ships-of-the-Sea museums are not large. The house and church tours took about an hour. The civil rights and history museums were a little larger.

For Charleston, I did the following:

-Day 1. (morning) Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, Nathaniel Russell House, Heyward-Washington House, (afternoon) Edmonston-Alston House, walk around The Battery, Gibbes Museum of Art, Old City Market, city bus to and from campus of The Citadel. Otherwise all on foot.

-Day 2. (morning) Drayton Hall, Middleton Place, (afternoon) continued Middleton Place, Magnolia Plantation. Done using shuttle service via Charleston Chauffeur Company.

-Day 3. (morning) South Carolina Aquarium, Ft. Sumter, (afternoon), Aiken-Rhett House, Joseph Manigault House, Charleston Museum. All done on foot except water shuttle to and from Ft. Sumter.

The Charleston Museum is large and can easily take a few hours to experience. The three Ashley River Road plantations definitely take a day. The house tours took about an hour each. The Gibbes Museum is not that large, but has a much better collection than the Telfair.

I did not get to explore some of the other outlying attractions, such as Boone Hall, Cypress Gardens, Charles Towne Landing, the H.L. Hunley Submarine, or Ft. Moultrie.

In short, there were just more things I wanted to see in Charleston.

Do a search under my name to find a detailed trip report I did earlier this year on a St. Augustine visit.

Hope this is helpful.

http://www.lakesidepress.com/Charleston-Savannah/
Charleston or Savannah? Above is a good starting point for info.

@ bachslunch--The time you took to post your Savannah and Charleston itineraries is much appreciated. Also, I just read through your restaurant reviews for St. Augustine. Made me hungry, and it's still several hours before dinner here in California Like you, we generally put in full sightseeing days, and it's especially useful to see how you budgeted your time.
I also just re-read your St. Augustine trip report. I came across it a few days ago when we were just thinking about this trip, but it was more meaningful now that I know we are actually going. I really like that you adressed the "must nots" along with the "musts".

@Savannahoaks--what a great website. Many thanks for this wonderful resource.

@cmcfong--about the dog thing. I was evidently so into your posts that when I came across Janet's, I assumed that you were the original poster rather than she. At any rate, it warmed my heart to learn that you have 6 rescue dogs--and therapy ones at that! And I'm with you on the spay and neuter thing. If more $ were directed to free or very low cost clinics, fewer $ would need to be spent on "taking care" of unwanted pets. IMHO.

Yes, I will write a trip report. Mine usually get so wordy that I don't post, but I'll try to get control of that.

"What we were trying to figure out is with a 5:30 PM arrival at JAX, would we be better off time wise to go south immediately and spend our fly-in night around St. Augustine (a shorter drive), or do we pick up the car and go directly to either Savannah or Charleston (much longer drives)."

In that case, going to St. Augustine first makes sense. Use Hwy 9A instead of I-95 all the way (until it reconnects with I-95 well south of downtown Jacksonville). You'll go faster without the downtown bottlenecks.


_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

You might want to take a look at my trip report; click on my name to find it. Because there are more plantations outside Charleston to visit than outside Savannah, you may want to devote more time to Charleston.

"plantations to visit outside Charleston etc."

Orlando_Vic--Thanks for the driving tip.

Michael, thank you, too, for the reminder about your trip report. As with bachlunch's, I had read through it when our trip was still just a maybe, and now that our plans are definite a careful re-read is a great help as we firm up the things we'd like to see and do.

I enjoyed your personal take on the Charleston architectual tour guide, and I love that you didn't skimp on your descriptions of the Aiken-Rhett mansion, Middleton Place, and Boone Hall. In planning I've come across a term new to me, Gullah, and would like to learn more. So the Boone presentation you've described seems as if it would do much in that regard.

Also it was fun to look through the Husk menu.

I see that you've endorsed Savannah Rambles. It has also received high marks from other posters, and I'm certain we'll be contacting Dirk Hardison.

As for the Jepson Center for the Arts, you've no doubt saved us precious time.

Many thanks to you and to all for taking time to share experiences and endorsements.

Take Alphonso Brown's Gullah Tour. It's really special.

There's a restaurant in Mt Pleasant called Gullah Cuisine. I'm not usually a fan of buffets, but the lunch buffet there will give you a chance to taste different Gullah treats and the price is right.

suewoo--Many thanks for recommending Alphonso Brown. I've just spent time on the website (gullahtours.com), and I'm excited about taking this tour.

Don't miss sapelo Island. Last sea island of Gullah culture. State tours for $10 (includes ferry ride) are available Wed. and Sat. Tour departs the mainland 8:30am Wed. and 9:00am Sat. you will return on the noon ferry. Private tours with local residents are also available.

Savannah is a wonderful city but the historial section is in pockets not connected like Charleston. As a result Charleston is a more walkable city and seems safer. If I were choosing I would add to day to Charleston rather than Savannah.

Some of the Savannah atractions that I would add would be the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) gift shop and bookstore. If you like art supplies it is heaven. Since you have a car I would go out to Bon Adventure cemetery to walk.

we enjoyed a walking tour of savannah that centered on the cities squares.fun and informative.
http://www.savannahdan.com/

Thank you all so much for helping us plan our time. So far we have the framework:

Fly into JAX from our home in Los Angeles on Sept. 18. 5:10PM arrival, so by the time we pick up our car, it's essentially a lost day. We're staying at the Courtyard St. Augustine I-95--any recommendations for dinner around there? It'll be an early evening for us, but early the next morning we'll head to St. Augustine for the day. Bachslunch's detailed St. Augustine report is wonderful and will help us set our priorities for the short time we'll have in that city.

Toward evening, we'll go on down to Palm Coast for dinner with our friends who live there. Then back to the Courtyard for the night.

We know that the Courtyard on I-95 is a bit far afield from St. Augustine, but it's not a huge distance fron the airport for our first night, and its location to the north of St. Augustine will give us a jump start as we begin the main part of itinerary--Charleston and Savannah.

We weren't sure at first how we wanted to organize our itinerary, but since we'll be flying out of JAX at noon on our return home, we decided to visit Charleston first--a long driving day, but we can take our time without feeling pressed to make a flight.

We have booked the Mills House for 3 nights--Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (9/20-9/21), checking out on Friday 9/22. We have taken everybody's advice and added our extra day in Charleston rather than Savannah, but the Mills House had no vacancies for Friday and Saturday night, so we took the three nights which were available, and because we want to visit Fort Sumter and two or three plantations, we booked a hotel in Mount Pleasant for Friday and Saturday night, 9/22 and 9/23. We have learned that we can take the ferry to Ft. Sumter from Mt. Pleasant as well as from Charleston proper.

We should have two full days--Friday and Saturday for Ft. Sumter and the plantations.

We could book a morning tour to Ft. Sumter. I'm going off the top of my head right now, but I think the earliest we could book would be a 10:30 departure and a 1 or 1:30 return. That would make for a short plantation visit in the afternoon. If we left the Sumter tour directly, would we have time for, say, Boone Hall? It closes at 5:00, but we would want to explore it without feeling rushed.

The next day (Saturday) we would like to visit Drayton Hall (we're interested in its history) and either Magnolia Plantation or Middleton Place. We, of course, would like to do everything, but if we have to choose between Magnolia and Middleton, do any of you have any feelings?

On Sunday, we would head down to Savannah.

But getting back to our first three days in Charleston--we're working on what we'd like to see and do.

And wouldn't you know, someone is at my door, and I wish I could keep writing but I can't right now.

Bottomline, thanks again for the suggestions which have come forth, and anything else you can think of would be appreciated.

I need to put this aside right now, but when I can get back to it later tonight, I'd like to run some things by anyone out there who's still reading this.

Such a nice time to visit! I'm live in Mt Pleasant. Where are you staying?

I would say pick Middleton over Magnolia. There's a lot to see there. I love the gardens at Magnolia but they won't have the appeal they have in the spring The gaters might still be awake at Middleton.

Have you researched restaurants in Charleston? The most important part, IMHO, of course is picking out where to eat! If you tell me what you like I can make some recs in both Charleston and Mt. P.

Back again.

First, a thank you to soowoo for your input.

In Mt. P we're staying at the Best Western Patriot's Point. OK ratings for cleanliness, the location is good for what we want, and the price is certainly right. At $246.32 including tax for the two nights, you can't go wrong if you're willing to sacrifice atmosphere for basic lodging. When I was first researching lodging, the Old Village Post House did not have their only twin room available. A king was, but....my travel partner and I are good friends, but, hey, we want our own beds. Just checked the Post House website again before writing this, and I see that the twin is now available for $163 a night but not including taxes, so I think we'll just stick with the Best Western and use our savings for plantation admissions or dinner.

Regarding restaurants, when I first started researching, Gullah Cuisine caught my eye. It's recommended in several guidebooks as an authentic experience. And it was also recommended by you, soowoo. The truth is, though, that so many of the reviews lately on Trip Advisor are negative that we're wondering. Have you been there recently? If so, and you still recommend, perhaps all the negative reviews...well, we know that people are most motivated to write when they have an issue. If, though, service is slipping or if negative attitudes on the part of the servers prevail, are there any other restaurants that you might recommend where we could taste Gullah food?

As for other restaurants in either Mt. P and Charleston proper, we're open to suggestions. We're traveling as casual tourists for this trip. Won't be bringing clothing with us to allow us to truly "gussie up", so that will probably dictate our options. Not that we'll be grubby, but I can't see that we'll be burdening ourselves with heels and such. It won't be that kind of trip for us. We're mainly interested in seeing the houses, the squares, gardens, and a cemetary or two, visiting plantations, going to Ft. Sumter, taking walking tours, or a trolly or a carriage tour--the kinds of things that will give us a feel for both Charleston and Savannah, the culture and the history. That having been said, we do love good food experiences. Whatever good restaurants you might recommend which would let us in in casual clothing, would be welcome. Simple establishments or otherwise as long as they're not chains. Hopefully something out there will fit the bill and have a little local character as well. We're open to all kinds of food. Certainly we'd like to have something representative of the area. Seafood not a problem. Barbeque. Anything. And I would really like to try she crab soup. That's a priority for me.

When we're in the city, we'd like to use our car as little as possible, so restaurant recommendations within walking distance of the Mills House would be especially helpful.
Also, is there any longterm parking near the hotel which doesn't cost $20 a night?

In putting our plans together for our three days in Charleston proper, following the suggestion of soowoo once again, we contacted Alfonso Brown re the Gullah tour, or at least we made a reservation on the website. Got an auto generated response saying that they would be contacting us regarding the day and time.

Regarding walking tours for Charleston,savannahdan.com has been recommended. And I think Michael had an architectural tour that commented on. I'll go back to his trip report. Any thoughts about specific walking tours which would give us a good overview of the historical district and serve as a foundation before we visit some specific houses? We're interested in quality here, and don't mind paying more for someone whose presentations are interesting and accurate. And, of course, a bit of humor doesn't hurt.

Bachslunch, thank you for your Charleston and Savannah report as well as the St. Augustine one. We've still got lots of activities to settle on, and your itinerary is helpful. We do not want to be overscheduled, though, because it's been our experience that some of the true joys of traveling come about unexpectedly as one wanders here and there through interesting areas. We'd also like a little shopping experience--probably mostly window shopping--at the Old City Market. We'd love to take a look at some of the sweetgrass basketry.

And, cmfong, I'm in the middle of Mrs. Whaley's Gardening book. Love it.

I am in possession of several guidebooks, one of the most helpful of which being the Moon Guide, but Fodor forum input is and has always been invaluable to us when planning. We appreciate the time you've all taken to help us come up with a quality experience.

We've made some progress on Charleston. Are just starting to think about Savannah. If you can bear with me, I'll be asking for help there, too. But that's for later.

In St. Augustine, the Courtyard on I-95 is nowhere near the historic district and there are not a lot of good restaurants to choose from. It is near the outlets, that's all.

To go into town, take SR 16 (your hotel is on it) East to US 1 and then one more block to San Marco Ave., South on San Marco Ave to the historic district. There, I like the following restaurants:

Old City House http://www.oldcityhouse.com
The Raintree http://www.raintreerestaurant.com
Creekside Dinery http://www.creeksidedinery.com
Le Pavillion http://www.lepav.com

Honorable mention: O'Steens
(Perhaps the best shrimp in town. ZERO ambiance, no reservations, reasonable prices) Just across the Bridge of Lyons.

You'll notice that I did not mention the Columbia restaurant. IMO, their food is good, but not as good as any of the other restaurants I have mentioned.


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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

Hi, Orlando--
I guess we could change our Courtyard reservation for something in town. We booked through their website and we have until the day before without incurring charges. Our thought in booking there was that it's clean and comfortable and it wouldn't take us too long to get there from the airport. We could settle in there for an early night after our flight which arrives around 5:30. Because our flight from LAX is so early in the morning, we would have had little sleep. We're basically considering that first night as a lost touring night. But we'll be eager to get an early start for St. Augustine the next morning for a full day there.

Thank you for the restaurant recommendations. We'll be in town for lunch, but for dinner we'll be driving down to Palm Coast to have dinner with friends. At any rate, it'll be nice to know where in town to break for lunch.

But....because you're bringing it up, let us think about taking the extra time after our flight to drive on down to St. Augustine and book something there.

I am so glad you are enjoying it. I thought you might!

For Lunch in St. Augustine:

Café Alcazar (25 Granada St, Saint Augustine, FL 32084-4387) is a true hidden gem…and is definitely off the main tourist path. It is a small restaurant located in what was once the deep end of the world's largest indoor swimming pool, now the Lightener Museum building. The food is quite good (I love their curried chicken salad.) and the atmosphere is absolutely unique and very conducive to conversation. They don't take reservations and only serve lunch (Except dinner one night/month). If you have trouble finding them, you can phone them at 904-824-7813. Check out their Trip Advisor reviews: http://tinyurl.com/5qlvrq


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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

Vic, I think the Alcazar has closed. It was a favorite of mine as well. Sweet guitar and champagne while you ate, loved it.

There is a current review on Trip Advisor, and their website is still up. Looks inviting.

For cmcfong--

NY Times obit (in part):

Emily Whaley, Charleston Gardener and Writer, Dies at 87

By ROBERT McG. THOMAS Jr
Published: June 19, 1998
Emily Whaley, a South Carolina woman with a green thumb and such an eye for color that she helped show flowering Charleston there was bloom beyond azaleas and camellias and turned her backyard into one of the nation's most acclaimed private gardens, died on Monday at her summer home in Flat Rock, N.C. She was 87 and had become something of celebrity since the publication of a memoir, ''Mrs. Whaley and her Charleston Garden,'' last year.

Her family said the cause was a stroke.

No one would mistake Mrs. Whaley's garden for, say, Longwood Gardens, but as home gardens go, the one she maintained for more than 50 years on a 30-foot by 100-foot plot behind her narrow 1754 white clapboard house at 58 Church Street, a block from the harbor in Charleston's historic district, has been a perennial eye-popper.

Among other things it has been featured in books by Rosemary Vaerey and other garden writers and has been a fixture on the Historic Charleston Foundation's annual garden tours.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I googled her because I couldn't imagine she'd still be alive. I'm surprised, however, that she passed so soon after giving her interview(s) which was/were the basis for the book.
How wonderful, though, that she still lives through her words.

cmcfong,
Café Alcazar did close, but reopened under new management
new phone #: 904-825-9948
http://www.thecafealcazar.com

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

I got to see Mrs. Whaley's garden. She had passed by the time I got there, but it's just like she described. I took her daughter a Noisette I'd rooted for her.

Vic, that is great news. I love that place.

I went to see it as well, Sue. She really was a treasure.

Our family just got back from 3 days in Charleston. We had planned on going to Fort Sumter but the heat was so oppressive - I think it was about 105 degrees (or higher)- so we went to Fort Moultrie instead. That fort is really neat, it was used from the Revolutionary War up until WWII, and each era is recreated in the fort. It is on Sullivan's Island which is reached through Mt. Pleasant. We also visited the Yorktown at Patriot's Point. Since you are staying in Mt. Pleasant you might want to check out the visitor center/park/pier that is under the bridge connecting Mt. Pleasant to Charleston. Beautiful area and on Friday night they were showing a movie in the park. You also mentioned sweetgrass baskets, in Mt. Pleasant a section of Hwy. 17 is named after the basket makers as they sell their baskets in little booths all along the road. We picked Boone Hall plantation to go to, we knew it would be too hot to appreciate the gardens at the other plantations. Boone Hall has several original brick slave cabins to tour and present a very interesting Gullah show. The driveway is lined with huge oak trees that were planted in the 1700's, great photo-op. Have a great time!

my wife and I recently took this walking tour in Charleston and we were very happy with it.
onthemarkettours.com
if your group likes oysters this is a unique experience
bowensislandrestaurant.com
we had breakfast at this restaurant twice for breakfast.it was mostly locals you can view their menu at this site.
varietystorerestaurant.com
between charleston and savannah there is this church right near the highway which is definatly worth a stop in sheldon
http://www.flickr.com/photos/onasill/4748908122/
locals could tell you more but it seemed to me that people in charleston gave a very low priority to touring fort sumter

Locals here don't go to Ft Sumter because we've been already, but many tourists want to go because of the history. It's always cooler out on the water. This heat is dangerous and not to be minimized, but it will be much nicer in October.

I agree. Sheldon Church Ruins are beautiful. And Bowen's is a great experience. The oysters should be in by the end of October.

ksullivan--you and my daughter and family were on the same schedule. They, too, just returned from Georgia last week, but instead of being in Charleston, they divided their time between Atlanta and Macon where my sil's family lives. She said the heat was unbelievable.

My friend Jeri and I have scheduled for October because that's our window of opportunity, and we've done so knowing that the weather will not be ideal. Continued heat? Hurricanes? We've decided to take our chances. We've survived before. Last year in October, we were in Egypt and Jordan where the heat was in triple digits, though there was no humidity problem, and the year before that, also in October, I think, we were in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian part of Borneo where there was not only heat but also, in Mulu, a monsoon such as they had not seen in 16 years.

We wish that we might have been able to put our trip off until spring, but as has been mentioned, this is the time available for us to go.

I'm interested in taking a look at those sweetgrass baskets and am glad to know about the little booths along the highway. I appreciate the heads up on that.



ksullivan, paulhelmick, and soowoo--We're holding good thoughts that the weather won't be too much a problem for the Ft. Sumter visit. But whatever it is, this is the one site that Jeri has specified as really important for her to see. Makes sense. Though retired now, she was for many years chairman of the social science department at the high school where we both taught, and US history is one of the subjects that fell into her area of expertise. So with Ft. Sumter, it's that first shot of the Civil War thing....

soowoo--I tried to find info on whether Mrs. Whaley's garden is available for visits, but it seems that it is open to the public only once a year during a special garden or historical society event. Do you know anything about this? How wonderful to be able to see it after having spent so many hours getting to know her and her garden through the pages of her book.

Paulhelmick and soowoo--we will certainly be looking into your restaurant and tour recommendations. Will have some time later tonight. I did look at the flickr link for the church. It's beautiful. A definite stop. We plan to take a whole day driving from Charleston to Savannah and are looking for interesting stops along the way. Any other recommendations are more than welcome.

Sometimes Mrs. Whaley's garden and home are included in the Charleston Preservation Society tours.
http://www.preservationsociety.org/

Her daughter lives there now. You can walk past it but you can't really see the garden from the street. Gardens won't be as stunning as they are in spring, but there are MANY lovely ones in the HD.

Have you though about stopping in Beaufort on your way to Savannah? Hunting Island State Park, out past Beaufort is another favorite of mine.

Yes. Beaufort is in our plan. Will check out Hunting Island State Park. Thanks.

There are 2 things I love about Hunting island, in this order:

It's one of the few islands left with no development, and

The Marines in training from Parris Island go there in packs to hang out. Hoorah, and Semper Fi

soowoo--
because of your prompt re Hunting Island, I spent some time with my Moon guide for Charleston & Savannah and in online searches targeting Beaufort and environs. Yes, Hunting Island with its untapped beauty certainly has a draw. Those packs of Marines can't hurt, and neither can the hiking trails and the lighthouse, all 160+ steps to the top, puff, puff, but with that panoramic view. That would all be great for us were Jeri and I about 25 years younger. What did especially catch my interest as I was reading was St. Helena's Island with its Penn Center and also the Gullah Grub restaurant. From looking at the website and seeing how wonderfully this chef's food has been recognized, I think this might be our chance at Gullah cuisine. We'll be going through there on a Sunday and they have a bruch, if the online menu is correct, that lasts from early to late afternoon. Has anybody reading this been there? What do you think?

BTW, this is not far from the Old Sheldon Church Ruins. Very convenient to visit both.

A further thing--I now know what Fragmore stew, or low country boil, is. On my list to taste. Preparing for a trip is almost as exciting as the trip itself.

soowoo--
because of your prompt re Hunting Island, I spent some time with my Moon guide for Charleston & Savannah and in online searches targeting Beaufort and environs. Yes, Hunting Island with its untapped beauty certainly has a draw. Those packs of Marines can't hurt, and neither can the hiking trails and the lighthouse, all 160+ steps to the top, puff, puff, but with that panoramic view. That would all be great for us were Jeri and I about 25 years younger. What did especially catch my interest as I was reading was St. Helena's Island with its Penn Center and also the Gullah Grub restaurant. From looking at the website and seeing how wonderfully this chef's food has been recognized, I think this might be our chance at Gullah cuisine. We'll be going through there on a Sunday and they have a bruch, if the online menu is correct, that lasts from early to late afternoon. Has anybody reading this been there? What do you think?

BTW, this is not far from the Old Sheldon Church Ruins. Very convenient to visit both.

A further thing--I now know what Fragmore stew, or low country boil, is. On my list to taste. Preparing for a trip is almost as exciting as the trip itself.

Sorry for the double posting. My computer got hung up and I pressed the SUBMIT button more than once.

Tasmania???
Did someone get lost?

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

I hope not! My cat COULD be mistaken for a Tasmanian Devil, I guess.

Bo2642, Gullah Cuisine can be found everywhere. I haven't been to Gullah Grub yet, but it's on my list. I just don't get down there much, but I've heard good things.

Frogmore Stew is one of my favorite party dishes. You just boil it, dump it on a table and let your friends eat with their hands. The best. Also in October, there will be lots of oyster roasts. Many non-profits do them as fund raisers. Check with the Charleston City Paper (free all over town) when you get here to see who's doing what when you get here. You'll need to bring your own oyster knife and towel.

Barbara's (Bo2642) To Do List:

Buy an oyster knife


An oyster roast sounds so fun. We'll certainly look for one.

I recently posted on my blog a trip report on Charleston - there are also other trips on the side bar, maybe it will help:

http://susannj.travellerspoint.com/8/

I would love trying to explain an oyster knife to the airport security folks.

This is probably a stretch and maybe I shouldn't bring it up, what with being a big Charleston and Savannah fan and knowing there's plenty to do in and closer to Charleston. But if you're interested at all in very nice gardens and loads of representational sculpture, mainly from the late 19th and early to mid 20th C. but some more contemporary, I'd suggest a day trip to Murrells Inlet and Brookgreen Gardens. http://www.brookgreen.org/

It's about 80 mi. and might take you the better part of 2 hrs., depending on where you leave from in Charleston, so it might not be viable for you. But you would be going through the area of Rt. 17 north of Charleston with all the gullah basket booths. I went 50 years ago with my parents, when I was a teenager, and remembered it only vaguely. It's changed enormously - apparently the Huntingtons left a nice endowment and they keep purchasing new work, much of it very interesting. Think they have the largest collection of American figurative sculpture exhibited outdoors/in a garden setting in the world. (Also quite a lot of smaller work in indoor galleries.) The gardens are in top notch shape compared to, say, Cypress Gardens and Audubon Swamp Garden at Magnolia Plantation near Charleston. They plant masses of seasonal flowers. We were there in bulb season, but I'm sure they'll have replaced those with great quantities of mums or other fall flowers. And the perennial foliage plantings and trees are impressive.

My husband and I made two trips through SC in the winter and spring, the first from FL through Charleston, then inland; the second visit was some stops on the way back to FL from VA. Brookgreen is actually something we did on the way back from farther north, but knowing what I know now, I'd do it from Charleston if that were where I was going to be and wanted a change of scenery out of town and an un-strenuous day.

susannj--I love reading trip reports. Thank you for the link to yours. It was fun following you through your adventures, and your photos brought everything to life. We're looking forward to our own visit.

palmettoprincess--....er, yes. There's always the airport security situation. I did go online to see what an oyster knife looks like, but I didn't order. I don't do a lot of shopping anymore while traveling. I just try to pick up one or two small things which will be useful, which I can display as an art object, or which will remind me of a special activity we took part in. So maybe that's the oyster knife. Hopefully they won't be hard to find in Charleston.

And btw, while an oyster roast sounds kind of like a clam bake, I'm not sure how it really goes down. Could someone explain? However it is, though, we'd love to take part and will look for venues.

polly229--re Brookgreen Gardens. Of course you should bring it up. Your link to their website shows beautiful gardens, sculptures, and wildlife. Had we more time, this would be a real option. Unfortunately, as you suggest, it would be too much a stretch for us this time, but, Polly, there may be others who are reading through this thread who can and want to make the time for it, so your contribution is valuable.

How nice that you were able to return to those gardens and re-see what you had fond memories of as a teenager.

Here's a big thank you to all who've come forth to help us plan our trip.

We feel we've got a handle on the St. Augustine and Charleston segments, leaving enough time between the scheduled activities to see what the days bring.

We still have to decide on our walking and/or carriage tours in Charleston--which ones?-- and although I've contacted Alfonso Brown for the Gullah tour, his office hasn't confirmed the date yet. I'll give it a few more days, and contact him again. We are really interested in that particular tour.

We're printing out this whole thread to take with us for reference. Looking forward to an oyster roast.

If you can bear with me for just a bit longer, there's still Savannah to consider.

We'll be there from the night of September 25, leaving early morning for our noon flight out of JAX on September 29. That will give us 4 nights and three full days. Probably not enough time, is it? Well, too late to do anything about that now.

As has been mentioned, we'll take our time getting down there from Charleston on the 25th. As of now we're set for visits to Beaufort and to St. Helena's Island and the old Sheldon Church ruins along the way.

In Savannah, we'll be staying at the Planter's Inn on Reynolds Square.

As for activities, we've heard good things about Savannah Rambles. Any thoughts on that or other companies that you've had experience with? We'd love a good walking tour highlighting the houses and other historical buildings and sites. And we'd like to tour inside one or two houses.

I'm afraid I'm one of those who's read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil--the locals are probably so bored with the likes of us--but I do want to see the Mercer House, and, of course, I want to visit the cemetary. We'll have a car, so we could do the cemetary independently. I understand that there's a self-guided tour pamphlet we could pick up on arrival. What do think? By ourselves or with a guide? I'm leaning to the self-guided. Cemetaries are pretty interesting if you take the time to head the headstones--whole stories in a few words.

Other than the Mercer house, what houses have any of you loved?

Entertainment: I just picked up the website for the Historic Savannah Theatre, and it looks like they have an enjoyable program scheduled for the time we'll be in town--music--Savannah Nights. It would be nice to see at least one live performance during this trip. Charleston had nothing special that I could see during the nights we would be there.

Any and all suggestions to help us frame our Savannah days will be more than welcome. We're open to most anything--houses, gardens, local activities, shopping,dining--oh, yes,in your opinion is the wait time for Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room worth it?

And an afterthought question: at the beginning of the trip when we're leaving our hotel near JAX for Charleston, is there a stop that we should be making during that long driving day? We're certainly not opposed to making a detour off the interstate for something of special interest

Rambles is the way to go for a tour of old Savannah. We did the inside of the houses on our own time, and in all instances, they are guided tours.

Michael, I've just gone back to your report--re-read and printed it. Will spend time with the photos later tonight. The report will be in the reference material we'll have with us on the trip.

Yes, it was from your report that I remember Rambles/Dirk Hardison and also Starrs made reference to him in her Savannah week-end report. She also gave a glowing recommendation. So Rambles it seems to be. I'll be meeting with my friend and travel partner in a couple of days, and we'll begin to make some reservations.

Your writing is very clear and easy to read. I really like your style.

When we first started planning this little trip, we did a lot of overview reading. Some specifics stuck, while others did not. Things are falling into place now, thanks in large part to personal recommendations and observations from posters this board. Now as plans are being refined, we're going back and re-reading trip reports and other contributions as well as our guidebooks. We know we have some good things in store.

I'm so glad you are taking a Savannah Rambles tour with Dirk. You will love it!

I had a very long day! When I'm more alert I'll give you the whole scoop on how to do an oyster roast. It's not complicated. You can get your knife when you get here and give it to a nice local when you leave.

Ah, soowoo. Thank you. I never thought to give the knife to a nice local. Were I to bring it back home, I truly don't know if it would ever be used again.

Over the years, I've had wonderful input from local people, local to the place(s) we're planning to visit. They're like ambassadors welcoming people to their cities. You're one of those.

That is so sweet. Thank you. I needed that today!

At an oyster roast, you'll see everybody standing around tables with holes in the middle. Go get a beer, and belly up. Friendly locals are usually happy to squish closer together to accommodate you. Eventually, the roaster guys will bring a bushel in a roasting contraption and dump them on the table. The oysters will be hot hot hot. Take your towel and pull some in front of you. Watch the guy next to you so you can see how to take your knife and crack open your oyster. I actually found a pearl once. Use your knife to scrap the oyster from the shell and eat it off the knife. There might be a band and dancing, so when get full or tired, whichever comes first, go dance.

You've gotten some fine advice. Hope your trip is great! I am bookmarking this treasure trove of ideas for our future trip to Charleston/Savannah.

Hi, Everybody--
We're home now from a very rich and interesting trip to St. Augustine, Charleston, and Savannah--the "interesting" and "rich" in large part because of the great input from all of you on the boards. Many thanks for your tips and advice.
Within the next few days, I'll post some feedback in hopes that I can add a bit to the valuable information already on this thread.
Once again, a big thank you to all.

Welcome home. I am so looking forward to hearing about your experiences.

Barbara and Jeri’s trip to St. Augustine, Charleston, and Savannah

WHO WE ARE: Two friends who worked together for over 30 years and who’ve traveled together for the past 10 years. Barbara, a retired high school counselor; Jeri, a retired high school teacher and chairman of the social science department.

OUR TRAVEL HISTORY: Last year at this time, Jeri and I were in Egypt and Jordan. We were fortunate with the timing of that trip because a short time after we returned, turmoil in the area broke out and escalated. Had we waited, who knows when we would be able to satisfy our dreams of experiencing what remains of those ancient cultures.

The year before that, we were in Prague for a few days before flying to Budapest where we boarded a riverboat for a Danube cruise, visiting cities in Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria along the way, with land segments to Varna, Bulgaria on the Black Sea, Romania, and Transylvania.

And the year before that we were in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian part of Borneo, visiting places along the coastal strip from Kuching in the south to Kota Kinabalu in the north, and ending with time on the island of Penang.
And so on. Over the years we’ve had some fantastic and often exotic adventures.

WHY THIS TRIP: This short trip of ours to St. Augustine, Charleston, and Savannah was different from what we usually do in that it was domestic. It was time, though, for me to experience more of my own country. I had never been in this region before. For Jeri, though, it would be a re-visit. She had been in each of these cities before, but since it had been at least 20 years, she was looking forward to the trip as much as I.

PREPARATION: Jeri needed very little regarding the history. She was a history teacher and an excellent one. Totally proficient in her subject. I, on the other hand, was lacking. I hadn’t had a US history class since my freshman year of college, half a century ago. Wow. That makes me sound so old. Let it be known that I’m still on my feet and that at least as of today, I have all my faculties. Tomorrow? Who knows?

Preparation for me consisted of three things—this board (and once again, thank you all for your input), the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Savannah), and the John Jakes’ historical fiction novel, Charleston. I loved that book. It started with the first settlement in Savannah and detailed the history through the Revolutionary War up until after the Civil War. There was obviously a bias—a northern one. And I was on board with that. So any of you are still reading this….Yes, I know. There is another point of view.

Basically, then, my preparation was scanty. Wish it had been more. As always, though, I travel to see and learn new things-- as does Jeri-- and that’s the way we approached this trip.

BASIC STRUCTURE:
Flight. We did a Kayak search and the best fare ended up with Delta flight from Lax to Memphis connecting with an Atlantic Southeast flight to Jacksonville, Florida. And return, of course. Total: $330.
Car. Hotwire. Hertz came up for $336 for pickup JAX on September 18 through drop off JAX on September 29. Toyota Corolla. Unlimited miles.
Hotels. I’ll specify as the report progresses.

OUR TRIP BEGINS:

OMG!! Our family had company the night before we were to leave. I had my bags packed and all my paperwork with the boarding pass, hotel and car confirmations, etc. in a folder, my carry on things and so on ready for my departure early the next morning. I had wanted to be sure all was basically in order because our departure from LAX was at 7:05 AM and we had to be there by at least 5:30 AM. It was midnight, though, before I got to bed. Had to wash dishes and all after the company left. And evidently I did not set the alarm. Thankfully, I woke up about 4:00 AM, half an hour before I was to pick up Jeri who lives half an hour away. I called my son-in-law Danny, who lives nearby and who was to take us to the airport. He, too, had not set his alarm. But he said he’d be right over. 10 minutes. And I just had time to get my clothes on. Contacts, yes. No make-up. And I never leave the house without it. Not even to go to the market. But, oh well…… “Oh, well” is a wonderful expression. It has served Jeri and me well over the years. It signals that we need to go from Plan A to Plan B without getting fussed up, and if Plan B doesn’t happen, then….Oh Well…..

So there I was with just my clothes and my contacts on, throwing my things into the car before getting our way to pick up Jeri. No time to do any last minutes checks to see that all was packed. About a mile down the road I told Danny, “I’m not sure I have my camera”. And a bit later, “I’m not sure I have my back-up contacts”. And, yikes!!, “ I’m not sure I packed my make-up”. And so on. It was going to be a thrill a minute when I finally got unpacked at our first hotel and saw what was really there. Never before have I left in such a hurry.

Bottom line, thankfully we did somehow make it to the airport about 25 or 30 miles away in time to catch our flight

This is the lead-up. The trip report will follow.

Just a small correction re the John Jakes book Charleston. Obviously it began with the first settlement in Charleston, not Savannah.

For any who are interested, I'm continuing this report under a new heading--Barbara and Jeri's trip to St. Augustine, Charleston, and Savannah.

Me! ME! I'm interested.....