7 Day Road Trip down Southeast Coast
 

Hello everyone!
I'm looking for suggestions on a 7-8 day road trip that my husband and I are taking with my parents. We had originally planned a family vacation in Disney World, but due to an unexpected injury, my grandparents had to cancel at the last minute. We decided to just take a (quasi) impromptu trip down the coast. My husband and I are boarding a cruise in Fort Lauderdale on May 26th so our plan is to end the trip with my parents there and they will fly back to Kentucky and we will board our ship and leave our car in long term parking.
I've agreed to not plan every single detail (I'm a horribly chronic planner and this is killing me!) but I would still like to have a route in mind and perhaps some "must-sees" that we shouldn't miss.
Currently we are considering the following route, but I feel like I may be over extending us a bit. Any suggestions are extremely welcome and appreciated:

Leave Mayfield, KY on 5/17
Head towards The Outer Banks
From the Outer Banks, start heading down the coast stopping at:
Myrtle Beach
Hilton Head
Tybee Island
Savannah
St. Augustine
While slowly making our way to Fort Lauderdale

I am aware that hitting all those points may not be feasible, but that's where you guys come in! :)

I have considered purcashing a Road Trip USA book on Amazon and just winging it as well.

What are your thoughts?

Is there a reason Charleston didn't make your list? You have quite a few beach vacation destinations - personally I might get bored of just driving from beach to beach.

I'm not very familiar with Charleston and I'm not sure what's there. Do you have any specific suggestions?

The Outer Banks is really the outlier here. It is an 8 hour drive from my charlotte home so 16 or mor hours for you.
You could drive to Asheville.
Then if you must Myrtle Beach.
charleston
Savannah
NO NO Hilton Head
Then to Ft. Lauderdale.
Surely you want to stop in these cities and not just drive through?
I'd leave MB out and go to Charleston. Then you could include Tybee--or Beaufort--or some place a lot nicer than MB. Or Hilton Head.

Charleston is probably the most charming city in the US--and historic. History, food, fun.

And please keep all the responses on one thread--don't start another. ;o)

I have no idea how I managed to create three threads. I also can't seem to figure out how to delete the other two. Apparently while previewing my post I somehow created the two additional posts as well. :(
Sorry about that.
Looks like I will be adding Charleston to the route and taking Hilton Head out (which I'm fine with, because I hate tennis).
So the Outer Banks is probably a bit too far out for this trip?

It would be for me, but if you've never been you might enjoy it.

If you google Charleston you'll see why people are strongly recommending it.

The Outer Banks are pretty far out there. It's a matter of your priorities - if something about them really interests you, go for it, but recognize that you'll have a lot of time in the car and less time for other places.

There are quite a few trip reports here on Charleston (and Savannah - probably St. Augustine too, though I haven't seen one in awhile). They're marked with little yellow books; you can search in the box above. Charleston has tons of history, great food, and lots of charm.

You could probably ask the editors to remove your other threads.

As I said, you are at least a 16 hour drive TO the OBX. Then for another comparison, OBX are an 8 hour drive to say, MB. This is pretty much driving time with no stopping.

Despite the distance from Mayfiel if you have never BEEN there I would NOT substitute Myrtle Beach for the Outer Banks for any number of reasons and if you decide to stop at botrh you'll understand why.

You might consider adding Beaufort, SC, to the itinerary since it is pretty much right on the way between Charleston and Savannah; it is also IMO much more interesting than Hilton Head.

Since you said up front that you are going to make your way SLOWLY I am kinda baffled by all the flack regarding going "all the way" to the Outer Banks.

See my response to other thread, wherein I said much the same as most of the above.

Got it, Outer Banks removed, Charleston definitely added. I have asked the mods to remove the other posts. Thanks for the help!

Does anyone have any recommendations for what to do about lodging while we travel? I have always had reservations long in advance but my family really wants me to just "go with it." Do you think there will be any issues in finding rooms along the coast?

I would not worry about lodging ON WEEKDAYS except in Charleston or Savannah unless you are very picky. The Outer Banks on a weekend might be slightly more difficult, but others will know better.

Southern public schools get out for summer vacation about five weeks earlier than northern schools, and there used to be a mass migration of SC high school kids to Myrtle Beach, some without chaperones, some with "chaperones". Maybe this doesn't happen any more but it is a reason I would avoid Myrtle Beach, if I needed a reason.

It looks like the revised plan so far consists of driving to Charleston, then Tybee Island/Savannah, St. Augustine, and then Fort Lauderdale.

Hey Dukey--do you know how far the OBX are. So it is two driving days to get there, and another one to get a little way down the coast. So 3 days and all we've seen is the inside of a hotel room. Slowly to me means stopping and looking along the way.
You'll want to make reservations in Charleston--in the historic district if possible to maximize your time.
The OP has made the adjustment--good for her.
The other stops look great.
Are you going to stop in Asheville the first night--it is definitely worth it--and "on the way".

This is the deal with your plan; because the coast is a ways from the mainland and the actual driving routes, you aren't going to see much water.

I would redo this trip as three days in Charleston then three days in Savanannah.

Then just hop on I95 and head to FLL. It's about seven hours from Savannah.

I hadn't thought about where to stop on the way, I just assumed we would drive straight through to Charleston, SC.
JoJo - it looks like that's essentially what will wind up happening. A few days in Charleston, then on to Savannah where we can go to Hilton Head and Tybee on day trips. Then end the trip in FLL for two days before we board the ship.
Thank you so much for all the suggestions! I would have never thought much about Charleston or Asheville. That's why I love these boards! :)