cisco4950

We are planning to fly into Atlanta, drive to Asheville and Charleston, SC and Savannah, Ga, back to Atlanta. The trip will be from Saturday, March 10 until Saturday, March 17, 2007. Any suggestions about what NOT to miss (except Biltmore, of course, we HAVE to see that!)? We won't have kids along, so no need for youth-oriented side-trips. Mansions? Wineries/Vineyards? Antique places? Beautiful, scenic spots/views? Suggested routes would be also be appreciated, and any other must-sees! Thanks for your help! Hope I'm not asking for too much!

Dukey

Topping...with Biltmore I think you've got THE mansions part pretty much sown up and yes, IMO, it is worth a visit.

egret

Charleston is one of my favorite cities. Make sure to drive or take a tour that will take you to a section of town called The Battery. This is a beautiful "do not miss" spot, with lovely mansions on one side and breathtaking water views of Ft Sumter on the other. You may also like the Straw Market. This is an open-air market where people sell their wares. The highlight are the women hand weaving straw baskets from sweetgrass. This is a craft that has been handed down for generations.
I would start your trip with a visit to the wonderful visitors center. Directly behind the visitors center, there are several mini bus tours you can take. We never took one until a couple of years ago, and it was wonderful. I would highly recommend it. You can also take carriage rides, but I understand they do not cover the ground that the mini busses do.
In Savannah, I would recommend a trolley tour or the riverboat tour. The trolley tours usually start at the visitors center and most have on and off privilages, which means you can get off where you'd like and catch another trolley at a later time. Make sure to ask if your specific trolley does this. You can catch the riverboat tour at the Riverwalk. If you have access to a car, make sure to head down to the beach at Tybee Island. On your way down there, you will come accross FT Pulaski. This is a wonderful fort, complete with drawbridge. It's a wonderful place to go.

egret

Oops! I forgot to mention that you can take boat tours to Ft Sumter in Charleston.

tovarich

On our southeast tour we were visiting those places. In Charleston we stayed at the King Charles inn,nice place in the centre of the historic part,parking included.Go to the town museum(very interesting) and ask the combined ticket;museum and two house tours.We took the Joseph Manigault house and the Heyward Washington house.Also visit the Old exchange and the Provost dungeon.
In Savannah we took the Old town trolley tour the first day but you can easily ee everything on foot.We stayed at the Quality inn Heart of SAVANNAH. Check out the food at One eyed Lizzy's on River street.Go to Tybee island and visit museum and go up the lighthouse.
In Asheville go to Chimney rock when the weather is nice.

Brian_in_Charlotte

You may want to adjust your schedule to avoid Savannah around March 17 (St. Patrick's Day). It's a zoo and likely all booked up the 16th and 17th.

cisco4950

Thanks for your help! We DEFINITELY won't be in Savannah for St. Pat's Day, as that's the day we fly out of Atlanta. We'll leave Savannah the a.m. of the 16th.
Thanks for all the great ideas! We are looking forward to a GREAT trip! Whirlwind week, I'm sure. We have friends who are a Citadel recruiters, so we definitely get their to-do's/not to-do's in that area. Please keep the ideas coming! Any ideas of where to stay/places that might be advisable to avoid? Thanks again!