Choosing between a few cities for a long weekend trip
 

Hello! I am planning a four day weekend trip this fall for my birthday and want to go one of these three cities: Savannah, Toronto, or Austin. All are places I've heard good things about and would like to go to someday, but am wondering if anyone has been to all or a couple of those places and if so, which they'd recommend? And of course any "must do" things from any of the cities would be great too. Thanks!

What are YOUR interests? We can't make any useful recommendations without knowing what you like to see/do.

I can only comment on two. Please beware that my opinions are based on 2 visits to Savannah but only one to Austin.

<u>Savannah</u> is super if you like gorgeous old homes and good food. Local transportation is nice. Good art vibe thanks to many venues of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Several of the old homes are now gorgeous B and B's. I stayed at Ballastone Inn http://www.ballastone.com/ . It had a private parking lot, gorgeous rooms and wonderful food.

<u>Austin</u> is excellent for its arts, government and music vibe. I splurged with a stay at the Driskill http://www.driskillhotel.com/ and it was wonderful. Gorgeous rooms, bar (with live music), restaurants and a long history. University has museum and galleries; capitol building has guided tours. I missed much of the interesting food places.

Others can add to what I've said and talk about Toronto.

I forgot to add that Austin has good bus system also. I'm going to top my trip reports about Savannah (towards the end of the report) and Austin.

Toronto has art museums and galleries, major league baseball of a sort, and an amazingly diverse population, which means it has an amazingly diverse food scene. At the moment, the US $ is in an advantageous position.

I also like Quebec (city) a lot, Montreal not so much.

Ditto to Ackislander's Quebec City like--it is very charming.

I've been to all three, and Savannah has the most to offer of the things that appeal to me: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...h_Georgia.html

HTtY

PS Quebec City IS a treat, but it isn't on your list.

We have been to all three and enjoyed them all. I think I would save Austin for the springtime, rent a car and drive some of the Hill County towns enjoying all the beautiful Blue Bells. In Savannah we took a trolley tour to get the lay-out and then walked to places we wanted to go. Loved the Pink House for lunch! In Toronto we loved the diversity of the people and how they really use their parks. We also took the ferry over to the Islands for a couple of hours.

Well, it wasn't on your list but we LOVED Quebec and stayed in a quaint little b&b in Old Town, which is where we spent all our time.

I don;t think the Jays would like the "of a sort" since they are now leading the American League East and having an excellent season.

Sorry - we loved Toronto. Great city, nice museums, good food and only about an hour from Niagara Falls - assuming you are going Sept or early Oct.

Savannah was lovely and we enjoyed the drive over to Tybee Island. The food is terrific.

<i>Sorry - we loved Toronto.</i>

You're excused, but who was it that badmouthed Toronto?

HTtY

I've been to all three. I'm glad I'd been to them all but they're really quite different animals.

Toronto is much bigger (with a much more ubiquitous skyscraper presence) than the other two cities you mention and is very multicultural. Toronto consequently has things you won't find in the other two: large Chinatowns, Gerrard St. Bazaar (a Little India). Public transportation is much better than in the other two, with criss-crossing streetcars, subway lines and buses moving with frequency, even later into the evening. The Islands are lovely, easily accessible from downtown with beaches.

If you want something with a longer history, and consequently Old World feel and charm, Savannah would probably be my choice, with handsome squares and beautiful (often antebellum) architecture. Savannah is much more compact than the other two cities, which makes it quite walkable (in the Historic District, which is where most visitors go). Savannah has its distinct Low Country cuisine-- the other two have an excellent dining scene, but not so much a unique dining tradition (more fusion). Savannah will get you closest to the ocean if that appeals (although Lake Ontario by Toronto can look like an ocean!).

I liked Austin but it is my least favorite of the three (I prefer nearby San Antonio), due to a less distinct character to my eyes and its more spread-out nature without matching public transit (public transit to some places was workable, albeit not always frequent, in the center). Highlights for me here were the Bullock Museum of Texas History and exercise possibilities in Zilker Park by the Colorado River. Austin is referred to as a "Live Music Capital" and one does indeed hear lots of it along 6th Street etc... but I think Toronto has equally good live music options.

You won't go wrong whichever you pick! Best wishes, Daniel