jedivader

I will be arriving in Jacksonville, Fl and doing a round-trip road trip up to Charleston, SC and back. We will be spending around two days in each (Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston). Just looking for some tips, little known sights, misc. that would be recommened along the way or in those areas.

I have started to put together ideas of things to do and see, just wanted to get opinions from people that live or have been to these areas.

Brian_in_Charlotte

If it was me, I'd probably head north out of the airport to Amelia Island, skipping Jacksonville (south of the airport). With only 2 days in Savannah and Charleston, I'd want to limit my time on the road to a minimum.

eeyorelvr

I second Brian's suggestion. We love the Hampton Inn Bay front on Fernandina Beach, the Amelia Island Plantation side is a little out of our league. We also love the fact that we can park our car and walk to shops and great food. Charleston we usually stay at either the Hampton inn on Abercon or the Hyatt on the Bay front, mostly for the same reason the ability to park and never get back in the car, but we do love to go to Tybee island and go to Fort Polaski and also to the lighthouse. Huey's on the bayfront has a great breakfast!

SAnParis2

I agree, Amelia will get you headed in the right direction as well. In any of the places mentioned, I would tend to steer more towards B & B's or historical type hotels, in lieu of a chain.

suewoo

eeyoelvr I think you mean Savannah .

It's hard to find any little known sights in Charleston. However, on your way from Savannah, soon after you leave 95 and get on 17 look for the sign to Old Sheldon Church ruins. The light on the burned (twice) church is beautiful any time of the day.

padams421

Great posts above... I'd go straight to Amelia too. Spend the night in Jacksonville on your way back.

jedivader

Is there nothing in Jacksonville?

I think we actually might do more south of Jacksonville while we are there (St. Augustine and Daytona area).

The Sheldon ruins look neat but might be a little out of the way based on its' location (Beaufort). Looks like we'd have to get of of 95 for about an hour.

Thanks for all the info so far.

Any must sees in any of these cities?

Of course, I have my list together for breweries/brewpubs and some sports related venues (Alltel and Daytona Speedway).

bachslunch

Have combed through some Florida guidebooks, and I've seen little to nothing listed for attractions in Jacksonville. Nearby St. Augustine at least appears to have some tourist attractions, perhaps two days worth at most. Daytona's beach is likely this town's only major draw unless you're there for an auto race -- note also that Daytona Beach allows cars to drive on the sand there. This may or may not be a deal-breaker for visiting this beach (I can't say that the prospect of breathing a bunch of direct exhaust while lying on a beach holds a lot of appeal).

If it were mine, I'd likely spend two days in Savannah, three in Charleston (one of these at the Ashley River Road plantations), and maybe a day in St. Augustine.

suewoo

jedivader,

The ruins are 2 miles off your route from Savannah to Charleston. You'll get off 95 at Hwy 17. It's not in Beaufort proper.

SAnParis2

There is NO reason to spend any time in JAX proper.

RaleighLaura

Hi there!
We go to the Isle of Palms (just up the coast from Charleston proper) every year, so my list may be a little too far up the coast for you, but it may also be nice to explore a new beach. We love Wild Dunes, and it's easy to make everyone in my family happy there (beach, golf, music with a beachside bar by the main pool every night, kids programs, good places to eat, etc.)
That said, here are my favorite restaurants with ambience in that area:
The Boathouse at Breech Inlet (sunset and dolphins, always a winner)
Vickery's at Shem Creek (sit on the deck, anytime is nice, dinner is the most fun)
Seabiscuit Cafe on the Isle of Palms for breakfast
Poe's Tavern at Sullivan's Island
The Wreck (of the Richard and Charlene, but locals just call it The Wreck- don't go when it's hot as blazes, they don't do AC)
Morgan Creek Grill (can you tell we like to eat where we can see water and boats?)
If you're looking for things to do, I think just walking round the market area and going to the Waterfront Park is fun. We like to do that and hit the art galleries, and then go get ice cream or a drink.
I think the Calhoun Mansion is my favorite of the historical homes that are open to visit. The Nathaniel Russel house is also wonderful.
We also like to go on a trip to Capers Island and we go with Barrier Island Eco Tours each year. They do a great job, and you can bring a cooler with you to enjoy wine with your unspoiled beach sunset. Just remember to take your trash with you when you go!
If you drive up to Beaufort, be sure and visit Hunting Island State Park. It's a beautiful beach.
Hope that's helpful!
Laura

bc

Just to let you know....we love Charleston and Savannah, but we also love St. Augustine. Nothing in Jacksonville but lots of stuff to do and see in the nation's oldest city. We were there in February...also went to Savannah on the same trip. All of them are great.

jedivader

Thanks for the note on the ruins, will add that to our list.

Daytona is mainly to see the raceway, and my in-laws might want to see the beach just because they have never been there. Also, I was born near Daytona, so we are going to try and track my old house down.

TrvlLoverFL

If you are still looking for suggestions in Jacksonville and Amelia Island, look into touring the Kingsley Plantation and Timucuan Preserve. Also, you can tour the Budweiser Brewery and visit their tasting room for free! If you're wanting to stay in a non-chain hotel there's a great one called Amelia Hotel at the Beach on Amelia Island and there's also a superb beach-front B & B called Elizabeth Point Lodge. Your price range will determine which one you choose. The beaches are beautiful on Amelia Island and you can comb the beaches for fossilized sharks teeth. You will find some incredible restaurants on Amelia Island as well, plus great golf courses, a museum of history, boutique shopping, nature trails with great bird watching, Fort Clinch State Park, kayak rentals, charter fishing excursions.
Currently the Amelia Island Chamber Music festival is going on, and this coming weekend is the Wild Amelia Nature Festival. Memorial day weekend there's a Pub Crawl going on in the historic downtown district.
Hope this helps!

jedivader

We've decided to skip Charleston on this trip and just do the Savannah-Jacskonville-St. Augustine areas.

Anyone ever do the Okefenokee Adventures guided boat tour at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge?

TrvlLoverFL

The Okeefenokee adventures is a very nice tour, and I definitely recommend visiting the swamp sometime in your lifetime, but I highly recommend not during the hot summer months. Most of the coastal areas mentioned on this thread have beach breezes to help combat the high temps, but the Okeefenokee is further inland and can be VERY hot and stuffy especially in July and August.
I prefer to visit in milder months like October/November or even March/April. So depending on when your trip will be, that may determine whether or not to hit the swamp. Again, you may be ok with the heat, but be ware that it feels very hot there compared to closer to the ocean.

Giovanna

We did a similar trip to your revised one. Flew in and out of Jacksonville (but didn't see a thing other than the airport). Drove to Savannah, stayed at the wonderful Ballastone Inn, spent several terrific days there, and then drove to St. Augustine, where we stayed at another great place, Casa Monica, again enjoyed our several days there. We drove to Jacksonville and flew home.

I have a file on Savannah that I compiled when planning for the trip. If you'd like a copy e-mail me [email protected].

jedivader

We are leaving on 7/7.

Opinions on the best beaches on the coast from Daytona up to Savannah?

jedivader

Oh, and opinions on best local food and seafood in these areas.

Does anyone know if these brewery/brewpubs are still open?:

Cacy’s Brew
St. Simon’s Brewing
Hilton Head Brewing Company
Brewer’s Brewing
Southend Brewery & Smokehouse (Jacksonville)

And does anyone know anything about something called women's Brewing Company in Palm Coast?

eeyorelvr

I live in Palm Coast and have never heard of or seen a Brewing Company.

St. Augustine has A1A Ale House. I tried to call The Southend Brewery & Smokehouse from the phone number in the phonebook and looked online, the number is no longer in service, so I would assume the restuarant is closed, hope someone else can answer that better.