Hi,
Our flight gets into Atlanta at 4pm on a Sunday and after picking up a car we hope to drive an hour or two on the way to Charleston. Any ideas for a stopover town?

Thanks

What route are taking?

Mapquest is advising the I20 to get to Charleston. Ideally we would like to make it to the coast on Sunday- however probably too much driving. Would Covington be ok? Or should we keep going for the Augusta area?

I-20 is the route we always take, and you can expect a 5 hour drive. Covington is basically part of metro Atlanta so you wouldn't be getting much driving over with. I would suggest Augusta (2 hours away)...or even Columbia (3 hours away) if you have enough energy.

Covington would only be about a half hour drive out of the airport. The suggestion of Augusta is a good one.There's a nice Holiday Inn Express off Route 20, just before Augusta. here are the directions coming from the west (which is where you will be coming from)
TRAVELING I-20 EAST TAKE EXIT 194 SOUTH BOUND ON JIMMIE
DYESS PARKWAY FIRST TRAFFIC LIGHT TURN RIGHT TRAVEL
0.25 MILE.HOTEL ON LEFT SIDE.

my apologies, it's not a Holiday Inn Express, but a Holiday Inn called Holiday Inn Augusta West

I would drive to Columbia, stay at the Hampton Inn on Gervais, and have dinner at Motor Supply Company.

Get a good night sleep, get up, you are in Charleston in two hours.

The Hampton Inn is in a really great part of downtown Columbia called The Vista. Lots of great shops and dining a stones throw or very short walk from The Hampton Inn.

And right behind the Hampton is the Allen Milling Company where you can buy the best grits (Charlie Trotter and Emeril love them) and other flour products. It is a wonderful old mill, and the last family owned mill in SC.

Adding, when they built the Hampton and did the excavation, they found Civil War cannonballs that fell short of the capitol building.

Thanks to all for the replies- trip gradually coming together
Currently I have two nights reserved in Charleston and no other lodging. I'm thinking maybe that is enough as we would prefer flexibility as I'm not sure which coast area to visit ie Georgia or South Carolina. Is that ok?

What Sunday? Is it Master's week? If so cross off Augusta.

The small town of Thomson GA is on I20 a couple hours from Atlanta. In Thomson, just a mile or so off I20, is the White Columns Inn, a Best Western. It has rooms for a little over $70 and is a very comfortable place to stay. It may be the cleanest hotel I have ever stayed in, the bathrooms just sparkle. The restaurant is very good (fried chicken is excellent) and they have a breakfast buffet that is free. www.whitecolumnsinn.com/ The Masters prices do extend this far out though, so rooms are several hundred dollars during that time.

Use I-20 to I-26 East. It is a long, boring drive with nothing but pine trees. I would shoot for either Augusta or Columbia (< 2 hours away from Charleston). 4pm flight into Atlanta with their typical Sunday afternoon delays plus getting a rental car - I wouldn't go further than Augusta.

Charleston and Savannah are 2 different cities. If you want to see many things in CHS, I would allow perhaps 2-3 full days. You can see the historic city (include churches and cemeteries), visit Ft. Moultrie on Sullivans Island or Ft. Sumter in the harbor one day and then see a plantation or 2 the following day. (Middleton is my favorite). Downtown, be sure to tour one or 2 homes to get a feel for the city - favorite is the Aiken-Rhett House and then one down in the Battery area for different views. Aquarium, museums, shows, symphony, historical houses, festivals, and more... it is a bustling city that Charleston. Also, do not miss driving across the new cable bridge (Highway 17 North into Mt. Pleasant from Charleston). It is a beautiful bridge.
I would encourage you to drive out to one of the barrier islands via a scenic highway, too - Edisto Island is delightful and so is the drive to it. Eat at the Old Post Office restaurant just before entering or exiting the island. Or you can go to Kiawah where the wealthy vacation and live and eat at the Sanctuary. Expensive and upscale but should be done once in a lifetime...

Savannah is different - the historic district is not as compact but she has lovely squares and parks throughout the city and a pretty riverwalk area.

Let me know if I can help...