RodnBren

Hello,
We are planning a trip for about 11 days the first week in April, 2013. We would love to see Savannah GA, Charleston, SC and the Outer Banks of NC. Does anyone have any thoughts to if The Outer Banks would be good to include? Also, what is the best itinerary for these three places.
We just really want to get an expericene of the South.
Thank you for any input.
B

Judyrem

I would just do Savannah and Charleston and include Beaufort or some other place.
Outer Banks in the first week of April could be cooler.
Also the OBX is a tad north IMO for your itinerary.

Shar

we did Charleston, Savannah and Beaufort a couple of years ago and loved it. We were gone 9 days. It was September so it was still a bit warm. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Beauford was very charming and the day we were there it was hot and steamy. My camera lens fogged up so the picture I took had a haze around it and everyone thought I used a special filter!

seetheworld444

I went to Duck in the Outer Banks and while it was lovely, if you want to experience Southern culture I would not recommend it. It's almost it's own world. In April the water will be too cold to swim in (unless you're used to swimming in the Atlantic in Main). Having lived in the South for a while, I think the culture is much stronger and unique in the smaller towns. I would recommend you pick one and stay in a b&b for a day or two.

Gretchen

Agree with the gist--just do the Savannah/Charleston part of the coast and really enjoy it. OBX is a LONG way from Charleston--it would be a 10 hour drive--just driving!!
If you wanted to branch out just a little more, and get more of the feel of that coast, you could go up to Georgetown. It is a charming Revolutionary War era town, and just north of that 20 minutes is Pawley's Island where the rice planters of Charleston escaped the malarial mosquitos of the summer on their plantations. Day trip, have a great lunch up that way.

suewoo

It's a long way from Charleston to the Banks. I love the OB but I agree-with only 11 days do just Savannah and Charleston. April is a great month for those 2.

I don't do itineraries, but if you look through the Charleston and Savannah trip reports you can see what worked for others.

Dukey1

Charleston to Nags Head is 450 miles depending on the route you use and if you decide not to take one of the ferries over to Ocracoke first.

I would limit my visit to Charleston, Savannah, and Beaufort. If you include the latter then also consider a trip out to Hunting Island and the beach.

cdnyul

Eleven days gives you plenty of time to see all three places, you could actually add Wilmington to the list.

It is about a 10 hour drive from Nags Head to Savannah.

You can take your time driving the coast of NC to the Outer Banks.

The Banks are what they are ( a mixture of boredom, kitschy shopping centers, wide open beaches, and the glory and the power of the Atlantic )

Mark

Dukey1

I just saw the ELEVEN DAYS part...I think you could easily OVERDO Savannah and Charleston in that period of time. The magnolias and "quaint" architecture and Paula Deen can get old after a while.

bachslunch

Agreed that 11 days is a little too much time just for Charleston and Savannah, excellent as both cities are. I spent 3 days in the former and 2 days in the latter, which covered pretty much what I wanted to see here. If you have a car, I could possibly see adding in a day in each city to reach outlying attractions (Ft. Pulaski, Ft. McAllister, and Old Fort Jackson to Savannah; Cypress Gardens, Boone Hall Plantation, Ft. Moultrie, and the Hunley Submarine to Charleston), but otherwise, I'd include other destinations.

Haven't been to Beauport, though I've heard good things. Hilton Head is also close by, if that's of interest, as are some of Georgia's barrier islands.

Unless I'm mistaken, both Atlanta, GA and St. Augustine, FL are closer than the Outer Banks from these areas. I've been to both cities, and one could easily spend as many as 5 days in the former (especially if you spend a day at Stone Mountain) and 3 days in the latter seeing the various attractions.

Gretchen

they don't say how they are getting there or leaving--11 days "on the ground". The person that spent 3 in Savannah and 2 in Charleston may have had it backwards and not enough in charleston, but there really is a lot of fun in the area of both. Don't waste time on Hilton Head. there are bird refuges, the area north of charleston that I mentioned--Pawley's. Time on the beach.
Five days in Atlanta!! Everyone has their own strokes, for sure!!
But between Atlanta and Charleston is a lot of interstate!!

bachslunch

Gretchen, I assume you're referring to me above. Two things:

-as my post says, I spent three days in Charleston and two in Savannah.

-I indeed spent five full days sightseeing in Atlanta. There's a surprisingly large amount of stuff here. If memory serves, I did the following:

a. one day at the Stone Mountain Park complex.
b. one day seeing the MLK Complex, Oakland Cemetery, Grant Park, and the Cyclorama/Civil War Museum.
c. one day seeing the Downtown area attractions, such as the Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, World of Coca Cola, and Underground Atlanta.
d. one day seeing the Midtown area attractions, such as touring both the Fox Theater and Margaret Mitchell's House, Piedmont Park, Atlanta Botanical Garden, and the High Museum.
e. one day seeing other city attractions, such as the State Capitol, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Jewish Heritage Museum, and Michael Carlos Museum at Emory University.

And I didn't even get to the Fernbank Science Center, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta History Center, or the Zoo.

While I can't say that I found Atlanta to be an especially appealing city in and of itself, there are a lot of attractions there. Some good eateries, too.

RodnBren

Thank you, thank you guys so much! I want this trip to be as good as possible. We are from Los Angeles and don't care much to see a big city and would like to see the ocean but swimming in it is not important. The main thing is seeing the South and I heard Savannah and Charlston are so wonderful. The Outer Banks sounded great too but after reading all of this, I am leaning against it. We are flying in and out. So, I guess we will fly to Savannah and work our way North. We have never been to the South and just want to visit some quaint Southern towns and enjoy the South for this once in a lifetime trip. Thank you for all suggestions!
Brenda

JoJoSiestaKey

What about Charleston, Savannah, and St. Augustine?

Out of the three, I would break up the trip and spend the majority of your time in Charleston. While our beaches are beautiful, you already have beaches of your own.

Have you already booked your flights? If so I would spend three days in Savannah, two in Beaufort, and four in Charleston.

Believe me, you cannot see everything there is to see in Charleston in a couple of days. It has some of the best shopping on the east coast. Don't miss Bob Ellis Shoes.

I did a trip report that is still relevant a couple of years ago and I'll dig it up for you.

My husband and I used to live a little over an hour north of Charleston.

JoJoSiestaKey

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-of-hotels.cfm

FWIW, I dislike Atlanta. I used to travel there for work and my stepson graduated from GaTech so I've spent a lot of time there.

suewoo

JoJoSiesta, you are so right. I lived in Charleston for years and didn't get to everything I wanted to do. It's not just a bunch of old houses.

tcreath

I think it just all depends on your interests. I live in Charlotte and have been to both Savannah and Charleston several times. I saw everything I wanted to see in Charleston in about a day and a half. Its a gorgeous town but I'm just not into shopping on vacation and taking a lot of house tours. I'm not trying to be critical; different strokes for different folks as they say. Savannah can probably been seen in a few days as well, although I prefer the vibe and atmosphere of Savannah so I constantly find myself wanting to return.

11 days in the area does seem like a really long time. Beaufort is really neat. I also thoroughly enjoy Pawley's Island, Murrell's Inlet and Georgetown. We spent a week in the Outer Banks (Duck) this past April. It was wonderful but a bit chilly and, I agree, much too far away to include on this itinerary.

Michael

We spent a short week last spring in Charleston and Savannah. You might want to read my trip report; click on my name to find it.

bachslunch

In support of my suggestion of 3 days for Charleston and 2 days for Savannah, see what I did on this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...charleston.cfm

for details, specifically my July 27 post there.

One's proverbial mileage may vary depending on interests and time, of course.

jill_h

Here's my SHORT trip report of Charleston, SC from October. We were there for 1 week and almost ran out of things to do. We are not the up-at-dawn-and-get-out type, so this was a relaxing, slow-paced trip. You don't need a car in Charleston; there is a shuttle service at the airport (don't know if it has a specific name) but if you're willing to wait for 15 minutes, it only costs you $12/pp. When you walk up to the cab/shuttle area, they'll ask if you're willing to wait -- if yes, they set a timer. When the timer goes off, get in the shuttle and leave. It was kind of quirky, but the price was good.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...port-short.cfm

We have also been to Savannah -- loved it, but don't have a trip report. It was several years ago.

What about adding The Biltmore in Asheville, NC? It's about a 4+ hr. drive from Charleston.