sunbabe

Thanks G--I am aware of the title problem and I still messed it up!

Husband and I will be staying at Fripp Island for 7 nights in June. We are ecstatic because this is our first trip w/out children (and not work related) in 20 years! We love the beach and will probably spend our days at Fripp. During mid-late afternoon and evening we want to venture to Charleston, Beaufort, and Savannah.

Fodorites--here's what I need from you:
1. How long will it take us to drive from Fripp to the three locations mentioned above? I can use mapquest, but it's better to get a locals perspective.

2. We'd like to do a carriage ride. Which city is best for this? What about Savannah ghost tours? Any thoughts?

3. We enjoy eating out for dinner. I've researched on Fodors and find that SNOB, Hank's, and High Cotton are often mentioned for Charleston. In Savannah, Pink House, One Eyed Lizzy's, and Huey's sound good. In Beaufort, I've found Shrimp Shack and Plum's. Opinions on those choices?? Any suggestions--particularly for Beaufort since it is closest and we will probably be there more than once.

3. I love shopping and enjoy seeing unique stores while traveling. Suggestions for shops with jewelry, soaps, lotions, candles, clothing, shoes, and home decor? I have champagne taste on a beer budget!

4. Any recs for places to have a drink? I have heard there are rooftop bars with nice views.

5. Your favorite plantation tour? I've read Magnolia and Middleton are pretty.

Aside from the things listed above, I have Edisto Beach (shelling), Ft. Sumter and Rainbow Row (Charleston), E Shavers bookstore (Savannah), Firehouse Books and Espresso Bar (Beaufort), and visiting country store between Beaufort and Fripp to hear Gullah spoken.

OK--I know we can't possible do all this, but it doesn't hurt to have choices! We are very excited about the trip, but I am getting overwhelmed with the possibilities! Any help is appreciated.

sunbabe

Anyone?

dowab

I've done the Beaufort carriage tour. Its was great especially if you are a movie buff. Movies like the Big Chill and Prince of Tides was filmed there.

egret

The carriage rides can be nice, but in Charleston, they tend to be slow and don't show as much as the mini bus tours. We avoided these mini bus tours for years, and then we finally went on one. It was wonderful and I would highly recommend it. There are a variety of these tours behind the visitors center. You can also take the cruise to Fort Sumter.
One restaurant I would recommend is California Dreaming. It looks like a castle and is right on the water.(this is in Charleston). Go early since the place tends to pack up quickly.

sunbabe

Thank you dowab and egret! I'll add these suggestions to my list. I appreciate your help.

livitup

You are about 90 minutes, more or less, to Charleston and Savannah. Buy a map to be sure, but I think you can use Hwy 17 to get to either. The drive to Savannah from Fripp is quite pretty, lots of turns, but well marked. I would not use I 95 because you will miss so much incredible scenery. There are dozens of little shops and restaurants between Beaufort and Fripp.Beaufort is a small southern town, but has so much character and characters. Beautiful homes on the waterfront! Ride around in the neighborhoods-one you'll see when you cross the bridge coming from Fripp.Another is after you pass through the main shopping district. The Shrimp Shack is great--and is very near Fripp. Also, there are several good restaurants on the road from B'fort to Fripp, across the street from the grocery stores--I can't remember the name, but one had Shrimp Bisque to die for! The main street in Beaufort has fabulous little shops & there are galleries on the road to Fripp. Also little roadside seafood markets. There are deer everywhere on Fripp--watch out!See The Prince of Tides before you go--parts of it was filmed there, and the author, Pat Conroy lives there. Check out his cookbook--he mentions the Shrimp Shack and other places in Beaufort. In Savannah, go to the Visitor's Bureau and book your tours, and don't miss the Bonaventure Cemetary tour.Go to Tybee Island and see the lighthouse. Also, the Lady and Sons Restaurant is wonderful, but be prepared to stand in line forever. Get there early, but by all means, don't miss it.The buffet is terrific! In Charleston, don't miss the Battery and the old city market and King Street. Great restaurants on King Street. This is a wonderful area. Have a great vacation.

sunbabe

Thank you so much, liv! This is just the kind of information I was wanting in regards to driving from place to place. We love little country stores and "off the beaten path" kinds of things.

ladylyn915

Carriage ride in Savannah is better than Charleston (IMO) Charleston has an odd system where after you get on the carriage, the driver stops by a depot of sorts and gets a number and this determines what tour you get. There are three. Sice Savannah is larger than Charleston, you may not see all of it from the carriage tour, but you will see quite a bit.

I did post a trip report earlier today, but I don't know where it went! I probably was not in the GA area when I saved it. If you can find it, you will find ( hopefully) some helpful info on Restaurants. Alo, I wrote a report on Charleston on the SC board as well.

sunbabe

I just posted on your Savannah trip report, Lady. Thank you for great information about Savannah and Charleston. I've made notes!

~sunbabe

cmcfong

I was in Beaufort a few weeks ago and had an excellent lunch at Common Grounds. Plums is reliably good as well. For breakfast I like to stop at Blackstones.
Bay Street Jewelers is very nice, high quality and fairly priced. High Cotton has some lovely linens. Actually for a little town there is a pretty nice range of shops. A really nice shoe store is next door to the bagel shop and just across the square from Blackstones and the Fire House is a great bookstore.
Beaufort is celebrating with mermaids placed around town by the arts council. I got interested enough to want to see them all and it was fun to see how the different artists decorated them. My favorite is the red headed mermaid on Federal Street. Oh, and try the gelato sold at the waterfront park (I think the business name is Panini or something similar...the raspberry is off the charts good).
For a drink with a view, my favorite is the rooftop MarketPlace Pavilion in Charleston.
Carriage ride: Gullah Tours in Charleston
Charleston restaurant: Magnolia's.

Have fun!

sunbabe

cmcfong,
I really appreciate all the info--especially about Beaufort. The lady we are renting from on Fripp says that Beaufort is wonderful.

cmcfong

You are quite welcome. Beaufort has a very active arts community so be sure to check out their center and activities. Great town, very walkable.

Have a great time.