We're going to retire in a couple of years and a very long road trip is on the horizon. This thread has been great - I'm printing it as a "roadmap" (we've been to Charleston, Savannah, Hilton Head, New Orleans, Atlanta and Harper's Ferry before but certainly wouldn't mind a return visit). Great thread!

I think Charleston is great. Be aware that in the summer, it is sweltering if you are planning to walk around. The humidity is crushing (and I live in central VA, so I am accustomed to heat and humidity).

Also, I found traffic to be horrendous. My preference is to stay in town and Uber about.

Everyone- Charleston and Savannah are back on my itinerary! The original itinerary included 10 days in Canada, but I decided PEI was just going to involve too much driving. Not to mention that border crossing can be so annoying.

Also, Mammoth Cave NP and this thread kept nagging at me;) So basically, I substituted Kentucky/Charleston/Savannah for PEI/Quebec/Montreal.

I have 6 nights for Kentucky and 3 nights for Savannah. Thinking of shifting those around though. My focus this trip are National parks and fun walking towns, so POSSIBLY, I should just hit Mammoth for 2 days and then drive on to Savannah?

Currently:
my Kentucky list:
National Quilting Museum
Lost River cave
Mammoth Cave NP (2 nights)
Lexington (2 nights: Kentucky Horse Park and Mary Todd Lincoln- was fascinated by both as a kid).
Louisville (2 nights- really haven't got anything planned here except meandering and seeing the belle of Louisville. And possibly the Kentucky Derby Museum.)

The Question is: should I shave a few days off Kentucky and add them to Savannah? If so, what should I get cross off my Kentucky list? I'm probably going to do Charleston as a day trip, because there is a hostel in Savannah. So right now, I have a full day for Charleston and a full day for Savannah. Food and the Hunley are really the only "must dos" so far.

Any thoughts? I know I'm talking about a very short stay, but I'm trying to balance this out like my trip to California last year: accept that I can't see it all, but get a good taste while not traveling at too crazy of a pace.

Lastly- any Charleston accommodations that may be on the less expensive side? I'm fine with shared bathrooms, if there are any less than traditional hotels or bnbs.

Jeffergray: oho, so you found me out! It's funny, I wasn't into toy stores as a child, but I can't resist a good one now. So wasted on the young folks who just want to grow up;)

You mentioned southern gardeners-any favorite gardens open to the public?

I can't remember how long this trip is total now, but I can't figure out your Savannah-Charleston time. There is SO much beauty to see in that area--shrimp trawlers, bird sanctuaries, Beaufort, plantations, and the two cities. A day trip to Charleston is hard to understand.
Kentucky--Louisville has become a very neat town, according to our son. Lexington? Not sure what you'd do for that time. YOu've missed Pleasant Hill, a wonderful restored Quaker village.
How are you getting to all these places--driving?
Since Charleston is more northerly than Savannah, you might consider your 3 nights there.

These really sound to me like they should be two different trips. If you want good walking cities where you don't need to use your car for a few days, Charleston and Savannah are the tops in the South (along with New Orleans). I have been to, and stayed overnight in, both Louisville and Lexington when doing business trips. I remember Lexington as charming, but small, and Louisville as just a more modern city.

If you plan on driving from Louisville to Savannah, that's about an 11-hour drive without allotting time for breaks or meals. It would take an entire day (which would be beyond exhausting, if not downright risky, for a solo driver), or portions of two. If you are going to try and combine these two areas, I would at least do Louisville-Lexington first (and those two are close enough that I would probably just stay in one and do the other as a day trip). Then you could do Mammoth Cave, which is in the southern part of the state not that far from the Tennessee line, and which would at least put you maybe 90 minutes closer to Savannah.

If you try to do Charleston as a day trip, all that will do is leave you with a crazy yearning to get back there when you have more time! Among other things, it's about a two-hour drive from Savannah, even if you don't stop to see much.

MightyMouse, you had also sought out ideas for a New England tour. If you will open up a topic along those lines for one of the New England states, I will be glad to post some ideas there.

P.S. I recently ran across your Trip Report from your spring trip to the D.C.-Baltimore-Philly area. When you stayed at the Monaco in Baltimore, you were about a block from my office (its bar is our preferred watering hole). And I was walking around Light City one night this spring as well!

Urk. I shall post a new post with the whole shebang:) That might be helpful- I was trying to do it in more manageable chunks!