our tentative october itinerary is:
one week in charleston
one week in savannah
third week - ?

do you think one week in charleston/savannah is too much time? we enjoy easy biking, photography, architecture, walking, music, theater.

we plan to rent a car for 3 weeks. we will rent an apartment in the historic districts of both cities. will we need a car in charleston?

our original plan was to stay on jekyll island the third week but perhaps a day trip there is enough. do you have suggestions for another place to visit?

someone on the forum suggested we visit shepardstown wv after a stay in dc. we enjoyed our stay there a lot, the hootenanny at the 100 year old hardware store will never be forgotten!

thanks for your help.

I think you could split a week between Savannah and Jekyll. Start with Jekyll so you will have warm weather. Walk on the beach. Collect shells. Shake out your shoes and go to Savannah.

i think a week i Charleston is too much,maybe 4 days--Savannah has a little more to do,but id think 5 days would do it.Have you thought about visiting Cumberland island and do some camping/If you do, you could spend a week between Cunberland, Amelia Isalnd--visit Ft Clinch park and do soemcamping--its a very nice spot.The Cumberland ferry takes off from St Marys,which has some veru nice B&Bs

And I think the opposite about Charleston and Savannah. Where are you coming from?

we live in san luis obispo ca.

thanks palmettoprincess and bigbomoho. gretchen, any ideas?

I'd spend ca. 3 days in Savannah and 4 days in Charleston. That would include a day to see the forts outside Savannah for one of those days (haven't done this) and a day seeing the Ashley River Road plantations on the outskirts of Charleston (have done this, highly recommended).

Not sure how far you want to drive, but Atlanta, Georgia has several days worth of interesting attractions (I spent ca. 5 days there), though it's not such an appealing city in and of itself. St. Augustine, Florida looks to have about 2-3 days worth of things to see. Haven't been to Columbia, SC but it looks like a couple days could be spent there as well. Further afield yet are possibilities in North Carolina such as the Outer Banks, the Triangle area (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill), and Asheville (especially for the Biltmore) -- again, haven't been.

Other posters are suggesting various islands on the Atlantic in Georgia and South Carolina (Jekyll, Cumberland, Amelia). Haven't been, but they definitely seem worth considering, as might be Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, and the coastal town of Beaufort (all in SC -- haven't been).

I think a week in each is a bit much, but if you prefer to settle in and really get to know a place, it can be done. A car will be helpful in Charleston as I think you'll want to get out an explore.

Given that Charleston and Savannah are fairly similar destinations, would you be willing to drive 4 hours (from Charleston) to Asheville (NC mountains) for the 3rd week? It's a great place and beautiful that time of year.

I read that you enjoy easy biking and I have to say there are few places with such great and easy biking as Jekyll Island. Please take a look at my recent trip report if you are still considering a stay there. We also had a great ride on St. Simons, but Jekyll was fantastic.

I love Beaufort, Charleston and Savannah. Sounds like a great trip to me. Enjoy yourself.

If you have never been before, I think it would be easy to fill a week in Charleston, especially with a car. I've been going to Charleston twice a year for 6 years or so now, and I try to stay as long as possible! I would want a car, though, so that you can visit surrounding areas. With a car, you can drive out to the plantations, you can visit Mt. Pleasant, you can go over to Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms, all a lot easier with a car than trying to do it via public transportation. There are tons of historic homes to tour downtown, along with museums, shopping, and dining. You also have lots of military history....Fort Sumter, the USS Yorktown, Fort Moultrie...all worth a visit. Add in some time to relax and just enjoy the beauty of the city and I think a week is the perfect length of time. Also, in my opinion, October is great beach weather, especially if you're talking the first half of the month.

I think I would spend longer in Charleston that Savannah also. I think a week in Charleston, a week in Savannah/Jekyll and then the GA/NC mountains as Brian suggested.

BTW. SC has Southwest Airlines now. You could fly into Charleston and then fly out Greenville SC.

thanks for all your suggestions. you are so helpful. we'll include as many as we can in our plans. we'll visit beaufort, too

our plans have changed and we'll spend 3 days in coco, fla. with friends.

do you recommend staying in the historic district of charleston or in mt. pleasant?

For Charleston, I'd stay in the Historic District. Otherwise, you'd have to rely on public transportation (certainly usable, but not as strong as in other cities) or try to park in the Historic District (which strikes me as a challenge). You'll be able to walk to a lot of the things you'd want to see this way.

Definitely the historic district.

I agree with Brian. I live in Mt. P. and it's nice, but if it's your first time, stay in the Historic District. Be aware that "downtown" and "historic district" are not the same thing.

we'll follow your suggestions concerning historic districts. are the following rentals in historic districts?

homeaway #234425, charleston
vrbo #2226035, savannah

reservations will be made next monday.
thanks for your help.