My husband and I are starting to plan for a Spring road trip driving from Nebraska to the South Atlantic states (NC, SC, GA and maybe WV & VA). My parents, who are in their late 70s) will be joining us on the trip. Our dates are flexible at this point, but I was thinking the last week of March and first week of April might work well. Although it would be great to go in February or early March to get away from some of our Midwest winter weather, I'm afraid if we tried to go that early, we could hit some ice/snow on our drive.

Not sure where all we'll stay along the way, but we'll probably spend a few days in Charlotte, NC, and also Savannah, GA, once we get there and maybe even head up to Richmond, VA if we have time.

I'd appreciate input on whether the late March/early April timing makes sense for our trip (positives and negatives) and any items we should take into consideration during our planning.

Thanks much!

the early April time could be very nice because the azaleas should be in bloom. You might look at Wilmington, NC's site and see when their azalea festival is, as well as Charleston. I'd aim for Charleston more than Savannah--more to do. Check back!

Savannah usually has their tour of homes and gardens in late March. To see the azaleas - the timing can be tricky. I've gone down in April before to see wilted droopy last-bits of the flowers. Mid-late March should be better but it could depend on the weather year to year.

http://www.savannahtourofhomes.org/

You couldn't visit coastal NC/SC at a nicer time of year. But consider the fact that coastal temperatures are somewhat more moderate than inland. Charleston, SC and Wilmington,NC average 45 low to the low 70s in early April. Asheville, NC is about 10 degrees lower. As a result spring flowers are out along the coast and inland they're a couple of weeks later.

There is a lot to see in Charleston and then heading north along US 17 you are along the coast. Beautiful gardens are at Brookgreen Gardens, just south of Myrtle Beach; Orton Plantation, north of Southport, NC; Greenfield Park, Wilmington, NC is noted for blasts of colorful azaleas usually the last few days of March and first few of April (depending upon the weather); and Williamsburg, VA has outstanding spring gardens in mid April. And, you generally don't need reservations.

I agree. It's a great time of year to visit. My azaleas here outside of Charleston bloom in mid-March.

The ocean will still be cold but the beach will be nice for walks. The sun warms everything up nicely. Stay in the historic district of Charleston and have shrimp and grits for lunch, take a carriage ride, and shop on King Street.

Easter falls on April 4 this spring. I don't know if hotels are more, but house or condo rentals will be pricier (can be more than 25% higher) Easter week and possibly both the week before and after due to spring break vacations. vrbo.com can give you some idea of the change in pricing for rentals. If you're only staying a few days in each place, hotels might work better for you.

As soon as you narrow down your destination, you might check on availability. With the economy the way it is that might not be an issue, however.

If you decide on the Charleston area, the Festival of Houses and Gardens is March 18 - April 17, 2010. The weather is spectacular in the spring especially compared to the Midwest(I live in Michigan)!

We've gone to Savannah twice in mid-March and the azaleas were in full bloom - just awesome! The Tour of Homes (purpose of our trips) is the weekend at the end of the week following St. Patrick's Day. Unless you want to participate, it's better to avoid that weekend, as hotels are busy and rates are higher, and it's also harder to reserve at the top dining spots. And, you may or may not want to avoid Savannah the day of the St. Patrick's Day parade.

Your plan to start as far south as you want to go and head north is a good one, as it gets warmer and more humid toward the end of March and early April. Visiting from New England, we find the warmer weather nice, but definitely not when mixed with high humidity!

Good time of year to visit the SE. However the SE is quite large geographically. I'd confine the trip to GA, SC, NC and Tennessee.

Start off in Atlanta, then visit Savannah, drive up to Charleston, then to Wilmington. Drive back over to around Asheville, as the Smoky Mountains should be beautiful that time of year.

Savannah, Charleston and Wilmington are totally different cities, and each has something unique to offer.

Time it to be in Savannah the last week of March and visit some of the gardens on the tour -
http://www.savannahtourofhomes.org/

Wow! Is it any wonder why I always start my trip planning on Fodor's forum? The amount of helpful info and advice provided above is fabulous! Now I'll spend a little time doing research on the cities/places you mention to come up with an intineray. I'm sure I'll be back later with more questions on restaurants or areas to stay in specific cities.

Thanks again to you all!