Tour of the South
 

I am planning a driving trip to the south for the first time (California native) and am searching for "must sees". I plan on at least visiting Savannah, Charleston SC, and Myrtle Beach. I am big on historical sites and would love to venture of the track to see a great plantation or taste some real southern cookin'. Any suggestions would be great.

New Orleans has beautiful plantations (a short drive from the city) and great food if you would like to include it in your tour.<BR>

Id' skip Myytle Beach (not really the South anymore) and do New Orleans or the Natchez Mississippi area instead. Loads of antebellum mansions in Natchez and it is really is the south....

Not to be a killjoy but unless you are talking about at least two weeks to tour the southeast, I'd skip New Orleans. New Orleans is about 700 miles from Savannah and about 800 from Charleston. A twelve hour drive is not my idea of a fun vacation.<BR><BR>Myrtle Beach is great if you have kids but I would suggest Pawleys Island for beach. Wonderful barrier island settled in the 1700's with many of the beach houses on the National Historic Register. Some of the really old houses still have old slave quarters on property. Pawleys Island is really beautiful.<BR><BR>Another nice beach community is right outside Charleston called Wild Dunes. It is newer but has great beach and accommodations.<BR><BR>When you go to Charleston, stay downtown in the historic distric. Check out Charleston Place, The Vendue Inn, Wentworth Mansion, and The Planters Inn. Charleston is a walking city with great dining and shopping. It is a beautiful place.<BR><BR>Savannah is a great town! Lots of history with colorful locals. Also, stay in the historic district. Good hotels are The Hyatt and The Westin. I've not stayed in any of the B&amp;B's there but there are tons to choose from. <BR><BR>You can do both Savannah and Charleston without a car. Check out the movies Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Big Chill, Forest Gump, Bagger Vance, and The Prince of Tides to get a good look at the Low Country.

Hi Nicole, I live in Florida.. the northern part of the state...St Augustine is the oldest city in the US...its not far from me...its small.. very quaint..has the &quot;Old City&quot; where its just for pedestrians...no cars allowed.. Old Cobblestone Streets...and wonderful restaurants for such a small area...Also, you drive east over the bridge... and your on the beach..<BR>Its one of my alltime favorite cities..It might not have that Southern ambiance of Charleston, which I love as well... but St Augustine is very special! and its only about 2-1/2 hours south of Savannah.<BR>Have a great time!!!

I agree about St. Augustine Florida. Lovely city and I wouldn't miss it. Also Savanah, Charleston, and NO is an experience in and of itself. I am not a large fan of Myrtle Beach.

Nicole,<BR>I agree with the post that it doesn't sound like Myrtle Beach is what you are looking for. If you go to Savannah and Charleston and just want to go to the beach while there, you might try Hilton Head as it is much closer and not as crowded with souvenir shops, little amusement parks and go-cart tracks. There is tons of that in MB! Near Hilton Head in Hardeeville SC (just off I-95) there is a neat little southern sea food restaurant called The Cripple Crab. The seafood was great and the &quot;southern hospitality&quot; was abundant. There are also plantations in the Low Country (Sav/Charl area) to visit.

Hardeeville, now that brings back memories. Can't believe nobody's mentioned South of the Border yet. You'll kick yourself if you miss it.

Yup... are you talking about South of the Boarder with the GIANT SOMBRERO on the billboard??? LOL...pass it everytime i go visit friends LOL

I didn't start this topic but the comments are about places I'd like to go - Savannah, Charleston etc. What about Biltmore Estate- I've wanted to go there for years. Have any of you been there? What is it like?<BR>Thanks.

Nicole, people are kidding about this horrible place South of the border. There are million signs about it on the way down South. It is a major DUMP. Don't go there. You will be sorry. I have never in my life seen such a crummy place. The &quot;hype&quot; about it is to much.

cj... I went to the Biltmore a couple of years ago with 2 friends..It was the first time I had been..it was UNBELIEVABLE...If you have the chance to go...DO IT LOL...what a place.. the mansion and the gardens..all of it, you know it was built by The Vanderbilts.<BR>We had lunch in one of the areas that used to be Horse Stables..<BR>It took most of the day to see everything but I was visiting friends just outside of Asheville so we didnt have a long drive.<BR>The city Of Asheville is also quite lovely, very quaint!<BR>Oh, there is a winery there also, but we didnt have a chance to see it.<BR>If I have a chance to go back again!

Nicole: You've gotten some good advice here. My suggestion would be to rent a beach cottage at Pawleys. I grew up going to Pawleys Island for about 6 weeks every summer and I would not trade those memories for the world.<BR><BR>Pawleys Island has managed its growth extremely well. While the area is hopping with people and businesses, its well-developed with the environment and everything looks nice and well kept. There are some good restaurants 10 minutes to the north in Murrell's Inlet, and also a fabulous 5-star restaurant in Pawleys called Franks (reservations a must).<BR><BR>There are numerous upscale golf courses (True Blue, Caldeonia, Heritage) and the hype and glitz of the Myrtle Beach area is about 45 mins north.<BR><BR>Pawleys is also very close to Charleston. Take US 17 south to Charleston and you'll be there in about an hour.<BR><BR>I hope this suggestion is good for you. I am biased about the area because of my childhood, but in all honesty I think it will give you a real sense of the South!<BR><BR>If you have any more questions, please feel free to speak to me directly. I am very knowledgable about the area! I would love to help you...

Hey Robert.. if I get a long weekend, I may drive up there myself.. I am in Jacksonville and I love Charleston but didnt see Pawleys Island..sounds marvelous:)

Lois- glad I brought Pawleys to your attention! I hope you have a marvelous time.<BR><BR>Helpful websites:<BR>www.litchfieldbythesea.com<BR>www.paw leysislandvacations.com<BR>www.pilba.org<BR><BR>On e other thing I forgot to say in my original response... Pawleys Island does not have a huge nightlife. No clubs, just a few casual bars. More country club than techno club, ya know?<BR><BR>Pawleys' nightlife revolves around sitting on the front porch, listening to the ocean, enjoying the breeze, and letting time creep by with a nice cocktail in hand. Also, Pawleys is the original home of the rope hammock - and for good reason! The place is perfect for lazing about and napping.<BR><BR>Aaaah, I'm relaxed just thinking about it! I miss PI!!!

Robert.. front porches..hmmm so are there many B&amp;B's in the area??? I love them so much!

Lois, I'm not exactly sure about B&amp;Bs as I have never stayed in one. My hunch is that there would be some in the area, but you'll have to search for those on your own. Good luck!<BR><BR>When I talked about front porches earlier, I was referring to renting a beachfront cottage (I use the term loosely, most of the house are multimillion dollar mansions, some hundreds of years old!). Renting out a home for a week, while kinda pricey, is well worth it. You can do lots of meal prep. there and have the amenities of a full, real house. From what I remember, renting a oceanfront house for a week is like $1-2k. Sounds like a lot, but when you compare the nightly rates of nice hotels/B&amp;Bs and eating out less, the cost is somewhat negated.<BR><BR>Any other questions? I'm enjoying helping you out!

thanks for the help...the price, well it might be a bit pricey for my budget..it sounds wonderful though...<BR>Will definitely keep it in mind though the next time I drive up your way:)

There are 3 B&amp;B's on Pawleys Island. The Pelican, the Sea View and I've forgotten the name of the third.<BR><BR>If you want to stay at an honest to goodness Plantation, check out LitchfieldPlantation.com. They are in Litchfield/Pawleys and it is a 260 year old former rice plantation. They are not on the water but have an ocean front house on Pawleys Island they use as a beach club.

Robert, I don't know the last time you rented an oceanfront house on Pawleys but in season they start at about $2500 and go up to about $7000 per week. Not cheap but well worth it. Being on the island is like being on valum. Very laid back.