Trip to Savannah, Weekend in Charleston
 

I will be at a conference in Savannah from March 4-7 with my husband. We will be staying at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Savannah (where the conference is). I will be busy during the daytime but any suggestions on places to have a nice dinner and a bottle of wine? Is it within walking distance of restaurants, bars, etc.? We will then be spending the weekend of March 7-9 in Charleston. Was there years ago on a day trip from Myrtle Beach so we went to Fort Sumter and a plantation (don't remember which one). Looking for recommendations of hotels (historic district vs. downtown?). We may or may not have a car. Also looking for things to do. Any help is appreciated.

The Pink House for dinner in Savannah. Reservations needed, I think.

We were in Savannah in December and stayed at the Embassy Suites. The French restaurant in the lobby is good, we enjoyed a late dinner there the evening we arrived.

Elizabeth’s on 37th was the best dinner we had. Not walking distance but an easy Uber ride or drive if you’ll have a car. We also liked The Pink House. Lots of good restaurants in Savannah!

700 Drayton.
It is attached to the Mansion on Forsyth Park, which has an interesting hat museum inside.
A nice walk though the park.

Thank you @TDudette, @tracilee, and @cdnyul, I made reservations at the Pink House and 700 Drayton.

For things to do, I would recommend good walking tours of both cities. Savannah is particularly interesting because of the urban planning that went into it (the Oglethorpe Plan, which was very remarkable for its time). The lovely squares that you see today are due to it. Charleston is interesting for its long history (most tours will take you past cemeteries that house the remains of signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution). It is also remarkable for surviving fire, flooding and earthquakes (which most people don't associate with the southeast US). Both cities have distinctive architecture.

Fort Sumter is a an enjoyable boat ride from Charleston. If you get an early boat, you can participate in raising the flag over the fort, which i found kind of moving. There are several historic homes that can be toured, each having a highlight that makes it special (Nathaniel-Russell - free flying staircase; Heyward-Washington - you know who slept here; Edmonton-Alston - right on the Battery). However, I think the Aiken-Rhett house is impressive. Unlike the others, it is a preserved, but not restored, townhouse complex. The self-guided audio tour takes you through the main house and slave quarters. When I was there a year ago, there were ongoing excavations.

The churches of Charleston are worth a visit, particularly St. Michael's (stained glass windows: church bells that have gone back and forth to England, once as a prize of war) and St. Philip's.

Thank you mama_mia . Any suggestions for where to stay in Charleston? Historic district? Downtown?

Sorry, no suggestions since I live on one of the nearby islands and have not had a chance to stay downtown. Most of the hotels are located in about a mile and a half stretch between Septima Clark Expressway and Broad St. To me, that would all be fairly walkable. I have heard folks on Fodors mentions Belmond, Vendue and Ansonborough favorably. There are a few new hotels that might be worth a check.

Below Broad is the residential (non-commercial) district with beautiful homes and a few B&Bs.

Denisea has a great trip report of Charleston.

We stayed at the John Rutledge House Inn and really enjoyed our time in Charleston. You can check out my Trip Report under my bio.

We're off to Savannah in March so I'm following along.

Northfork280--just read your trip report on Charleston, which I thought was very well done (maybe because I would have constructed something similarly;)). Hope the OP checks it out.

I see you did a walking tour and I also noticed you are going to Savannah soon. Hope you are choosing to do another walking tour there--very interesting to learn the city planning that went into Savannah and contributed to its beautiful squares. I wish we could remember our tour operator, but I was several years ago.

We are planning to do a walking tour, although we're having a bit of difficult time locating one since we arrive on a Saturday mid-morning and most tours have already started at that point and most do not run on Sunday. I like to start a trip with a walking tour so I'll keep looking!

Enjoy Charleston!

You might look online and see if there is a walking tour that you could do yourself with notes on sights you'll pass.