Ideas for Day Trips

Looking for ideas for day trips. We are spending 9 days in Charleston at the end of June; we鈥檒l spend the first 5 days of our vacation in and around the Historic District then we鈥檒l rent a car for the last 4 days. We are thinking of spending day one exploring the nearby beaches, Isle of Palms etc, day two at plantations, day three driving to Beaufort and Savannah and day four driving to Myrtle Beach with a stop-off at Georgetown. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks so much.

Ideas for Day Trips

Though Georgetown has an interesting downtown, it is a very small town that probably won%26#39;t keep your interest for very long. Certainly there are beautiful streets with old, nicely kept homes and a small ';boardwalk'; lining the marina, and there are some small antique shops and a giant furniture store featuring European-style furniture, but many people find themselves overwhelmed by the factory smells that permeate the town (particularly bad if it is very hot). Don%26#39;t get me wrong - I like Georgetown but your time is limited so you might have to make some decisions. I might suggest you stop at the ';Hammock Shops'; http://www.thehammockshops.com/ in Pawley%26#39;s Island the day you go to Myrtle Beach instead of Georgetown. It has some nice boutiques, is very shaded (which will be welcome if it%26#39;s hot out) and has some nice places to sit and have an iced tea and a meal.

In Pawley%26#39;s Island (the beach is nice, too) you%26#39;ll find Brookgreen Gardens http://www.brookgreen.org/ which is a nice stop. I%26#39;m not sure what you want to do in Myrtle Beach - let us know your interests there - but just south of MB is Murrell%26#39;s Inlet which is THE place to go for dinner. It%26#39;s only about 90 min back to Mt. P from there so it%26#39;s doable if you have an earlier dinner. (we love the restaurant called Bovine%26#39;s - the views of the marsh are outstanding!) http://www.bovineswoodfired.com/

If you%26#39;re going to be in Charleston on a Sunday and want to give yourself a real treat, the town of Summerville has a world-class resort called The Woodlands Inn http://www.woodlandsinn.com/ that serves brunch as the perfect ';southern'; experience. If you get off to an early start, you might be able to combine the Woodlands with one or more of the plantations as they are in the same general direction.

I haven%26#39;t been yet, but would like to visit the Mepkin Abbey http://www.mepkinabbey.org/ in Monck%26#39;s Corner. In Goose Creek (same general direction) is Cypress Gardens, http://www.cypressgardens.info/ but probably if you go to Magnolia and Brookgreen it will be overkill.

Enjoy!

Ideas for Day Trips

While your in Savannah take a trip out to Tybee Island if you have the time.They have some quaint shops ,nice beach and a awesome lighthouse you can tour. The Fort on the way out to Tybee is interesting if your into civil war history. It sounds as though you have your agenda full to do Charleston,Savannah and Beaufort in nine days will be almost impossible by them selves. Slow down and enjoy that beauitful part of the country. Most of all have fun.

Thanks very much for the info.

CultureHound, how far is Pawley%26#39;s Island from Charleston? We are not really set on visiting Myrtle Beach, we are just looking for interesting places to visit that are not too far from Charleston. We enjoy wandering the waterfront, beaches, historic buildings, quaint towns, etc. Thanks again.

Pawley%26#39;s is about 75 miles from Charleston but it%26#39;s a very easy drive. Along the way you can even stop at Hampton Plantation or the very quaint very small town of McClellanville (where I believe they%26#39;re currently filming a movie with Kevin Costner).

Myrtle Beach, about 15 minutes north of Pawley%26#39;s, is the favorite vacation spot of people with young children as it is absolutely abundant with things for children to do like arcades, theme parks, themed restaurants, putt-putt golf places, etc. As a result of the concentration of these things as well as the abundance of high-rises, MB has legendary traffic congestion that most people try to avoid if they don%26#39;t have to go through it.