Trip of a Lifetime!!! Need help with Must See/Great Food etc

Greetings!

My cousin and I are planning a trip to Charleston and Savannah in early May to celebrate my 60th BDay.

We are (fairly) active. Can walk a few blocks, rest and go again! Still like rock n%26#39; roll. She has never seen the ocean, so that is a must.

Please help with great food (we love seafood, steaks and good southern cooking.

Tour recommendations and shopping.Can%26#39;t wait to take a carriage tour!

We will have 4 days in each city and a rental car.

We are staying in Mt Pleasant.

Thanks in advance for your help! I love this site,it has enhanced our past trips greatly!

Trip of a Lifetime!!! Need help with Must See/Great Food etc

Type in the words ';trip report'; at this forum%26#39;s Search field and you will get a large number of recommendations on what to do and where to eat.

Trip of a Lifetime!!! Need help with Must See/Great Food etc

Thanks for the advice. I love to read the trip reports but had forgotten about them. (Brain freeze)?

How exciting for you! I think you%26#39;ll find that this is a perfect fit for you . The only thing you didn%26#39;t mention that we have in abundance is ';great architecture, beautiful gardens, abundant nature and friendly people';, so we have everything you mentioned and more.

Well - you probably know the short list - carriage tour, historic walking tour, visit historic homes, shop at the Market, visit a couple of plantations, take a harbor cruise/Ft. Sumter, visit Patriot%26#39;s Point, just walk around the residential district by yourselves, and go to the beach (I%26#39;d recommend a beach chair; maybe your hotels can direct you to where they can be rented for the day). Whew!

This area is ';all about'; great seafood and great southern food and it%26#39;s a ';foodie%26#39;s'; dream come true; you won%26#39;t have trouble finding wonderful food.

Please click on the ';Things to Do'; sections to take notes; also on the ';Restaurant'; section and click on the restaurant links. We%26#39;ll be happy to help if you have other questions! Welcome to Charleston! Enjoy.

CultureHound:

I was hoping to hear from you! You are a treasure of information and I enjoy your posts so much!

Could you possibly advise us on the best route from Savannah to Charleston? We are taking my son%26#39;s navigation device, but that doesn%26#39;t mean we can%26#39;t get lost!

I see route 17 on the map but is it a pretty drive, or should we go interstate?

As you can see we are a little apprehensive about driving but I keep telling myself you can do this.

We will be flying into Savannah and driving to Charlestion.

Thanks again for hospitality and knowledge!

By all means take Hwy 17. It takes a little longer but is is a very scenic drive. I hate interstates while on vacation. Their only good when you leave home to get to your vacation spot or to get back home after you leave. While in Savannah try to eat at Mrs Wilkes Boarding House and Lady and Sons. A trip out to Tybee Island is neat if you want to see the ocean. Its quaint little island with lots of history and a really neat lighthouse.

How nice of you to say those things...but it%26#39;s easy when you live here - you just want to share the city with everyone!

The drive from Savannah to Charleston is part interstate (I-95) but mostly Hwy 17. There is really no other logical way to do it since it%26#39;s 60 miles from the I-95 interchange at I-26 (which is the main route from the Columbia area to Charleston). That would put you out of the way unnecessarily.

There will be times along Hwy 17 you%26#39;ll wonder ';is this really taking me to a city?'; but stick with it - yes, it is. Along that section of road (from about Beaufort to Charleston) be sure to watch your speed. It should take you about 1 hour 45 minutes, give or take. GPS as far as I know is right on the money - my brother used it to get to our place from Jacksonville. Since you%26#39;re coming to Mt. Pleasant, I think GPS takes you on Hwy 526 which actually bypasses Charleston, which means fewer potential driving errors and fewer lights. By all means bypass if you%26#39;re arriving around rush hour. Enjoy the trip - you%26#39;ll be fine!

Eville and CultureHound:

Thanks so much for your replies. I%26#39;m feeling more confident now about driving and will watch my speed!

I thin we would love Ms. Wilkes. Read lots of great reviews about it.

Culture Hound: We are all about the historic houses and the fabulous ironwork and gardens we%26#39;ve only seen in pictures and I love love dolphins!!!

(When we are in Las Vegas I spend half my time at the Mirage just watching the white lions)(I save a lot of $ that way too (ha ha!)

We are pretty friendly here too in OKC and I look forward to meeting great folks in your area.

Thanks again so much.

bjlady, The second weekend in May is graduation weekend in Charleston. Everything will be packed. Be prepared for long waiting lines at the most popular restaurants. Justine%26#39;s in downtown Charleston is known for its good southern cooking. I%26#39;ve had some really good meals there. Be prepared for horrendous traffic in the downtown area Friday through Sunday. College of Charleston is on Saturday May 9. There will be two convocations one at 9:30 am and the other about 2:30 pm.

I hope you have a wonderful trip. Happy Birthday!

Rockingrammy

(I love your name by the way! My grandson calls me ';Cool G'; which I consider quite a compliment.

I did%26#39;nt know about the graduation. We%26#39;ll be in town the 6th thru the 9th. Do you think it will be crowded that week leading up to graduation?

Thanks for the ';heads up';. We will be leaving town on the 10th so hopefully that will help. Thanks again!

If you are staying at Mt. Pleasant make sure and eat at Shems Creek. It is a fishing village with many eateries right on the creek. Great seafood to be had. We like RB%26#39;s seafood. Do a google on Shems Creek.

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