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Charleston, Savannah, Myrtle Beach vacation


Stuart
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This year for our big winter trip we would like to spend about 3 days in each place. My husband would like to stay at historic bed and breakfasts along the way. Any suggestions? Tips for the area appreciated. We are traveling with our 12 year old son. Thanks

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I'd probably do Tybee Island for beach between spending time in Savannah and Charleston. Or maybe Kiawah Island. However, if you are looking for time at a beach that has a lot of beach town activity then Myrtle is where you should go. When I do beach I often go to state park beaches and go for swimming, playing in sand and nature walks. It depends on what you want in beach time. 

 

I can't tell you about b&b (not in my budget and not really something that a 13 yo with down syndrome could appreciate). I'd plan 2 full days in Charleston and another day at a plantation outside of Charleston. We included the SC Aquarium on our visit (decent aquarium, but you will lose all respect for the place if you watch the mermaid show, do see the turtle hospital--good stuff there). There is a ton of stuff to see in Charleston. I think you could start with an on off tour or a carriage tour and just get lost in history after that. Of course don't miss Fort Sumter. If anyone in your group is interested in nature a visit to The Center for Birds of Prey outside of Charleston may be of interest too. 

 

I've only spent part of a day in Savannah. I tend to crunch things down due to special needs in my family. It is small. I think if I didn't have to limit things, I would find 3 days a bit much for Savannah. I think 2 full days would be good though. 

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I had no intention of going to myrtle but my son really wants to see it. I think maybe a one day stop over? We enjoy being outside, hiking, touring interesting places. Visiting National parks are one of our favorite vacation choices. We like to take in local culture while we travel.

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If you want a beach experience - Hilton Head is nicer than Myrtle Beach and in between Charleston and Savannah. I think it would be great to visit on a mild winter day because of all the bike trails.  Look into Beaufort, SC; it is an adorable town.

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If you want a beach experience - Hilton Head is nicer than Myrtle Beach and in between Charleston and Savannah. I think it would be great to visit on a mild winter day because of all the bike trails.  Look into Beaufort, SC; it is an adorable town.

 

Beaufort is definitely a nice little stop between Savannah and Charleston. I think if I were going to do this, I'd do two days in Savannah and drive to Beaufort to spend the night at an inn there, spend part of a day in Beaufort (fun carriage tour, cute town, backdrop for many movies, well preserved I think because it was a hospital location for the Union Army--might have that wrong). Then at the end of the day drive to Charleston and do three days there. Then continue north to Myrtle, there's a plantation on the north side of Charleston to stop at on the way. 

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Myrtle is over the top in season, less so in the winter.

 

I love Brookgreen, the sculpture gardens just south of Myrtle.  They are open year round.  There is a state park across the street where you can take a pleasant walk too.  In addition to the formal sculpture gardens, Brookgreen has some animals (an aviary for example) and a boat tour on which you can learn about the Gullah people and rice culture--although I don't know if the boat tours are available in winter.

 

Sullivan's Island (near Charleston) has Fort Moultrie (run by the National Park Service)--definitely worth a visit--and Poe's Tavern, a fine stop for a burger or fish tacos and a beer.

 

There are a variety of plantations in the Charleston area.  I would choose one depending on your interests.  I like Boone Hall in Mount Pleasant.  If you go there, you can make another National Park service stop at the nearby Charles Pinckney Historic Site.

 

A harbor tour in Charleston is fun.  Or you can take the boat to Fort Sumter and get a water view that way.

 

There are better aquariums than Charleston's but if you don't have the opportunity to visit an aquarium that often, then you should probably go.

 

I would check out what the Savannah School of Design has in their galleries online before you go. You might find something interesting happening that way.  We stayed at the Savannah Bed and Breakfast Inn (carriage house room) and found them to be a better value than B&Bs closer to the water.  I love just walking around Savannah because of their green space.  The public squares in the historic district are charming.

 

I love Saint Simons Island in Georgia although it might not appeal to a 12 year old.  Bike riding at Jekyll Island probably would though.  There is a sea turtle hospital there that can be toured.

 

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I'd skip Myrtle Beach and do a few days on Jekyll and St. Simons Islands. All of the Atlantic beaches are bleh for beaches IMO, but Jekyll is a neat nature preserve area. Kiawah island outside Charleston is lovely, but not for the *beach* part. Marshes and the ocean in general, yes. Charleston and Savannah are wonderful for exploring, so I wouldn't waste time on the brown sand. ;) Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House restaurant in Savannah is a fun thing to do. Line up around 10:30 to avoid a long wait. :) We had a blast doing an evening ghost tour in Savannah. My older kids would love that now. In St. Simons, get chocolate stuff at Barbara Jean's!

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We recently spent a day in Savannah. We were going camping in NC (sorry, no lodging tips from us) and decided to make a spontaneous stop in Savannah on the way. We love history and museums so we got the See 3 pass and used it for the Railroad Museum, Savannah History Museum, and Old Fort Jackson. We made sure to get to the Fort in time for the history presentation and cannon firing, which my kids thought was pretty cool. The historical interpreters were great at setting the scene of what it was like to be a soldier during the fort's history. The train museum was a little underwhelming but we have a train enthusiast who liked it nonetheless. We also spent the evening strolling around. The downtown has a lot of historical markers which were interesting to read. It was a weekend and there was a small festival going on at the riverfront. We also loved seeing so much activity--horse carriage rides, bicycle tours, local restaurants. We even saw a street mime.

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