<p>Sounds like this is a very popular area. We will be in Charleston and Savannah the 1st week of May. Staying at Elliot House in Charleston for 3 nights; then 2 nights in Hilton Head and 2 in Savannah. Really looking forward to it. I’ve heard of many of the restaurants mentioned (eg SNOB) but any hints for a “local find” that tourists probably wouldn’t come across?</p>
<p>I found that there is not really much to do in Savannah.</p>
<p>However, there are 3 are four long streets you must walk down.</p>
<p>Beautiful town squares and townhomes, sort of like a small Boston.</p>
<p>It was relatively easy for me to figure out which streets to walk down.</p>
<p>In Savannah, I found that River Street, which has been described in this thread as a tourist Mecca, is something that you should simply take a pass on. To me, the walk through the historic district was the worthwhile thing about the town. But you only need about a 1/2 a day for that.</p>
<p>It is my recollection that there is actually a town square where General Greene, the hero of the American Revolution in the South, is buried, and the architecture of the town is “American Civil War”.</p>
<p>Hi onward, </p>
<p>Someone once told me about looking at the website for the Charleston area visitors website for a lot of great information as well as the link for coupons and savings offered by local businesses. Depending on who is offering what and if they suit your interests, you can save quite a bit if you print off the coupons. Here is the link for the website and the one for the savings! :)</p>
<p>We are heading that way in April, too, for a side trip after visiting schools with our daughter. Have a great time!</p>
<p>[Charleston</a>, SC | Official Site for Charleston Vacations & Charleston Tourism | Charleston Area CVB](<a href=“http://www.charlestoncvb.com%5DCharleston”>http://www.charlestoncvb.com) </p>
<p>and </p>
<p>[Charleston</a> Coupons & Charleston Discounts to Local Restaurants & Attractions in Charleston, SC | Charleston Area CVB](<a href=“http://www.charlestoncvb.com/visitors/special_offers/coupons.html]Charleston”>Coupons and Discounts for Charleston, SC | Charleston Area CVB)</p>
<p>Onward,<br>
I LOVE 4 Unity Alley. Though I admit that we stayed there over 10 years ago. The location can’t be beat and the place itself was so cool and quirky that I fel that my own “coolness” increased! The parking is tight so bring a small car or a good driver to get through those stable doors.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for the links. I will be sure to use them. And I am glad to hear that you liked 4 Unity. I was a little sad not to find a place with a big porch but everything else sounded so great about the place. I will let my husband park the car. Narrow spots give me the heebie geebies when parking.</p>
<p>Before heading to Savannah, I would read “Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil”. </p>
<p>Agree with previous poster than mention you can stay at the beach if you prefer - HH for Savannah & Kiawah for Charleston. Both are beautiful & have world-class golfing, however Kiawah is less built-up.</p>
<p>This thread is interesting to me. H and I are going down to SC to visit MIL next week. She lives about 90 minutes north of Charleston. So I’m contemplating suggesting a day trip (just H and I) down to Charleston. We visited there on our honeymoon way back in the day, but havent been there since. </p>
<p>Good lunch spots, anyone? (we have VERY basic tastes)</p>
<p>If you’ve read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, or have seen the movie, you might want to visit Mercer House in Savannah. It’s a beautiful place and there are tours which can be reserved ahead of time. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.mercerhouse.com/home.htm?CFID=13463396&CFTOKEN=aad7b7eb1668d795-86EE91E3-D60D-557F-48146319D9A6ECF4[/url]”>http://www.mercerhouse.com/home.htm?CFID=13463396&CFTOKEN=aad7b7eb1668d795-86EE91E3-D60D-557F-48146319D9A6ECF4</a></p>
<p>A good intro to Savannah is one of the carriage rides then you can easily walk around the city and visit the squares. The architecture is beautiful. I agree about River St. It’s touristy and tacky but it’s a pretty walk along the river and if you’re there at a time when a festival is on, it can be interesting to wander through the various booths offering art and locally made objects. </p>
<p>If you happen to be there the week of March 19th, the annual home and garden tour is on. One of our favorite things to do there.</p>
<p>[Savannah</a> Tour of Homes & Gardens - HOME](<a href=“Savannahtourofhomes.org”>http://www.savannahtourofhomes.org/)</p>
<p>Have fun everyone! We’re headed down to our Hilton Head home in a few weeks and I can’t wait!</p>
<p>I thought I would come back here and tell a little about our trip. We spent 2 nights in Savannah and 3 nights in Charleston and had a wonderful time. We stayed in a b & b in both cities: The Park Avenue Manor in Savannah and 4 Unity Avenue in Charleston. Both were excellent. I love the city of Savannah as it is rather laid back with beautiful parks full of live oaks. A wonderful place to sit and read or people watch. We ate at the Olde Pink House and the food was great. Other meals were spent at pubs down on the riverside. We took in a great art show there too. A trolley ride around the town gave a nice overview. We also toured a few homes.
Charleston was a more hopping town. We took a horse drawn carriage that gave a nice overview but we were not thrilled with our guide. We went out to Ft. Sumpter and that was very worthwhile. We took a trip out to Magnolia plantation and enjoyed the tram ride but the weather was iffy and we didn’t stay real long. Food in Charleston was unbelievable. Favorite places for lunch: Hominy Grill, High Cotten and the Bull Street Market. We tended to do happy hours for dinner to keep the price of dinner down.</p>
<p>Thanks for all who gave tips. We had a lot of fun!</p>
<p>Just returned from Charleston last month and had a wonderful 3 night stay. Some lunch recommendations:</p>
<p>Outdoor garden at 82 Queen
Blind Tiger (pub fare but good and nicely located near Rainbow Row area)
Rue de Jean (more locals than touristy)</p>
<p>Where we ate for dinner:</p>
<p>Poogan’s Porch
Husk
SNOB (Slightly North of Broad)</p>
<p>These were all good although not perfection. I would probably give a slight nod to Husk, although it is hard to get a reservation. Make one at least 3 weeks in advance or show up after 8:30 PM and take your chances. The bar menu is also available in their separated bar area but it is very limited.</p>
<p>Take alwaysamom’s recommendation for lodging at Charleston Place Hotel. This hotel is spectacular. We stayed at Elliott House on Queen St. Although well located, I would not recommend staying there.</p>
<p>Onward, thanks for the update, I was just starting to wonder if you had taken your trip yet. I fly into both in order to visit my parents (they are located south of Charleston and north of Savannah, so we use flight costs to decide which airport to land). Now is also a great time of year because if you are from the North, it feels like summer there. I went in March this year and it was warmer than usual, so for me it was also like summer in March. I agree that the food in Charleston is delicious.</p>
<p>I love Charleston but have nothing to add that hasn’t already been said. We stayed in a B&B on the Battery which had originally been the slave’s quarters. </p>
<p>Also, when one is in Charleston one must have She Crab soup.</p>
<p>I think you are normally right Snowflake but it was unusually chilly when we were in Charleston. We wore heavy sweatshirts and saw locals all bundled up!</p>
<p>I was in Charleston just last week. It’s a beautiful and charming city. 'Stayed at the Planters Inn, located across the street from Charleston Place. I would recommend it. Restaurants- can’t go wrong here. We loved High Cotton, Hall’s Chop House, Cru Cafe and Peninsula Grill. While not Carleston related- we had to change planes in Dulles (coming from Los Angeles) We got to see the space shuttle on top of its 747 transport from our plane</p>