<p>BUand BC- I thought we would do some day trips from Charleston. I am finding at this stage of my life I prefer to drive and see other areas versus moving hotels every few days. I think we will fly into Charleston and out of Charlotte. The Holiday Inn is highly rated on Trip Advisor.</p>
<p>BuandBC- I am now considering two nights on Kiawah Island and 2 nights in Charleston. It opens up more hotels in Charleston. On Kiawah did you stay in a villa?</p>
<p>We did stay in a villa. I couldn’t tell you which one it was at this point. We were just over the dunes from the beach. We couldn’t see the water from our room, but were able to walk over the dune to the beach in a minute. The resort hotel is absolutely beautiful. If you don’t stay there you still have to go over to see it.</p>
<p>If I lived at the beach, I would go to the mountains. I love Banner Elk near Boone. This is a great place [Archer’s</a> Inn accommodations and cabin rentals, Beech Mountain, NC](<a href=“archersinn.com”>http://www.archersinn.com/). And the Wooly Worm Festival is lots of fun: [Woolly</a> Worm Festival, Banner Elk NC, Contest, October](<a href=“http://www.woollyworm.com/]Woolly”>http://www.woollyworm.com/). But, the hiking on Grandfather Mountain is amazing.</p>
<p>There is a lovely small town called Beaufort, SC that is between Savannah and Charleston. A bit closer to Savannah. Much of Forest Gump was filmed there, and I believe all of The Big Chill. It would be a great place to visit for lunch or just for a few hours. If you’re driving around, watch out for speed traps in Bluffton, SC (it’s also a cute small town but has small funky shops and eateries while Beaufort has jaw-dropping old mansions).</p>
<p>Haven’t read the whole thread, but since you booked a few days in Asheville, plan to take a little drive to Hendersonville. Charming community.</p>
<p>Agree that a drive down the Blue Ridge parkway (or part of it) is a great idea. Beautiful scenery. Also agree with the Charleston recc. </p>
<p>Other thoughts (if you like charming mountain areas with art galleries, shops and local color) are The Highlands and/or Cashiers. Love that area. </p>
<p>If you do consider the coast ,Sea Island , St. Simons, Jekyll etc are less touristy than Hilton HEad, but Hilton head has great outlet stores!</p>
<p>And come to Atlanta!! Happy to take you around! The aquarium is to die for! Unbelievable-- truly.</p>
<p>jym626 - I didn’t stop at the outlet stores when I was in Hilton Head in July, but did notice as I drove by that half of the buildings had been torn down. I guess they’re rebuilding the whole outlet area. I didn’t investigate, but it didn’t look very close to being finished.</p>
<p>Oh my, BU and BC ! Haven’t been there in a while, but I did find this:
[Tanger</a> Outlet Centers :: Hilton Head, South Carolina :: TangerOutlets](<a href=“http://www.tangeroutlet.com/hiltonhead]Tanger”>Tanger | Hilton Head, SC)</p>
<p>Here is a list of more shopping in Hilton Head <a href=“http://www.explorehiltonhead.com/Hilton_Head_Outlets.html[/url]”>http://www.explorehiltonhead.com/Hilton_Head_Outlets.html</a></p>
<p>I’ve stayed at the Doubletree. Nice hotel at a fantastic location.</p>
<p>A couple of years ago we stayed at the Holiday Inn in Charleston you are considering. While the location is good, I personally didn’t think it warranted all the glowing reviews you will find on Trip Advisor. The concierge everyone raved about, (Kevin, I believe) did suggest a great trip out to Sullivan’s Island, which has an old lighthouse you can wade/swim to - it is only accessible by boat, and has terrific shelling. Just up the street is an Embassy Suites in what was formerly the home of the Citadel. On walking through the hotel, it looked more interesting to me than the Holiday Inn, which seemed pretty dated.
Since you are now looking at only two nights, I would highly recommend Two Meeting Street Inn. It is a beautiful home set at the end of the Battery. While it will be much more pricey than the other hotels you’re considering, it is well worth the splurge. One of my favorite travel memories is sitting on the beautiful veranda sipping afternoon cocktails while the very hospitable owners passed around menus for Charleston restaurants so that they could make our dinner reservations for the evening. DH and I also spent a night out at Middleton Place on that trip - while we both liked the location, it is probably better to just visit and eat at the restaurant rather than spending a night on the property.</p>
<p>I have noticed as I age I have a much harder time making a decision. I have the 4 nights in Asheville at the end of our trip. Asheville is somewhere I have wanted to visit.I have 4 or 5 nights prior to that. I definitely want to go to Charleston. I orginally thought 4 nights. I will look into some of the other spots mentioned and if we do 5 nights I could break it up to 3 in Charleston and 2 somewhere else.
msjhop-I am already splurging on our lodging in Asheville. I don’t want Days Inn level in Charleston but I just don’t think I could push the button for $400 a night which is what many of the places are asking for the time of year we are going.
This trip is for me. My H is agreeing to this trip since it will be my 50th birthday. Otherwise his choice would have been a bareboat sailing charter somewhere in the world.He hates B & B’s and hates shopping. Doesn’t golf.
Jym- I have heard wonderful things about Atlanta. Don’t think it will happen this trip.</p>
<p>Happy bday!! Well, maybe the next trip will bring you through Atlanta.</p>
<p>I dont have a map in front of me, but surely you can route a trip from Charleston through Cashiers/Highland, the Blue Ridge Mountains and a drive on the parkway en route to Asheville/Hendersonville. Sounds beautiful!</p>
<p>Kiawah is very pretty, but if you don’t golf it might be a tad unexciting.</p>
<p>Just came back from a week at Hilton Head. We stayed at the Marriott Monarch time share, which is on the beach in Sea Pines. If we could we would pick up and go right back there immediately. Morning at the beach. Lunch. Nap/bike ride. Late afternoon at the beach then back to the pool. Clean up at 6-7. Eat out. Other stuff. Sleep. Repeat.</p>
<p>If you are going to be in Asheville and have any interest in American literature, the Thomas Wolfe State Historic Site is really interesting and right in downtown (the 1930s novelist, not the modern journalist). Also if you are going to be in the NC mountains, a drive through incredible scenery to Cherokee, where the Museum of the Cherokee Indian is located, is well worth the time and effort. It is a wonderful museum, and I gather has expanded its exhibits since we were there six years ago.</p>
<p>mom60 - What a great birthday present. Happy Birthday! </p>
<p>I’m sure all of our suggestions are making your decision making even harder. I think Kiawah is beautiful, but if your not too interested in the beach, not looking to play golf or tennis, it may not be the best choice for a quick trip. </p>
<p>What are you most interested in seeing? The suggestion to visit Beaufort was a good one, but that’s getting you closer to Hilton Head. Hilton Head is a fun place, it’s quieter off season, but there is a lot more to do there than in Kiawah. </p>
<p>jym626 - Thanks for looking up the information on the outlet stores.</p>
<p>mom60 - Be sure to wave to me when you head to the airport in Charlotte.</p>
<p>My pleasure, BUandBC</p>
<p>haven’t read the whole thread…but my D is planning a college visit to NC/Asheville area so I just requested tourist info from a lot of the mtn towns (Boone, Asheville, jackson county, Waynesville) and have been getting lodging and other tourist info daily in the mail for weeks…must go out onto some list!</p>
<p>I also second Biltmore and the Inn there (winery tour is nice too) as well as Grove Park.</p>
<p>I apologize for being all over the map!
H sort of likes the idea of Hilton Head. Tsdad- that Marriot property is not available when we would be there. Any other suggestions. I have not booked flights yet so am still flexible with everything except the 4 nights in Asheville.
What am I interested in seeing. Mainly another part of the country. H and I were both born, raised and always lived within 5 miles of the beach in Ca. We have lived for 20+ years within 1/2 mile of the beach in a tourist town. We have not been to the Southeast. It will probably be our only trip to this area. I would like a combination of nature and historical areas. I look forward to seeing the older homes. I love flowers. H loves the ocean, he could go to the beach everyday of his life. As far as types of places to stay. H hates a tiny place where he is forced to make small talk. We both like a nice place but something not stuffy or formal. H prefers to eat at places he can wear shorts. But I will make him bring a pair of long pants.
Thank you everyone for all your help</p>
<p>It’s about 2 - 2 1/4 hours from Charleston to Hilton Head. You will go by Beaufort on the way. If you go, stay in Sea Pines. You aren’t going for the beach, so you should stay in Harbor Town. It’s touristy, but nice. Try to get a villa that looks out over the harbor. Rent bikes. Sea Pines has many bike paths and they won’t be too crowded in October. Visit the Salty Dog Cafe at South Beach. Again, it’s off season, so it won’t be the same as a summer experience, but still worth visiting if you’re there. Once you’ve been you’ll notice Salty Dog t-shirts everywhere. We were at a gas station in Wyoming in the middle of nowhere and saw someone with a Salty Dog t shirt on. Hilton Head also has an airport with flights to Charlotte, so if you were tired of driving, you could look into flying. The drive from Hilton Head to Charlotte is about 4 1/2 hours, if traffic isn’t a problem.</p>
<p>Oh, and you can definitely eat in shorts at Hilton Head.</p>
<p>We have been traveling this way as our vacation from PA with and without kids for over 25 years. You could spend the entire time in the Charleston area, IMO the best city in America with history, culture, restaurants and beaches - who could ask for more? While Kiawah is a great destination for a golf getaway it is a twisty treacherous 50 minute drive to Charleston and a has sort of a pretentious “tude”. Hilton Head is very nice but homogeneous and kind of Disneyesque and removed from the real South. Your far better bet for beaches near Charleston are the east islands (Sullivans Island, Isle of Palms) and especially Wild Dunes, a resort on the Isle of Palms with all the the amenities of a 4 star resort without the ostentation and only 20 minutes from Charleston- also the immediate area is interesting and full of life. If you go there avoid the newer, more hectic areas which are great to visit but rather stay at Port of Call, Beach Club and Mariners Walk condos - low rises with easy beach access and a more laid back feel.</p>