Charleston SC and Savannah Ga

[dtbach]

Planning on spending a couple of nights in each in early April 2014. Would like to be in the downtown area of each preferable in a B&B type establishment. Let me know if there are some real gems.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I've stayed a few places in Savannah, our favorite is the very quirky but inexpensive Thunderbird Inn. You will need a sense of adventure to stay there, but it is fun.

I highly recommend the wonderful Hearse Tour while you are there. Tons of fun and definitely a drinking rather than history tour. Savannah is a party town, with lots of good music and things to do.

Living in Chucktown, we don't stay anywhere downtown, obviously, but years ago after the hurricane, we stayed for weeks at the Mills House hotel when we couldn't get home until they rebuilt the bridge to our island!

Give me a shout when you make plans, we'll be happy to take you out for beers. A few others on the forum can vouch for us that we aren't axe murderers. Maybe.

Check out Folly Beach when you make your Charleston plans. Fun beach town with casual places to eat and drink. Walking tours of downtown Charleston are good, as are the carriage rides if you are historically inclined. I also like to tell people to take one of the harbor tours, either on a sailboat or one of the Fort Sumter ones.

 

[dtbach]

I've stayed a few places in Savannah, our favorite is the very quirky but inexpensive Thunderbird Inn. You will need a sense of adventure to stay there, but it is fun.

I highly recommend the wonderful Hearse Tour while you are there. Tons of fun and definitely a drinking rather than history tour. Savannah is a party town, with lots of good music and things to do.

Living in Chucktown, we don't stay anywhere downtown, obviously, but years ago after the hurricane, we stayed for weeks at the Mills House hotel when we couldn't get home until they rebuilt the bridge to our island!

Give me a shout when you make plans, we'll be happy to take you out for beers. A few others on the forum can vouch for us that we aren't axe murderers. Maybe.

Check out Folly Beach when you make your Charleston plans. Fun beach town with casual places to eat and drink. Walking tours of downtown Charleston are good, as are the carriage rides if you are historically inclined. I also like to tell people to take one of the harbor tours, either on a sailboat or one of the Fort Sumter ones.

Thanks for the info. I might take you up on the invite. I'm on my way to a Navy A-6 Intruder reunion in Pensacola, Fl. and need to get ready for the big party there. Starting in Charleston sounds good!

 

[Moemg]

We stayed at "The Planter's Inn " in Savannah . It is a boutique hotel . It offers free continental breakfast , a wine reception in the evening ,free Wi-FI, very nice rooms and it is centrally located so you can walk to everything.

 

[Greg V]

We stayed at the Ashborough Inn in Oct while doing some touristy things in Charleston. Location is good about 3 blocks north of Market Street and the Inn is a renovated warehouse built in the early 1900s. Our room was spacious, breakfast/evening wine and cheese were both good (though nothing fancy) and the cost was reasonable considering the downtown location. Parking (extra cost) is across the street...very handy.

If you're interested, check the website for internet specials...that's where we got a good rate for our trip.

 

[Silver]

I have stayed at the President's Quarters Inn in Savannah several times. It's a beautiful B & B in the historic district on one of the squares, and is lovely. Wonderful breakfasts, excellent wines and snacks in the late afternoons. Not inexpensive....but oh so nice.

 

[Gumby]

We stayed in the John Rutledge House Inn in Charleston about 15 years ago. It was very nice, and well located for walking around and seeing the sights. In Savannah, we stayed at the Marshall House. Again, very pleasant and well situated.


Edit to add: If you're driving from Charleston to Savannah, plan to stop in Beaufort SC for lunch. It's well worth the time.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I agree that the stop in Beaufort is a great idea, the waterfront is really lovely.

And it is the Ansonborough Inn that y'all must have enjoyed here, next to the Harris Teeter on East Bat Street. A nice place I've heard from quite a few folks.

 

[ohyes]

Nothing here, except if Sarah is not an ax murderer, that is a huge bonus. Sounds worth the risk of a few beers to me.

In September, we stopped for one short hour in Savannah -on our way to St. Simon's -because i was afraid it might be our only chance to ever visit. We parked at the Visitors' Center and almost ran through three squares. We did not have time to make it to the water front, which we heard is way cool. I do think Savannah, in the evening with street musicians, must be very nice.

We did hear, from several folks, that Charleston is a better stay.

Hope you post a report!

 

[Sarah in SC]

Nothing here, except if Sarah is not an ax murderer, that is a huge bonus. Sounds worth the risk of a few beers to me!

Of course I note that none of the folks that have actually met me IRL have piped up with some confirmation. Fuego, Finance Dude, Seng, etc..

Sigh, and yes, Charleston probably gets better marks than Savannah but I think it is just that our historic district is more picturesque, plus we have the wonderful restored plantations as well. I will say that the chances of being a victim of a violet crime are WAY higher in Savannah. It is sore try dangerous place, actually. But still worth seeing, just be careful.

 

[Bestwifeever]

FYI, we stayed in Savannah on a Sunday night a few years ago and had trouble finding a restaurant downtown open for dinner. Even Paula Deen's, at the time a real tourist attraction (although not a place we were hoping to dine at) closed early afternoon. Maybe we hit an odd date.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Lots of restaurants close on Sunday and Monday nights. They don't do that everywhere? When else are F&B peeps gonna get their weekend? I'd say in Charleston you can still find places catering to tourists that are open 7 days, but might be hard in Savannah unless you walk dine to River Street.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Lots of restaurants close on Sunday and Monday nights. They don't do that everywhere? When else are F&B peeps gonna get their weekend? I'd say in Charleston you can still find places catering to tourists that are open 7 days, but might be hard in Savannah unless you walk dine to River Street.

We take a lot of road trips and for whatever reason have not run into that very often, so just wanted to advise OP in case they are planning to be in Savannah on a Sunday.

 

[NW-Bound]

Some years ago, we made a day trip to Savannah while staying in a timeshare in Jacksonville, FL.

We parked at the visitor center, then walked to the river waterfront. Nice historic town. Would want to visit again.

 

[dtbach]

Lots of restaurants close on Sunday and Monday nights. They don't do that everywhere? When else are F&B peeps gonna get their weekend? I'd say in Charleston you can still find places catering to tourists that are open 7 days, but might be hard in Savannah unless you walk dine to River Street.

Good point. We'll eat at your place those nights LOL

 

[nash031]

If it were me, I would stay at either the French Quarter Inn or the Courtyard by Marriott right across the street. The former is a very nice hotel right in the heart of the market, the latter a less expensive option across the street. DW and I stayed at the Courtyard when we visited and couldn't beat that location at that price. Plenty of little duck-in places to grab some breakfast.

Love Charleston, lived there for four years.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Good point. We'll eat at your place those nights LOL

Not a problem. Southern hospitality is alive and well!

 

[LazyErik]

We have stayed at the Palmer house B&B in Charleston, and the Governor's house inn. Palmers House has just about the best porch I've ever sat on. It looks over the harbor. Palmer House also has a more reasonable range for price points that were acceptable to us. Hint: if you do Charleston and are going to hit the better restaurants, book the time at least two months early . Places like the Husk can be difficult to get into.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Oh the Palmer House meaning the big pink mansion on the battery? I love that place! We've had a couple of events there and it has the best porches ever!

 

[ChateauJoe]

You may want to check out the Dresser Palmer House in Savannah. We stayed there last summer. Very attentive staff, wine and cheese social daily and fantastic breakfast. http://dresserpalmerhouse.com

 

[pb4uski]

We visited Charleston last April and loved it. Plan to return sometime soon.

The downtown hotels were pretty pricey. We stayed at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina across the harbor in Mount Pleasant. Nice spot and the price was reasonable. (Still don't know what the mountain in Mount Pleasant is - it seemed pretty flat to me). IIRC they have a water taxi that goes from the marina across the harbor to the downtown area, but we drove and parked at the Visitor Center.

We took a carriage ride and the boat harbor tour and enjoyed both. Also walked around some and went to the Calhoun Mansion.

 

[dtbach]

I forgot to mention that we are traveling with 2 teenagers. I think they would like to go to Fort Sumter and a plantation. Other things for teens to do would be nice to know.

Thanks for all the responses so far, giving me something to dig into.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I'd then suggest doing a kayak tour type of thing, if they like the water. Check out the groups that go out from Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant or PM me and I'll dig up the name of the company my friend works for that does them.

Plantations are pretty boring for teens unless they have a specific interest in the architecture or giant oil paintings. Ft. Sumter would be far more entertaining. Might also check out Ft. Moultrie, over on Sullivans Island, and go to the beach at the same time.

What else? The fishing pier at Folly Beach is fun.

And, it is pretty far out of the way unless you are driving to Charleston from further north, but I'll throw in a big pitch for my favorite attraction in the whole state: Brookgreen Gardens. It is one of those places that has something for everyone--there are these stunning gardens, beautiful statuary, and a great wildlife area with native animals which is my favorite. But, it is north of Charleston, nearer to Myrtle Beach, really.

 

[LazyErik]

I forgot to mention that we are traveling with 2 teenagers. I think they would like to go to Fort Sumter and a plantation. Other things for teens to do would be nice to know.

Thanks for all the responses so far, giving me something to dig into.

Hey, Charleston has really neat things for young active adults/teens.
1)ferry to Ft. Sumter, then to Patriot's Point.
2) Aircraft carrier/ museum at Patriot's Point.
3)quick drive to folly's beach for Beach Day
4)if they are into history their are tons of tours, even ghost tours and dark side of Charleston tours
5)also don't forget Charleston SUP tours (stand up paddle boards).
6) Ft Moultrie.

Those are just my thoughts.

 

[dtbach]

Some great ideas. I'll have to check out the ghost tours since they are into those Vampire movies now. Beaches are always good so that is a good point. Love this forum.