Low Country Road Trip: Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA

Our Itinerary (May 12-16, 2011)

Pre-planned:

Thursday, May 12
-dinner at Hominy Grill (207 Rutledge Avenue)
-dessert at Kaminsky's (78 N. Market Street)

What actually happened:

When we arrived at the 1837 Bed & Breakfast we dropped our bags in our room and rested a little while. Later we walked down to the Waterfront and bought some supplies at the local Harris Teeter. Around 8:00pm we finally got hungry so we stopped at Andolini's Pizza, which was just a couple of blocks from our B&B. It was delicious New York style pizza. Had we realized how big the slices were we would have gotten one slice each, instead of two.

Pre-planned:

Friday, May 13
-Middleton Place (4300 Ashley River Road)
OR
-Magnolia Plantation Gardens (3550 Ashley River Road)
-Jestine's Kitchen (251 Meeting Place)
-Oak Steakhouse (17 Broad Street)

What actually happened:

We got roped into taking a carriage ride led by Steven, the horse. We walked through the college campus (gorgeous) and down King Street (think Rodeo Drive with a little less glitz and glamour) to the Visitor's Center where we bought our tickets. Then we walked a little further on toward Meeting Street where we picked up the carriage. Some of the information provided was certainly amusing, like the origin of the term "hush puppies". The houses we drove by were beautiful, though it was hard to capture any pictures from inside the carriage. The carriage drivers have the option of three different routes, which are selected through a lottery system.

Afterward, we bought some Italian ice and wandered through the City Market. It's a wonderful hodge-podge of different kinds of art. We didn't buy anything but we enjoyed perusing. Then we went to the Waterfront Park area, which was a bit of a hike in the sweltering heat. We took some pictures and then headed back to the B&B for a rest before dinner.

I feel so lucky that we were able to dine at the Oak Steakhouse because it was the restaurant my brother and (former) sister-in-law chose to host their rehearsal dinner. The food was fabulous! I had a caesar salad to start and crab cakes over a corn salsa as my main dish. Later they surprised us with fried chicken and macaroni & cheese with lobster. For dessert I chose the too rich chocolate cake. Evan got the carrot cake which was TO DIE FOR. I kept hoping he'd get up to go to the bathroom so I could polish it off.

Saturday, May 14

Pre-planned:

-Angel Oak Tree (3688 Angel Oak Tree Rd)
-Waterfront Park (Concord Street)
-Museum Mile (Meeting Street)
-City Market (Market Street)
-Wedding ceremony at American Theatre
-Wedding reception at William Aiken House

What actually happened:

We knew we had to get back for the wedding by late afternoon so we got started early and made our way to Middleton Place. I'm so glad we did. The grounds were gorgeous and we had such a nice time being alone and away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Charleston. It was extremely hot so we were pretty tuckered out by the time we had finished taking our own personal walking tour of the place. To me, this was an absolute must-see and my favorite activity while we were in the Charleston area.

When we returned to downtown Charleston it was around 1:00pm and it was our last chance to brave the line at Jestine's. Believe me, there will be a line. Fortunately, it's a fast moving line. I don't think we waited more than 20-30 minutes. We each got fried chicken platters and macaroni & cheese. Delicious! We started out with corn fritters and we ended with coconut cream pie. Awesome. If we were going to make at least one of the restaurants I earmarked for us, I'm glad it was this one.

The American Theatre was a lovely venue for the ceremony. It was small and intimate and romantic. The William Aiken House was gorgeous. It was a perfect location for a reception. I loved the way that the guests were able to move around from the inside to the outside. There was a lot of space for all the people to explore and mingle.

...

My impressions of the 1837 Bed & Breakfast: The house was lovely from the outside and the furnishings were appropriate and elegant. The breakfasts were good but not exceptional. Having been to many B&Bs, the 1837 breakfast was almost disappointingly sparing. Usually, breakfasts at B&Bs keep me full well through dinner but that wasn't the case here. It was one course. The room, itself, was nice. The one unit A/C, however, was not sufficient. I slept terribly and I think part of the reason was that I couldn't get to a comfortable temperature. Also, the shower was inside a very tall clawfoot tub. I don't know how an older person or even a young, short person like myself is expected to get in there without help. Evan literally had to give me a boost into the tub. There was also a different feel to the B&B because the owners weren't the hosts. We saw them on our last day but until then, the B&B was run by their employees and they worked on a rotational basis. That took some of the charm out of it.

*My aunt selected this B&B and Evan and I followed along. I'm not sure where we would have stayed had I been doing the research. It might have been here!

...

Sunday, May 15

Pre-planned:

-Old Town Trolley Tour/Historic District
-Bonaventure Cemetery
-Forsyth Park
-Crystal Beer Parlor
-Leopold's Ice Cream

What actually happened:

On our way out of Charleston we decided to check out Angel Oak. Despite my extensive planning, I failed to recall that Angel Oak didn't "open" for visitors until 1:00pm on Sundays. We got there around 11:00am. We got a couple of photos through a broken link in the fence but I was disappointed. I was looking forward to posing in front of the tree and looking really small, which isn't something I get to experience often (or at all).

When we arrived in Savannah, sometime after 1:00pm, we spent a lot of time being talked at by the B&B host. We didn't step outside again until around 2:00. We were pretty hungry so we decided to forego the trolley tour and take an exploratory walk by ourselves. We went in search of Crystal Beer Parlor but couldn't find it so we opted for Clary's Cafe. I got chicken tenders with hush puppies and french fries and a glass of ice cold coke.

Then we walked over to Leopold's Ice Cream so Evan could get a chocolate milkshake. Afterwards we walked toward Riverstreet and explored the Riverfront area. I have to say, I was kind of turned off. Up until we arrived at the Riverfront I was thinking that Savannah was a much more refreshing and peaceful version of Charleston. The Riverfront reeked of "tourist trap". Almost as soon as we got there, we headed back toward the center of town. We stopped by the City Market, which had a lot of cute shops and restaurants.

After a very long walk through much of the downtown and in and out of the many beautiful and well-shaded squares, we returned to the B&B for the evening. We didn't even have dinner.

Monday, May 16

Pre-planned:

-Mercer-Williams House
-Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room
-City Market
-River Street Sweets (13 East River Street)

What actually happened:

We drove to Bonaventure Cemetery first thing in the morning. To save you time, the bird girl is NOT there. She's in a museum in downtown Savannah. Either way, we had an enjoyable time walking around and taking pictures. If you're a wannabe photographer like Evan and me than this is a must-see. Afterward we returned downtown and walked over to the Mercer-Williams House. I had read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil before our trip to Savannah so this was a must-see for me. I don't think it was nearly as enjoyable for Evan considering that he didn't know the back story. To him, it was just a stately home. To me, it was a stately home AND the scene of murder. The tour guide had a very stereotypical Southern drawl. It was the best drawl I heard the entire time I was in the South.

When we were finished with the tour around 12:30ish, we headed over to Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room. The line was literally as long as the block. I've never waited that long to eat in my life. And I like to eat! We waited 1.5 hours but as everyone who came out said, it was worth the wait. The food was phenomenal. It's family style (8 people to a table) and they just throw plates down. They served everything - black eyed peas, collard greens, dirty rice, fried chicken, fried okra, mashed potatoes, pot roast, biscuits, corn bread, macaroni and cheese, yams. I can't even remember everything. And they served banana pudding to top it off.

To end the day, we took a little walk through Forsyth Park. I expected it to be bigger. That's the impression that sticks out in my mind.

Again, we skipped dinner and hung out at the B&B for the remainder of the evening.

...

My impression of the Amethyst Inn at Sarah's Garden: It was charming. Our room was a little on the shabby chic side. I'd probably stay in one of the "fancier" rooms next time. Their breakfasts were a little more generous than the ones served at the 1837 B&B but I was still a little disappointed. The hosts were warm and welcoming. They couldn't have been nicer. They really made the experience pleasant.

We really enjoyed Charleston and Savannah.  I could see us returning to one or both of them sometime in the future.  If there's a choice, I'd go in the fall or winter.  I nearly died from the heat and humidity!

See our most recent trips to Savannah and Charleston here and here.