Suggestions for East Coast Trip

[Hi yo silver]

Now is my chance!  Marilyn and I are trying to bunch up our Dr.s appointments and family responsibilities so we can run away for a couple of weeks or so, after Nov. 5th.  I want to see the Aviation Museum of the Carolinas in Charlotte, stop for a few days at Suvannah, GA, and then on to St. Augustine. 

Two questions; anyone close by we can share our coffee with, and does anyone have any suggestions for stops along the way that we might want to make?  Any help appreciated!
Thanks,
Dennis   

[New2Busin]

Silver,

   That's my stomping ground!  I'm from Alma Ga, small south east town just before the FL boarder.  Stop in Vidalia for some of them sweet onions! 

  Below is some happenings around Savannah;


Wild Gourmet Thankgiving Dinner - 11/16/2008 at 2 PM - 5:30 PM
Join us for a fun, interesting and tasty dinner made from wild ingredients. For even more fun, search on line for "wild edibles recipes" and make a dish to share. $3 parking.
Phone: 706-541-0321 - Address: Mistletoe State Park, 3725 Mistletoe Road, Appling, GA 30802 Directions: 3 miles off Ga. Hwy. 150, 8 miles north of I-20 exit #175.


Campsite Decorating Contest - 11/18/2008 at 9 am - 2 pm
Campers are invited to decorate their sites during the park's Fall Fest weekend. Sites will be judged during daylight hours on originality, creativity and theme. The winner will win a free two-night stay in a Mistletoe cottage. $3 parking.
Phone: 706-541-0321 - Location: Mistletoe State Park, 3725 Mistletoe Road, Appling, GA
Directions: Located 3 miles off Ga. Hwy. 150, 8 miles north of I-20 exit #175.


Family Fall Fest - 11/18/2008 at 5 pm - 10 pm
Enjoy a storyteller, music, pumpkin scavenger hunt, apple bobbing, marshmallow roasting, games, night hike and hayrides. The winner of our campsite decorating contest will be announced at the fall fest. $7 per vehicle and $2 hayrides. $3 parking.
Phone: 706-541-0321 - Location: Mistletoe State Park, 3725 Mistletoe Road, Appling, GA
Directions: Located 3 miles off Ga. Hwy. 150, 8 miles north of I-20 exit #175.


8th Annual Cane Grinding - 11/22/2008 at 9 am - 2 pm
Watch cane being ground, buy a jar of cane syrup, and sample the juice before it is turned into syrup. Afterward, explore our covered bridge/grist mill, walk our hiking trails, fish and see our beautiful cypress trees changing their fall colors. $3 parking.
Phone: 478-763-2759 - Location: George L. Smith State Park, 371 George L. Smith State Park Rd, Twin City, GA
Directions: Located between Metter and Twin City off Ga. Hwy. 23. Take I-16 exit #104


  Happy Trails,

     Ben

[jackhartjr]

Dennis, when you get to Exit 33 in SC on I-95 go east on Route 17 North for 8.4 miles and turn left on Old Sheldon Church Rd.  (Just before the cutoff for Highway 21 toward Beaufort.)  Go About a mile, (Don't go fast, you could miss it) and there is a pulloff with space for about 2 or three buses.
You will be at "The Old Sheldon Church".
It was built more than 250 years ago, burned by the British during the Revolutionary War, rebuilt, then burned by the Bastard Sherman during the Civil War.  This time they left it as is.
Four huge brick columns in front, thick brick walls and now no roof.  The pulpit is still there with the grave of an old important person.  Grave all about the grounds!  I once went there at midnight and stood inside the sactuary and looked up at the Milky Way!
Worth a stop.
You can continue on the same road and get back to Yamasee and back on I-95.
Jack

[niles500]

Fort Pulaski on the way to Tybee Island (Savannah) is one of the finest Brick Forts around (there are quite a few Forts up and down the coast on your route from Fort Matansas just south of St Augustine north all up the eastern seabord) - St. Simonds Isle just east of Brunswick (along with Fort Frederica) is nice this time of year without crowds - If your a golfer you'll want to go to the World Golf Hall of Fame @ I-95 exit 323 - If you just cruise US1 or A1A you'll come across more than enough to keep you busy for at least 2 months - HTH

[Hi yo silver]

This is great guys, thanks for your help.  The hard part, for us at least, is throwing up our hands, leaving behind all the stuff we should do first, and just get out of Dodge.  Seems as if it takes a week just to feel OK about being gone.  I'm lookin' forward to this trip.   We're still open for any other suggestions.
Thanks again.
Dennis

[busguy01]

2 things:
1. Fort cinch state park in Florida is a great place to stay. Right on the ocean. Just outside of Fernandina(sp?) beach in north Florida.
2. Little off your path but if you are an airplane nut - Fantasy of Flight near Polk city is a must stop. An all day trip. Look it up on the web.

[Glenn MC9]

Hey Dennis,

If you have the time, plan an meal in Savannah at The Shell House. Our group sang in Darien, Ga last year. Before leaving, I asked several folks to recommend a good local restaurant for seafood. The majority suggested The Shell House. It ain't the cheapest place, but to me, it's the best!

Here's the link: http://www.shellhousesav.com/index.html

Glenn
Tallulah Falls, GA

[ktmossman]

Savannah is awesome, but make time for Tybee Island as well.  We try to get over there a couple times every year and always have a lively debate on where to spend our time.

1. Don't bother with "Lady & Sons" in Savannah.  Decent food, but not worth the $$$. (I have yet to see a Chicken Pot Pie worth $25/person.)  Much better food at far better prices at a number of places on Factor's Walk along the river.  If you like a good Reuben, try Sixpence Pub.

2. If you like military history, definitely hit Fort Pulaski, but also dig around the WWII history of Tybee.

3. If you have kids along, the Pirate House in Savannah is a hit.  The food is not bad at all and the history is pretty cool.

4. If you like old homes/architecture, take the time to wander the Savannah historic district.  On our last trip, we took the trolley tour just to map out all the places we wanted to see.  Then we went back later to tour the places we wanted to.

5. If you are a real history buff, the actually history of Savannah is interesting.  It is a bit awe-inspiring to stand in places like the church that John Wesley pastored, or to touch the gravestone of a person who probably never even contemplated the colonies being independent of Britain (buried in 1764).

6. Depending on what route you take down to Savannah, if you go down the coastline, consider stopping in Charleston at Patriot's Point. http://www.patriotspoint.org/

7. If you come down through Atlanta, the new World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium are pretty cool, but definitely "tourist" oriented.  However, I would recommend not trying to drive a bus ITP (inside the perimeter - I285).  Find someplace to park OTP (outside the perimeter) and take MARTA down.  (I could probably find a place for you to park in the northern suburbs.  Send me a personal message if you are interested.)

[niles500]

Kt- Thanks for filling that in - I forgot to add it to my post - If you never stood on the deck of a aircraft carrier (on a clear day there's a good view) or been in the huge hanger bays it's worth it - haven't been there in a long while as they were planning a lot of work including more planes - Also the battleship North Carolina in Wilmington was one of the best kept WWII ships i've seen (ranks up there with the Nautilus and Cobia submarines) - it looks like it can be recommissioned at any time - I guess you know about Williamsburg, Jamestown, Norfolk (shipyard, waterfront and aquarium) -HTH