Charleston, Hilton Head & Savannah Travel Advice

[manhn]

A few weeks after Worlds, I will be visiting Charleston, Hilton Head & Savannah. Never been so far south and/or east. Very much looking forward to it!

As opposed to asking what I should generally see, do or eat, I tend to be very specific. So, answer as many or as few of my questions as you can. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

1. Best Coffee in Charleston and surrounding areas. This is so, so, important for me. Just give me as many options as possible. I will probably go.

2. Best Ice Cream in Charleston and surrounding areas.

3. Best Pho in Charleston and surrounding areas.

4. Best BBQ in Charleston and surrounding areas.

5. Best Burger in Charleston and surrounding areas.

6. Best Plantation in Charleston and surrounding areas. My parents prefer manicured gardens with a lot of flowers. Not so much wild nature. I, on the other hand, would rather stay in the concrete jungle, but do want to make my folks happy. I'm thinking Middleton Place.

7. Best Bookstore in Charleston and surrounding areas.

8. Where to see Hipsters in Charleston.

9. Best Coffee in Hilton Head.

10. I am staying in a hotel right next to the beach in Hilton Head. Is swimming in the Atlantic Ocean viable?

11. There have to be hipsters in Hilton Head. Tell me where.

12. Best Coffee in Savannah and surrounding areas.

13. Best Ice Cream in Savannah and surrounding areas.

14. Best Pho in Savannah and surrounding areas.

15. Best BBQ in Savannah and surrounding areas.

16. Best Burger in Savannah and surrounding areas.

17. Best Plantation in Savannah and surrounding areas. I was thinking Wormsloe, but it seems that all it has going for it is the driveway.

18. Best Bookstore in Savannah and surrounding areas.

19. Where to see Hipsters in Savannah.

20. Give me an outlet mall that I must check out.

21. Give me a fancy grocery store that I must check out.

22. Give me a college campus that I must check out.

23. Best place for grits.

24. Best place for cheesecake.

25. Best place for pie.

26. Best place for fried chicken.

I think that's it. Anyways, I know I will get some great suggestions. I always do!

 

[leesaleesa]

The best plantation in the Charleston/Savannah area is Drayton Hall. The best burger in Savannah is at the Public Kitchen. Savannah is lousy with hipsters. Just open your door.

These are just my opinions of course.

 

[Prancer]

If your parents like manicured gardens, I would go with Middleton Place. My personal preference for gardens is Magnolia, but I love the English garden style and those bridges are great for photographs. I really like the Audubon Swamp Garden there, too, but I can pretty much guarantee that is not the place for you .

I am not a fan of grits, but my husband is, and his two favorites are the Old Post Office in Edisto, which is known for its grits, and the Shrimp and Grits with Bacon Gravy at RBs in Shem Creek. RBs is a nice place to go for a leisurely meal during the week (it's mobbed on weekends); it's right on the creek where the shrimp boats come in. You can sit by the windows and watch the dolphins and pelicans and paddle boarders and boaters all drifting by. That shrimp and grits dish is a heart attack in a bowl if you ask me, but my husband pretty much licks that bowl clean.

For coffee AND (maybe) hipsters, try Black Tap or City Lights. Otherwise.....Kaminsky's has good coffee and desserts (including great pie!) and the Charleston Coffee Exchange roasts their own.

Otherwise, I can't help you much with food, as I eat seafood morning, noon and night when I am in Charleston, but you will probably have no trouble finding what you want, as you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a good restaurant in Charleston. I've been to Savannah a couple of times, but we were visiting relatives who eat at sports bars, so my experience there is really limited .

 

[gkelly]

Do you consider hipsters a tourist attraction, part of the sightseeing?

Or are a hipster yourself and looking to hook up with the local communities?

 

[manhn]

I consider hipsters a tourist attraction, part of the sightseeing. Kinda like the city's Gay Village or Little Saigon or Chinatown or Little India.

No desire to hook up. I don't think anyone would classify me as a hipster. Maybe a Hipster Wannabe.

 

[Deleted member 221]

Be prepared for culture shock, especially in Savannah, where I've been more times than I'd have liked. You're going to feel like you've traveled back in time. The racial segregation will be obvious. Don't be surprised if you see subtle or not-so-subtle racism. The food is all fried. "Sweet tea" tastes like you're drinking from the sugar bowl. The deep southern accent can be harder to understand than Irish or Scottish accents. Needless to say, these are not my favorite places in the world. Hope you have a good time despite what I may think! If it's your first time, I suspect it will be eye opening at the very least. And these places all have pretty facades....

 

[manhn]

Oh, interesting (and kinda scary).

I did survive Chester, PA, Baltimore, and Camden, NJ. Kinda. Barely. I thought Savannah was like the Austin of Georgia.

 

[Prancer]

I've never had any trouble understanding anyone in Charleston; the accent is a little thicker in Savannah, but I've never had any trouble understanding people there, either. OTOH, my roots (pronounced ruhts) is in Kentucky and I can talk brier real good, so maybe I have a built-in advantage.

There's a plenty of food that isn't fried (although if you like fried, you will find plenty of options) and you can get unsweetened tea.

But boy, it really stood out to me that all the people working inside the plantations were white and all the workers outside were black, let me tell you. It was kind of .

 

[skategal]

Hilton Head is also VERY white.

I think the only Asian person we saw in Hilton Head while we were there was DS.

Re. Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean in April....the water will be cold.

Total immersion depends entirely on how hardy you are.

I would find it too cold to do that before late May - June. But putting your feet in/wading along the shore should be fine.

If you are a fan of the Mini Series 'North and South' the plantation used in the film (Boone Plantation) is just outside Charleston in Mt. Pleasant. It's lovely.

 

[leesaleesa]

The best ice cream in Savannah is supposed to be Leopolds. You will wait on a long line for it. I found it to be unremarkable. I suppose the college campus you will visit will be SCAD. Food is fried only if you order it that way or go to the Paula Deen fried food emporium, or whatever. Just get a burger instead at the Public Kitchen. Avoid the cute British pub at all costs. I think I got some brown stuff with peas, and my friend thinks hers was a TV dinner.

You can swim in Tybee island. I think the water is always cold though.

 

[Fridge_Break]

I was just in Savannah in December for my cousin's wedding, it was wonderful We didn't have a lot of time to go sightseeing and such, so I can't really answer your questions. Although I do have a fantastic recommendation for a pub crawl via group party bike if you're interested

 

[PRlady]

I hardly ever review restaurants on Trip Adviser and I did review Fig in Charleston - which tells you how much I liked it. Great "new southern" food.

 

[purple skates]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of hipsters in Savannah. Granted, it's been 8 or so years since I've been there, but hipster isn't the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the city. Old southern charm, yes. Strong European roots as far as city design, yes. Hipster? No.

We stayed out on Tybee Island and the ocean temp was just fine. Except it was August, so yeah.

 

[manhn]

I am going the first week of May. I was advised it would be rather muggy.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!!!

 

[purple skates]

August was unbearable as far as heat and humidity. May may still be ok. Fortunately, everything is air conditioned there.

I highly recommend visiting, btw. I've been lots of places in the US and I found Savannah to be quite unique (with the caveat that I have not been to Charleston).

Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[leesaleesa]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of hipsters in Savannah. Granted, it's been 8 or so years since I've been there, but hipster isn't the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the city. Old southern charm, yes. Strong European roots as far as city design, yes. Hipster? No.

We stayed out on Tybee Island and the ocean temp was just fine. Except it was August, so yeah.

SCAD=Art school+Young people. Unfortunately, some of those young'uns are hipsters. The city is getting younger. Most of the people I ran into there were college aged.

 

[skategal]

I am going the first week of May. I was advised it would be rather muggy.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!!!

We've been to Conway SC (about an hour north of Charleston) many times including May. Found the weather in early May to be just about perfect. It's our preferred time to visit.

 

[NinjaTurtles]

Savannah strikes me as a city that may be very popular with hipsters in a few years. It's not quite there yet, but having an art college helps (SCAD). I was there a year and half ago and there were quite a few new and unique small businesses that would hither to hipsters.

Definitely go to Zunzi's for a sandwich. It's a small hole-in-the-wall type place that is seriously delicious. Tried the Conquistador and the Godfather, both were awesome.

 

[ballettmaus]

August was unbearable as far as heat and humidity. May may still be ok. Fortunately, everything is air conditioned there.

I highly recommend visiting, btw. I've been lots of places in the US and I found Savannah to be quite unique (with the caveat that I have not been to Charleston).

Hope you enjoy your trip!

I found Savannah and Charleston both very different and as a city with history I love them both. They both have some very beautiful historic homes; Savannah especially felt like a movie backdrop in certain areas.

Unfortunately, I can't help you out with any of your questions, manhn as I only spent a couple of days in each city but enjoy your time there, both definitely worth a visit.

 

[manhn]

Otherwise, I can't help you much with food, as I eat seafood morning, noon and night when I am in Charleston, but you will probably have no trouble finding what you want, as you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a good restaurant in Charleston. I've been to Savannah a couple of times, but we were visiting relatives who eat at sports bars, so my experience there is really limited .

Heh, never thought of seafood. I'm thinking of going to the Crab Shack in Tybee Island. Their platters are HOOGE! Anyone been?

http://www.thecrabshack.com/

 

[Prancer]

Heh, never thought of seafood.

There are a lot of fresh seafood restaurants in Charleston; you can buy shrimp right off the boat in some places.

 

[Jenny]

Charleston/Savannah area is known for its excellent local cuisine, innovative young chefs and hot restaurants, as well as the high quality of so-called dives. I'd throw out the list of coffee/pho/ice cream/burgers and take advantage of the opportunity to try both traditional and new Southern cuisine at a variety of places - from the top name restaurants to the roadside shacks. You can have the other stuff any time, any where, but you might not get another chance for properly made grits, fresh she-crab soups, perfect chicken and biscuits and other wonders of the south

If you can find it online, Anthony Bourdain did a piece in the area in the last year or so that's worth watching to get a feel for what's worth seeking out.

For plantations, I've been to the 5 mentioned above, but don't want to recommend as it was years ago so a lot might have changed. I suggest checking all their websites, as each is quite different and you can decide based on your interest. Ie. do you prefer restored period furnishings or empty rooms? Houses or ruins? Gardens or just natural landscape? Slave history? Is a restaurant and/or gift shop important? Will you want a tour or just wander around (and if the latter, will there be places you can't go unaccompanied)?

Note also that three of them are very close together, so easy to do in a (long) day from Charleston - Middleton, Magnolia and Drayton. Plus, there are homes and gardens in Charleston itself that are well worth a tour. Even peaking over gates will show you a lot of great gardens

Not sure how old you are, but reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a good intro to Savannah society - it was written in the 1990s and based on real people and events in the 1980s, and was long known as simply "the book" in the city as it increased tourism dramatically. There was a Hollywood movie as well - good, but it could never capture the full richness of the story in the limited length of the film.

 

[leesaleesa]

I would recommend a visit to Mercer house. The upstairs is off limits, but the house is beautiful if simple, and it's worth it to walk where Jim Williams lived. I'm sort of a fan. Just don't ask about "the book".

BTW, his sister, (who he didn't get along with), Was in the house during our tour. Got a weird look, and then she scuttled off.

People there can be odd. I've lived in Lousiana and Florida my whole life, and have never heard anyone called "Yankee", Yet heard it over and over in Savannah. It befuddled my friend, who countered that she was born in the D.R., but was a Mets fan.

You will enjoy it. It's a weird little area, Savannah more so than Charleston.

ETA: all my information is about Savannah. I was sick in Charleston and only ate nachos. The creamy crab soup and oysters in Savannah were good.

 

[manhn]

I'd throw out the list of coffee/

Not gonna happen.

 

[leesaleesa]

If your so het up about coffee, just make your own. It's not like they boil it up in a sock. Coffee is just a morning thing there for the most part. I like strong coffee so I made my own. It's cheaper, So win win. Just go with the flow kid, and you'll have a great time. Go native and see where it takes you.

 

[Rob]

Charleston:

I loved FIG. Also 82 Queen.
Jestine's Kitchen has great fried chicken and fried oysters.
Shrimp: http://www.wreckrc.com/ - very casual dive

 

[viennese]

Savannah and Charleston are beautiful. I went in the heat of summer and I was dying. Fortunately everything is air conditioned. Take your time when you are outdoor sightseeing.

there are so many great places to eat!

 

[purple skates]

Heh, never thought of seafood. I'm thinking of going to the Crab Shack in Tybee Island. Their platters are HOOGE! Anyone been?

http://www.thecrabshack.com/

We are there. Can't say anything about the seafood (I don't like it) but we did have fun. We were a large group and I think everyone liked their food.

They have alligator ponds there. IIRC, we ate in a seating area that was open air with a roof. It rained but no rain got inside the seating area.

 

[manhn]

We are there. Can't say anything about the seafood (I don't like it) but we did have fun. We were a large group and I think everyone liked their food.

They have alligator ponds there. IIRC, we ate in a seating area that was open air with a roof. It rained but no rain got inside the seating area.

Great. If you don't mind me asking, what did you order? In case my parents don't want to partake in the seafood platter. The corn on the cob looks good...

 

[purple skates]

I don't remember - it was quite a while ago. I don't have any memories of it being horrible so that's probably good.