Seeking Southern Getaway in August or September for Anniversary

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Tybee Island, near Savannah is gorgeous and has beautiful B&Bs there.

Charleston is also very romantic. Horse drawn carriage rides, old mansions to tour, forts to walk around in (take a boat ride to Fort Sumter).

A good beach vacation location is also the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We especially loved staying in Southern Shores and Duck, on the north side. Flying into Virginia Beach, VA is a good bet to drive down there. There are a number of B&Bs, condo and house rentals, etc. Lots of fresh seafood.

Also, if you fly into VA Beach, why not consider Williamsburg, VA? That's not beachy, but it's colonial setting is very romantic and there is lots of fine dining and scenic spots in Colonial Williamsburg and at the College of William and Mary.

I would also second the vote for Asheville, NC which has a great downtown and lots of food options and scenery and cultural attractions. Biltmore is breathtaking and there are wineries in the area including at Biltmore.

Have fun!!

We spend our summers in Seaside, FL. It's actually a privately owned town in Santa Rosa Beach on the panhandle of Florida. Growing up we affectionately called it L.A., lower Alabama. The beaches are sugar white, the food is great and there is about 30 miles of bike trails along the coast so we don't use our car much. The food ranges from high end Southern Cooking to your typical beach fare as well as a little cajun influence in some places. You won't get the historical perspective like Charleston or Savannah but the beaches can't be beat. The Truman Show was shot there ten years ago...that beautiful place wasn't a movie set!

Congratulations on ten years!

M.

My family and I wanted to take a detour to the beach on our way to North Carolina from Louisiana. We had never been anywhere around there so I got on the internet and researched some places. I decided on Folly Beach, just south of Charleston. It was amazing! Charleston was absolutely beautiful as well. You can rent really nice houses right on the beach for pretty cheap compared to other places I checked out or there is a really nice Holiday Inn right on the water. The beach was very clean and private. We went in July and had about a mile long strip of the beach to ourselves for several days with just the occasional couple strolling by. It was extremely relaxing even with a 2 and 4 year old. The town is small but was really nice. Lots of cool shops, nice restaurants with good food, everyone was very friendly. Beautiful lighthouse you can walk down to. You can't actually get to it but you can get fairly close and it is a gorgeous, secluded area. (Its quite a walk. Good walking shoes are a must. I wore flip flops and it tore my feet up) We haven't made it back yet but we sure do plan on it. I'm hoping for this summer.

I absolutely love Sanibel Island! My husband and I were married there and have been back every year ever since.

Definitely consider Kiawah! We've been going for years (my husband used to vacation there with his family), first just the two of us and now as a family. The Sanctuary is gorgeous, very romantic, very relaxing. It's a 20 minute drive into Charleston, so you get all the best that Charleston has to offer, too...we actually got engaged at a fantastically romantic restaurant, 82 Queen, under a Magnolia tree with twinkling white lights, in downtown Charleston. It's romantic in a very non-cheesy way, with a lot of history, great food & fantastic people!

My husband and I stayed in downtown Savanah and it was amazing. We were there in October a few years ago and the weather was beautiful, the people were so friendly and we had such a wonderful time. It was very low-key and relaxing.

We stayed on Seabrook Island, which is adjacent to Kiawah, and near Charleston, SC. We absolutely loved it. It was quiet and beautiful and we were able to drive into Charleston for dining, shopping and sightseeing. We were there in September and the weather was perfect. Congrats on celebrating your 10 year anniversary!

Congrats on the 10th anniversary! My family and I are going to San Francisco and then renting a house in Sonoma for our 10th anniversary in April!

I agree with all of the comments on Savannah and Charleston. Both are fascinating from a historical perspective, gorgeous and have great food. Charleston has a good deal more going on that Savannah, but, both are very cool. We traveled to both with and 18month old a few years ago and things were quite doable (you didn't mention if you were taking children with you) with a kid because we took a lot of walking tours (pushing a stroller) trolley rides, etc.

If you are not going with kids, I suggest considering new orleans. This is one of my favorite places in the country. Amazing food, drinks, history, legend, and there are tremendously interesting areas outside of the French Quarter (Magazine St., The Garden District and if you have a car, a plantation tour.) You really can't go wrong.

FYI: New Orleans doesn't have a BEACH and neither does Charleston or Savannah, per se (to go to the beach in those towns requires driving to neighboring islands.... So if you want to stay in downtown historic charleston/Savannah or NO, you won't be able to walk to a beach....

Happy Travels!

If you like seafood, Charleston SC has some of the best. There are many wonderful restaurants in the historic old section. Don't miss the she-crab soup. Best in the world! Take a carriage ride or one of the tours. Go across to Isle of Palms or one of the other islands for great scenery and beaches and more good restaurants!

Check out Kiawah Island. It is about a 30-40 minute drive from Charleston so you could spend some time on each. Beautiful Island. We vacationed there growing up and are going back this summer.