THE ENTIRE EAST COAST IN LESS THAN A WEEK?

Day 4 – Richmond to Charleston – 7 hours 

            Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy, was rebuilt after the Civil War. Today it is a charming city, one that you will want to walk around for about 45 minutes. You will see tons of Civil War signs going South on I-95. You can get off of the road and veer a few miles to see where Stonewall Jackson died. Or, you could go further off of the road to Bull Run. But, Petersburg Battlefield is on our way from Richmond to Charleston, and it is a MUST SEE after breakfast. It is a driving circuit, and in the midst you see one of the COOLEST sites in American military history … The Crater. It’s kind of like a 19th Century Nuclear Bomb implosion.  

10 AM – Time to drive to Charleston … 6-7 Hours 

5:30 PM - We want to be there for dinner, because Charleston has some of the best Southern Cooking you will ever sample. Everyone has their favorite place. Some places are very pricey … If you want to go cheap but really good, check out famous Jestine’s Kitchen. Look for the line out the door.  

WANT TO SEE – It’s not a MUST SEE, but since it is getting dark, you should hop on one of the Ghost and Graveyard tours that operate in the city. Charleston is known for being haunted, so who knows, you are so tired from yesterday in DC, you may be seeing spirits. I personally was not fond of walking through the graveyards. But most people don’t seem to care, so if you like that sort of thing, you will enjoy the Ghost Tour. 

10 PM – Where are you staying? OK, it’s time to treat yourself. One of the wonderful and cute things about Charleston is their Bed and Breakfasts. Some are incredibly pricey. Others are charming and affordable. Stay at one, have breakfast, and talk to the local people. Some Southern Hospitality will go a long way. 

Day 5 – Wake up in Charleston, do a tour, head to Savannah                       

After breakfast, take one of the tours of Charleston, to get the non-haunted history. Those usually take about 1.5 hours. There are so many of them in Charleston, so book one online before arriving. Ed Grimball of http://www.edgrimballtours.com gives a great tour in Charleston. He is one of the famous tour guides there. Let your tourguide know that you have to catch a ferry to Fort Sumter. Get the schedule at www.fortsumtertours.com. This is a 2 hour and 15 minute tour, and unlike New York, you can not leave early. Fort Sumter is one of the top Civil War attractions, as it is where the battle started.  

2:30 – Grab Lunch, and time to drive the two hours to Savannah. 

4:30 – Park and Walk. There are a few hop-on and hop-off tour buses that you can do in Savannah. But, if you are fleet of foot, you can walk much of it. Any tourbook on Savannah will give you the same history the tourguide will. But, if you like being driven around, the buses are rather cheap. Don’t forget to check out where Forest Gump sat waiting for the bus! Savannah is very unique in that you will find that the squares and nature become one. Soak in the calmness of Southern life.  

6:30 – Dinner time … some great restaurants in Old Savannah.  

7:30 – Now you have choices. You can either drive to St. Augustine, Florida … OR … go to Atlanta, Georgia … OR, it is only 4 hours to Disney World in Orlando. Here is what I would recommend. Base this decision on where you can get the better flight or car rental … Most likely, it will be cheaper to fly out of Atlanta than Jacksonville, as it is the major hub.  

Day 6 – Atlanta – and home. 

OR … 

Day 6 –Orlando. If you want to attempt this, I would recommend skipping Savannah altogether, and getting to Orlando the night before. If you have only one day, then you better choose your park wisely. Universal Studios, and the Disney Parks are all winners. You can’t go wrong. 

7 AM – Get up and Go! At any of the parks, if you get there early, there is little to no waits on the rides. The longer the day drags on, the longer the lines. Stay all day, return the car with over 1300 miles on it, and fly home at night.

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