Thoughts on next years holiday - Smoky Mountains, Georgia & South Carolina

**smithlane** · 30 Apr 19, 06:58 PM

Thinking ahead to next years holiday and so far have got 7 nights in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains (a must), 2 nights in Atlanta (for The Walking Dead tour), 6 nights on the Golden Isles and 6 nights on Hilton Head Island. Visiting Savannah for the day is a must but should we stay over? Also is it worth cutting down our time on the GI and HHI to fit in a stay in Myrtle Beach? Any other tips for this part of the coastline?

Tweety1 · 30 Apr 19, 11:43 PM

Originally Posted by smithlane

Thinking ahead to next years holiday and so far have got 7 nights in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains (a must), 2 nights in Atlanta (for The Walking Dead tour), 6 nights on the Golden Isles and 6 nights on Hilton Head Island. Visiting Savannah for the day is a must but should we stay over? Also is it worth cutting down our time on the GI and HHI to fit in a stay in Myrtle Beach? Any other tips for this part of the coastline?

Following as sounds amazing

YorkshireT · 30 Apr 19, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by smithlane

Thinking ahead to next years holiday and so far have got 7 nights in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains (a must), 2 nights in Atlanta (for The Walking Dead tour), 6 nights on the Golden Isles and 6 nights on Hilton Head Island. Visiting Savannah for the day is a must but should we stay over? Also is it worth cutting down our time on the GI and HHI to fit in a stay in Myrtle Beach? Any other tips for this part of the coastline?

Short answer no to Myrtle- Myrtle Beach doesn�t come close to Hilton Head and on my Atlanta/ Smokies/ Myrtle/ HHI trip it was the place I�d miss out next time.

I have done this entire holiday (but did St Simons and Jekyll on a separate trip, the �Golden Isles� monicker I didn�t recognise, think it�s a newish marketing name?). Consider Charleston also.
Savannah stay ? It�s nice, a bit of a party town, if you don�t have young kids then it�s good to go out bar hopping etc.

HHI is my favourite.

Smokies great, how long you going, 3 weeks? 7 nights Smokies is quite a long time, particularly on a 2 week holiday.

**smithlane** · 1 May 19, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

Short answer no to Myrtle- Myrtle Beach doesn�t come close to Hilton Head and on my Atlanta/ Smokies/ Myrtle/ HHI trip it was the place I�d miss out next time.

I have done this entire holiday (but did St Simons and Jekyll on a separate trip, the �Golden Isles� monicker I didn�t recognise, think it�s a newish marketing name?). Consider Charleston also.
Savannah stay ? It�s nice, a bit of a party town, if you don�t have young kids then it�s good to go out bar hopping etc.

HHI is my favourite.

Smokies great, how long you going, 3 weeks? 7 nights Smokies is quite a long time, particularly on a 2 week holiday.

Thanks YT!
Yes we would be staying on St Simons Island, have found some lovely very reasonable condos.
We have 3 weeks and with two teens 16 and 14 I�m aware we need a perfect mix of relaxing and �doing stuff�. Don�t want them getting bored!
Last night I was looking at the panhandle of Florida, is that somewhere you�ve been?
Could possibly do 6 nights Smokies, 2 nights Atlanta, 4 nights Destin?, 4 nights St Simons then 5 nights HHI. Would that work?

YorkshireT · 2 May 19, 06:39 AM

Originally Posted by smithlane

Thanks YT!
Yes we would be staying on St Simons Island, have found some lovely very reasonable condos.
We have 3 weeks and with two teens 16 and 14 I�m aware we need a perfect mix of relaxing and �doing stuff�. Don�t want them getting bored!
Last night I was looking at the panhandle of Florida, is that somewhere you�ve been?
Could possibly do 6 nights Smokies, 2 nights Atlanta, 4 nights Destin?, 4 nights St Simons then 5 nights HHI. Would that work?

Yes it would. I would recommend San Destin, you can drive quickly down to Seaside etc from there and it is very nice. Stayed in a nice bungalow there.

**WileyCoyote** · 2 May 19, 05:44 PM

Hello.
Are your two good in the car ? That is a long day Atlanta to Destin and then Destin to St Simons . 5 or 6 hours assuming no traffic hitches ?
Where are you flying in and out from ?

**smithlane** · 2 May 19, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by WileyCoyote

Hello.
Are your two good in the car ? That is a long day Atlanta to Destin and then Destin to St Simons . 5 or 6 hours assuming no traffic hitches ?
Where are you flying in and out from ?

Hey! Yes they are alright thankfully. As long as they�re plugged in to their devices with regular drink and snacks then they�re all good 😂
No clue where we�re flying in and out of, will be wherever is cheapest so this itinerary could well change! Looking at this years dates it�s looking like Charlotte is fairly reasonable but who knows what next year will be

**WileyCoyote** · 2 May 19, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by smithlane

Hey! Yes they are alright thankfully. As long as they�re plugged in to their devices with regular drink and snacks then they�re all good 😂
No clue where we�re flying in and out of, will be wherever is cheapest so this itinerary could well change! Looking at this years dates it�s looking like Charlotte is fairly reasonable but who knows what next year will be

Ah that�s ok then. mine would have been evil !

I have decided on our trip we only have room for one trip up a Lighthouse and trying to decide if that�s at St Simons or Tybee. Decisions decisions !

Andy is even less impressed by the prospect of Lighthouses and a stop at the Lovers oak than he was when I suggested the cemetery tour in New Orleans. i think it may even drive him to beg to go back to a park

Well that�s my cunning plan anyway

*source* · 5 May 19, 03:25 PM

Your trips sound amazing! Can I please jump in on this thread and ask you seasoned travellers where you would stop for 3 nights if you were travelling from Washington to Florida?

I had been looking at Myrtle Beach but on reading the comments above, wonder if HHI or elsewhere would be better.

We will only have one week somewhere in Florida after the 3 nights there (had been wanting to go down to Boca Raton or somewhere in that direction as never been there before but I think realistically it will be too far - so had been looking at New Smyrna Beach but then decided possibly just to return to Orlando) before travelling back up to Washington.

We have driven this route before - stopping off in Charleston and Savannah (both of which we LOVED!) but as this will be over Christmas (from 23-26th) we were looking for something special.

Does this make sense? Hope you don't mind the jump on! x