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Hi guys! Sorry, I don't have a "real" blog post planned for today. I've been spending the last few evenings trying to plan our itinerary for our Southern road trip in October! Honestly, trip planning is not my favorite thing to do, so I've procrastinated this for way too long. I love vacations, I just don't like all the research and planning beforehand--and I never feel like I have a good chunk of time to work on it. But since the trip is coming up really soon, I've finally been making it a priority to get some plans squared away. I know you all have great taste, so I thought I'd enlist your help and ask for your recommendations! I posted about our trip awhile ago when we were just starting to think about it, but since that post was fairly general, I'm hoping some of you may have specific recommendations for the cities we are planning to visit. I'm looking for things to do, restaurants that we shouldn't miss, and places to stay. I'm struggling most with where to stay. We were hoping to find places for under $100/night, although we could go a little above that if the place was worth it...but all the hotels I saw recommended were more than a little out of our budget. I also checked out airbnb, which looks promising, but there aren't too many options for apartments/homes that we'd have to ourselves (which would be our preference). Do any of you know of a great hotel in the cities below--or someone that rents their place out? If so, please let me know!! We don't need a place to be fancy or luxurious, just clean and maybe a little fun and unique. We're renting a car, so it's ok if it's not downtown.
Here are the cities on our list:
Nashville, Tennessee / Chapel Hill, North Carolina / Charleston, South Carolina / Savannah, Georgia / Pensacola, Florida / New Orleans, Louisiana / Atlanta, Georgia ... and then back to Nashville!
Do any of you have recommendations for me??
I'm also curious, how do you guys normally find places to stay? Do you ever do the "name-your-own-price" thing on sites like Priceline? We've done it once before and were happy with how it turned out, but I'm nervous that we might not get so lucky the next time. Also, have you guys used airbnb? If so, what was your experience? Please share your trip planning tips with me! I totally need your help...
Photo via The Weekend File.
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We used bedandbreakfast.com for some places in Europe that worked really well. I've heard great things about airbnb as well. Something to think about, we really loved staying with other travelers. It made out Europe trip more interesting and we learned a lot! Maybe it would be different in the us...not sure!
Also, how close will you be to Williamsburg? I thought that place was pretty cool!
Ha ha you aren't going to Virginia so never mind. That's the only place in the south that I've ever been. :)
oh my gosh you'll have a blast! never been to the south so no recommendations!
kw ladies in navy
How fun! Those are all places I totally want to visit. I've been to ATL and it was such a blast. I usually check out Hotwire/Priceline...they've never let me down when traveling on a budget. Good luck!
Sounds like such a fun trip! Just a few suggestions from a southern girl--in Nashville, don't miss the Lovelace Cafe...Such yummy food and legendary! I usually stay at a Comfort Inn on Demonbreun Street in Nashville and while it is nothing fancy, it is really close to downtown and on a cute little street...It is right off the interstrate so also really easy to get too! In Charleston, I am a huge fan of Shem Creek Inn...It has the most gorgeous views and keeps me coming back time and again...Also in Charleston, if you want to spend time sight seeing, any of the plantations are pretty amazing but my favorite is Drayton Hall...In Savannah, take a drive out to Tybee Island...I have stayed at Tybee Island Inn before and it is beautiful but a little ways from downtown. For last minute vacations, I sometimes use flipkey.com and VRBO.com-I have found some amazing lofts in downtown areas for cheap...Just depends on how long you want to peruse the listings! :) Hope some of this helps!
Thank you so much for your suggestions Emily! This is so helpful.
Well, what we stay in prob. won't suit you. We stay in inexpensive chain motels (Motel 6, etc.) Jim always picks one very nice place at the highlight of our trip that is close to the places we will see. (EX, a 250/night downtown DC a few blocks from Smithsonian.) We always have ONE great place. The rest just give us a clean warm bed. We always check location on the maps, that usually clinches the deal.
Debbie, I love that concept! That way you get the best of both worlds--you save money and you get to treat yourself.
We've used Priceline's name your price a number of times and we've always had good luck. On average, we've paid around $50 a night, which is so worth it!
Also, I always check the forums on this website before I bid:
http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/
You can search by location, and it gives you an idea of what people have successfully bid by hotel category (number of stars). Good luck! :)
Thank you! We just used Priceline and got a great hotel in Savannah :)
You must have some Pralines in Savannah or the famous French beignets :) Also, take your wine to go on River Street! It's legal! :)
This is where we always stay in CH bc I find most of the hotels too expensive (we just go to see bands play and need a place to crash): http://www.chapelhilluniversityinn.com/
It's nice, clean, there's a pool and it's a few minutes from downtown (you might also want to go to Durham bc it is AMAZING). Right across the street is a Trader Joe's & Bruegger's which I always find convenient. I feel I should warn you that if it's a weekend and there is a Duke or UNC football game you will want to die.
Savannah is AMAZING. You must eat at local11ten. We stayed in a vrbo.com property on broughton street and LOVED it! In Atlanta (where I live), go to Georgia Aquarium, the world of Coke, and stay in Midtown or Buckhead! If you want to splurge on good food check out Bacchanalia - worth every penny. Check out west midtown for amazing fabric and antique shopping. Places like Forsyth Fabric and marty mason home are awesome! Good luck and have fun!