Southern USA - Charleston Savannah

Day 1: Georgia travel on your mind
South Carolina and Georgia travel experience departs from Florida’s Jacksonville International Airport at 3:00 PM. For guests spending the previous night on Jekyll Island, a transfer is included from Jacksonville International Airport to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel in the heart of the island's National Historic Landmark District. Enjoy the welcome reception and dinner at your elegant Victorian hotel, which was originally founded in the late 19th century as a hunting retreat for some of America's richest and most powerful families including the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts; a stay on historic Jekyll Island is a Georgia travel highlight.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island, GA

Day 2: St. Simons Island & SavannahHorse and carriage at St. Simons
Tour Jekyll Island’s 240-acre historical district, including Faith Chapel and Rockefeller's Indian Mound, and travel to nearby St. Simons Island, hosting expansive marshlands. Your Georgia travel experience continues to Savannah for a two-night stay, where you'll admire the elegant architecture and the geometric city design, with 24 park squares featuring live oaks draped with Spanish moss; it's one of the country’s most graceful cities. Your exclusive dinner tonight takes place at a historic private Savannah home, the Metts-McNeal Mansion; begin with Mint Juleps on the veranda, overlooking Forsyth Park, and enjoy southern hospitality at its finest.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Hilton Savannah DeSoto, Savannah, GA

Day 3: Landmarks of Savannah - Georgia travel at its best
Begin your day with a private tour of the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, family home of the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, and visit the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, interpreting the great Atlantic sea trade of centuries past. Then a local Georgia travel guide provides an insider’s view of Savannah's park squares and notable buildings, part of one of the first planned cities in America; its National Historic Landmark District is the largest in the country, and features more than 1,000 architecturally significant buildings. The remainder of the day is yours to explore more of Savannah on your own, perhaps wandering the city's trendy waterfront district.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Hilton Savannah DeSoto, Savannah, GA Map Charleston Savannah

Day 4: Civil War history & barrier beaches
Bid Savannah farewell and continue your Georgia travel adventure with a visit to a key site of the Civil War, Fort Pulaski National Monument, an impressive brick fortress captured by Union forces in 1862. From Georgia travel to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, boasting one of the most pristine marine estuaries on the east coast, featuring miles of barrier beaches that are ideal for walking and beachcombing. Enjoy an à la carte dinner at your inviting oceanfront resort tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, Hilton Head, SC

Day 5: Step back in time in Beaufort en route to Charleston
Take time for a morning walk on Hilton Head’s pristine beaches before you journey north along the coast. Arrive in Beaufort, "Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands," where you'll view the timeless architecture of its National Historic Landmark District on a horse-drawn carriage ride. Head to Charleston, the lovely and historic first capital of South Carolina. An exclusively chartered private boat cruise of Charleston Harbor this afternoon imparts a wealth of information about the city's centuries of maritime history – an important part of this South Carolina and Georgia travel experience. Your home for the next three nights is a 150-year-old hotel at the center of Charleston's historic district.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: The Mills House Hotel, Charleston, SC

Day 6: Explore the past in gracious Charleston
Relive the past on a guided sightseeing tour of prosperous Charleston along cobblestone streets and past walled gardens. The city’s 789-acre historic district showcases extraordinary architecture, from pre-Revolutionary War buildings to graceful antebellum homes. Explore on your own in the afternoon. Perhaps take a carriage tour, visit the Gibbes Museum of Art, or see Fort Sumter National Monument, where the first shot of the Civil War was fired in 1861.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: The Mills House Hotel, Charleston, SC

Day 7: Grand plantations and gardens of centuries past
Visit some of the finest plantations and gardens in America today. A morning excursion takes you first to Drayton Hall, a Georgian Palladian mansion built in 1738 that is preserved in original condition, without electricity or plumbing. Join senior interpreters for a Conoisseur Tour that takes an in-depth look at three centuries of Drayton Hall via historical photographs, plantation logs and archived letters. Then it's on to Middleton Place for a tour of its mansion built in 1755, stable yard with period artifacts, and the oldest formal gardens in the United States, considered a landscaping masterpiece. This evening, relive your gracious South Carolina and Georgia travel experience during the farewell reception and dinner at your historic Charleston hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Mills House Hotel, Charleston, SC

Day 8: Journey home
Your South Carolina and Georgia travel adventure ends in Charleston, South Carolina. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from The Mills House Hotel to Charleston International Airport. Allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast

Night 1: Jekyll Island Club Hotel
Jekyll Island, Georgia

Once the exclusive retreat of the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts and their millionaire friends, this lovingly restored and meticulous maintained Victorian gem has been voted one of the world’s 500 best hotels by the readers of Travel + Leisure. Located in a protected area of Jekyll Island, the grandeur of the buildings and grounds of this historic landmark evoke memories of the Gilded Age. Guestrooms feature color cable TV / DVD, iron / ironing board, in-room safe, coffee maker and refreshments center. Leisure options include an outdoor swimming pool, croquet, a putting green and a lending library. Dining venues include the elegant Grand Dining Room, with its Ionic columns and commanding views of the Jekyll River and the alfresco dining experience at The Courtyard at Crane Cottage, which offers a casual yet sophisticated ambiance.

Night 2 & 3: Hilton Savannah DeSoto
Savannah, Georgia

Situated in the very heart of delightfully intriguing Savannah, the Hilton Savannah Desoto was built in 1890 and is considered by many to be the city’s grandest large hotel. Guestrooms, each with a balcony, are quite comfortable and all offer views of this lovely and historic southern city. In-room amenities include air conditioning, coffee maker, iron / ironing board, cable TV and Internet access. A swimming pool awaits during leisure time. Magnolia’s Restaurant, the beautifully restored grand dining room, serves authentic Savannah cuisine. Gracious southern hospitality is a hallmark of the Hilton Savannah DeSoto.

Night 4: The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa
Hilton Head, South Carolina

This impressive beachfront resort enjoys the well-earned reputation as being the very best on the island. Set on the most pristine and private stretch of beach on the island, the resort offers a wide range of facilities, activities and amenities. Guestrooms offer Westin’s signature Heavenly Bed®, private balcony or patio, coffee maker, hairdryer, iron / ironing board, high-speed Internet access and cable TV. Recreational options include a lovely outdoor swimming pool as well as a heated indoor pool, WestinWORKOUT® exercise facilities, tennis courts, steam room and sauna and aerobic classes. The resort’s AAA Four-Diamond restaurant, the Barony Grill, offers fine dining and exceptional service. The readers of Travel + Leisure have voted The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa one of the 500 best hotels in the world.

Night 5, 6 & 7: The Mills House Hotel
Charleston, South Carolina

The original Mills House Hotel welcomed its first guests over 100 years ago. Located in the heart of historic Charleston, this charming hotel extends gracious southern hospitality in the true tradition of the genteel way of life in this charming city. Each individually decorated guestroom offers a hair dryer, coffee maker and iron with ironing board. Guests are invited to relax around the swimming pool as they enjoy Charleston’s warm climate. Dining in the Barbados Room features an outstanding selection of Lowcountry specialties. Both the Best Friend Bar (named for the nation’s first steam locomotive based in Charleston) and the First Shot Lounge (named for the first shot fired in the Civil War) are ideal venues in which to sip your favorite libation.