We enjoyed our first big road trip so much we were anxious to do another. Weve wanted to see fall color again and weve always wanted to see Savannah, Charleston, and Asheville so thats the trip we planned.
Once again we planned the trip eight nights and nine days and cover about 2,800 miles. And once again I rented a car because it made sense to save the wear and tear on our own car which would depreciate it more than the cost of the rental. We departed October 21.
Our first stop was New Orleans. A silver lining to the pandemic is that it has made hotel prices more affordable so we stayed right in the middle of the French Quarter at Place dArmes which I would describe as a boutique hotel. It has quaint, old French Quarter charm and just one block from Jackson Square. We were astonished to find the streets around Jackson Square empty! There were very few of us walking around. There were no artists displaying their wares. There were no performers. Despite all that we enjoyed the quiet and the calm. It was a unique experience for the Quarter. We experienced the same
thing at Cafe du Monde. There was no wait, no crowds, plenty of empty tables. Were we in the Twilight Zone? We enjoyed at meal at the Corner Oyster House that evening before heading back to the hotel.
Our next stop was Panama City, Florida. I booked us at the Casa Loma Inn. Normally, I wouldnt stay at a two star hotel or motel or one that has only a 3.6 out of 5 star rating from guests. But, it was right on the beach with a great balcony and the price was right. While we were disappointed that a motorcycle rally was in town that weekend which created a lot of noise from the street, on the beach side of the hotel and from our balcony we could not hear any of that and enjoyed a few walks on that amazing beach!
Next was Savannah, Georgia. All along the drive through Louisiana and Mississippi we saw the devastation left behind by multiple hurricanes during one of the busiest hurricane seasons in history. Particularly, Lake Charles, Louisiana which took a direct hit from two hurricanes just weeks apart. It seemed almost all buildings had blue tarps on their
This is one of the best walking cities weve been to. The historic homes and beautiful gardens seem to go on forever. They line the streets all around Forsyth Park which is a must see along with the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. Every few blocks is a beautiful little park loaded with Spanish moss laden trees and surrounding either a central fountain or statue. We had a nice meal at the Crystal Beer Parlor and also a small little Greek place near the hotel. The waterfront area which has a lot of restaurants was crowded so we chose instead to drive out to Tybee Island. This is a nice little with a lighthouse and a big beautiful beach.
Then it was on to Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is also a very walkable city. It being Saturday the streets were crowded so we decided to put off our walk around the historic district until Sunday morning. That was a good choice. The streets were relatively empty and we found some free parking right in the heart of
the area. The waterfront along East Battery and then around the bend onto Murray Boulevard is a pleasant walk. We then walked through White Point Garden and into the neighborhood down Meeting Street. The homes date back as far as the early 1700s. They are beautiful and have that old colonial look and feel. We also walked through the Historic Charleston City Market which is worth your time. Charleston is also noted for its many plantation homes, but this did not interest us so we didnt stop at any of them.
Just north of Charleston we have some transplanted friends living there so we made sure we set aside some time to visit them before heading to the Hyatt Place hotel by the airport.
The next morning we hit the road and headed to Asheville, North Carolina. The reason for traveling the last week of October was to see fall color in North Carolina.
