I live in the SE, and have been to all the places you listed! The Two Meeting Street Inn is my favorite place to stay in Charleston, as it is right on the Battery there in the residential district. I am a runner, so those early morning jogs down those exquisite residential streets were heavenly to me.There are too many amazing restaurants to list...see if your concierge is a true local and find out where THEY eat! :) If you don't mind a little drive, it is easy to get from NOLA to Natchez...and there is a scenic Hwy. I LOVE Natchez...we stayed in this amazing place called Monmouth Plantation...oh, it was lovely and such a complete Southern experience. We stayed at the Windsor Court hotel in NOLA, which is in the Buiness District, but just a short walk to the French Quarter. It was the best of both worlds to me, you could enjoy the craziness of Bourbon St, but then walk back to a wonderful, quiet hotel! And so close to the Cafe du Monde for your breakfast beignets! I am jealous of your trip! You will have an amazing time in these places! Oh, and the Biltmore Inn makes you feel like you are truly a guest of the Vanderbilts...Inn guests get lots of special perks while on the property. We just went in June for our anniversary. :)

HD and I (with 2 children) have been to Savannah several times since we live in GA, it makes for a nice getaway. Be prepared however to fight the crowds, gnats and other flying varmints too! Also, don't forget the meat tenderizer if going to Ty Bee especially....our last vacation there ended after HD was stung by a stingray. We didn't see it and he thought maybe he had just scrapped his leg on something under the water..but after 2 days of pain, swelling in redness...we began a long trip home to North Georgia. He was in terrible pain, nauseated etc. It wasn't until several days later that I finally convinced him he needed medical attention. The MD was quite sure after hearing our account of the days leading up to our visit that it was a "vicious" stingray attack and without medical attention could have proven extremely dangerous. He strongly recommended when visiting there again (or another beach for that matter) meat tenderizer applied in a paste like form would give relief from insect bites and other creatures of the deep...look out for the jellyfish too! sorry to bring you down,,,,it's a lovely place...and we have enjoyed many days strolling across the beach early in the morning, but found the night life to be a little overwhelming...just be safe and careful...that River Walk can become quite overwhelming and crowded at night! Just don't venture too too far and expect parking to be an issue.

Thanks everyone! I had been to Mrytle Beach about 6 years ago and it left me very unimpressed, so there were no plans made for a stop. And Richmond, even it were along the way, we visited last year when my GD gratuated from a high school. We will definitely visit Charleston, even though my 3 DD's and myself had our girls trip there last spring. I had heard if you really want to see historical homes, Savannah was the place to go, and both my son and myself love walking thru the old neighborhoods, but will do the tour bus 'thing' instead of walking. And of course shopping! The south has a certain magic, and when you are standing underneath one of the many magnificent oaks strung with Spanish moss, you can't help being transported to a time many years ago. ;)

Thank you all so much! These are terrific recommendations. I've found that most of the fine dining type spots are fully booked, but that's OK. We're not big fine dining folks, anyway. BF's focus is on "seafood, barbecue, and, of course, seafood," which we should be able to find about anywhere. As for Asheville, we're doing the Biltmore House tour and the Grove Park Inn. We're just in Charleston one night, so I didn't see the value in getting a nice hotel in the historic district just to sleep in it for a few hours, but we can easily see a lot of the sights in one day. We're in Savannah for two nights and can really enjoy the hotel, so are staying at the Eliza Thompson House. Next is the FL panhandle at my dad's, and we'll head down to sites along 30A so the Wisconsin boy can get some beach time and see where I grew up. Birmingham is where lots of friends are, and there will be much barbecue and soul food devoured, much cackling and catching up, and close inspection of BF by my dearest friends. Memphis will be the Stax Studio tour, Corky's BBQ and, of course, Graceland, among other good stuff.