Enjoy!

Shop at SCAD(s) in Savannah. My fave restaurant there was Local11Ten. My fave thing to do was stroll.

In Charleston, my DD1 was there a little over a year ago, and loved staying at https://www.thevendue.com/

https://www.ajc.com/travel/9-ways-to-celebrate-christmas-in-the-south/4VKBM5NJIFFZXMKGESVRVL7P2M/

May want to do a side trip to Beaufort, sc for the architecture

One of my favorite things in Savannah was a walk through Bonaventure Cemetery. So many great restaurants in all of those places.

MY DD has lived in Memphis for 10 years, so lmk if you need any more recs there. I think I have seen every site and eaten at tons of great restaurants there. Enjoy your trip!

Beaufort is fabulous!

My DD got married in Savannah almost 5 years ago. She’s a foodie, so will ask her about some of her favorites. I recall The Olde Pink House but cannot remember the others. My DGD enjoyed the ghose tour one night before the wedding but not sire if those are seasonal.

Birmingham has Virtual Van Gogh at the Museum of Art right now if interested and if you’re stopping there.

In Charleston: Fig, Vickery's, The Glass Onion, Slightly Broad of North, Sea Biscuit Cafe. Vickery's is on Shem Creek, on the water. This is where the fishing boats come in. Do a walk through the market, and the harbor park. Take a tour - there are all kinds, horse and carriage, trolley, boat, etc. they will take you through many places in the city and give you history on the sites. It's a great city to people watch. We almost always stay on one of the islands, so you may want to visit some of those, although Seabrook and Kiawah are gated. Sullivan's Island has some leftover war housing. There are a couple of underground houses too. John's Island has the Angel Oak. James Island has a lighthouse.

Haven't been to Savannah as much, but it is beautiful. I could just drive through and look at houses. Take the "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" tour, especially if you've read the book. You'll go to sites from the book. The movie was filmed there. Try the Olde Pink House Restaurant and Lady and Sons (Paula Deen and her two sons) if it is still open??? for restaurants. We have not been to Savannah in a few years.

Biltmore is beautiful decorated for Christmas. Charleston and Savannah usually have beautiful decorations for the holidays also. I am in Tennessee, about 2 hours from Asheville. We may need to take an overnight over that way to see the lights. Lots of good restaurants there too. We love antiquing and hit the shops in Charleston, Savannah and Asheville. LOL

I'm jealous, it's really an excellent itinerary for the holidays. Plus, young love! : )

Two Meeting Street Inn way down by the Battery is my favorite in Charleston. It’s down in the residential area, right across from Battery Park (I can’t remember if that’s the official name…the one way down at the end on the water with the cannons!) So lovely, so historic! We love the Vendue as well…the art is gorgeous, but I also LOVE the rooftop bar there (which may or may not be doable depending on weather…although in Charleston this time of year I bet you have a 60-70% chance of it being nice enough to drink up there with the heaters and fire sources.) Try to stay ”in” actual Charleston regardless rather than somewhere else & drive in. The search for parking sucks the fun out of it! 😂

Pretty much anywhere is good for dinner. I love High Cotton and Husk, but we also seem to stumble into at least one new restaurant whenever we go as well. Make reservations now!

I can only imagine how GORGEOUS Charleston is at Christmas (never been this time of year) but also imagibe with the beauty comes Christmas crowds!

You can park at the Visitors Center and catch the bus/trolley. They have the DASH, which only goes to certain areas and it's free. It's a trolley but they were changing out to buses, not sure if that is complete or not. There is another bus (I can't think of what it's called) that you can ride all day for a small fee and get on/off stops. Again, you can catch this at the Visitors Center.

What a great trip! In Savannah, if you go to the Olde Pink House try and eat downstairs in the bar area. Also, friends have recommended The Grey as another place for dinner and the Perry Lane Hotel to stay. Enjoy!

The Grey was another I was trying to recall. Thanks Rubyclaire. I have heard Lady and Son isn't worth it in the past few years. Would skip it.

Jak, I have no real suggestions, but love all of the places you will be visiting. Savannah is my all time favorite. I hope you and your BF enjoy it. Sounds like such a lovely trip!

We have been in Savannah for the past six days, leaving today. Try to go down to the Riverfront....our son is Hotel Mgr at a JW Mariott & that entire area is unbelievable. Lots of restaurants & the three hotel complexes are beautiful. We also took the Trolley Tour so got to see some of the architecture & squares that way. Also drove to Hilton Head SC one day & walked on the beach. I will, of course, miss him so much, and also the warmer temps as we head back to the chilly rainy PNW. Enjoy your trip....

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.

Believe it or not, I don’t get to Charleston that often, but i agree pretty much anywhere has good food. Last time for a conference I stayed at the Francis Marion hotel. It is full of vintage charm, but the rooms are tiny. The Courtyard by Marriott is another great choice in the same area. It is right across from the Mother Emanuel AME church, so even if you don’t stay there, you maybe want to go by reflect. Big Gun Burgers was a fun place.

Again, if your boyfriend is looking for good, fresh seafood, go to the Shem Creek area which is just outside of Charleston in Mt. Pleasant. This is where the fishing ships come in and you will be able to watch the ships and eat good seafood. Vickery's, Shem Creek Crab House, Salt Water Cowboys and there are others. I don't eat seafood and my husband will only eat it somewhere like this - where it is fresh. I still enjoy several restaurants in Shem Creek.

Oh jakebedy you'll be at the Grove Park Inn for the Gingerbread houses! I was just there last week to see them and have lunch with friends. Hopefully you'll have a sunny day and if so, treat yourself to a drink on the terrace - even if it's chilly the sun will be warm and they'll bring you blankets.

Wow - sounds like a great trip - enjoy!

Sounds like a great trip and a nice sampler at each stop. You will at least be able to decide what you might want to see/do on a return trip some time.