Southeastern Road Trip - Need Advice

[Lucky07]

I'm looking to go on a road trip the 4th week of October. The goal of this trip is to explore the eastern coastline while
exploring the southern history as well as checking out good beaches and good food. The big decision we need to make is what states we're going to go to. We definitely want to go to:

- South Carolina (myrtle beach, Charleston)
- Georgia (savannah)

Beyond this is the question. We want to spend about 6-7 days on this trip with the idea of exploring all the fun locations on the coastline. The big question is should we explore North Carolina or more of Jacksonville, FL? I like the idea of exploring mountain range/scenic areas as well as historic sites. We also want to check out good food, and some good shopping. Any recommendations are highly appreciated :)

Chris

[glc]

Welcome!

Where is this trip starting and ending?

[Lucky07]

We're looking to start in North Carolina, traveling along the coastline as we make our way towards southern Georgia. If anyone has suggestions as to what states would make sense I would appreciate it. The path we've been thinking about taking would be as follows:

North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Florida (?)

Would it make sense to take historic route 1 for the majority of our travels? I'm looking to see some historical sites, as well as a mix of fun touristy attractions!

[glc]

Can you narrow that down a bit more, like maybe to cities? Are you flying in and out?

[Lucky07]

We would be flying in and out. The only cities that we definitely want to see are:

Savannah
Charleston
Myrtle Beach

This is the part we need some help with because we're not sure what cities we should stop at. I would like
to stay along the eastern coast but we aren't opposed to checking out stuff inland as well. Would it make more sense
to start around NC and go down to southern Georgia? Or Start At South Carolina and make our way down to Florida?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

[glc]

Where are you flying in FROM? You need to check on schedules and airfares, and also car rental rates. You will find quite a difference between different cities in the southeast, and it will ALWAYS be cheaper to fly in and out of the same city, both from an airfare and a car rental standpoint. You would want to plan a "loop" trip. Generally, the larger the city, the more flexibility you will have and the lower your expenses will be. The 2 largest cities in that part of the country would be Atlanta and Charlotte - and if you are flying international, Atlanta would probably be best. If you are flying domestic, other cities to check out would be Raleigh and Jacksonville, possibly Myrtle Beach.