Outerbanks

[kcstockdale]

Taking my first real road trip, and I will be ALL BY MY SELF! Oh, how wonderful it will be. Any tips? Going from Greensboro, NC to Wilmington, NC to Savannah, GA to Jacksonville, FL. I have 3 1/2 days to make the 620 mile trip.

Any tips or ideas on what I should go see, or not see. Kind of nervous about this. Any coments would be wonderful!!!!!


KCS

[Mark Sedenquist]

Taking my first real road trip, and I will be ALL BY MY SELF! Oh, how wonderful it will be

. It will be cool -- I always recommend that anyone take a solo trip at least once a year. The best part is that you will speak to folks you might not otherwise meet if you were traveling with another person. I love the fact that you are taking 3-1/2 days to cover the 620 miles -- Unfortunately, it has been nearly ten years since I traveled that section of the country and my tips for places to see would be woefully out of date. One tip I can pass on about Savannah -- stop by the Visitor Center downtown and pick up the Visitor DayPass -- it costs about $8 and allows you to park FREE for two days at all 1-hour parking meters and the city parking lots -- plus there are trolley tours that might be of interest.

Hopefullly some of our Carolinas members will post ideas soon.

Mark

[kcstockdale]

Thanks Mark! I could spend hours on that Sanannah web site, but I actually have to work today. I am very excited to see the places I have always dreamed about.

Any other information I could get from you and others would be wonderful. I hope to make the most of my time along the southern coast.

[RoadDog]

I imagine you'll probably take I-40 to Wilmington. Get off at Rocky Point, NC-210, and stop at Paul's. They have a place right by the exit or, even better, drive the few miles to the original. You will love their hotdogs. They've been serving them since 1928 and have been a stop for most people driving to Carolina Beach. Their famous relish sauce (created because of WWII meat rationing) is something else.

See the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, then drive to Carolina Beach. Check out the old boardwalk and get some melt-in-your-mouth Britt's Donuts. It will be worth your stop. However, eat them there, they don't taste all that great if you take some to go.

Farther south on US-421 is Fort Fisher, the site of one of the largest forts ever built on US soil. The fall of this fort in January 1865 effectively sealed the fate of the Confederacy.

Continue on down to the Fort Fisher-Southport ferry and take a free ride across the Cape Fear River. Check ahead for schedule. There will also be schedules posted along the highway.

Right on the NC-SC border is Calabash. They have some of the most unique and best shrimp you'll ever get. Calabash shrimp. now that's something.

See the historical Pavillion in Myrtle Beach before they tear it down.

Just some ideas.

Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog

[kcstockdale]

Well thanks Road Dog. Now that's what I am talking about. I really want to see as much as possible and not drive strait through and miss out on everything on all the good stuff.

Is that possible to do in one day? I am spending the first night in Wilmington, second in Charleston, and third in Savannah.

[Badduke]

I don't quite know what your plans are for Jacksonville. I'm sure many people can tell you how wonderful it is and things to do there, but a mere 40 miles south of Jacksonville is St. Augustine. St. Augustine is a wonderfully charming place that my wife and I absolutely fell in love with. The history and the architecture is simply awesome. Take a drink from the fountain of youth, visit the Castillo de San Marcos (1695) fort and prison, stroll down the narrow streets filled with wonderful archticture and quaint shops...St. Augustine is truly one of my favorite places in the United States.

Also, if you do manage to get to St. Augustine, try to get in on a "Ghost Tour" during the evening. You will not be dissappointed. We didn't see ghosts, but we were definitely entertained and well informed about the "infamous" history of St. Augustine.

[kcstockdale]

I wil be in Jacksonville on business. Our offices are 30 minutes from St. Augustine. I will have to get out there on this trip or the next. I go out to Jacksonville 3 or 4 times a year. I am goign to start making little excursions of my trips, so I will need lots of advice on things to see.

[kcstockdale]

So I was planning a trip from Greensboro, NC to the coast and then down to Jacksonville, FL. I have to alter my flight and head out a week or so later, which means I will have more time to explore. I would like to start at the Outerbanks and then travel along the cost to my final destinantion. Any ideas on a starting point? I have 4 to 6 days to make this trip. I need to change my flight soon so please hurry! And what airports should I fly into??