Guide to Getting Away from the Sunnyside Traveler

Things To Do: The best way to see Savannah is to get a hotel downtown and just walk everywhere. The squares are full of life, the homes are neat and historical and you can wander around for hours finding neat shops and restaurants.  Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a big part of the city. So many buildings downtown are owned by them so it gives it a neat artsy vibe.  Architectural Tour: This is the only tour I've been on of  Savannah. I would highly recommend it.  It's a walking tour but gives you a neat perspective.  http://www. architecturalsavannah.com/ First African Baptist Church: We've gone on a tour here and it was done well. We enjoyed hearing and seeing the history this church has. I highly recommend:  http://firstafricanbc.com/tours.php  Pinpoint Heritage Museum: information on Gullah/Gechee heritage and culture. One on my list to visit:  http://www.chsgeorgia.org/PHM  Oatland Island: My favorite place to go in Savannah. It'

Chattanooga is one of my favorite cities. It's a great outdoors city with lots of family-friendly activities. I also love that a lot of the big tourist attractions have been around for almost a hundred years (the Incline Railroad is over a hundred years old). There's such a rich history to the area.  There are a variety of places to stay. You can stay downtown in a hotel or bed and breakfast, you can stay on Lookout Mountain in one of their bed and breakfasts, or there are cabins and campgrounds at a few of the parks in the area. One of the most unique places to stay is at the Chattanooga ChooChoo where you can stay in a railroad car. It's run by Holiday Inn and is pretty historic in itself. But personally I would probably only stay there if you have a child who loves trains and would be excited to stay there. I think the hotel needs some renovations to keep it up to date.  The biggest, historical attractions in Chattanooga are: Rock City: one of my favorites. They al

A running list of Columbia restaurants. Websites will be listed whenever I can find them. Rosso - Rustic Italian. Wood-fire grill. Outdoor seating. My favorite place in Columbia for desserts, especially tiramisu. Dinners run between $15 and $20. One of my favorites. Located outside of downtown in Forest Acres.  http://www.rossocolumbia.com/ Cock n Bull - English pub food. Great beer on tap. They play a lot of soccer and rugby on their TVs and will open for important games. Usually open for lunch and dinner. Good hangout place on Rosewood Drive. http://www.cnbpub.net/ Miyo's - There are a few of these in the Columbia area. They have a variety of Asian cuisine, sushi, Chinese, Thai and some good vegetarian options. They have lunch and dinner. Best choice in Columbia for Chinese food. http://www.miyos.com/ Japanese options There are a few good choices in Columbia for sushi and Japanese cuisine. Sakura - off of Forest Drive. http://sakurasc1.com/home.html Camo

Things to do in Asheville: wander around downtown - they have lots of quirky shops (i like this tea/spice shop downtown) Biltmore - great gardens, if you want to pay the cost to get in, you could spend a whole day there if you wanted.   http://www.biltmore.com/ outside of Biltmore is the Biltmore Village which has high end shops and restaurants  Blue Ridge Parkway   http://www. blueridgeparkway.org/   - Time goes slower on the parkway. Mileage too. The normal time it takes to drive 10 miles anywhere else is doubled on the parkway. It's great but you have to remember not to try and bite off more than you can chew. Chimney Rock , I haven't been here yet but one day:  http://www. chimneyrockpark.com/ The Arboretum :  http://www. ncarboretum.org/   It's pretty neat and not too expensive. There are some easy trails around the property that are nice.  Asheville also has a lot of good music venues, if you wanted to check them out. This is one I've heard of

A running list of Savannah restaurants. Websites will be listed whenever I can find them. Jazz'd Tapas Bar - This place has a great tapas for two for $50, I think. Cool place  http://www. jazzdsavannah.com/ Local11ten - This is a nicer restaurant, if you want something like that. This has become my favorite place for dinner in Savannah. They can do an amazing combination of flavors. http://local11ten.com/ Zunzis - You have to go here! For lunch! It's an experience. Check out the website so you have an idea of the place but it is so good. The restaurant is a counter with a small walk through line and then you can sit outside to eat or take it to go. So unique! Be sure to try their specialty iced tea.  http://www.zunzis.com. / Gryphon Tea Room - For afternoon tea or lunch, we love this place. They have amazing scones and cream.  http://www.teamuse.com/ article_040203.html Gallery Espresso - For coffee, tea, free wifi, breakfast, lunch, this is a popular

I'm going to keep a running list of Charleston restaurants I've been to and recommend. I'll try and put websites up whenever possible.  Cane Rhum Bar & Caribbean Kitchen:  http://eatdrinkcane.com/ Cane is one of our favorite places in Charleston. You feel like you're in the tropics whenever you go. They are only open for dinner time. The food is small enough portions that you can try a few different items and not fill up too much. I recommend the "Taste of Cane to Share".  Poe's :  http://www.poestavern. com/    It is my favorite burger joint. It has been crowded the last few times I've tried to go. It is probably better to go during 'off-times' to beat crowds.  Fleet Landing:   http://www. fleetlanding.net/   If you're downtown and want some seafood (and a more Charleston experience), this is my new favorite place. It is an old storage building on the water but the inside is nice and has great views and good food (I li

My favorite things to do in Charleston: Free: The Garden/Cemetery walk :  http://www.gardenvisit. com/garden/gateway_walk_ charleston  Pretty much you just look in this area and there is a path that leads through all these cemeteries and gardens. There are gates and you can usually figure out where they are, if you find one. Hopefully the map helps.  Charleston Tea Plantation :  http://www. charlestonteaplantation.com/   The tour is short and free, but they also have a nice area by the visitors center that has benches and is a good place to relax. I'd have lunch there sometime, I think they'd be ok with that. They also have other tours you can do and pay for.  Angel Oak: on the way to the Tea Plantation, really pretty, large oak tree.  http://www.angeloaktree. org/  another place you could do a picnic. Firefly Vodka : I think it's near the Tea Plantation. I think they also do wine.  http://www.fireflyvodka. com/  (we haven't been there yet) Mepkin Abb

This is basically a blog so I can have all of my travel and restaurant recommendations in one place. I love sharing my experiences with others. Travelling to new places is one of my favorite things to do. Whether it's day trips or longer. I also love trying new places to eat. Feel free to leave comments or requests of places for me to cover. I'm based out of South Carolina so the places I'm most familiar with are in the South. I may not update this as much as I'd like but the more popular the blog is, the more I'll be encouraged to update. We'll see!