Charleston & Savannah Walking Tours

Day 1: Charleston

We meet in Charleston for an afternoon exploration of the South’s most charming and best-preserved city. Charleston is alive with history. In the years before the Civil War, South Carolina’s cotton crops produced an amazing concentration of wealth. Wealthy plantation owners and merchants built opulent homes and embellished them with French china, English silver and impeccably manicured gardens. On a walk around town, we visit the finest of these now restored homes with our expert guide who gives us an insider’s view of the history and loving restoration of Charleston’s most admired treasures.

For our welcome dinner, we enjoy a dinner of mouth-watering local seafood— including she-crab soup and stuffed oysters—at one of Charleston’s world class restaurants. Overnight: Charleston Meals: D

Day 2: Charleston

After breakfast, we take a short drive northwest of Charleston where we start a tranquil walk along the Ashley River, through palmetto groves and moss draped live oaks, to majestic Drayton Hall. A National Historic Landmark, Drayton Hall is considered the nation’s finest example of Georgian-Palladian architecture and the only plantation house along the Ashley River to survive the Civil War. Our expert National Trust guide meets us for a private tour through the completely original mansion. Later this morning, we walk along the grasses and rushes of the nearby salt marshes that have been used to make sweet grass baskets for centuries. We also see old rice dikes that have protected the coast and provided the main food source for African slaves in the 19 th century.

After a lunch of Low Country specialties like Hoppin’ John and ham biscuits, okra gumbo and corn pudding, we visit spectacular Middleton Place. Dating to 1741, the plantation was the home of Henry Middleton, president of the First Continental Congress, whose son, Arthur, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. On foot, we explore the plantation’s grounds that boast the nation’s oldest landscaped gardens and rival the magnificence of well-known English counterparts. Beautiful azaleas, camellias, magnolias and countless other flowers for all seasons surround manicured lawns and small, pretty lakes. We visit the restored south wing of the mansion and admire the paintings and historical documents housed here. We see the stable yards and are treated to a pottery and weaving demonstration by local artisans who describe for us life on a plantation. Our picturesque afternoon walk takes us around the two mile perimeter of Middleton through the still intact rice fields on the banks of the Ashley River. We get a chance to see bald eagles, woodstorks and various rare plant species that have thrived in this region for thousands of years.

Later in the afternoon, we return to Charleston for a chance to relax before dinner. Prior to dinner, it’s your option to take in one of Charleston’s historic museums, shop King Street’s chic boutiques or go antiquing in the Historic District. Overnight: Charleston Meals: B, D

Day 3: Ace Basin / Beaufort

After a hearty breakfast of buttermilk biscuits and poached eggs, we say goodbye to Charleston and travel south down the scenic Atlantic Coast. Just north of Port Royal Island, we enter the ACE Basin—a world heritage site and undeveloped wetland refuge. Edisto Island began as an 18 th century settlement that now sits on the northern edge of this 350,000 acre refuge. In the early 1700’s to mid-1800’s large plantation owners settled here and harvested rice in the wetlands. Today we’ll explore plantation ruins and follow trails in the preserve. Along the way we’ll stop to examine historic churches, and perhaps even see some local wildlife, including bottle-nosed dolphins, alligators and eagles, as we zigzag through the green countryside. We’ll find a beautiful stretch of beach for a guided walk past lush sea grass and dunes with gorgeous views of offshore islands, culminating with a picnic lunch on the river’s shore shaded by enormous live oaks.

This afternoon, we continue a short distance to the charming town of Beaufort. Rich in history, the entire downtown area has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. Graced with giant oaks, fragrant gardens, stately mansions and outdoor cafés, we check into our home for the night—a charming Victorian mansion dating to 1897. Overnight: Beaufort Meals: B, L

Day 4: Port Royal Sound / Savannah

Beaufort has been the heart of Port Royal Island since its founding in 1711, with Spanish roots dating back to the 16 th century. Many of the historic mansions on this morning’s guided walk display well-maintained Georgian and Colonial architecture, as well as Greek Revival and Semi-tropical Spanish styles.

After lunch we travel to St. Helena Island for an afternoon walk among towering loblolly pines, majestic live oaks and southern bayberry to the South’s first school for freed slaves, established in 1860. Here, we learn about the fascinating Gullah culture of the Sea Islands. Gullah refers to a unique language, people and culture descended from African-American slaves brought to the islands more than 300 years ago. We learn how the Gullah people influenced the local culture with their sweet-grass basket making skills and fragrant cooking.

Later, we head south and cross the Georgia border into Savannah. The name itself conjures all the images of the Deep South—live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, stately antebellum mansions, mint juleps sipped on the veranda, horse-drawn carriages and ships sailing up the river. Enthralled by the lush tropical shoreline and mild climate, the city’s founding father, General James Edward Oglethorpe, landed on the shores of the Savannah River in 1733 and chartered the thirteenth and final crown colony in the name of King George II. The General’s creativity brought about a unique design based on a grid of broad thoroughfares, braided at regular intervals with spacious public squares. Oglethorpe’s original plan has blossomed into what are today quaint streets flanked by stunning homes anchored by a bustling port. Overnight: Savannah Meals: B, D

Day 5: Savannah - Cockspur & Tybee Islands

This morning, we take a short drive east for a guided visit of Fort Pulaski. Named for Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War hero, the massive brick fortification was built on Cockspur Island in the early 1800’s. In April of 1862, Union troops directed rifled cannon fire at the fort, breaching the southeast angle. The accuracy and range of the rifled cannon rendered brick fortifications obsolete. Immediately after capturing the fort, Union Major General David Hunter ordered the release of area slaves. Many were recruited into the Union army comprising the First South Carolina Colored Regiment.

Our morning walk takes us through the park’s nature trails with views of the Cockspur Beacon in the distance. We see great blue heron, marsh rabbits and white tailed deer as we watch shrimp boats travel up the Savannah River. Later this morning, we head to Tybee Island, for the opportunity to enjoy a very peaceful, fully-guided kayaking excursion through the calm beauty of its tidal creeks and marshes. As we glide through the still waters, we spot migratory birds amidst yaupon holly bushes and pine trees, as well as the occasional dolphin. We beach our kayaks on one of the many uninhabited barrier islands for a guided walk through the delicate landscape.

This afternoon, we return to Savannah for some free time before dinner to explore Savannah on our own. At your leisure, relax with a book or people watch in one of Savannah’s famous squares, visit the Telfair Mansion and Art Museum—the oldest public art museum in the southeast—or shop along the quaint streets. Overnight: Savannah Meals: B, D

Day 6: Savannah

Our last morning together is reserved for a private walking tour of Savannah's National Landmark Historic District. We’ll stroll past majestic mansions and oak shaded parks as our local guide shares anecdotes of Savannah’s storied past: British occupation, Antebellum grace, and Garden City hospitality. Returning to the hotel, you’ll make your connections home. Meals: B