Our Summer road trip to seven cities in the south!

In Travel by savvysassymoms22 Comments

Some very exciting summer vacation plans for Savvy Sassy Moms…I will be taking a 6 week family road trip this summer and hitting up seven southern cities in the south!  I do love those S’s.

Since moving to Costa Rica last summer, my kids have not touched American soil (my husband and I however, have both been back a few times for work) so we have decided to take a little tour of the south this summer. We have traveled a lot, but we have not been to either South Carolina or North Carolina. I’ve been to Atlanta, but only for a short weekend and we have not spent much time in Orlando so we thought why not take this opportunity to see them all and make it a fun family road trip!

SavvySassySummer2014

Where will the road take us exactly? We will be in Orlando, Savannah, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Raleigh, Charlotte, and Atlanta. So, this past weekend we started doing some road trip prep and taking a few notes about the places we are going and what we possibly want to do and see, as well as where to shop and eat!

1. Orlando, Florida

We will be hooking up with both the Grandma’s for some summer fun in Orlando. As the #1 family vacation destination in America, we are sure to get our fill of amusement parks, theme parks, water parks, and family-friendly attractions. This city is definitley for the kids, so it will be interesting to see how we handle making all three generations happy, stay tuned!

Possible things to do: Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Gatorland, Dinner Shows, Airboat Rides, Indy Racing, Helicopter Rides, Warbird Adventures, Epcot, LEGOLAND, and the list goes on…. Helpful Website: Experience Kissimmee Follow them on Twitter @Kissimmee

2. Savannah, GA

There is just something about just saying Savannah Georgia that calms me. This will be a great place to slow it down a bit from the wild time on Orlando and soak up some true southern charm.  I do not know a thing about this city, but looking forward to learning more. I have high hopes for Savannah.

Possible things to do: Bonaventure Cemetery, Carriage Tour of Savannah, Telfar Museums, Savannah Riverfront, Foodie Tour. Helpful website Visit Savannah Follow them on Twitter @VisitSavannah

3. Charleston, SC

The history of Charleston and its arcitecture appeals to me the most  We will be here for the Fourth of July, so I am excited to see the Fireworks in this true all American town!

Possible things to do: Kings Street, Sullivan Island, Folley Beach, Isle of Palm,  Rainbow Row, patriots Point Naval Museum, Bone Hall Plantation, Charleston City Market, Children;s Museum of Low Country.  Things to Eat: Peanut Butter Burger at Poe’s Tavern, She Crab Soup and a mason jar Margarita at Yo Burrito. Helpful Website: Explore Charleston Follow them on Twitter @ExploreCHS 

4. Myrtle Beach, SC

Another destination that looks like fun for the whole family and really caters to the kids. With beaches and boardwalks with games and rides this is sure to be one of the highlights for the kids! The hotels seem to have a lot of amenities for the kids.

Possible Things to Do: Boardwalk, Broad Way, Myrtle Waves Waterpark, Ripley’s Aquarium (Mermaid shows), Wild Water Park. Helpful trip planning website: VisitMyMyrtleBeach follow them on Twitter @MyMyrtleBeach

5. Raleigh, NC

Raleigh & Charlotte might be the cities I am most excited to check out because I have no idea what to expect.  I really know nothing about North Carolina, but I have always heard such wonderful things about North Carolina and both cities seem to be uber family friendly.

Possible things to do: Natural History Museum, Pull in Park, Museum of Art, Marble Kids Museum, Franki’s Fun Park, KIng’s Baracade, Poole’s Downtown Diner, Trophy Brewing Company. Helpful website: Visit Raleigh follow them on Twitter @VisitRaleigh

6. Charlotte, NC

Carowinds Amusement Park, Mint Museum, Kids Library, Freedom Park, Discovery place, Lazy 5 Ranch, Biltmore Estate, Carolina Raptor Center, Richard Petty Driving Experience. Where to stay: Great Wolf Lodge. Helpful website Charlottesgotalot.com and follow them on Twitter @CharlottGotAlot

7. Atlanta, GA

I’ve only been to Atlanta once, for a blogger event hosted by Coca Cola, so I really didn’t get to spend time exploring the city at all.  I’ve also connected through Atlanta for international flights many times, so I have got to know customs very well, but now it’s time to see what all the buzz in Atlanta is about!

One of my favorite websites is the Thrillist.com that gives you the coolest ideas of what to do in cities all across America, unfortunately they haven’t launched many of the southern cities we are going to, but they do have Atlanta and Atlanta looks like a very exciting city to see! I will no doubt gain 10 lbs just from eating my way through Atlanta.

Possible things to do: Olympic park, World of Coca Cola, Atlanta Zoo, Puppetry Arts, LEGOLAND Discovery Center, Andretti Carting and Games, Medival Times, Chicken and Waffles, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Festival (July 20th). Helpful Website: Atlanta.net and Atlanta.com Follow them on Twitter @DiscoverAtlanta

Do you live in any of these cities?  Have you traveled to these cities, with kids!?

Please leave a comment on the must see and do, favorite eats, what to drink, where to shop and where to take the kiddos. Tweet meet all summer and give me some tips or your favorite city gems!

*Use #citygems with your city #Orlando #Savannah, #Charleston, #MyrtleBeach #Raleigh #Charlotte #Atlanta so I can easily find and save and share your tweets.

Follow my summer road trip on Instagram ya’ll @andreafellman

Meet the Author | savvysassymoms


Andrea is a Mom who hasn't lost her style to motherhood. Andrea loves social media and works on a variety of social media campaigns with brands big and small. Connect with Savvy Sassy Moms on Instagram

Comments

  1. It’s going to be so fun to watch your family experience the south! I’m betting it won’t take long for “y’all” to become a part of your vocabulary! Enjoy every minute. 🙂

  2. Savannah is my top 5 spots in the country. Maybe even my top 3. I could sit under the trees for days and read Pat Conroy.

  3. There are also hyperlocal blogs run by moms in many of those cities that should give you an inside scoop on how best to enjoy the main attractions with your kids, plus reveal some hidden gems you might not expect. Have fun!

  4. I’m an Atlantan! With kids the Aquarium is definitely a fantastic visit- but summertime visits are crowded so plan on a weekday morning. The children’s museum, world of coke and legoland are also fun for kids. The zoo is just okay IMO. And if you don’t mind the kids getting wet, pack bathing suits and hit Centennial Parks splash fountains with a picnic. It’s really so much fun.

  5. Author

    Excellent idea! And I will actually be hooking up with some of those local mom bloggers along the way. That could be a great post too – Mom bloggers that know _______! 🙂

  6. Pingback: Living in Costa Rica feels like Summer camp | Wanderlust LivingWanderlust Living

  7. Let me know if you need Disney recs. We’re there like every weekend. Haha!

  8. I so love that you are doing this. What a great experience for your kids! I will be watching along.

  9. From Costa Rica to the SOUTH? I can’t wait to hear about the culture shock! So glad you’re spending time along the Carolina shores — it’s one of my favorite places in the world. My dad grew up in North Carolina and while the house that they used to have at the beach was swept away, years ago, I have the fondest memories of being there…

  10. Author

    Katie – I know! But I think the South will charm the pants off us and it is much less hectic than going to some of the larger cities! We will still be near the beach on some parts of our trip, so that will make us feel better 🙂

  11. I would LOVE to do this trip! So many fun things to do…will enjoy following along with you on your adventure!

  12. Charleston and Savannah are on my must-see list! I can’t wait to follow along 🙂

  13. I have never been to this part of the States, but would love to! I heard the beaches on the east coast are great. Obviously Disney World. Looks like you’ve got it all covered!

  14. Author

    Angela – Those are the two cities I might be the most excited to see! They both just look beautiful and filled with southern charm!

  15. When I was a kid we drove from Orlando to DC I still have some fond memories of the south. We did go to Kennedy Space Center, I don’t think it is far from Orlando.

  16. I would recommend getting the book The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. When went to Florida when our kids were young we had a lot we wanted see and do. So spending many hours standing in long lines to see the attractions and ride the rides at WDW wasn’t a good use of our time. I found this book gave a lot helpful tips on how to avoid this. We followed the advice/tips and ended up enjoying a lot more activities than if we hadn’t. So that’s my tip for you!

  17. Can I persuade you to drive just a leetle more north to DC? I know a chick out here with a guest suite and the 411 on the kid stuff! xo

  18. Something really fun and different for the family in Atlanta is to go to Oakland Cemetery to check out of all of the amazing graves. They have concerts and events there sometimes. Go eat at Six Feet Under afterwards. You sit on the top deck and can see the cemetery from them as well. It’s really nice at sunset.

  19. While in Atlanta, you can go rafting down the Chatahootchie (sp?) ! So much fun!
    You can say your going to ‘shoot the hootch!’ like the locals do. And go to Bar Meatball and ask for my friend Joe Masi (chef/proprietor)!

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