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To answer generally some of the questions you posed for specificity:
1. They are planning on flying to the destination. Thus they would likely have to rent a car if they are going to drive around, or go to a destination that is walkable/has some sort of transit options.
2. In total they'll be going with 7 people: him, his wife, 3 kids, and 2 parents.
3. My friend is interested in sports and eating at nice restaurants. His dad likes history. The kids like typical kid activities. His wife is into seeing different things and having unique experiences, she used to travel in the middle east by herself a lot long before they got married.
Any other clarifying questions let me know as off the top of my head that's all I could think of to add more context.
Thanks again for the great responses!
I'm NC born and raised. I love NC. But I think Charleston has something for all of you. It's usually pleasant in November/December. The sun is strong, the city is lovely and the food cannot be beat. I lived there for 20 years and I still miss it. The beaches are relatively quiet that time of year. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.
To answer generally some of the questions you posed for specificity:
1. They are planning on flying to the destination. Thus they would likely have to rent a car if they are going to drive around, or go to a destination that is walkable/has some sort of transit options.
2. In total they'll be going with 7 people: him, his wife, 3 kids, and 2 parents.
3. My friend is interested in sports and eating at nice restaurants. His dad likes history. The kids like typical kid activities. His wife is into seeing different things and having unique experiences, she used to travel in the middle east by herself a lot long before they got married.
Any other clarifying questions let me know as off the top of my head that's all I could think of to add more context.
Thanks again for the great responses!
Charleston sounds like a winner for restaurants and history and is very walkable.
I agree with the previous two posters that Charleston would have something for everybody and you can walk to so many attractions so you don't need to load 7 people up in a car to see something each day. 3 - 4 days is also just the right amount of time to visit the Charleston area. You could probably get away with just one day renting a car to go to the beach and some outlying areas for a day trip.
I love the NC mountains, but I'd recommend a visit during fall, spring, or summer. That area will have already lost all its leaves by late November and be chilly. Seasonal attractions will be closed.
To answer generally some of the questions you posed for specificity:
1. They are planning on flying to the destination. Thus they would likely have to rent a car if they are going to drive around, or go to a destination that is walkable/has some sort of transit options.
2. In total they'll be going with 7 people: him, his wife, 3 kids, and 2 parents.
3. My friend is interested in sports and eating at nice restaurants. His dad likes history. The kids like typical kid activities. His wife is into seeing different things and having unique experiences, she used to travel in the middle east by herself a lot long before they got married.
Any other clarifying questions let me know as off the top of my head that's all I could think of to add more context.
Thanks again for the great responses!
Ok then. Savannah would be a good choice. The airport is stellar. You are 2 hours from Charleston and 2 hours from Jacksonville, FL, and just across the bridge from Hilton Head. Unless the friend craves mountain views, you will never run out of restaurants or things to do. Everyone talks about Charleston restaurants, but there is no shortage of those in Savannah either.
Asheville would be a good choice because of various places: art museum, Biltmore estate, interesting shops, arboretum.
Also the Blue Ridge Parkway comes right to town and provides a nice scenic drive, many places to park and enjoy nature.
We love Blowing Rock/Boone to the north of Asheville but lots less to do there in November.
Savannah would probably be the best choice because we've been there multiple times and still enjoy visiting.
We were there in June and took the bus-trolly ride around town for the first time ever and it was really fantastic, great driver who drove all over downtown and related history in a humorous, interesting way. Spouse tipped him $$ he was so good.
Great restaurants, great hotels. Thumbs up for Savannah.
I passed along Asheville and Wilmington to my friend as options for NC, although I think the idea for him to go to Charleston or Savannah is what we're going to stick with.
But this was good info for me personally to check out some places in NC sometime in the near future!
It made me think, is there a place in NC that could be comparable to Charleston or Savannah that would be good for a few days to do touristy things?
Lake Lure NC is very woodsy and in the mountains with lots of places to rent condos for large families, and there is Chimney Rock and Asheville right there. It's a great place for kids with trails, boat rentals, the lake's beaches etc.
I don't consider Savannah necessarily a good place for children because of all the partying that goes on there, but would be fine for adults because of all the history. Charleston is historic and beautiful but not known for being particularly attractive to kids, depending on the ages of the kids of course.
Neither city is like Gatlinburg TN which has tons to do for kids, but I would never recommend there ever again, because of how overcrowded it is now. You will wait in traffic, wait for parking, wait in line for food, wait to leave, wait to get back to your hotel. It's just not fun anymore.
If kids are going, it's best to make sure there is plenty for them to enjoy or you aren't going to have any fun, either.
If you're looking for something other than Charleston or Savannah, I would check out the Outer Banks in NC. I've only taken the ferry to Ocracoke Island once, but I recall that it was very beautiful there. While not as historic, there is still a lot of history and other things to do.
A friend of mine, who lives in the northeast, asked me for a recommendation for a place to spend a few days with his wife, kids, and 80 year old parents. Since it's only basically an extended weekend trip, that pretty much eliminated anything on the west coast or rocky mountain areas. Also, he wanted to go somewhere that is very different from NYC, so that eliminated places like Chicago, and other big cities in the midwest/southeast.
Two places that came to mind right away were Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. I've been to both and they both have some touristy things to do that aren't too cheesy and have good history and solid restaurants (particularly Charleston with the restaurants).
He asked me if NC had any places to recommend. I mentioned possibly Asheville, but I haven't been yet, so I am not familiar with it enough to recommend things to do and couldn't say for sure if it would be a good place to bring the family.
I've been to Charlotte and thought it was cool, but even though it is very different from NYC, it still is too much of a typical big city for me to think that it would fit what my friend was looking for. And I've passed through some of the research triangle cities, but not enough to get a feel for them. I've heard good things however, but couldn't say if they'd fit what he was looking for either.
It made me think, is there a place in NC that could be comparable to Charleston or Savannah that would be good for a few days to do touristy things?
No. Not really. Charleston and Savannah are truly unique.
If they are driving, I assume he wants NC, because SC and GA are too far.
Charleston, Wilmington, and Asheville have been mentioned and are all good places for walking once they decide which option. I'm not assuming anything, just giving possible destinations.
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