For a new way of choosing activities based on your interests, try out the Discover South Carolina site. Just choose the style of shoe that you prefer and it will suggest activities that might interest you. And if you haven’t been to Charleston yet, it’s a perfect destination no matter what shoe you wear!
Wondering where to go for Labor Day weekend? Here’s a round-up of great places to celebrate the end of summer:
(click each place for more info)
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is an idyllic coastal village, about an hour and a half north of Los Angeles. It’s a postcard-perfect town, surrounded by mist covered mountains and beaches…
Nantucket
Once home to many whaling sea captains, Nantucket is now a popular summer spot for the well to do. Walk along its cobblestone streets…
San Francisco
San Francisco is one of my favorite cities. And it’s easy to see why. It has a spectacular setting, moderate weather, cable cars, great shopping, interesting people and fabulous restaurants. (more…)
Downtown Newport may be small, but there are plenty of choices for eating out. Our B&B was located a block off of Thames Street, which is filled with shops and restaurants. Our first night in Newport we walked down brick-laden Thames Street to the Red Parrot. We shared Mediterranean and Lobster pizzas – both surprisingly good — along with some local ale.
The following day we had a light dinner at the Black Pearl on Bannister’s Wharf. They serve excellent clam chowder and it’s a great place to go if you want to see some authentic Newport sailboats.
We also had dinner at Pronto during our stay. This restaurant has great Italian food, very good service and is perfect for good dinner conversation.
Scales and Shells is a local Newport favorite and popular enough to take only cash (no chance it will be in a Visa commercial any time soon). It’s a fun, boisterous place for seafood, but can be a little loud. We had to yell, to hear each other speak.
On our last day in Newport we had Sunday brunch at Castle Hill Inn where lodging ranges from $700 – $1500 per night. This is a beautiful oceanfront resort with rolling lawns to the water, dotted with adirondack chairs. Brunch was very nice, and this is also a great place for drinks at sunset, with its western facing views of the water. If you do go for brunch, make sure and check-out adjoining Brenton Point State Park, where locals love to fly kites on the weekends.
Every year my sisters and I pick a beautiful location for our girls getaway and this year our destination was Newport, Rhode Island. We stayed at a quaint B&B called the Spring Street Inn (ranked #1 on TripAdvisor) which was ideally located in the heart of Newport’s walk-able downtown. Pat, the B&B’s innkeeper, gave us a great overview of Newport, including cultural highlights, some historical side notes and great places for cocktails and dinner. We didn’t have to worry about breakfast – every morning Pat served us a wonderful gourmet breakfast.
Newport is where the ultra rich spent their summers at the turn of the 19th century. Home of the America’s Cup yacht race for many decades, Newport is probably best known for its “summer cottages”. These Gilded Age mansions were built for the Vanderbilts and Astors during an age when wealth was flaunted with lavish parties and hundreds of guests on sprawling lawns that stretched to the coastline.
The Newport Preservation Society now owns several of the largest mansions and allows the public to tour these summer cottages where the ultra rich once lived. During our stay we saw the Breakers, The Elms, Rosecliff, Marble House, Kingscote, Isaac Bell and the Topiary garden. The interiors of the mansions were amazing.
Tip: we all bought a Preservation membership which included entrance to any property and allowed us to go to the front of the line at any mansion. It also includes a free Behind the Scenes Elms tour which describes how the servants lived (recommended).
We timed our trip for the end of June to coincide with Newport’s annual Flower Show. The judged floral arrangements were on display on the first floor of Rosecliff and we could hear seminars on topics like rose selection, orchids, and floral arrangements for lavish parties. Here are a few of the arrangements from the show.
The Biltmore is one of America’s great estates. Once home to the super-rich Vanderbilts, it covers 8,000 acres and is located in Asheville, North Carolina. The mansion, which is the largest private residence in America, is especially beautiful during the holidays.
Carrying on a long-held tradition since George W. Vanderbilt first welcomed friends and family to Biltmore on Christmas Eve 1895, the estate celebrates Christmas on a grand scale. When visiting Biltmore from now until January 1st, you’ll see nearly 100 decorated trees with thousands of ornaments, 1,000 wreaths, almost 1,500 poinsettias and miles of evergreen garland. Live holiday musical performances are also scheduled until the end of December.
If you’d like to see the mansion lit by candlelight, check out their Christmas Candlelight Evening tours. You can purchase tour tickets on their website - be sure to reserve before your visit. A tour ticket includes one evening visit as well as an additional visit of the mansion’s gardens, winery and restaurants during the day.
Here are some suggestions for lodging options.
Links: The Biltmore
Here’s a site that will inspire you visually. Trey Ratcliff’s gorgeous photo blog, called Stuck in Customs, is packed with photos he’s taken during his travels around the world. Here’s one of the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
Photo blog:
Stuck in Customs
Baggage heaven?
Ever wonder where all the unclaimed airport luggage goes to? To Scottsboro, Alabama, of course! You never know what you’ll find at this store where luggage, clothes and accessories are sold for a fraction of their retail price.
Via sk-rt.com
Now that the trees are starting to blossom across the Southern US, it reminds me of all the spectacular gardens there are to visit.
Here’s my top ten list of favorite gardens:
1. Butchart Gardens (Victoria, B.C.)
What started out as a limestone quarry and cement factory has turned into one of the most beautiful gardens in the world…more
2. New York Botanical Gardens (New York City)
Located in the Bronx with over 250 acres and 27 gardens, the New York Botanical Gardens is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. web site
3. Huntington Library and Gardens (Los Angeles)
Known for its important collection of rare books, arts and botanical gardens, the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens is definitely worth a visit when in Los Angeles…more
4. Kew Gardens (London)
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew have 300 acres of public gardens as well as the renowned Millennium Seed Bank. web site
5. Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, GA)
Just 1 hour southwest of Atlanta, Callaway Gardens is a 13,000 acre resort and is the first-place winner for 11 consecutive years of Southern Living Reader’s Choice Award for Best Public Garden. web site
6. Biltmore Estate (Asheville, NC)
The Biltmore Estate, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, is one of America’s great estates. The mansion, which is the largest private residence in America, has 250 rooms and covers 8,000 acres… more
7. Magnolia Plantation (near Charleston, SC)
Created in 1676, Magnolia Plantation is known as the oldest major public garden in the country. The 500 acre plantation has been owned by the Drayton family for over 300 years… more
8. Skagit Valley Tulips (near Seattle, WA)
One of the most spectacular floral displays in the country occurs in Skagit Valley in April. Every year over 1,200 acres of bulbs are planted which reach their peak bloom in April… more
9. Filoli (San Francisco)
Located 30 miles south of San Francisco, Filoli is recognized as one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century… more
10. The Flower Fields (Carlsbad, CA)
Located in Carlsbad, the Flower Fields have been a favorite spring-time stop of flower lovers for decades… more
A trip to Florida conjures up images of crowded beaches and jam-packed highways. If you want to see what Florida was like when your grandmother was young, visit Amelia Island. The main road through this seaside paradise seems built more for horse and carriage than automobiles.
Located 30 minutes from Jacksonville, Amelia Island offers plenty of outdoor activities with its miles of beaches, winding trails for bike riding, natural marshlands with boardwalks, golf, tennis and shopping.
During our visit, we took a Segway tour given by Amelia’s Wheels. It took a few minutes for us to learn to navigate since we’d never used a Segway before, but with the help of our guide, we ended up like regular pros exploring the scenic island with all its moss-covered oak trees and exclusive homes.
Walking along Centre Street in Fernandina Beach’s small downtown is also a fun activity. Centre Street is part of a 50 block historic district with Victorian style architecture.
There’s a whole range of lodging options on the island. If you don’t mind splurging, stay at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, a beautiful Nantucket style B&B located right on the beach. But, if you’re looking for a resort, stay at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island or the Amelia Inn & Beach Club. To see the whole range of lodging choices including condos within the plantation, check out the island’s detailed list.
See also: Amelia Island | Amelia’s Wheels | Island Events
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