A Birthday Road Trip Down South

In late October Walker and I celebrated my 30^th birthday by taking a road trip along the beautiful Southeastern coast. We did three states and four cities in five days and had the most wonderful time! Today I am sharing the details of our amazing trip with you!

We landed in Jacksonville, FL, rented a car from Enterprise and began our road trip to Georgia. We drove the 75 miles to Jekyll Island, GA and instantly fell in love with the island the second we arrived!

We arrived at the Westin Jekyll Island, our home for the next three days, in just over an hour. Check-in was a breeze and our room could not have been more beautiful! We had a spacious bathroom and living area, plus a full wrap around balcony with breathtaking views of the resort’s amenities, the ocean and the beautiful dunes. We were in paradise!

Our first stop was at the resort’s beach side restaurant, Salty’s. We sipped on ice cold beers and split a delicious club sandwich and fries. After lunch, we took our beers to go and went on a long walk along the beach and collected seashells, as we took in the beauty of Jekyll Island. After working up an appetite from our walk, we went back to Salty’s for frozen margaritas and chips and salsa.

The resort was so kind and thoughtful, knowing it was my birthday, they sent up chilled champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and gifts for the two of us while we were getting ready that night. We sipped the champagne and watched the sunset on our balcony. It was the perfect start to our perfect night!

For dinner that night we ate at the resort’s restaurant, The Reserve, and it was fabulous! We cheered with sauvignon blanc and started with the salmon trio and also oysters Rockefeller, which were both divine! I had cod and clams for dinner and Walks had swordfish! Yum!

The service was phenomenal and the staff went above and beyond to make sure our evening was special. They even brought me out a birthday card!

After dinner, we walked across the street to Wee Pub to watch the Astros game and enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of the sports bar. After dinner we went back to our room and listened to the beautiful sound of the waves crashing, while Walker smoked a cigar.

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at The Reserve and sat on the patio to enjoy the ocean view. I had crabcakes and baked beans—it was honestly one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had—and Walker had steak and eggs, which he said were delicious too!

After breakfast, we walked to the cute little market on the island, Jekyll Market, and picked up some cheese, crackers and wine for our picnic that afternoon. We changed into our suits and were off to Driftwood Beach with our picnic essentials in tow.

The beach, covered in driftwood, was breathtaking and we were the only people on it! We walked and found the perfect spot for our afternoon picnic. We sipped, snacked and played in the refreshing water all afternoon.

We started our night off by watching the sunset from the dunes at the Westin then took their complimentary shuttle service to The Warf, an adorable seafood restaurant right on the water. We sipped on cocktails while waiting for a table and enjoyed the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen!

For dinner we started with fried green tomatoes and we each had a low country boil for dinner. Both were amazing! It was the perfect Southern meal for a perfect Southern evening.

The next morning we were up with the sun and so sad to leave the Westin and Jekyll Island. We had our last meal at The Reserve and it was, no surprise, delicious! I had a sweet potato and shrimp scramble and Walker had a bagel and lox.  After our tasty breakfast we were off to Savannah, GA for the afternoon!

After the quick 1.5 hour drive we made it to the charming and historic city. We only had a few hours there but we made the most of our time!  We started our visit with a Civil War tour by Savannah Walks. We learned so much not only about the war, but also about Savannah’s history in general. We were drenched from the rain but we still had an amazing time and kept on talking about the city’s unique history for hours afterward!

After our tour, we had lunch by the Savannah River and sipped on Chatham Artillery Punch, a local favorite, and were quickly off to Isle of Palms, SC!

We made it to Wild Dunes Resort and checked into our charming suite. It was late in the afternoon and we were tired from our travel, so we decided to check out the marina and had a couple beers while watching the beautiful boats come in.

That night we had plans to have dinner at the resort’s restaurant, Coastal Provisions. Gosh, were we in for a treat! Walker started with the oysters which were almost too beautiful to eat and I enjoyed an out of this world tuna poke. Walker moved on to a quinoa and kale salad and I treated myself to the she crab bisque, which was to die for! For our entrees, Walker had the halibut and I had the fish special of the night, barrelfish. Both were amazing! Our sweet waitress brought us a piece of cheesecake for my birthday and it was the perfect way to end a flawless meal! We could not have asked for better service or food.

The next morning we watched the sun rise on the beautiful beach and then walked to breakfast at Huey’s. We both sipped great Bloody Mary’s and enjoyed egg scrambles and the biscuits and gravy.

After breakfast we enjoyed the pool and beach before it started to rain. We spent part of our afternoon at Wild Dune’s Beachside Bar sipping on Bailey’s and coffee while watching the storm roll in, which was beautiful. We spent the second part of the afternoon playing games in the hotels beautiful lobby. Rainy afternoons aren’t ideal on vacation but Wild Dunes certainly allowed us to make the most of it and it turned out to be the perfect rainy afternoon.

For lunch we ate at Coastal Provisions again. Walker had a pork belly burger that was bigger than his head and I had a seafood salad, while sipping on truly delicious and unique cocktails.

For dinner that night we dined at the resort’s BBQ joint: The Salty Goat. While we watched football, I enjoyed some fine red wine and Walker tried their one of a kind bacon bourbon Old Fashions. We also ate until we could hardly breathe! We started with their smoked wings, which were done just right, and French onion dip and chips. For our entrees we both had tasty Carolina brisket and we completed the meal with some delicious banana pudding.

The next day we were off to Charleston, just 30 minutes from Isle of the Palms, but before we left we got one more meal in at Huey’s! Walker had their oatmeal and I tried a homemade blueberry muffin, which was quite a treat!

Once we arrive to Charleston, our first stop was the American Theater, made famous from “The Notebook.” Walks was thrilled, as you might expect.  Jokes.

Next, we visited the French Huguenot Church where some of my ancestors are buried. Inside the church there’s even a plaque commemorating two of my ancestors, who were some of the first to flee France to Charleston, which was so special to see! I’ve caught the genealogy bug over the past few years and our time at this historic church was really special for me.

Next we visited the Confederate Museum, which was fascinating! We saw old flags checkered with bullet holes and other relics from the era like uniforms and art.

Next we had lunch on the water at Fleet Landing. It’s a really cool harbor side seafood spot that is a can’t miss experience in Charleston. We sipped on beers and started with crab dip. For lunch I had a trigger fish sandwich and Walker had shrimp cakes.

After lunch we boarded the Carolina Belle for a harbor tour of Charleston. During the two hour tour we saw Fort Sumter, St. Michael’s Church, the USS Yorktown and shrimping boats, just to name a few of the sights, not to mention dolphins that swam alongside the boat the whole tour!

Sadly, after our tour we had to bid farewell, for now, to this lovely part of the country.

Thank you so much to Enterprise for our luxurious rental car and to Westin Jekyll Island and Wild Dunes for your hospitality! We cannot wait to return!

Kisses and traveling wishes,