sanity check

[flea]

I am thinking about vacations. mr. flea is in charge of Easter in Cleveland, but Casper has a full week plus off for spring break a week later. The YMCA has a fill-in day camp for $25 a day, but I am thinking of a vacation instead.

So, Charleston SC and Savannah GA are 4.5 and 5.5 hour drives, respectively. We've never been to either. Weather in the first week of April is likely to be highs in the 70s, lows overnight around 50.

Has anyone been to either? With kids? Is there enough to do? I am cool with beaching it on a 70 degree day (and knowing the south we might get lucky and hit 90), and I know Charleston has an aquarium. Historic houses with gardens to run around in (we can bring ball-ball - and the bikes!) would probably be good too, right?

Am I insane to consider camping? In a tent? If we've never camped with kids before? We'd have to buy a (big enough) tent, but the savings in hotel costs would pay for the tent (and then we'd have a tent). There are state park campgrounds in both places, at the beach, for $25-30 a night. I think if we are tent camping we can probably get a spot, although the RVs may be filled up.

Anybody want to go camping with us? (Hint: Mightyurchin family, this means you. We need someone who can survive on ketchup and wild onion soup.)

Comments

[smonsterbite.livejournal.com]

I prefer Savannah over Charleston, but I'm biased - family is from there.

Savannah has - Fort Pulaski (fun to explore), Wormsloe Plantation, the Juliette Gordon Low House, a beach nearby (Tybee), a super-awesome junk shop downtown (fascinating but possibly too fascinating for an inquisitive toddler), wildlife preserves with wood boardwalks, etc. There's a (touristy) riverfront area - a cousin of mine has a v. good (but pricy) restaurant there. We used to go to the kids' science museum, but it might be horribly outdated at this point. Downtown of both is gorgeous, both have awesome eats. I think it's easier to eat cheap and good in Savannah, but again, biased.

The downtown squares, little mini-parks scattered around, are lovely and green and should provid room for kids to run. Forsyth Park has play grounds, a fountain, etc.

I loved going to Fort Pulaski as a kid. You can run around, climb on cannons, etc.

We also went to Wormsloe Plantation, though we were probably a bit older for that.

And there's the Savannah History Museum - we went in the 80's when it was the Great Savannah Exposition.

Sample itineraries, probably over-ambitious

There's also Mickve Israel, where my grandmother used to be a docent. Gothic synogogue.

I can definitely round up some kid-friendly restaurant recs.

Please note: I went to all of this stuff as a kid, and have no idea as to cultural bias in the museums or tours. You might want to balance with an AfAm history tour or something.

Camping at either one... you might want to research the mosquito situation at that time of year.

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

If there are mosquitoes on the coast in the first week of April, I officially quit at The South.

Thanks for all the stuff! Wormsloe is a great word to say. As far as balance, Casper is just teetering on the verge of understanding things. It's really hard to figure out what she gets, let alone provide balance. Parenting: it doesn't stop being hard when they start wiping their own butts.