Back from Our Year Two Anniversary Trip
Lauren and I are back after a six day road trip from Nags Head to Savannah, GA. We had an amazing time which included five star accommodations at B&Bs, fine dining and local southern cuisine, horse drawn carriage rides, bottles of wine, chocolate covered strawberries, and much more!
Our trip began Saturday, Sept 29 with two nights on Ocracoke Island. We camped the first night at the National Park campground on the island. It was perfect camping weather with a stiff NE wind to keep the bugs at bay; however, the grill fire was not an easy light. On Sunday, we traveled to the North End of Ocracoke where I was able to catch a wavesailing session with Charlie and Dan. I originally packed my harness, trunks, and long sleeve top for the possibility of an Ocracoke session since winds were forecast to blow from the NE though Oct 1. Charlie called Sunday morning for the Ocracoke report, and he was planning to come down for a session. He packed some Goya wave sails, and the 62 USurf which I rode that day! Waves were small, but it was fun and "tradition" to wavesail during Lauren and I's wedding anniversary vacation. During our honeymoon in 2005, and the trip last year, I sailed off Kuau Point, west of Lanes on Maui.
The second night, we stayed at the Cove B&B. Accommodations were very nice with a tasty breakfast in the morning before our 9:00am Ferry ride to Cedar Island. Our first mainland destination was Beaufort, NC where we enjoyed lunch at the Beaufort Grocery Company before continuing south to Wilmington. We arrived at the Front Street Inn in Wilmington around 5:30pm. A bottle of wine and chocolate dipped strawberries were awaiting as a surprise for Lauren in our under-the-sea themed suite.
It was an absolutely perfect early Fall evening, and we took advantage of the weather with a glass of red wine along with the strawberries on the vine covered deck outside the room. That evening we explored the downtown historic area which included dinner at Circa 1922. A horse drawn carriage ride though the historic area ended with a final stop back at our B&B.
Day 4 of our trip began with a daytime walk though Wilmington. We explored the water front area, and hit a few shops along Market St. An early lunch at a small diner on Front Street fueled us for the trek to Savannah. We decided to take Rt 17 south along the coast though Myrtle Beach and Charleston. On the long trip down to Savannah, we stopped to find a few Geocaches to break up the trip. Myrtle brought back memories of college days partying hard at places like the Spanish Galleon! We arrived in Savannah a few hours after sunset and checked into our first B&B, the Kehoe House.
The atmosphere was classic "old south," and included stories of a resident ghost. We did not experience anything supernatural during our stay; yet I did startle the female innkeeper with a knock on the kitchen door when we first arrived! Later that evening, we ventured out in rain filled skies to Bistro Savannah and enjoyed the most delectable meal of the trip. A pretty amazing feat since we basically made it our mission to eat our way through the finest food in the South!
Day two in Savannah included more intermittent rain; however, I had an umbrella packed in the Jetta. We walked around much of the town's historic area visiting everything from the river front tourist traps, to the many squares which brimmed with huge oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss. We toured the Mercer Mansion where a number of movies were filmed including Glory, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and Swamp Thing. That evening, we dined at Olde Pink House, and later made our way back to the Foley House Inn for our second night stay in Savannah.
Thursday, our final day in Savannah, we decided to try some true southern cooking at Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room. The experience was true family style southern dining, and I highly recommend this place for excellent home cooked cuisine! Following Mrs. Wilkes' we hopped on a trolley tour of Savannah to sum up our trip. We were on the road north back towards Nags Head following the tour. All in all, another excellent anniversary trip and I look forward to where ever we decide to go next year. Though, there will be windsurfing somewhere along the way!
