For people who live in the Carolinas, what should I include in my vacation plans?

A friend and I want to go either island hopping to Jekyll Island, Hilton Head, etc. or just go to Charleston for a vacation in mid-March of next year. Any suggestions on where to stay? I heard about seaside cottages you can rent and that you can take a boat to certain islands. Can anyone give me more information on any activities we should plan or places we should see?For people who live in the Carolinas, what should I include in my vacation plans?
I'm afraid I don't know too much about Jekyll Island or Hilton Head (apart from the fact that are some pretty good outlet shops in the latter!), but Charleston I DO know -- I lived there for three and a half years, and worked as an editor on the city magazine. I'd highly recommend it as a vacation destination (it's consistently ranked in the top 10 by Conde Nast Traveler, and was number three last year!), and for good reason: you've got wonderful history, beautiful houses and architecture, amazing food (it's a culinary epicenter, with tons of great restaurants), and gorgeous beaches. Mid-March is a great time to go -- the weather will be perfect; not too humid yet, but still warm and sunny.



A few things to do, eating and drinking-wise:



Charleston is a great town for bars and restaurants -- there's a real thriving social scene. It's also nice that a lot of them are in the downtown area of King and Meeting streets, meaning that you can walk from one to the other (and home again!) without worrying too much.



Downtown, you should check out Cumberlands, which always has good local bands playing, and frequently has pretty great drink deals (try the $1 mystery beer if you dare!) AC's is also a great bar (a little further down King, five minutes walk perhaps) and there's also the totally low-key Lite Affair and Trio Club (right next to each other on Marion Square.) For a slightly more upmarket feel, you might want to check out Raval, which is a great wine bar with Spanish food, and there's also Torch (a hookah bar) a little further down King. And the Blind Tiger on Broad Street is a great pub. (Avoid the tourist crowds around the Market; you'll see a few places to hang out but you'll mostly be in there with other out-of-towners, rather than locals.)



For restaurants downtown, you can't go wrong with FIG and Lana -- both are slightly pricey but the food is incomparable. For cheap, quick eats, there's G%26amp;M (known as Fast and French to the locals), Ted's Butcherblock for sandwiches, and Basil for some great Thai.



If you're not going to be staying downtown, there's plenty of action at the beaches: Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island gets packed most weekday and weekend nights, and the hamburgers are the best in town (also try the fish tacos!) There's also Bert's across from Poe's, if the latter is too crowded. On the Isle of Palms, you might want to check out the Windjammer for good live music -- it's a pretty big venue, and faces out onto the beach. If you're at Folly Beach, the Lost Dog Cafe is a nice hang-out spot.



And if you make it to the up-and-coming neighborhood of Avondale in West Ashley, you can get some pretty inventive cocktails at Voodoo Lounge -- and the Italian restaurant next door, Al Di La, is absolutely to die for.



Some helpful links:

Charleston magazine: http://www.charlestonmag.com/

The Charleston CVB: http://www.charlestoncvb.com/

The City of Charleston: http://www.charlestoncity.info/home/defa鈥?/a>



And these are the Hilton Head outlets I mentioned (about a two-hour drive from Charleston -- but a very pretty one!): http://www.tangeroutlet.com/center/HIL