Our family tradition of Thanksgiving week travel has become something we look forward to with much anticipation. While everyone gets a vote for the destination, I handle most of the arrangements. That means accommodations, flights and mostly importantly restaurants!
This year’s journey took us cross country to two of the most coveted travel destinations in the US — Charleston and Savannah. This is the second visit to Charleston for me and the hubby, after loving our first trip last year. My post from that trip is accessed here.
First, the travel/flights. Are we not just bombarded with travel horror stories of late, with many involving cancelled flights? My happy report is we had absolutely NONE of that (all on American Airlines). It would have gone off without a hitch had my wallet actually contained my driver’s license. I’ll write about that experience later. We flew from LA – Dallas for a plane change and enough time to grab dinner, then on to Charleston. We arrived late, grabbed a readily available cab(!) and off to our waterfront accommodations at the lovely Harborview Inn. I highly recommend this place for the great location, hospitality, generously size rooms and other amenities along with very good rates.
One of Charleston’s charms is its walkability with streets easy to navigate. We did rent a car but found that many times it was easier to walk — not to mention getting in those steps to mitigate the food intake. We repeated a few favorites from last year — visiting Fort Sumter, dining at Leon’s Oyster Shop and worth-the-wait Lewis BBQ, plus seeing Angel Oak Tree. All of these were enjoyed both for the first time (our kids) and second time (me and the hubby). We also drove the area to see some of the beautiful and historic homes.


Brisk and blistery weather at Ft. Sumter.
For the new experiences, we tried Anson’s and Maison. Maison is literally next door to Leon’s but couldn’t be more different. It’s small but with a very cultivated wine list, and the food is top notch French bistro with some twists. The food (top to bottom): Classic Onion Soup but “en croute” — crack into that baby and out comes the rich soup; classic Steak Fritte; endive salad with apples and pecans; Escargot of course; and a perfect wine to accompany it all. Mais oui!
Anson (unbeknownst to me when booking) is a sister restaurant to two we will visit in Savannah. It is partnered with Garibaldi’s and the iconic/renowned Olde Pink House which is on everyone’s “do not miss” list. As for Charleston, what better way to sum things up than with some visuals! First up, southern classics at Anson — whole crispy flounder and shrimp & grits.
For this trip, we were able to go inside this amazing and historic synagogue in Charleston — Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim — est 1749. A new hanukkiah for our Hanukkah candlelighting was purchased and happily used.
If you had to choose a “last dessert ever,” I could easily go with one of these treats seen below from Peace Pie.
Pampered much? Or am I just jealous ..??
Across from our hotel is the entrance to Joe Riley Waterfront Park with this beautiful fountain seen below. Charleston has many parks to visit, all part of their Conservancy program.
After a couple of jam-packed days, it was off to Savannah with an important stop along the way. Stay tuned ..