Southeastern United States Roadtrip Advice

[Jeff Thoreson]

My girlfriend and I are looking to head to Florida this Christmastime to visit her family, and our plan is currently to drive down from Pennsylvania, stopping in a couple of ports along the way.

I was hoping someone could tell me about Jacksonville, Florida and Savannah, Georgia. Are either any good for shipspotting?

[Magogman]

Jeff
Savannah is excellent if you can coordinate your visit with the arrival or departure of a ship. I think most of the traffic is container ships. There have been a fair amount of photos posted on shipspotting.com that can give you an idea of the kinds of photos you can get -- basically very close to the ships since the river is not that wide.  And there is a park on the beach at the entrance to the river.  The port of Savannah has a web page that can give you an idea of the frequency of ships.  I think it is the main port for both WalMart and Volkswagon but I could be mistaken.

I have met people that say Wilmington, NC is worth a stop but have never been there.

Have never been to Jacksonville - Florida is the only one of the 50 states I have not visited-but the cruise ships are all scheduled so you can easily find out the arrival and departure dates.

My favorite would be Norfolk and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel but that is a little out of the way.
Have fun!  Dave

[Blakoren]

havent really been to these places any time yet, you can refer to the site for information on this  www.cooldestination.com

[follydude]

Hi -

I am new to the forum (my 1st post) and wanted to offer my advice:  I live in Charleston and formerly worked in sales with Hamburg-Sud.

Charleston should be added to your list: check google map and you'll see many viewing points to observe ship traffic.  The SC Aquarium is a nice vantage point and your g/f could enjoy a tour while you spot.  On the Mt Pleasant side of the harbor the Charleston Harbor Marina/Resort http://www.charlestonharborresort.com/ is in a unique position where vessels must navigate a tight turn and channel.

Both Charleston & Savannah have up-to-date websites.

Savannah is good for viewing and a rooftop bar/restaurant at the Bohemian Hotel offers a great vantage point.  http://www.bohemianhotelsavannah.com/

Jacksonville is a bit out of the way for me, but I would advise to check out Mayport in the vicinity of the ferry.  The harbor pilots are stationed there.

Hope all goes well!

Cheers!