South East Coast Travel Guide - Fall Season


[ everything listed in order of most favorite ]


CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Stayed at the Mills House by Hilton


ACTIVITIES IN CHARLESTON

  • Shem Creek is super cute - go on a weeknight because it gets busy 
  • Walk the grounds of the College of Charleston, so beautiful, lots of history and lots of cool movies shot there too
  • Take a walking tour and see the French Quarter and Rainbow Row
  • Beaches - Daniel Island, Kiawah, and Isle of Palms
  • Walk the Charleston Market hosting local shop owners
  • Pineapple Park, quintessential Charleston and it has great views of the Ravenel bridge
  • Tour the Old City Jail - it’s big, haunted, and super eerie


FOOD / DRINK IN CHARLESTON 

  • Husk - Get the burger, it’s not on the menu and amazing. Cheese board is so good too. Cornbread is tasty and savory, not sweet.
  • Harkens Cafe - Best breakfast sandwich and biscuits
  • Saltwater Cowboys in Shem Creek - Best deck and live music
  • Off Track Ice Cream
  • Church & Union
  • Indica Pizza
  • Prohibition
  • The Rarebit
  • Babas on Canon
  • Bar Rollins


SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Stayed at AirBnB in Savannah


ACTIVITIES IN SAVANNAH

  • Carolina Cider Company & Clockwise - Coffee on your way from Savannah to Charleston (right off the side of the highway) 
  • Do the Hop-On-Hop-Off Trolly Tour because it's a great way to see all spots in Savannah
  • SCAD Tea Room - High Tea
  • Tybee Island, where they filmed The Last Song
  • Walk through Forsyth Park and down Bull St. all the way to River Street. Taking in the beautiful park squares. There are many shops and restaurants sprinkled throughout the walk
  • Night-life around City Market
  • Walk River Street Waterfront - very touristy
  • Walk in Bonaventure Cemetary near the River
  • Boat Tours from Bull River Marina 


FOOD / DRINK IN SAVANNAH

  • The Collins Quarter - Amazing for brunch, lunch, and dinner
  • Bull Street Taco
  • Fox and Fig Cafe
  • The Partition at Mint to be Mojito - speakeasy 
  • The Old Pink House 
  • Common Restaurant
  • Peregrin Rooftop Bar


LITTLE SWITZERLAND, NORTH CAROLINA

Stayed at the Little Switzerland Inn

  • Drive through Blue Ridge Parkway to see the leaves September to October


ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

  • Biltmore Tour
  • Apple Picking at Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard before 5:30PM
  • Carolina Arboretum to see fall leaves
  • See the fall leaves driving the Blue Ridge Parkway
  • Step on the Swinging Bridge of Grandfather Mountain
  • Daniel Boone National Forest
  • DuPont State Forest is one of the best fall things to do in Asheville in October. There are multiple waterfall hikes, and we suggest seeing Hooker, Triple, and High Falls – around a 3-mile trek (Triple Falls is both gorgeous and famous as a The Hunger Games filming location. Remember the scene where Katniss almost steps on Peeta’s face in the falls? That’s Triple Falls. Also filmed there: The Last of the Mohicans movies) - You can either type “Hooker Falls Access Area” or “DuPont State Recreational Forest Visitor Center” into GPS. The first will bring you closer to Hooker and Triple Falls while the second will place you near High Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.


LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY

Stayed at The Rose Hill Inn in Versailles - cutest bed and breakfast


ACTIVITIES IN LEXINGTON

  • Kentucky Bourbon Trail (make reservations for tastings/tours months in advance)
  • Jeptha Creed 
  • Woodford Reserve
  • Castle + Key
  • Bulleit 
  • Buffalo Trace
  • Four Roses
  • Wild Turkey
  • Town Branch
  • James E. Pepper Distillery
  • Makers Mark Distilley


FOOD / DRINK IN LEXINGTON

  • Corto Lima
  • Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream
  • Lexington Distillery District


LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

Stay at Homewood Suites Downtown


ACTIVITIES IN LOUISVILLE

  • The Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center
  • Kentucky Artisan
  • Michters
  • Copper & Kings
  • Sitzei-Weller
  • Old Forester
  • Rabbit Hole
  • Evan Williams
  • Angels Envy
  • Jim Beam
  • Kentucky Peerless
  • Brough Brothers


FOOD / DRINK IN LOUISVILLE

  • Butchertown Grocery and Bakery
  • Louisville Cream
  • Feast BBQ
  • Wiltfire Bakery & Cafe


NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Stay at the Moxy Hotel - Vanderbilt Area


ACTIVITIES IN NASHVILLE


DOWNTOWN

  • Pinewood social - Brunch + Bowling 
  • Green Hour Speakeasy
  • Country Music Hall of Fame
  • Parthenon
  • Etch
  • Go Honkey Tonkin - Bluebird Café, Pucketts Grocery, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Wildhorse Saloon, Robert's Western World


PRINTERS ALLEY

Speakeasies and karaoke bars

  • Alley Taps
  • Lonnie’s Western Room
  • Ms. Kelli’s Karaoke Bar
  • Skull’s Rainbow Room
  • Fleet Street Pub
  • Bourbon Street Blues
  • Boogie Bar
  • Bocaria Tapas


GERMANTOWN

Historic neighborhood just north of Downtown Nashville. The area was named after the German immigrants who lived in the 19th century. Today it’s a chic, hip area full of restored Victorian buildings, warehouses converted into breweries, and an incredible selection of fine dining restaurants and high-end shopping.

  • Adeles for super tasty fine dining.
  • Barista Parlor is a hip, happening coffee roaster and cafe.
  • Bearded Iris Brewery their taproom is part speakeasy, part industrial warehouse. At this spot, you’ll find they focus solely on Pale Ales, IPAs, and DIPAs.
  • Butchertown Hall is a rustic-chic restaurant that features wood-fired eats and oak-smoked meats. Plus a beer list and expertly-crafted cocktails.
  • Rolf and Daughters is an “industrial-chic” high-end restaurant that focuses on New American style dishes and an inventive cocktail program. Definitely the spot to visit if you’re looking for a fancy dinner in Nashville!
  • Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen is a massive German-style beer hall with a gorgeous outdoor beer garden and a delicious brunch.
  • Monells in Germantown - fatty food buffet
  • O-Ku (sushi/Japanese-American fusion)
  • Le Loup (also great espresso martinis)
  • Star Rover (bar/restaurant/live music/super vibey)
  • Little Hats (super cute Italian market that sells sandwiches & stuff. No tables, it's all to go)
  • Steadfast (coffee/quick break)


THE GULCH

Located just a bit south of Downtown. The area is small but has a hip, trendy, and upscale vibe to it. It’s packed with things to do making it extremely walkable.


EAST NASHVILLE

Nashville is a vibe, less touristy & more spots where locals hang

  • The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club is a cozy and swanky East Nashville cocktail bar with imaginative, seasonal cocktails & modern shareable plates served in a uber-stylish space.
  • Chopper is a fabulous Tiki Bar with the most inventive and playful cocktails. Make sure to sit at the bar underneath the massive, somewhat intimidating robot complete with glowing red yes.
  • Lockeland Table
  • Flora + Fauna Cafe
  • Rosemary is a bar located in a historic house in the Five Points area of Nashville. It’s got a great vibe, hip drinks, and plenty of chic hangout spots to explore throughout the rooms.
  • Vinyl Tap is a music-centric beer bar with food to eat and vinyl records for sale.
  • Southern Grist (East Taproom) is across the street from Vinyl Tap and is the original taproom where you can still find a long list of creative brown ales and fruity sours.
  • Dino’s Bar is an old-school burger joint with a straightforward menu of burgers, fries, and beers. I’ve heard from locals that THIS is the place to go for the best burgers in Nashville!
  • Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish is one of the most famous spots for Hot Chicken in Nashville. The chicken is the main attraction, but I’ve been told the Hot Fish Sandwich is another can’t-miss menu item.
  • Cafe Roze
  • Barista Parlor - coffee, breakfast burritos, etc.
  • Five Points Pizza
  • The Grilled Cheeserie
  • Alley Shops in the Five Point Neighborhood of East Nashville is a one-stop destination for locally and independently owned stores where you can shop for gifts, goods and clothes with a creative East Nashville flare. 
  • Black Shag Vintage
  • Anaconda Vintage


MUSIC ROW

Home to record label offices, recording studios, and radio stations, and located near Vanderbilt University. Dolly and Elvis famously recorded hits at the iconic Historic RCA Studio B which is located in this neighborhood. It is not the most happening neighborhood but there are some incredible things to do here when visiting Nashville.

  • White Limozeen is a rooftop bar and restaurant dedicated to the queen herself: Dolly Parton. Stop here for pretty cocktails, delicious brunch food, and skyline views. Perfect spot for brunch with the gals!
  • Biscuit Love is the “it” spot for breakfast and/or brunch in Nashville. Prepare for a wait too, this palace is always packed.
  • Losers Bar & Grill is a fun and no frills venue with all the classic bar eats and an extensive list of local beers on tap.
  • Hattie B’s Hot Chicken is one of the top spots in Nashville to eat hot chicken.
  • The Patterson House is an upscale bar serving craft cocktails in a cozy and relaxed lounge. Also one of the first bars to bring mixology to Nashville.
  • Old Glory is an interesting and innovative bar located underground in what used to be the boiler room for White Way Cleaners.
  • Josephine
  • Barcelona Wine Bar
  • Ladybird Tacos
  • Sun and Fork


12 SOUTH

  • Five Daughters Bakery is a family owned donut shop and is most famous for its 100 layer donuts - like a cronut (croissant donut).
  • Frothy Monkey is a great all day coffee shop, and you’ll need plenty of coffee as you venture through all the stores in the 12 South neighborhood. Avocado Toast was not good, but all other menu items we ordered were tasty.
  • “I Believe in Nashville” mural
  • imogene + willie is a high-end denim store located in an old gas station. Amelia’s Flower Truck is usually parked out front.
  • Draper James is a hip, Americana clothing boutique founded by the queen Reese Witherspoon herself.
  • White’s Mercantile calls themselves the “general store for the modern tastemaker.” This shop is a great place to visit if you’re looking to bring back some souvenirs from your trip to Nashville.
  • bartaco is a fun and casual lunch spot to grab a few tacos and a few margs.
  • The Filling Station is the perfect place to visit if you need a cold (and local) beer after a day of shopping!