LOW COUNTRY ESCAPE IN GEORGIA & SOUTH CAROLINA
By Sharon K. Kurtz

The Low Country has a rhythm all its own. It moves with the tide, softens around the edges, and invites you to slow down just enough to notice what you might otherwise miss. Between Charleston, Kiawah Island, and Savannah, Georgia, I found three distinct expressions of the South, each layered in history, hospitality, and natural beauty, yet each telling its own story.

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This journey began with a romantic getaway in Charleston, shifted into a family celebration on Kiawah Island for our nephew’s wedding, and ended in Savannah’s moss-draped elegance. Together, they created a portrait of the Low Country that feels timeless and deeply personal.

Charleston: Where History and Romance Walk Hand in Hand

Charleston unfolds like a well-written letter — slowly and with intention. A place where even an ordinary moment feels considered.

We stayed at The Vendue in downtown Charleston, a historic hotel that doubles as an art gallery. From the moment we stepped outside, the city set its rhythm — cobblestone streets, pastel facades, and the scent of magnolia in the air.

We explored without an agenda. Charleston is best experienced that way — wandering hidden courtyards, pausing under wrought-iron balconies, and discovering fountains tucked into quiet corners.

Dining with Character

One of our most memorable evenings was at Bistronomy by Nico, where French technique meets subtle Asian influence in an intimate setting. Duck confit, steamed buns, and steak au poivre set the tone for a dinner that felt refined yet relaxed.

We also rotated between restaurants that reflected the city’s layered personality:

• Costa Charleston where coastal Italian meets nautical charm
• Indaco lively with wood-fired pizzas and shared plates
• The Establishment offering refined Southern seafood in a historic Broad Street home

Charleston’s dining scene does not just feed you — it tells a story.

Exploring the City Together

Old Town Trolley Tours gave us our bearings — from Rainbow Row to The Battery and the Charleston City Market — making later wandering more meaningful.

In the French Quarter, we spent unhurried hours moving between galleries, discovering local artists, and feeling Charleston’s creative pulse.

Evenings belonged to The Vendue rooftop, where sunset turned the harbor gold and a salt-tinged breeze drifted in from the water.

History Beneath Your Feet

Charleston’s beauty is inseparable from its history. Along The Battery and White Point Garden, we traced the harbor, where Fort Sumter sits offshore and grand antebellum homes line the waterfront. Rainbow Row reflects centuries of restoration and resilience.

On South of Broad, we joined a Lowcountry History Strolls along the Liberty Trail, following Charleston’s Revolutionary War past in the footsteps of Marquis de Lafayette, through the original walled city.

At Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, the “From Slavery to Freedom” tour adds essential context to its natural beauty, grounding the experience in truth.

At Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, shaded paths, an active archaeological site, and a 17th-century trading ship replica bring Charleston’s earliest history to life.

Charleston is most powerful when it holds beauty and history together.

A City That Knows How to End the Day

A sunset sail with Charleston Sailing Adventures shifted everything. The skyline softened, the wind rose, and the harbor became a moving canvas of light.

Charleston stays with you most strongly from the water.

Kiawah Island: Where Time Slows and the Ocean Leads

Just 45 minutes from Charleston, Kiawah Island feels like another world. More natural, more quiet — as if the Low Country exhaled and left only what matters.

We came for a family celebration: our nephew’s wedding.

A Wedding Surrounded by Nature

Kiawah Island is defined by wide beaches, tidal marshes, and oak-shaded paths. The Atlantic is never far — its sound becomes part of everything.

The wedding unfolded over a weekend, which suited the setting perfectly. Guests gathered by the ocean, moved through villas and resort lawns, and ended evenings with firelight and salt air.

At The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, everything flowed seamlessly — elegant but relaxed, refined but never formal.

Between the Moments

What stays with me most is not just the wedding but everything around it.

Morning walks where the tide erased footprints. Salt air through marsh grass. Bike rides beneath green canopies. Dolphins surfacing offshore.

Kiawah rewards presence. It does not demand attention.

Savannah: Elegance Draped in Spanish Moss

If Charleston is polished romance and Kiawah is natural serenity, Savannah is Southern Gothic poetry.

We arrived along the Savannah River, where cobblestones echo the city’s shipping past. Staying at River Street Inn placed us in the rhythm of the waterfront, where historic warehouses now hold galleries, cafés, and restaurants.

River Street and the Historic Squares

Savannah is structured around its squares — shaded rooms of live oaks, fountains, and benches.

We wandered from Chippewa Square to Monterey Square, but I was most drawn to Forsyth Park, where the fountain and oak-lined paths create a space that feels both grand and calming.

You do not rush through Savannah — you drift through it.

From Factors Walk’s iron bridges to the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, the city invites you to look in every direction.

Museums and Savannah’s Living History

Savannah’s story is best understood through its preserved homes.

The Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace was especially meaningful. As a former Girl Scout growing up in Ohio, standing in the home of the organization’s founder felt deeply personal. The house tells the story of Juliette Gordon Low and the creation of the Girl Scouts in 1912 — a legacy of leadership and independence for girls everywhere.

The Davenport House Museum offers another perspective — one of Savannah’s earliest preservation successes. Its Federal-style rooms and courtyard reveal early 19th-century life and the origins of historic preservation in the city.

Together they show Savannah’s history not just as scenery but as lived experience.

Gardens, Ghosts, and Southern Mood

Bonaventure Cemetery feels like stepping into a novel. Spanish moss drapes over ancient oaks and sculptures rise quietly from the earth — peaceful and haunting at once.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was always a favorite book of mine, and I arrived hoping to find the Bird Girl sculpture, only to learn it now resides at the
Telfair Museums. Instead, I wandered Bonaventure’s paths, pausing at the graves of Johnny Mercer and Conrad Aiken, before visiting the sculpture the next day.

Ghost tours deepen Savannah’s mystery blending history and folklore in lantern-lit streets.

Dining and Evenings by the River

Dining in Savannah is intimate and atmospheric.

• Shrimp and grits at the Common Restaurant set a perfect tone for the city.

• At Vic’s on the River, she-crab soup came with sweeping waterfront views.

• At B. Matthew’s Eatery across from River Street Inn, crab cakes and fried green tomatoes anchored the mornings.

Evenings ended above the river watching cargo ships move through sunset light — unhurried and quietly memorable.

Charleston vs. Savannah: Two Cities, Two Souls

Charleston feels refined, historic, and architecturally grand, shaped by centuries of trade and culture.

Savannah feels softer, more atmospheric, and cinematic, with squares and moss-draped trees that invite reflection.

Charleston is movement through history. Savannah is being held by it.

Between them lies Kiawah Island — the pause, the breath, the stillness.

The Heart of the Low Country

What ties Charleston, Kiawah Island, and Savannah together is rhythm.

A slowing down. A noticing. A way of being present.

Charleston held romance and history. Kiawah Island offered space and family connection. Savannah wrapped everything in memory and atmosphere.

Each offered something distinct. Together they offered something complete.

And that is the gift of the Low Country — it does not just show you where you are. It changes how you move through the world long after you leave.

For more information on planning your own Low Country escape, visit Explore Charleston, Visit Savannah, Explore Kiawah Island, and The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort for travel tips, accommodations, and seasonal events.

Sharon Kurtz is an Austin-based freelance travel writer and award-winning photographer. She is passionate about exploring the world and sharing her experiences through captivating storytelling. She is an active member of The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and The International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

Follow her travels on:
https://sharonkkurtz.com/
https://www.instagram.com/shar_kurtz

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