I'm from the area, and would definitely suggest downstairs at The Pink House, and to avoid Lady and Sons at all costs!!! Unless you like long, long, long hot waiting lines in the heat and humidity, and plenty of fried, greasy food to sink to the bottom of your stomach! If you're a tea drinker, lunch at the Tea Room on Broughton Street is always delightful! Dresses ARE much cooler, or light weight loose cotton tops and capri's with comfortable shoes for walking on uneven cobblestones. Leave your heels at home. Temperature today is in the high 80's, but it's been getting hotter each day and could well be in the 90's when you get here. I had friends that just visited from the west coast and they really enjoyed the evening Ghost tour. A visit to Bonaventure cemetery is a must. I agree with everyone else's recommendations, and the suggested reading list!

I live in the SE, and have been to all the places you listed! The Two Meeting Street Inn is my favorite place to stay in Charleston, as it is right on the Battery there in the residential district. I am a runner, so those early morning jogs down those exquisite residential streets were heavenly to me.There are too many amazing restaurants to list...see if your concierge is a true local and find out where THEY eat! :) If you don't mind a little drive, it is easy to get from NOLA to Natchez...and there is a scenic Hwy. I LOVE Natchez...we stayed in this amazing place called Monmouth Plantation...oh, it was lovely and such a complete Southern experience. We stayed at the Windsor Court hotel in NOLA, which is in the Buiness District, but just a short walk to the French Quarter. It was the best of both worlds to me, you could enjoy the craziness of Bourbon St, but then walk back to a wonderful, quiet hotel! And so close to the Cafe du Monde for your breakfast beignets! I am jealous of your trip! You will have an amazing time in these places! Oh, and the Biltmore Inn makes you feel like you are truly a guest of the Vanderbilts...Inn guests get lots of special perks while on the property. We just went in June for our anniversary. :)

Savannah was great. Ideas I put in my trip book were to either eat before the flight or take something with you. You can bring food but not liquids. The meal they give you is a miscule snack bag. We went to Fort Pulaski out by Tybee Island and ate at the crab shack --pretty good food but my 95 year old Mom said--did they film "Deliverance" here? Fort Pulaski is a brick fort complete with moat and tunnels. Interesting to walk through. The Savannah River parallels Bay Street and below that are steep stairways to the River. Along the river are old customs buildings converted to restaurants, bars, tourist places. Great for oysters ($9.90) a dozen approx. Breakfast in the downtown area was more difficult. All the booklets for the traveler are a help depending on where you are. Be aware that service is slow and puzzling. Market street had only one place Bedford's that had breakfast early. A bakery place was closed. We also went down by the River and a few places were open for breakfast. cobblestone Alley had breakfast -right near the Crab Fiddler. Several places did not have shecrab soup. I wasn't impressed with their Clam chowder. The Lady and Sons has lunch and dinner --its Paula Deen's place and is within walking distance of Bay Street and Montgomery. We didn't discover them until we left--I'd look for them first. Soup for lunch and dinner sounds like a good idea but I think oysters or steamed dinner might be better. How many calories do you expend eating crawfish? Soup wasn't the thing they do best. Also I ordered mint juleps three times, and the bartenders said they didn't know how to make them. there is a free shuttle throughout the tourist area--go to the Visitor information booth near the Hyatt on the river, and find out what stops there are, and get ideas for how to get to places. That lady in the visitor info center is wonderful. Check tourist events, I think something is planned for this weekend. Last weekend there was a garden tour of severalhomes. Have a good time

I think my favorite vacation was a cruise to Alaska. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. We took a one-way cruise (you see more vs the round-trip cruises). I also love Yosemite and Yellowstone and I'd give them two thumbs up. Disneyland (and surrounding attractions/areas) is always a fun vacation. :) Hawaii...I like it there, but don't enjoy the humidity. I've been to Oahu (too built up for me) and Maui (beautiful). Someone mentioned Asheville, NC. We were there a few years ago, so I could attend some continuing education courses. It is beautiful and we enjoyed seeing the Biltmore estate, but, meh...we've enjoyed other places more. So far as New Orleans, we went there, pre-Katrina, so I could present at a conference. I don't know if the city has changed much since that time, but I did not enjoy the city or the weather when we went. We were there at the end of October (over Halloween) and a few days into November. It was unpleasantly humid. Those trolleys (pictures by a different poster) were simply miserable. Imagine awful humidity, rain, the trolley drivers shutting the doors (windows shut too) and so many people packed like sardines into those things that people were basically sitting in your lap (if you were lucky enough to get a seat). We stayed two nights in the French Quarter (which we felt was run down) before we decided to go somewhere nicer and then stayed multiple nights in the garden section. The food was overall disappointing (plus I got food poisoning). There were people (including children) begging everywhere. Children were even out on the streets at night, in the French Quarter, asking for money. The timeshare sales people were also everywhere and they were really bothersome. There was more trash piled up than I'd ever seen anywhere (except a landfill) in the French Quarter on the morning after Halloween. It definitely did not seem like a safe place for a woman to walk alone. I was comfortable walking with my husband during the day, but not so much at night. We took a swamp tour, which was probably our best experience there. I wouldn't go there again. I know some people love it there, but it really wasn't our cup of tea. Washington DC...There's so much to see there. The museums are simply amazing. I'll always remember seeing the 4th of July fireworks from the steps of the Lincoln memorial. Lol, but I'll also never forget the thunderstorm which drove us and everyone else who could fit to take shelter inside the Lincoln memorial. Plus, the heat and humidity are permanently etched into every memory I have of that trip. I'd recommend going there, but definitely not in the summer. :)