SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2010
KLMNO GOING OUR WAY Field trips combining history and literature by Carol Sottili Jack Crawford, of Alexandria,
is getting ready to retire from the U.S. Coast Guard, where he has been involved in the gulf oil spill cleanup. His wife, Rosanne Scott, is a writer and editor interested in authors such as John Updike and Flannery O’Connor. Both en- joy visiting historic estates. To celebrate their silver wedding an- niversary, they’d like to visit a historic city or take a cruise. We’ve come up with three pos- sible itineraries: one on land, one by sea and one that combines the two.
Option 1: Charleston, S.C., and
Savannah, Ga. These two cities, about two hours apart, will satisfy the cou- ple’s love of history and litera- ture. Although Scott said that the couple prefers driving to flying, getting to the South Carolina/ Georgia coast is a chore: The trip to Charleston takes about 81
⁄2
hours. Instead, hop a nonstop flight from Reagan National to Charleston (expect to pay about $230 round trip with a sale fare on US Airways) and rent a car (about $300 for an eight-day rental). In Charleston, stay at the John
Rutledge House Inn (800-476- 9741,
www.johnrutledgehouse
inn.com), built in 1763 by Rut- ledge, one of the signers of the Constitution. The inn has 19 guest rooms; a four-night stay in early October will cost about $1,205 for two including tax. Charleston is known for its his- toric houses, many of which are open for tours. Among those worth visiting are the Aiken- Rhett House (843-723-1159,
www.historiccharleston.org), an urban townhouse built in 1818, and Drayton Hall (843-769-2600,
www.draytonhall.org), one of the few pre-Revolutionary planta- tion houses that remain in close- to-original condition. Military history is preserved at Fort Sum- ter (843-883-3123,
www.nps.gov/ fosu), where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, and at Patriots Point (866-831-1720,
www.patriotspoint.org), home of the USS Yorktown. Historic plan- tations and gardens are also a big draw: Check out Magnolia Plan- tation and Gardens (800-367- 3517,
www.magnoliaplantation. com) and Middleton Place (800-782-3608, www.middleton
place.org). For a nautical fix, take a two-hour sail on the 84-foot Schooner Pride (800-344-4483,
www.schoonerpride.com). Contact the Charleston Conven- tion & Visitors Bureau (800-774- 0006,
www.charlestoncvb.com) for more details.
Explore the historic towns of Beaufort and Bluffton on the drive to and from Savannah. Savannah also offers historic
estates and gardens, but concen- trate on the literary side of the trip. Historic bed and breakfast inns include Amethyst Inn at Sa- rah’s Garden (912-234-7716,
www.amethystinnsavannah. com), where rooms start at $175 a
FAMILY PHOTO
Who: Rosanne “Scotty” Scott, 57, and her husband, Jack Crawford, 66, of Alexandria Where: A coastal cruise or visit to a historic city Why: To celebrate their 25th anniversary When: A week to 10 days in fall
Budget: Up to $4,500
“Our interests have to do with things nautical, historical and literary. A cruise could be nice — something smallish or medium-size . . . . So could a trip to some notable home or site (Biltmore? Winterthur?), or to a city with some history, such as Savannah or Charleston. We could incorporate more than one stop and it could be by both land and water. We were thinking of something along the Eastern Seaboard.”
night including tax. Flannery O’Connor, Conrad Ai-
ken and more recently John Be- rendt, author of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” are some of the best-known writers with connections to the city. As- sociated sites include O’Connor’s childhood home (912-233-6014, www.flanneryoconnorhome. org); O’Connor’s church, the Ca- thedral of St. John the Baptist (912-233-4709,
www.savannah
cathedral.org); Bonaventure Cemetery
(
www.bonaventure
historical.org), Aiken’s grave, made famous in Berendt’s book; and Telfair Academy (912-790- 8800,
www.telfair.org), where the “Bird Girl” statue that ap-
BIGSTOCKPHOTO A colorful history: Palmer Home, a.k.a. the “Pink Palace,” is a landmark along Charleston’s Battery.
peared on the cover of Berendt’s book is now located. For more in- formation: Savannah Area Con- vention and Visitors Bureau, 877- 728-2662,
www.savannahvisit. com.
Option 2: Maine and Massa- chusetts Start by flying to Boston; a round-trip nonstop flight from Reagan National will cost about $260. Spend a couple of nights in the city
visiting historic sites
such as Fanueil Hall, the Free- dom Trail, King’s Chapel and the Old State House. Details: 888- 733-2678,
www.bostonusa.com. In nearby Cambridge, walk the Harvard grounds and visit Long- fellow Historic Site (617-876- 4491,
www.nps.gov/long), home of 19th-century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Splurge with a stay at the Charles Street Inn (617-314-8900,
www.charles
streetinn.com), where rooms will run about $360 a night including taxes. Then rent a car (expect to pay about $350 for eight days) and drive four hours to the Maine coast. Time the trip to arrive for a Sept. 12 cruise departure on one of several schooners. The special six-night sailings are timed to gather in front of WoodenBoat Magazine’s headquarters in Brooklin, Maine, for a celebra- tion of wooden boats. Tall ships offering the cruise include the Mary
www.schoonermaryday.com), the Heritage
Day (800-992-2218, (800-648-4544,
www.schoonerheritage.com), the Stephen Taber (800-999-7352,
www.stephentaber.com) and the Victory Chimes (800-745-5651,
www.victorychimes.com). Rates range from $850 to $950 per per- son double. On the way back to Boston, stop in Ipswich and Beverly Farms, where John Updike lived for much of his adult life. Option 3: Out to Sea A final option is to just do a cruise. Two lines that specialize in history-rich itineraries along the Eastern Seaboard are cur- rently too expensive for the cou- ple’s budget. But both occasional- ly run discounts on select cruises, so the couple could get lucky by signing up on the lines’ e-mail
lists. In October, Blount Small Ship Adventures (800-556-7450, www.blountsmallship
adventures.com) offers a 12-night fall cruise between Warren, R.I., and Quebec City starting at $3,435 per person double. Amer- ican Cruise Lines (800-460-4518,
www.americancruiselines.com) has Chesapeake Bay and Hudson River itineraries, starting at $3,010 per person double for six nights, and a seven-night itiner- ary in November and December between Charleston, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., starting at $3,495 per person double. Total cost: For Option 1, an eight-night trip with airfare, ho- tels, car rental and gas will come to about $3,700, leaving $800 for entrance fees, which range from free to $31 per adult, and food. Option 2 will cost about $3,500 for an eight-night trip including airfare, two nights in Boston, six- night cruise and car rental and gas, leaving $1,000 for sight- seeing and food (meals are in- cluded during the cruise). Option 3 is currently over budget by at least $1,500.
Interested in having us help plan your trip? Go to
washingtonpost.com/ goingourway.
WHAT’S THE DEAL
This week’s best travel bargains around the globe.
LAND
Nine hotels in San Diego are offering summer deals, includ- ing free nights. For example, the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego has a fourth-night-free offer through Sept. 4. With the Sunshine on Sale package, stay three consec- utive nights and the fourth night is free; also, kids 12 and younger eat free. Rates start at $219 per night, plus about $27 in taxes. In- fo: 800-233-1234,
www.sunshine
onsale.com. For more San Diego hotel deals: San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, 619-236-1212,
www.sandiego.org. Several Harrah’s resorts in At- lantic City have sale rates for midweek stays through July. With the $100 Shore Thing pack- age, rooms at the Showboat At- lantic City start at $55 per room double per night; at Bally’s At- lantic City, $63; at Harrah’s Re- sort Atlantic City, $63; and at Caesars Atlantic City, $100. (Reg- ular rates vary depending on the property, from $79 to $129 per night double.) Fees vary. For example, for each night at Har- rah’s, add a $10 resort fee plus about $9 in taxes, for a total of $82 per night. Book by June 23. Info: 800-277-5990, www.
harrahs.com/100shorething. Sanibel Harbour Marriott Re- sort & Spa is offering a Buy 3 Get 1 package through Dec. 23. Book three nights — starting at $129 per night double, plus about $16 per night in taxes — and receive the fourth night free. The re- sort, on a private, 85-acre penin- sula in Fort Myers near Sanibel Island, has three outdoor pools, complimentary fitness classes, jogging and nature trails, kay- aking and tennis. Use promo code L9Z when booking. Info: 800-228-9290,
marriott.com.
www.sanibel
SEA Variety Cruises is offering a free three-night Cairo package for those who book and pay for its five-night cruise to the Red Sea by Sept. 30. The one-way Kings & Pharaohs cruise be- tween Cairo and Aqaba, Jordan, sails from December to April and
F3
BIGSTOCKPHOTO
The Kings & Pharaohs cruise includes a free Cairo package.
visits Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurgha- da and Luxor. The Cairo package, which includes two excursions, three nights at a deluxe hotel and airport transfers, is valued at $450 per person. Cruise rates start at $1,570 per person double, including all fees and taxes. Em- bark in Cairo or Aqaba. Info: 800-319-7776,
www.
varietycruises.com.
AIR Air France has a sale on sum- mer fares to Europe. Destina- tions include Paris and Nice, France; Barcelona and Valencia, Spain; and Zurich. For example, fly from Washington Dulles to Valencia in late August for $868 round trip, plus $129 in taxes, for a total of $997, about $150 less than regular rates. Purchase by June 25 for travel through Au- gust. Other airlines are matching in select markets. Info: 800-237- 2747,
www.aifrance.com.
PACKAGE
With Apple Vacations, visit Cancun, Mexico, for three nights for $599 per person dou- ble, a savings of $560 per couple over the usual rates. The deal in- cludes round-trip air from BWI Marshall Airport, three nights at the all-inclusive Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun, all meals and drinks, entertainment, a golf game and airport transfers. Add $202 in taxes, for a total of $1,400 per couple. Info: 800-517- 2000,
www.applevacations.com. — K.C. Summers
Submit travel deals to
whatsthedeal@washpost.com. Please include your phone number and e-mail address. Prices were verified Thursday afternoon when the Travel section went to press, but deals sell out and availability is not guaranteed. Restrictions such as blackout dates and advance purchase may apply.
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