Southeast Road trip with camping and sight seeing advice needed

So the lady and I are planning on moving south in the next year to year in a half. She is an RN and we will be moving to where she will have good opportunities in the nursing field; I went to school for civil engineering and have enough experience in the office and in the field to be able to get a decent job anywhere. We have been taking trips to different places we are interested in and our newest up coming trip will be taking us to Savannah, GA and up the coast through South Carolina and North Carolina. I am doing as much research as I can in the area's we are interested in to find places to camp in the truck and to check out the local areas, site seeing, trail hiking, hidden coves along the beaches, etc.

We will be spend 2-3 days in each area then moving north to the next area of interests with stops along the way at whatever catches our eye. We live north of Pittsburgh, PA and will leave and drive to Savannah, GA for our first stop. Our next area of interest is around Charleston, SC and we will end the trip somewhere along the coast of North Carolina (still looking at hospitals and job opportunities in NC) before heading back up to PA.

I am hoping some locals to the areas will be able to chime in and give us some spots to camp over night in the truck along with places to check out to help sell us on the move there. I'm hoping we get to experience the local feel of each area and not the touristy side of things. This is a vacation and we will be doing the beach visits and checking out some tourist areas, but if we are to move to a place, we want to know that we will like the local life style not just the constant rotation of tourists.

Any help will be greatly appreciated! FYI the trip dates at from 07.14 - 07.24

Thanks in advance!
-Andrew

 

@jpneely @scottalot @Bubbles for the SC stuff.

 

We like Charlotte, NC. been here since 2005. from upstate NY, lived in SE FL for 7 years, now here. Great climate, have all 4 seasons. summer is hot, winters are mild. snow once or twice a year. in between the mountains and the coast has its advantages. Healthcare in Charlotte is big. (as it is anywhere I would imagine) Carolinas HealthCare System, Novant, Caromont seem to be the big players. Not much wheeling in Charlotte proper, Uwharrie National Forest is 1 hour east. good wheeling, and primitive camping. several other places within 2-5 hours. Gulches in SC, Windrock in TN, Adventure Offroad Park in TN, Choccolocco in Alabama, and many more. If in Charlotte, check out USNWC (US National Whitewater Center) http://usnwc.org/ cool place

 

I've been to North Carolina a few times when I was in my teens and really loved it. I am excited to go back and experience it again. I am currently leaning toward NC just because of my past visits. It's all up in the air right now where we will end up, but NC is toward the top of my list.

 

SC does not have vehicle inspections, NC does........matters to some

 

I've lived in PA most of my life and they also have vehicle inspections here. Thanks for the info though, it is nice to know.

 

Do you like gnats?! Then Savannah is the city for you!

If I could live anywhere in the SE right now, it would probably be somewhere in the middle of all the trails. Chattanooga-ish. But I hate snow(and salt) so I'm staying south.

 

Gnats are not pleasant co-travelers!

We spent a week in Tennessee last fall, Gatlinburg and Nashville. We both really like Tennessee and is our top choice right now. We are taking this trip to be sure there is no where else we want to be. We both love the water and thought the coast line might be the ticket. If not there are plenty of lakes in Tennessee.

 

If you are considering inland areas, check into Greenville, SC. It is pretty much in the middle of everything, has a good health system, and is a real up and coming city.

 

Charleston has the worst traffic of any of the places you've mentioned. The infrastructure simply can't handle the sheer volume of people moving here as is. Unless you enjoy 1 hour commutes for 5 miles, steer clear.

 

This is good to know! I deal with that when going in to Pittsburgh for work, no thanks. I grew up in the country and can't stand sitting in traffic.

 

So I am looking around the Francis Marion national forest and Santee Coastal reserve areas for camping spots. Does anyone have know of any good areas north of Charleston for camping? In the woods or on the beach will both work fine for us. Thanks!

 

@Boogyman lives in Francis Marion

 

there's a lot of camping not on the beach though all woods and swamp

 

Woods sounds better than the swamp. Do I need a permit to camp in that area or is is pay at the site or are there free sites?

 

It's free and no permit needed for the sites but you need a permit for inside the park

 

Great thanks for the info. Any place you would recommend or are they all equally nice and scenic?

 

Buck hall is great but you have to book a site ahead of time and pay but it's on the marsh

 

Thanks, I'll look in to it.

 

I'd check out Atlanta area. Drive an hour north and you're in the North Georgia mountains... Hour and a half you're in TN or North Carolina. Lots of engineering jobs (fiancee just got an engineering job... just browse Atlanta under Randstad or Aerotek) lots of hospitals that pay well due to medical staffing shortages. People are nice and there is lots to do. Traffic can suck but it depends on where you live and when you try to get somewhere. I grew up in SC and moved here from DC. Honestly I think the traffic around the DMV was much worse. Biggest downside is the lack of a beach; its almost 4 hours away. There are several lakes though.

I really like Charlotte... in many ways its like a smaller version of Atlanta with a lot of similar industry and economic growth. Close drive to the mountains, a few hours from a beach, but lots of awesome lakes. Greenville is awesome and continues to grow with lots of companies investing in the area. Definitely won't have trouble finding a job for an engineer or nurse.

Savannah is basically a smaller version of Charleston, but has gotten very popular the past couple of years and, in my opinion, the city and/or county hasn't done a good job of developing infrastructure to support the increasing population... translation = traffic sucks. Charleston is sort of in the same boat. Charleston is also expensive as hell. I love it there, but mostly because I have enough peopple in the area to put me up and avoid the extravagant costs that will trap a stranger.

Chattanooga is kind of where Greenville was 5-10 years ago. Lots of economic investment going on from international companies, lots of construction in both housing and commercial sectors, and a really cool location in terms of geography. Halfway between Atlanta and Nashville, which are both awesome places.

Honestly, you can't go wrong many places in the South. When I was offered a transfer back I started packing my stuff and was ready to move the next week.

Feel like I've typed enough, but I also just completed a 5 day road trip in Northeastern GA and Western NC pulling along a 20 ft camper with my Taco. Driving down South down 95 and the coast is pretty boring in my opinion (Have an obvious bias for mountains unless I'm on a boat). There will be places to camp but not many places that really make it worth a stop. The drive from western PA to SC would be pretty cool if you skirt 85, maybe take 28, and there are lots of national parks close by to camp and explore.Depending on how much time you have, you could even jump on Skyline or Blue Ridge parkway, or if you are set on staying east take highway 1 from VA down through to 17 (both VA and NC have some really cool coastal towns with fantastic restaurants and unique places to explore). Takes you through some cool places and you never venture too far from the beach. PM me if you have questions.