Road trips for romantics

By Special to the Times
Published February 6, 2005

[Special to the Times]

The vast lower lobby of Richmond’s Jefferson Hotel boasts a staircase said to be the inspiration for one featured in Gone with the Wind.

Candles, flowers, chocolates ... throw in a pair of headlights, an atlas and a suitcase, and now you're talking romance. Get out of town (and out of your rut) on a Southeastern road trip with that special someone. Here are some timely suggestions from our region's newspaper travel writers and editors.

Atlanta: Love in bloom

Orchids have always said "romance" - perhaps it's their beauty, or maybe it's a reminder of that first special date to the prom. In any case, don't give her an orchid for Valentine's Day, give her hundreds. You can stroll hand-in-hand on romantically lit paths among stunning plants, each bloom more exotic than the last, during the Atlanta Botanical Garden's Orchid Nights.

The garden's Fuqua Orchid Center is home to rare, threatened and endangered orchids, some that need a tropical environment, others that thrive in the desert. Orchid Nights this year are Saturday, Feb. 23, March 9 and March 23 from 6 to 8 p.m., with live music and a cash bar.

- AMANDA J. MILLER, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. Admission to Orchid Nights is $20 for nonmembers, with a couples' discount: two for $35. Details: 404 876-5859; www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org Reservations are required for Orchid Nights: (404) 876-5859, ext. 1721.

Savannah: in the pink

It's hard to avoid romance in historic downtown Savannah: It seems to dangle from the trees and waft through the public squares. One place you'll want to swing by is the Olde Pink House, on Reynolds Square, where you'll find great food and the perfect getaway ambience.

Coastal cuisine is the specialty, particularly seafood, but everything from lamb to pasta is on the menu. Its fare has won the DiRoNA Award (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) for several years. Entrees are reasonably priced at $14.95 to $29.95.

In the basement, the Planters Tavern offers piano music nightly at 7:30.

- JOHN BORDSEN, Charlotte (N.C.) Observer

Olde Pink House, 23 Abercorn St., Savannah, GA 31401. Dining hours: 5:50 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tavern opens at 5 p.m. daily. Dining reservations suggested: (912) 232-4286.

Florida Keys: Desire under the palms

The Keys have a funky, ticky-tacky side, but with all those swaying palm trees, how can you not feel romantic? Herewith, choices for a cozy getaway. (Rates are for the winter season; most drop in summer.)

Largo Lodge, Key Largo: This tiny row of cottages is decidely '50s and set in a lush garden. It's not posh, but it's clean and charming. One-bedroom cottage, $125. Details: toll-free 1-800-468-4378; www.largolodge.com

Moorings Village, Islamorada: One of our fave places anywhere, with Keys-style cottages; a long, sandy beach; and the ambience of a private estate by the sea. Most cottages rent by the week, but a few are available for two-night-minimum stays. From $250 per night. Details: 305 664-4708; www.mooringsvillage.com

Key West's guest houses: The essence of historic Key West is found in its homes-turned-guest houses, with lush courtyard pools and rooms filled with antiques. Recommended are the Garden House, toll-free 1-800-695-6453, www.the-garden-house.com with rooms from $159; Heron House, toll-free 1-888-861-9066, www.heronhouse.com from $189; Simonton Court, toll-free 1-800-944-2687, www.simontoncourt.com from $225; and Southernmost Point 305 294-0715, www.southernmostpoint.com from $115.

JANE WOOLDRIDGE, Miami Herald

Pittsboro, N.C.: Peaceful village

Columnist, author and master of the Web site www.theromantic.com Michael Webb, has a favorite getaway from his Raleigh, N.C., base for a romantic weekend: Fearrington Village, between nearby Chapel Hill and Pittsboro.

"It's a wonderful, charming place that has it all," Webb says. "There's a great little hotel, beautiful grounds, a bookstore and cafe - a whole village out in the country."

Its Fearrington House Restaurant and Country Inn has won AAA's prestigious Five Diamond Award and five-star status from Exxon Mobil. It has been written about in both Bon Appetit and Travel & Leisure . Check the Fearrington Web site for info on author signings, wine tastings and so on.

JOHN BORDSEN, Charlotte (N.C.) Observer

Fearrington Village, U.S. 15/501 in Pittsboro, N.C. 27312; www.fearrington.com Dining hours at Fearrington House: 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Inn rates: $220 to $450 per night based on double occupancy; that includes breakfast and afternoon tea. Reservations/Fearrington information: 919 542-2121, or see the Web site.

Richmond, Va.: Frankly Scarlett

Write your own happy ending when you replay the scene of Rhett Butler carrying Scarlett O'Hara up the grand staircase in their Atlanta mansion - only this time you'll be on the staircase of the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. And it's probably better if you aren't carrying or being carried up the steps.

For years, Richmonders affectionately held on to a myth that the grand staircase in the Jefferson was a model for the staircase in Gone With the Wind . The resemblance hasn't been quite as noticeable since a center railing was added to help prevent guests from tumbling down the staircase, as Scarlett did in a later scene.

The five-star, five-diamond hotel was built in 1895 in an era of Victorian exuberance. For Valentine's Day, or any other occasion you choose, a romance package includes champagne and strawberries on arrival and a room service breakfast on any weekend night for $260 in a deluxe room or $360 in a studio suite.

KATHERINE CALOS, Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch

The Jefferson Hotel is at Franklin and Adams streets in Richmond. Reservations: toll-free 1-800-424-8014; www.jefferson-hotel.com

Charleston: Care to quote the raven?

The saddest romantic in American literature? Quite possibly Edgar Allan Poe, who brooded over failed careers and romances along much of the eastern seaboard. The crafter of gothic horror and poetry spent part of the late 1820s at Fort Moultrie, east of Charleston on then-remote Sullivan's Island; he was on the run from family and gambling debts and was in the Army under an assumed name.

Recollections of his stay in the area were worked into his famed detective story, The Gold Bug .

When in Charleston, stay downtown at the historic King Charles Inn if you're of a gothic-romance turn: It's said young Poe stayed there when he was off duty.

JOHN BORDSEN, Charlotte (N.C.) Observer

King Charles Inn, 237 Meeting St., Charleston, S.C. Rates: $79 to $230 per night, double occupancy. Details: toll-free 1-800-528-1234. Fort Moultrie National Monument, 1214 Middle St., Sullivan's Island, S.C. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission: $3; kids 15 and younger admitted free. Details: 843 883-3123; www.nps.gov/fomo

Chattanooga, Tenn.: Romance on the river

The Chattanooga-based Southern Belle riverboat sees its share of weddings, vow renewals and marriage proposals each year, but never more than on its Valentine's cruises. Three romantic two-hour Tennessee River cruises are scheduled this year: a Sweethearts Luncheon cruise on Feb. 13 and two nighttime forays on Feb. 12 and Feb. 14.

Whether arrayed in wedding gowns and tuxedos or just their Sunday best, couples marrying or renewing a commitment embark on these riverboat retreats with a trip down the gangplank before being called before a minister for a private ceremony. Guests dine on prime rib and shrimp Creole at dinner, chicken at lunch, followed by wedding cake and toasts filled at a champagne fountain.

Of course, not everyone's interested in getting married or renewing marriage vows, says office manager JoAnne McCormack, "but they're still out to celebrate Valentine's." Many forward-thinking men have florists deliver bouquets to the boat so that the mood is set as soon as they arrive with their sweetheart. A band on one deck and a disc jockey on another supply dance music.

LISA DENTON, Chattanooga Times Free Press

[Last modified February 4, 2005, 11:03:08]