BY MARY SUE LAWRENCE

ivfANSFIEW PLANTA 770N,

A NA770NAL HISTORIC

LANDMARK, 15 900ACRES OF ANTEBEUUM

AU7HEN77cm', PRIVATE

EIVIRANCES, HANDSOME

AN77QUE FURNISHINGS,

IVIWLlFE WALKS,

SPORTS AND HUN77NG

OPPORTUNl77ES GALORE,

AND A SUMPTUOUS

ATMOSPHERE AU MAKE

FOR A WEEKEND RETREAT

TO REMEMBER,

romantic veil of a special place,

the season, we've got help.

other heady, romantic strains of

even-tempered days, and all the

so give in to the romantic sea-

Love blossoms best under the

arrival of fragrant blossoms,

SPRING IS HERE, AND IF IT'S

got you itching to celebrate the

UNDER $300!

HOURS AWAY AND

ALL LESS THAN THREE

ESCAPE THIS SPRING?

BED AND BREAKFASTS,

AREA'S MOST CHARMING

LOOKING FOR A ROMANTIC

bedroom-away-from-home, they're in another time and another

away feeling, giving guests the sense that, in their fairy tale

These bed and breakfasts and small inns nurture the great get-

son and fling in spring with one of these dreamy weekend get­

aways, all less than three hours away and costing under $300.

WE ROUNDED UP 10 OF THE

28 CHARLESTON

CHARLESTON 31

in the morning, complimentarybreakfast includes mouth­

watering choices such asFrench toast stuffed with brie

and sun-dried peaches or EggsBenedict with crab cakes.

($110-$185; full breakfast,afternoon tea; 803-521-9000.)

SMAll TOWN SECLUSION

Consider another perfectweekend in Abbeville, with astay at the venerable three­StOlY Belmont Inn (c. 1903).Actress Julia Roberts madeAbbeville famous by complain­ing about its lack of much ofanything-but it's just thatsleepiness that makes this sucha charming, relaxing experi­ence. Grab a lemonade and a

rocking chair and you mightnot want to budge from theinn's long veranda overlookingAbbeville's famous, old-fash­ioned town square. The lobby,sitting areas, separate parlors,and most guestrooms are deco­rated in traditional fabrics,hunting colors, reproductions,and Oriental rugs on the pol­ished hardwood floors. For a

Marie Antoinette-type evening,stay in the opulent red andgold Lafayette Room. ($69­$129; Continental breakfast,afternoon refreshments; 864­459-9625 or 888-251-2000.)

Next door to the Belmont isanother Abbeville tradition­

the Opera House, home of athriving theater group. Plannedspring and summer showsinclude "The Music Man" and

Agatha Christie's "Murder onthe Nile." Pop back to theBelmont during intermission,where drinks await you at theCurtain Call Lounge. Before orafter the show, the VillageGrille, Abbeville's trendiest

CASSINA POhVT

PLA1\TATION (ABOVE)

AND THE SEA VIEW

INN PAMPER GUESTS

WITH COOL BREEZES,

OUTDOOR FUN, DELI­

CIOUS MEALS, AND

PLEN7Y OF HAMMOCKS.

A CHARMING CHOICE

Beaufort is an elegant littletown, and the Beaufort Inn, apeach-colored Victorian datingto 1907, is one of its newest

jewels. Closed for more than30 years, the inn recentlyreopened under the home­town hospitality of Beaufort­onian Debbie Fielden and her

husband, Rusty. Completelyremodeled, the inn now sportsa winding mahogany staircase,glassed-in sunroom, and smallrestaurant with outdoor piazzaseating. Debbie has decoratedeach guest room differently:four-poster beds, stuffed chairsand sofas, reproductions andtraditional English, Frenchcountry, or CharlestonBermuda decor. Dinner at the

gourmet restaurant is a must;

GUEST ROOMS AT

THE BEAUFORT INN

COME WITH HRE­

PLACES, WET BARS,

ANIlQUES, AND THE

ODD JACUZZI.

just up the road, plus there'skayaking, area tours, or exam­ining the "graffiti" left byUnion troops on the walls ofthe house's ground floor.($105; full breakfast, afternoonrefreshments. Open Wed.­Sun., weekends only Jan.-Feb;803-869-2535.)

Topping off your trip is din­ner at the Old Post Office­

without the long drive homelTry the pecan fried chickenwith blueberry sauce andshrimp and grits with mousse­line sauce in this bustlingrestaurant, formerly a generalstore and post office.

BEACH MUSIC

If you've ever envisioned your­selves as a Scarlett-and-Rhett

pair living deep in the south­ern coastal countlyside, wakeup at Cassina Point Plantationon Edisto Island. Getting thereis half the fun: You pass toma­to and asparagus fields,breathtaking LowcountlYscenes of winding creeks, andheron-inhabited marshland.

This antebellum plantationhouse sits at the edge of acreek and offers four quietlydecorated guest rooms, eachwith four windows overlook­

ing the sprawling grounds andmarshland. The details are

impressive: beautiful cottonlinens, antique lamps and lightfixtures, a white-wickeredporch, canoes, croquet, andfishing poles. Edisto Beach is

the hall and outside for swim­mers. Meals are incredible

affairs in a large dining roomoverlooking the sea; Oberlinoffers menus inspired by hertravels in Asia and Central

America. (Beware, hot-bloods:Rooms in the main house are

not air-conditioned, but a four­room guesthouse out back is.)We locals can easily takeadvantage of the two-nightminimum stay in May, Sept­ember, and October; from Juneto August, there's a one-weekminimum. (803-237-4253)

ton curtains of your charminglybasic bedroom, featuring hand­painted furniture, handmade

quilts on the bed, three dailymeals served family-style,ocean- and marsh-front porch­es, beach chairs, umbrellas­and, says owner Page Oberlin,the "whole lot of nothing" thatcomes with beach life. The lazydays of summer live year-roundin this 1930s beach house,

where somebody's always stir­ring a drink on the back porch,books and magazines abound,and on cold days a fire burns inthe main room. Rooms have

half-baths; showers are down

life.Missing are the televisions,fax machines, and crowds­enhancing the mood and min­imizing, ahem, distraction.

AT WOODLANDS REsORT AIVD INN

IN SUMMERVIUE, THE FOCUS IS ON

THE DETAILS. SOME EXAMPLES: A

SPA, CROQUET LA 117N, WHIRLPOOL

TUBS, AND SOUTH CAROLINA'S

ONLY FIVE-DIAMOND RESTAURANT.

SEASIDE SALUBRITY

Take that whole beach house

familyrental thing-with all thesunning, swimming, hammock­lounging, and home-cooking­but imagine it's just the two of

you. At the Sea View Inn onPawleys Island, the dreamcomes true. For $140 to $170

per couple per night, you getan oceanfront hideaway wheresea breezes stir the white cot-

ABBEVILLES

BELMONT INN IS AS

QUAllvT AS THE

romv ITSELF, JUST

A STONES 7HROW

FROJl THE 7HEA TRE

AND OPERA HOUSE.

resta urant, serves rotisseriechicken, fresh pastas, andindulgent desserts.

THE GOOD LIFE

Driving down the oak-tree­lined road that ends in the

white, two-storied manorhouse of Litchfield Plantation,you will suddenly feel you'vearrived in life. That feeling willonly strengthen as, havingpicked up the keys fromthe resort's offices down

the road, you let your­self into the home and

enter its light-filled, for­mal parlor. Off the par­lor are two grand gue­strooms; upstairs lie twomore. All are spacious,and rife with antiquesand reproductions of

LrrCHFlElD PlANTATION, A

1750 GEORGIAN MANOR,

OFFERS SPECTACUlAR VIEW:>,

Pl.ANTATION-ERA AND

MODERN FURMSHINGS, GOLF,

TEN/IllS, AND SOUTHERN SPIRIT.

the rich, Orient-inspired andEnglish decor of the plantationera. Behind the 1750 Georgianmansion stands a green lawnthat sweeps out to the edgesof old rice fields and the

Intracoastal Waterway; viewsare predictably spectacular.Guests enjoy a beach club-

32 CHARLESTON

house, pool,cabana, tenniscourts, cro­

quet, andchampionshipgolf course.Just a roman-tic stroll away

stands the glass-walled

Carriage House Club, whereguests may dine on grouperand filet mignon, then retire tothe fire-lit library for dessertand after-dinner drinks. In the

morning, take the continentalbreakfast onto the patio over­looking rice fields framed bymoss-draped oaks. ($155­$190; 803-237-4286 or 800­869-1410.)

PLANTATION PASSION

If you'd like a closer look atreal plantation life, MansfieldPlantation in Georgetownoffers a more rustic experience.The property's road travels pastslave quarters to the original1812 main house, a modest but

dignified plantation house,

according to Jim and SallyCahalan, both professional his­torians who recently inheritedl'vlansfield and now live there.Guest accommodations are in

three red brick outbuildings:the former schoolhouse and

kitchen, and a 1930s guest­house. Rooms are charmingand eminently comfortable,with hardwood floors, repro­

duction period antiques, softlinens, and coal- or wood­burning fireplaces.

In the main house, whereSally serves a full breakfast(including homemade venisonsausage) in the dining room, arethe Cahalans' impressive collec­tions of 19th-century paintings,

portraits of ancestors, china, fur­niture, and books. Sally eagerlygives complimentary tours toovernight guests. ($95; 803-546­6961 or 800-355-3223.)

LOWCOUNTRY LUXURY

For a more local-but still lux­

urious-getaway, Woodlands

Inn and Resort in Summerville

will spoil you rotten. Thoughyou won't travel far, you'll feelyou're hundreds of milesaway: A wooded trail leads tothis columned, Greek Revivalinn, where all the extras await

you, including afternoon teawith homemade cookies;champagne or wine uponarrival; turn-down service Withhomemade chocolates-even

a massage at the spa.Dine like a king in the inn's

five-diamond restaurant and,later, collapse with contem­ment in your posh' room. Anexecutive chef, pastry chef,assistant pastry chef, charcutier,and poissonierre put together a

nightly, prL'( fixe menu.Breakfast in the light-filledrestaurant or on the patiois light and delicious.

Woodlands' 20 guest­rooms feature sleighbeds, armoires, sittingareas, gas fireplaces,French doors leading tobalconies, whirlpool tubs,heated towel racks,robes-even motorizedwindow blinds. The aura

of the 1906 inn is, accord­ing to the designer,intended to be that of

aristocrats "forced byhard times to open thehome to paying visitors."

On complimentarybikes, explore the inn'stranquil locale, or ven­ture into Summervilleand its old-fashioned

Main Street. Rock awaytime on the veranda, orcheck out the croquetlawn and two clay tenni5courts. ($175-$325, includ·

ing breakfast and tea; 803-875·2600 or 800-774-9999.)

EQUESTRIAN ESCAPE

Horse lovers will relish thE

escape of the Greenleaf Inn irCamden, where roads are lef

unpaved for hoofed residentsHome to several large hors(

THE ROJIANTlC ALLURE THAT MADE MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD Ai'lD

EVIL so E!v7HRAl.LING IS \VELL REPRESElv7ED AT SA VANNAH's GAS1VNIAN INN.

Stroll across the spacious,green lawn to Avanti's for pas­tas, seafood, veal, and steaksserved with family-style bowl­fuls of manesta beans, tortelli­

ni soup, and salad.

Freelance writer Mary Sue

Lawrence recently updated tbeS.c. chapter of Fodor's TheSouth's Best Bed and Break­fasts. She is now at work 011

two additional Fodor's guides,The USA and The South.

Patch, a charming bed andbreakfast in former tack roomsin Aiken's stable district. Hide

away in one of the two guest­rooms, which have privateentrances, or settle in with a

good book in the antique-filledliving room. There's even asmart clay tennis court. And ifyou'd like, owners Tricia Hareand her mom, Martha, offercomplimentary tours of thetown. In the morning, treatyourself to fruit and home­made muffins at the oversized

oak table in the home's huge,cozy kitchen, or on the brickpatio overlooking the two-acregrounds. ($50; Continentalbreakfast; 803-649-2010.)

Those mad to mingle withthe horse crowd will head out

for breakfast early-at about4 a.m.-to the Track Kitchen,a small, cinder-block cafe

where diners carry their emptydishes to a side sink. Since the

1890s, wealthy horse-lovershave wintered in Aiken, sothere's plenty of hunting andracing activity and equine his­tory. Be sure to catch a polomatch, on Sunday afternoonsfrom March through July andSeptember through Novem­ber, at Whitney Field. In lateMarch and early April, planaround the Triple Crown,three weekends of steeple­chasing, thoroughbred trials,and harness racing. OnSaturday mornings, guidedhistoric tours take visitors tohistoric sites and some of thelocal stables via bus. Or rent

horses and canter throughHitchcock Woods, Aiken's2,000-acre tract of forest

etched with hiking trails andbridle paths.

HORSE HEAVEN

Aiken is horse country, andyou can almost hear the stomp­ing of hooves at the Briar

bed. Each guest room is deco­rated with vivid colors, heavydraperies, Charleston rice orcanopy beds, gas fireplaces,and welcome gifts of fruit andwine. Many of the bathroomshave whirlpool baths orJapanese soaking tubs.

Breakfast is a three-course

affair beginning with fruit, thenan egg dish, followed by asweet such as pastry served oncrystal or fine china. Or sleeplate and request a Continentalbreakfast delivered to yourroom. ($150-$285; full break­fast, afternoon tea; 912-232­2869 or 800-322-6603.)

At lunch time, line up withthe fans of the Mrs. Wilkes

Dining Room for family-styleeating: platters of fried chickenand bowls of collards, okra,mashed potatoes, and biscuits.Later, walk it all off: SquareRoutes offers walking tours ofthe city's architecture and gar­dens-one centers around the

best-selling novel that madeSavannah famous around the

world, Midnight in the Gardenof Good and Evil.

HORSE LOVERS,

REJOICE! CAMDEN's

HIS1VRIC GREEN­

LEAF INNIS ALL

BUT LIfPOSSIBLE mSAY NEIGH TO.

MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN

Savannah drips with romanticmystery, and nowhere does itdrip more sumptuously thanthe Gastonian Inn. This 13­

room inn, comprised of twoadjacent Regency Italianatemansions, has a hands-onantique baby grand piano, asun deck, hot tub, afternoontea and turn-down service

with pralines and peachschnapps. In the CaracullaSuite, you can immerse your­self in an eight-foot whirlpooltub draped in gossamer cur­tains, then awake the nextmorning by the light of astained glass window next to asimilarly draped four-poster

training facilities, this charmingsmall town also boasts manyantebellum buildings sparedby General Sherman during hisinfamous march to Columbia.

The town's history/horsecombo will surely ease youback in time; the Greenleaf Innprovides a magical shot ofblue for your blood. This B&Bis comprised of three build­ings: the Reynolds House(circa 1805) has four rooms;the McLean House (circa 1890)has a small restaurant, Avanti's,on the first floor and four

rooms on the second; and aguest cottage, which sleepsfour. Rooms have four-posterbeds, plank floors, Orientalrugs, and Victorian wallpaper.

A breakfast of pancakes orFrench toast, fresh-squeezedorange juice, and fruit saladcomes complimentalY withyour room. ($55-$75; full break­fast; 800-437-5874.)

34 CHARLESTON