While taking a recent journey through several southeastern states, I knocked on an unmarked wood door, uttered a secret password and was admitted into a throwback Prohibition-era speakeasy in Savannah, Georgia.
I took a horse-drawn carriage ride through Beaufort, South Carolina, a picturesque town that has served as backdrop for more than 100 movies and TV shows.
I was traveling aboard the American Eagle, an American Cruise Lines’ ship. The voyage went from Florida’s Amelia Island to Charleston, South Carolina via the Intracoastal Waterway.
Along the way, the ship docked at some of the South’s most charming cities and towns, and the outings at each port appealed to many interests. For starters, I checked out the American Prohibition Museum (photo above) in Savannah, where displays bring the “Roaring Twenties” back to life in a colorful way.
A beer truck is parked amid a mob of sign-carrying mannequin protestors. A soundtrack broadcasts evangelist Billy Sunday railing against “king alcohol.”
A portrait of August Anheuser Busch Sr., the brewing magnate, comes alive and engages in a debate with the picture of a female member of the Temperence League. After viewing the exhibits, guests enter a nondescript door and are immersed in the realistic setting of a 1920s speakeasy.
Passengers who went ashore at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina visited alligators at a wildlife preserve or took a dolphin-watching cruise. In Brunswick, Georgia they could visit a 19th-century rice plantation or take a ride on a shrimping boat.
The streets of Beaufort (pronounced BYOO-fert) are lined with graceful homes and overhead canopies of Spanish moss-festooned oak trees. Hollywood has long had a love affair with the town. Among films that include scenes shot in Beaufort are The Great Santini (1979), The Big Chill (1983) and Forest Gump (1994). Viewing it all from a wagon pulled by a straw hat-wearing horse named Bandit added to the ambiance.
On the last day of the cruise, I took a tour of Charleston’s cobblestone streets and squares. Founded in 1670, the city’s architectural style is the unique “single house,” with a narrow, one-room-width side facing the street. That design was necessary during the colonial era, when a wall enclosed the miniscule, 62-acre town, and space was limited.
A long list of other tours was available to passengers, including Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.
During time between ports, passengers could choose from almost around-the-clock activities available on the ship. Lecturers delved into topics like the Music of the Civil War, the Civil War at Sea, and Early American Religion. A Veterans Appreciation Ceremony honored passengers who had served in the military, and those traveling on their own could attend a solo travelers meetup.
Evening entertainment was equally varied, including live music, a talented ventriloquist and an equally gifted Gullah woman. She described and demonstrated the unique culture, customs and cuisine of that African American ethnic group that is centered in the coastal U.S.
American Cruise Lines’ small ships (90 to 180 passengers) are specifically designed to navigate this country’s waterways and coastlines. There are dozens of itineraries (check out americancruiselines.com) on a modern river boat or classic paddle wheeler. The ships frequently skip touristy ports in favor of smaller, often overlooked destinations.
Victor Block is an award-winning travel journalist focusing on tourism geared to people over the age of 50. He is also a member of the Society of American Travel Writers.
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24 May 2025
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While taking a recent journey through several southeastern states, I knocked on an unmarked wood door, uttered a secret password and was admitted into a throwback Prohibition-era speakeasy in Savannah, Georgia.
I took a horse-drawn carriage ride through Beaufort, South Carolina, a picturesque town that has served as backdrop for more than 100 movies and TV shows.
I was traveling aboard the American Eagle, an American Cruise Lines’ ship. The voyage went from Florida’s Amelia Island to Charleston, South Carolina via the Intracoastal Waterway.
Along the way, the ship docked at some of the South’s most charming cities and towns, and the outings at each port appealed to many interests. For starters, I checked out the American Prohibition Museum (photo above) in Savannah, where displays bring the “Roaring Twenties” back to life in a colorful way.
A beer truck is parked amid a mob of sign-carrying mannequin protestors. A soundtrack broadcasts evangelist Billy Sunday railing against “king alcohol.”
A portrait of August Anheuser Busch Sr., the brewing magnate, comes alive and engages in a debate with the picture of a female member of the Temperence League. After viewing the exhibits, guests enter a nondescript door and are immersed in the realistic setting of a 1920s speakeasy.
Passengers who went ashore at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina visited alligators at a wildlife preserve or took a dolphin-watching cruise. In Brunswick, Georgia they could visit a 19th-century rice plantation or take a ride on a shrimping boat.
The streets of Beaufort (pronounced BYOO-fert) are lined with graceful homes and overhead canopies of Spanish moss-festooned oak trees. Hollywood has long had a love affair with the town. Among films that include scenes shot in Beaufort are The Great Santini (1979), The Big Chill (1983) and Forest Gump (1994). Viewing it all from a wagon pulled by a straw hat-wearing horse named Bandit added to the ambiance.
On the last day of the cruise, I took a tour of Charleston’s cobblestone streets and squares. Founded in 1670, the city’s architectural style is the unique “single house,” with a narrow, one-room-width side facing the street. That design was necessary during the colonial era, when a wall enclosed the miniscule, 62-acre town, and space was limited.
A long list of other tours was available to passengers, including Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.
During time between ports, passengers could choose from almost around-the-clock activities available on the ship. Lecturers delved into topics like the Music of the Civil War, the Civil War at Sea, and Early American Religion. A Veterans Appreciation Ceremony honored passengers who had served in the military, and those traveling on their own could attend a solo travelers meetup.
Evening entertainment was equally varied, including live music, a talented ventriloquist and an equally gifted Gullah woman. She described and demonstrated the unique culture, customs and cuisine of that African American ethnic group that is centered in the coastal U.S.
American Cruise Lines’ small ships (90 to 180 passengers) are specifically designed to navigate this country’s waterways and coastlines. There are dozens of itineraries (check out americancruiselines.com) on a modern river boat or classic paddle wheeler. The ships frequently skip touristy ports in favor of smaller, often overlooked destinations.