One tank trip: Put 'sibling rivalries' to bed — there's a variety of fun to have in Charleston

We know the rivalry — the one between Savannah and Charleston and how Charleston is more often than we’d like, considered as our fair Hostess City’s classier, older sister.

Granted, Charleston began as English settlement and port 63 years before Oglethorpe and company founded Savannah in 1733. And yes, the Holy City’s historic downtown is half a size bigger than Savannah’s and surrounded by a wide marine harbor instead of turbid rolling river.

But instead of getting caught up in comparisons — and fomenting any more sibling rivalry — I’d like to think of these influential ladies as empowered sisters on a joint mission to share their depths and wisdom with the world.

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What I offer here is an adventure for Savannah locals to getaway for a couple days or long weekend and learn more about what our dear sister is up to on the South Carolina coast.

At just over one hundred miles northeast of the Hostess City, Charleston similarly shines in her historic glory and authentic splendor.

The Emeline provides a divine visit to Charleston

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No matter what your budget, there’s an accommodation for you. If tent or RV camping speaks to your traveling soul, you have options. James Island County Park offers four miles of paved walking and biking trails, kayaks, a disc golf course, water slides, rock climbing and more. The 643-acre park also hosts a summer concert series, and with tent camping at $35 per night and RV spots at $60 per night, the campground is a great economical bet that’s just a little over six miles from downtown Charleston.

Lake Aire RV Park is also nearby, a few dollars less per night, offering tent camping, a swimming pool, fishing pond, walking trails and is less than 15 miles from the city center.

But if the thought of potential biting insects and blistering humidity triggers anxious memories of summer camp gone awry, Airbnb and Vrbo also offer some sweet spots in and around the city. In my search I found places, prices and sizes ranging from $79 per night for a room in a private residence to upwards of $500 per night for a three bedroom, two-and-a-half bath, private home. Of course, these rates fluctuate seasonally and by day of the week.

But let’s say you’d like to treat yourself, stay in downtown Charleston and enjoy a thoughtfully curated accommodation. If attention to detail, fine dining and gracious hosts catch your fancy, Emeline Hotel may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Located in the heart of it all, Emeline is adjacent to Charleston’s famous City Market and directly across from Palmetto Carriage Works where kind drivers let you pause and pet their horses (ask first, of course). It’s also an easy walk to the bright houses of famed Rainbow Row and close to Joe Riley Waterfront Park where splashing in the iconic pineapple fountain is all but required in the dog heat of late summer.

When you step into Emeline, it’s like stepping back in time. The lobby and check-in desk have a cozy feel, like a small town train depot somewhere in Europe, or even nestled in 1950s American Mid-west. The furniture and appointments are mostly mid-century modern, classy yet comfortable.

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The conceptual story is Emeline was the daughter of a ship captain who commanded a merchant vessel. They were Italian, and she traveled with him to ports on both sides of the Atlantic, collecting shells, feathers, pottery, teakettles, books and more.

These trinkets thoughtfully wind through the hotel along with a bold palette of ship’s blue, sunshine yellow, forest green, and dark mahogany. The story’s warm ambiance plays seamlessly from room to room.

What I noted and enjoyed most, though, were the staff. From the baristas at the café, to the bartenders and restaurant servers, everyone was at ease and seemed genuinely happy to be there — especially, a lively mother and daughter duo from Jamaica who were the check-in team during my stay.

Emeline is their creative solution for spending time together in the summer as in the fall, the daughter returns to law school in the Bahamas, and mom goes back home to Kingston. Their fascinating travel stories added even more warmth to my experience at the hotel.

The Angel Oak continues to be a must-see spot in Charleston

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I couldn’t visit Charleston, though, without also seeing the Angel Oak.

After a couple days navigating traffic and being surrounded by people, I was ready to get back into nature and spend time with a really big tree. It’s only 12 miles from downtown, but the Holy City’s traffic often turns what should be a 20-minute jaunt into a 40-minute holy nightmare of stop, wait and crawl.

Once I arrived, though, the traffic hassle faded. All focus went to the tree.

The Angel Oak is massive. Estimated at 400- to 500-years-old, it is older than the founding of Charleston and currently thought to be the oldest living North American tree east of the Mississippi River. It’s only 65-feet high, small compared to the tallest redwoods towering in California at 350 and 380 feet. But it’s diameter spread, which is how far its branches reach all around, is an awe-inspiring 160 feet and covers about 17,100 square feet of ground.

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That’s a lot of biomass. And those numbers don’t even consider the tangle of roots reaching into the ground beneath it.

The Angel Oak is humbling. At any given time, as many as 30 people were shuffling around, yet everyone became quiet approaching the tree — small children stopped screaming; adults ceased laughing and lowered their tone. The great oak seemed to require softer voices and slower movements to be admitted into its presence.

Observing that pattern multiple times gave me hope that many humans instinctively become reverent when in the presence of a much greater biological force, in turn hopefully, inspiring them to want to protect and preserve that greatness.

The City of Charleston, which had owned the Angel Oak and nine-acre park for 30 years, partnered not long ago with the Low Country Land Trust, which owns the surrounding 35 acres.

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When it’s all said and done, the partnership will support a 44-acre public preserve that will continue to remain free to enter. This collaboration is quite possibly the result of the deep reverence the tree itself inspires among all who visit or who connect regularly with the tree regularly.

It was a fantastic getaway that gave me insight into how our dear sister to the north carries on. Charleston is doing well, with still so many more adventures to be had. But Savannah, too, has a hidden trove of things to do that need exploring, and I’m inspired to find them.

Shall we put this needless rivalry to rest?

Let these strong sisters stand united — The Holy City and Hostess City — each with a foot firmly rooted in the past yet moving forward with wide arms ready to embrace a future of new possibilities and adventure.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Charleston SC travel: Emeline Hotel and The Angel Oak