Charleston
Savannah
New Orleans
United States · Multi-city itinerary
The Deep South itinerary — December 2026
By Tripsapien Research · Updated May 20, 2026
December 2026 is a good time for the The Deep South trip (Charleston, Savannah & New Orleans). Daytime highs run from about 17°C / 63°F to 18°C / 64°F across the stops. Plan around 7–9 days for the full Charleston, Savannah & New Orleans loop. Tripsapien checks every place on your list against your exact dates — hours, closures and booking pressure at each stop.
The route
About 7–9 days · 3 cities
The antebellum South and the Gulf: cobblestoned, Lowcountry Charleston, the oak-shaded squares of Savannah, and the jazz, Creole food and French Quarter of New Orleans.
Charleston
Charleston in December
Temperature
62°F / 46°F
16.5°C / 7.6°C
Precipitation
12d
3.6in · 90.7mm
Daylight
10.2h
Sea
53.1°F
11.7°C
Mild holiday season with short days, lower beach demand, and strong historic-district weekends.
Mild holiday season with short days, lower beach demand, and strong historic-district weekends.
City overview
Charleston is a low-country port city where church steeples, harbor forts, marsh islands, and preserved 18th- and 19th-century streets sit within a compact peninsula. The visitor rhythm changes sharply by season: spring gardens and Spoleto performances, hot stormy summers, hurricane-aware early fall, and mild winter weekends built around food, history, and beach walks.
Food & drink
Charleston is built around Lowcountry rice, seafood, okra, benne, and Gullah Geechee traditions. Book ahead for the best-known dining rooms, but leave room for she-crab soup, shrimp and grits, oyster roasts in cooler months, and casual seafood around Shem Creek or the islands.
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Waterfront Park & Pineapple Fountain
- 2Sullivan's Island & Fort Moultrie
- 3Rainbow Row & The Battery
- 4Historic Charleston City Market
- 5Gibbes Museum of Art
- 6Aiken-Rhett House Museum
- 7Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
- 8Fort Sumter National Historical Park
1Waterfront Park & Pineapple Fountain
4.8★ · 6,572outdoorOpen dailyHarborfront park with shaded paths, pier swings, and the city's best low-effort Cooper River view.
2Sullivan's Island & Fort Moultrie
4.7★ · 2,391outdoorOpen dailyBarrier-island beach plus a layered harbor-defense fort, useful for pairing beach time with Revolutionary War and Civil War context.
3Rainbow Row & The Battery
4.6★ · 7,105outdoorOpen dailyPastel Georgian row houses, oak-lined mansions, and harbor-facing defensive walls at the peninsula's southern edge.
Show 5 more sights
- 4Historic Charleston City Market
- 5Gibbes Museum of Art
- 6Aiken-Rhett House Museum
- 7Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
- 8Fort Sumter National Historical Park
Neighborhoods
1French Quarter
Gallery-heavy historic core near the market, St. Philip's, and cobbled lanes. Best for first-time walks, architecture, and dinner reservations.
2South of Broad
Quiet mansion streets, gardens, The Battery, and Rainbow Row. Photogenic but residential, so mornings work better than late-night wandering.
3Cannonborough-Elliotborough
Younger restaurant and coffee corridor northwest of King Street, with smaller inns and a less formal feel than the old core.
4Upper King Street
Dining, bars, hotels, and nightlife north of Calhoun Street. Lively after dark and easy to pair with the visitor center.
5Mount Pleasant
Suburban harbor base for Shem Creek seafood, Patriots Point, and easy bridge access to Sullivan's Island.
6Sullivan's Island
Residential barrier island with broad beaches, lighthouse views, seafood restaurants, and Fort Moultrie history.
Getting around
The historic peninsula is walkable, and the free DASH shuttle helps with short hops between the visitor center, market, aquarium, and waterfront. Beaches, plantations, and most day trips require a car or rideshare; summer parking at island beaches fills early.
Savannah
Savannah in December
Temperature
63°F / 44°F
17.4°C / 6.7°C
Precipitation
11d
3.1in · 78.2mm
Daylight
10.2h
Mild holiday season with short days and strong restaurant demand around weekends.
Mild holiday season with short days and strong restaurant demand around weekends.
City overview
Savannah is a planned colonial city of shaded squares, live oaks, river warehouses, and a strong preservation layer around the Historic District and Victorian District. The calendar swings from spring garden weather to heavy summer heat, fall ghost-tour and festival demand, and mild winter weekends.
Food & drink
Savannah food leans coastal Southern: shrimp and grits, crab stew, fried green tomatoes, biscuits, pralines, and seafood near the river or marsh. The strongest dining mix is split between polished Historic District restaurants, Starland casual spots, and beach seafood on Tybee.
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Forsyth Park
- 2Bonaventure Cemetery
- 3Savannah Historic District Squares
- 4Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist
- 5Telfair Museums
- 6River Street
- 7SCAD Museum of Art
- 8Tybee Island
1Forsyth Park
4.8★ · 19,172outdoorOpen dailyThirty-acre park south of the historic core, anchored by the 1858 fountain, shaded walks, lawns, and a Saturday farmers market.
Wikipedia
2Bonaventure Cemetery
4.7★ · 813outdoorOpen dailyLarge Victorian cemetery east of town known for live oaks, funerary sculpture, and bluff views over the Wilmington River.
Wikipedia
3Savannah Historic District Squares
4.8★ · 287outdoorOpen dailyA grid of pocket squares framed by churches, houses, museums, and inns; walking square-to-square is the core Savannah experience.
Show 5 more sights
- 4Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist
- 5Telfair Museums
- 6River Street
- 7SCAD Museum of Art
- 8Tybee Island
Neighborhoods
1Historic District
Squares, inns, museums, churches, and restaurants in the walkable core north of Forsyth Park.
2Victorian District
Colorful 19th-century houses, quieter blocks, and the south edge of Forsyth Park.
3Starland District
Creative corridor with SCAD influence, murals, small galleries, coffee, vintage shops, and casual restaurants.
4River Street
Touristy riverfront nightlife and warehouse restaurants, best for a short evening walk rather than an all-day base.
5Ardsley Park
Residential early-20th-century streets with broad medians, useful for architecture walks away from the visitor crowds.
6Tybee Island
Beach-and-pier escape with lighthouse history, seafood shacks, and a completely different pace from the squares.
Getting around
The Historic District is best on foot, with DOT fare-free shuttles and ferries covering some visitor routes. A car helps for Tybee, Wormsloe, Bonaventure, and late-night returns from outlying districts.
New Orleans
New Orleans in December
Temperature
65°F / 48°F
18.2°C / 9.1°C
Precipitation
9d
4.7in · 120mm
Daylight
10.1h
December is mild and damp, with Reveillon dinners, holiday bonfires upriver, and French Quarter lights drawing weekend demand.
December is mild and damp, with Reveillon dinners, holiday bonfires upriver, and French Quarter lights drawing weekend demand.
City overview
New Orleans sits on a bend of the Mississippi River, where the French Quarter, Tremé, Marigny, Bywater, Garden District, and Uptown turn Creole architecture, brass-band music, Catholic parade calendars, and river commerce into one city. The French and Spanish colonial grid, St. Charles Avenue streetcar, above-ground cemeteries, and festival schedule make the visitor map unlike any other U.S. city.
Food & drink
New Orleans food is specific: gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee, po'boys, muffulettas from the Central Grocery orbit, oysters, pralines, and beignets at Cafe du Monde. Use the French Quarter for old Creole dining, Magazine Street for neighborhood restaurants, and the Treme-Marigny-Bywater corridor for music plus late meals.
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1St. Louis Cathedral
- 2National WWII Museum
- 3New Orleans Museum of Art and City Park
- 4Steamboat Natchez and Mississippi riverfront
- 5Mardi Gras World
- 6Frenchmen Street
- 7St. Charles Avenue Streetcar
- 8French Quarter and Jackson Square
- 9Audubon Park
- 10Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
1St. Louis Cathedral
4.8★ · 5,019indoorOpen dailyThe cathedral on Jackson Square traces its parish to 1720, with the present triple-spired building completed in the 1850s after earlier fires and rebuilds. It anchors Chartres Street beside the Cabildo and Presbytere.
2National WWII Museum
4.8★ · 29,728indoorOpen dailyThe museum opened in 2000 in the Warehouse District and grew from the Higgins Boats built in New Orleans for Allied landings. Exhibits cover the European and Pacific theaters, aircraft, oral histories, and the U.S. Freedom Pavilion.
Wikipedia
3New Orleans Museum of Art and City Park
4.7★ · 5,307indoorClosed MonNOMA opened in City Park in 1911 and holds French, American, African, Japanese, and decorative arts collections. The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden sits beside bayous and live oaks in the same park.
Show 7 more sights
- 4Steamboat Natchez and Mississippi riverfront
- 5Mardi Gras World
- 6Frenchmen Street
- 7St. Charles Avenue Streetcar
- 8French Quarter and Jackson Square
- 9Audubon Park
- 10Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
Neighborhoods
1French Quarter (Vieux Carre)
The Quarter is dense and old, with Jackson Square, Royal Street galleries, Bourbon Street bars, hidden courtyards, Creole townhouses, and the riverfront within a tight grid.
2Marigny and Bywater
Marigny and Bywater are downriver and music-heavy, with Frenchmen Street clubs, Crescent Park, colorful cottages, St. Claude Avenue venues, and neighborhood restaurants.
3Tremé
Tremé is tied to Black New Orleans culture, with Congo Square, Backstreet Cultural Museum, brass-band history, Creole cottages, and second-line routes near North Rampart Street.
4Garden District and Lower Garden District
The Garden District is mansion-lined and leafy, with St. Charles Avenue, Magazine Street shops, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, Commander's Palace, and streetcar stops.
5Uptown and Carrollton
Uptown stretches along St. Charles and Magazine, with Tulane, Loyola, Audubon Park, Maple Street bars, old oaks, and po'boy counters.
6Warehouse District and CBD
The Warehouse District and CBD feel more modern, with the National WWII Museum, Ogden Museum, Julia Street galleries, hotels, Superdome access, and convention crowds.
Getting around
RTA streetcars and buses cover the French Quarter edge, St. Charles Avenue, Canal Street, Rampart Street, cemeteries, City Park, and parts of Uptown using Le Pass fares. Walking works in the Quarter and Marigny, the St. Charles streetcar works for Garden District days, and rideshare is practical for late-night Bywater or airport trips.
Best time to do the The Deep South trip
In December, the The Deep South trip runs daytime highs from 17°C / 63°F to 18°C / 64°F, with nights down to about 7°C / 45°F at the coolest stop. It is one of the wetter months, with up to 9 rainy days at the wettest stop. Weighed across all 3 stops, December is a good time to travel.
The most comfortable months across Charleston, Savannah & New Orleans are November, April and October, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at every stop. December 2026 is a good time to go.
Check this route against your dates
Tripsapien starts with the sights on this page or places you paste, then checks hours, closures, booking pressure and neighborhoods for your exact December dates — across every city on the The Deep South trip.
Plan this The Deep South tripCommon questions about the The Deep South trip
- When is the best time to do the The Deep South trip?
- The most comfortable months across Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans are November, April and October, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at each stop. December is a good time — see the per-stop weather below for the exact picture in December 2026.
- How many days do you need for the The Deep South trip?
- A comfortable The Deep South trip runs about 7–9 days, allowing roughly Charleston 2, Savannah 2, New Orleans 3 nights plus travel between stops. Add a day if you want a slower pace or extra day trips.
- What's the route for the The Deep South trip?
- The classic order is Charleston, Savannah & New Orleans. Each city below has its own December weather, events and top-sights list.
- Will the sights be open during my December The Deep South trip?
- Opening days and hours vary by weekday, season and public holiday, and they differ from city to city on a multi-stop trip. Paste your The Deep South list into Tripsapien and it checks every place in Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans against your exact dates, flagging closures and what needs booking ahead before you go.