Stash

We are heading down to Hilton Head this month and on the way will be stopping in Charleston for a Saturday Night stay over.

My wife, three kids [12, 10, 7] adult niece and I are looking for some tips on where we can stay cheap and what to do.

We don’t need to stay in downtown, can certainly drive from the suburbs. A standard outside entrance motel will work just fine, as long as it is clean and has easy access to the highway. We will need two rooms and are trying to keep in under $75 a night for each room, unless there is a suite hotel that can offer a two bedroom for around $150.

We will be driving from the North arriving in town around noon to see the sites.

My wife is very interested in taking a tour. In our town there is a trolley service that does city tours which would be very interesting for us. Any other recommendations on things to do would be welcome.

Thanks for the tips…

Stash

Jim

Warning, it will be hot as hell in downtown Charleston (heat and humidity). There's a Motel 6 west of Charleston on Highway 17 that will fit your needs. One day in Charleston doesn't allow enough time to see the city or appreciate it.

bob

Don't listen to the previous post, one day is plenty to get a good look at Charleston. Go to Market St. There are 3 or 4 companies that offer a 1 hour horse drawn carraige tour of the historic area downtown. This is a great
city to visit any time of the year.

Danna

Have stayed at Hampton in on I26 not far from downtown. It was $69 at the time, but that's been several years.

Carraige tour sounds like a horrid tourist thing, but it really is nice. Just the right pace to look at stuff, and the guides are usually fairly knowledgeable. Otherwise, just bring comfy shoes and walk.

caroline

Stash, there are several nice hotels in the Mount Pleasant & Isle of Palms area that are fairly reasonable & aren't that far from Charleston. Plus, if you get tired of the city, you can always go to the beach at Isle of Palms. Be sure to go to the Market in Charleston & if you can, go on one of the ghost tours. Very interesting & gives you a lot of history. The carriage rides are nice, too. Have fun!

dan woodlief

There is a pleasant and apparently fairly new Sleep Inn just across the Cooper River Bridge in Mt. Pleasant. We stayed there just over a month ago. Weekday rates were just over $70, and weekends were close to $100. I would consider staying in that area or in North Charleston. The Red Roof Inn, across the street from Sleep Inn, is ok, but there may be lots of workers there (i.e., they get up early and can be noisy), and we didn't like the staff there in 1999. Masters Inn in Mt. Pleasant is not very nice (it is just in front of Sleep Inn), but it is very cheap and may serve your purposes for one night (we stayed there one night before switching to Sleep Inn for the next week).

In regards to carriage tours - they are fun and rewarding, but it will only cover part of the historic district, and you don't know which part, so you will still need to do lots of walking. You might want to see my travelogues at www.oneeyed.homestead.com for ideas of things to see and do, but I would certainly stick to the historic area between the City Market and the Battery with a very short stay.