kydeb

I'm from Charleston. There are a lot of great hotels in town as well as in the historic district. There are also some in the West Ashley area which is a quick drive although traffic can be pretty heavy at times. Another place to look at hotels in Mount Pleasant which is across the Cooper River from Charleston. I think the town jillmc is thinking about is Summerville. It's right off of I26 if you drive in that way. It's probably a half hour or 45 minutes from Charleston. There used to be one quilt shop downtown - can't remember the name but it was close to the visitor's center and the library. Charleston is a beautiful city. I still have family there so I go a few times a year. I also rent a beach house every year at Folly Beach. Enjoy your trip!! Oh, to answer your question, if you can, it's better to stay in town near The Market if you can. If you do that, you can pretty much park your car and you won't have to worry about finding parking which, during May, could be a pain!