Greetings all,

My family and I will be at an event at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center this coming June for a week.  We've never been to Charleston, but some friends who have suggested we not stay too close to the venue, implying that it may not be a very safe area.  We're hoping to find a rental house instead of a hotel, and would really appreciate any help from anyone with direct knowledge of the area.  Not asking you to find us a house - we'll handle that.  Just wondering if you were taking your family there, roughly where would you stay?


Thanks in advance!

James island, johns island, west ashley. You can hit the palmetto state armory in west ashley to. You wont be far from folly beach.

In June? I hope he's made of money :).


What time do you have to be at the coliseum? what time are you finished?

Daniel Island and Mt Pleasant are nice but are very pricey. Generally the closer to beaches and downtown, the more expensive it will be.

Summerville, Goose Creek, Hanahan will be more reasonable in price but traffic can be congested during rush hour.

Peak rush hour is roughly 7-9 am and 4-6 pm.

He's not.  




Tough to say - it's a week-long dance competition.  Last one we did was in Tennessee, and we came / went throughout the day, often a couple times a day to avoid spending the whole week sitting in the audience.  Happy to see our kids perform, and our kids' team mates, but not hoping to spend the whole week indoors.  Hoping to turn this into 4 parts dance competition and 6 parts family vacation.  

Thanks for the tips - really appreciate this!

Actually, this reply, as generic as it may be, is on target. You don't want to have to cross Charleston to get from Mt Pleasant/Sullivans Isl/ IOP to the coliseum in North Charleston. And the area immediately around the coliseum is pretty decent. Just avoid the N Chas. area north of I-26. Folly Beach is a good choice for locating a rental house or condo. Seabrook and Kiawah are High Class limited access areas/beaches.

PS: O P you did read the tacked I'm Visiting Charleston..... thread didn't you?

Not yet, but I definitely will.  I figured I'd see what you guys had to say first, and then my wife and I would sit down with a map and look at everything at the same time.

After mentioning that I had friends all over the country (forum members), she nominated me to get the info for the trip.  I posted this earlier today, and you replied.  Much appreciated!

Construction in the area round the PAC / Coliseum has resulted with more lodging, restaurants and shops so I'd consider something there. If you stay in Mt. Pleasant, Charleston, James Island or Summerville the drive to the venue will wreck your day.

The crime rate (at night) in this area was a concern going back 4 or 5 years ago but I believe things have improved over the past couple of years, I can check with some friends who have access to that info if needed.

Over the past two years my wife has been working as an extra filming for The Righteous Gemstones series at the Coliseum and they've worked late into the night or early morning hours on several occasions. No problems reported by her or others on set.

The weather in June is miserably hot & humid so any outdoor activities will instantly make you regret that decision.

If you are coming and going to the convention center, I would definitely recommend staying in that area. Traffic on 526 can be a real nightmare at times.

Stay at a nice hotel and use your situational awareness.

If you stay at the convention center, you’ll be fine. (As in, you’ll probably live.)

N. Chas. has a lot of crime. But, it’s mostly in certain areas. You’ll also be right across from the outlet stores and Walmart.

If you stay off site, you’ll have the same exposure to random crime and you add the headache of Charleston traffic. The commute from “better” areas might fluctuate by hours per day, based on traffic conditions.

lol, you’ll be fine. Charleston is NOT Houston or Atlanta level crime like people are making it sound.

North Charleston was rough 10 years ago but growth has almost removed all low income housing. A single family home is $300-400k in that area now.

I think there’s an Embassy Suites right there.  I’ve stayed there before.  It’s GTG with a free happy hour and breakfast buffet.

Apart from terrible luck, you will be fine staying over there at the Coliseum/Tanger Outlet Mall area. Less traffic headaches and plenty of food options and shopping.
You might be tempted to stay at the cheaper and really nearby hotels on Rivers Ave.....  it wouldn't be worth the $ saved.    A lot of places on Rivers Ave are fine but it is rougher there near the 526.
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It would still be a bit of traffic to the Coliseum but I have family when thy come into town and want to do the downtown tourist thing they stay at the Holiday Inn Riverview in West Ashley.  Their shuttle is free downtown and is about half the price of staying on the other side of the river.

To everyone who has replied - thank you!  I didn't mean to post the OP and then disappear, and I didn't.  My intent was to get opinions from a couple (or more) other members and then my wife and I can carve out an evening to go over these and figure out where we're staying.  I really, really appreciate the info!

Enjoy your trip!

There's not much to do/see around the Convention Center. It's not like it's in the heart of everything. You can get everywhere from there - 20 - 30 minutes, but absent some Tanger Shopping/Top Golf, zip to do. A couple of OK restaurants there, but not 'real Charleston' restaurants. I don't think crime is too bad immediately in those blocks, but a mile or 2 away, and you're in the thick of it.