The wife unit and I are coming to Charleston in October. Where is a good, but not expensive, place to stay? All I care about is drinking beer and eating oysters. She is gonna want to walk around downtown and do whatever women like to do in Charleston. Thanks in advance for the help guys!!

In october folly beach may be cheap, year round the regular hotels on savanah highway 17 are good. Or there is a run dow motel on 17 thats like 20-30$ a night.

The downtown motels are going to be more expensive, but they are within walking distance of the downtown bars. If you stay in Mt. Pleasant, you might save a buck or two, but it's a little less convienient.

Thanks for all the info so far!

Definetly check out folly lots of good food and bars. But dont count out down town. Usually Oct through Nov downtown is not too bad. As far as food goes stay away from Gilligans and and Hymans. Gilligans aint that good and Hymans imports its food.

Places to eat seafood:
Reds Ice House
The crab shack
Boat House
Fleet Landing

Just some suggestions from a local.

You FAIL at Bowen Island.  This is probably THE BEST restaurant in SC.  If you want oysters, Henry serves them RIGHT.  The proprieter is Robert Barber, and I would rather give him my money than anyone else in food service in SC.

If you go to Fleet Landing, get the squid app. and skip the seafood for dinner - their best entrees are the Steak and Pimento Cheese and the Shrimp and Grits - their grits are second to none, and their Shrimp and Grits are the very best you will ever have.  Also, there is a jewish kid that works their, his name is Ish, and he is a FABULOUS waiter - do ask for him.

Outside the realm of seafood, Madra Rua in N. Charleston is an Irish Bar that accels at being excellent.

Visit Breck's in Summerville.  They serve a decent to better steak, and they serve it CHEAP.

Stay someplace downtown and just shell out the dough.  You will not regret it.

If the wifes a tv show fan youll prolly hit the crab shack to take a picture since it was on flip this house or flip this buisness, whatever its called.

She loves those  shows.

Yup then shell have to see the flipped carb house on folly road. The sign is still flipped.

To echo previous statements: Downtown Hotels are all going to be pricey.  The places on Hwy 17 over by Burger Row might be a little less expensive but that puts you out of walking distance from Downtown and any of the really good bars and restaurants.

Mt Pleasant has a bunch of great places to eat and drink, including Shem Creek which is where you will find Red's Ice House.  But again, it is over the Ravenel Bridge and so, inconvienient for Downtown Chucktown operations.  If you want a good "Irish" experience, look no further than Tommy Condon's just off the market, don't go flat hatting through North Chuck looking for Madra Rua that place is teh suckz.  

I will definately recommend Fleet Landing in the Downtown Area as a MUST DO.

Just be advised, parking in downtown Charleston is harder than Chinese Math almost any day of the week unless you feel like shelling out 8 bucks to park in a pay lot.  

Either way, enjoy Charleston.  Best city in the World.