Charleston Historic District Hotels & Inns

The neighborhoods

Where to stay, by area

The Battery and South of Broad

The residential tip of the peninsula, from Broad Street down to White Point Garden and the High Battery seawall, is the original core of the Charleston Historic District. It is quiet, mostly private homes, and about a 15-minute walk from Waterfront Park and the City Market. Inns here are few and small: the John Rutledge House Inn on Broad Street, built in 1763 by Constitution signer John Rutledge, and 20 South Battery, an 1840s mansion facing White Point Garden with the Battery Carriage House Inn behind it.

French Quarter and City Market

The old walled-city blocks between Broad Street, East Bay and Market Street hold the French Quarter, listed separately on the National Register in 1973, and the City Market. This is the busiest, most central part of the peninsula, with galleries in former warehouses, the Dock Street Theatre and restaurants.

Inns here: the Mills House at Meeting and Queen streets, a 1967–70 rebuild of the 1853 hotel; the Elliott House Inn on Queen Street, built after the 1861 fire; Planters Inn at Market and Meeting streets; and The Vendue by Waterfront Park.

Upper King and Marion Square

Around Marion Square, the former Citadel Green, King Street turns from antiques and boutiques into the city’s restaurant and nightlife strip. The 13-story Francis Marion Hotel of 1924 anchors the square; its corner joined the historic district in a 1984 boundary increase. Wentworth Mansion (1886) stands near the College of Charleston, at Wentworth and Smith streets. Street parking on King Street between Spring and John streets is banned from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, so use the Marion Square or Midtown garages.

Ansonborough

Named for Capt. George Anson of HMS Scarborough, Ansonborough was Charles Town’s first suburb outside the walls and joined the historic district in the 1970 and 1978 boundary increases. It is a quiet grid of single houses between the City Market and the South Carolina Aquarium, an easy walk to both. Three inns sit here: Zero George, five restored buildings around a house of about 1804; the Jasmine House, an 1843 Greek Revival mansion; and the Barksdale House Inn, built between 1778 and 1817.

Lower King Street

The blocks of King Street between Broad and Market streets are the older retail spine, lined with 19th-century commercial buildings. The Kings Courtyard Inn, in the 1853 Blum Building, and the Fulton Lane Inn, in an 1889 YMCA and a 1912 tailor shop, sit side by side here, a few minutes’ walk from the Market and Upper King.

Before you book

Planning your stay

Getting around

The historic peninsula is compact and walkable. CARTA’s Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH) is free, with three lines: Orange (210) to the College of Charleston and the Aquarium, Green (211) along Meeting and King streets, and Purple (213) to the Four Corners of Law, Waterfront Park and the City Market. Charleston International Airport (CHS) is about 12 miles from downtown, roughly a 20- to 25-minute drive. Airport taxis have a $17 minimum, rideshare pickup is outside baggage claim, and CARTA runs a scheduled bus downtown.

Parking

City garages charge $1 per 20 minutes up to $24 a day (Marion Square at 399 King, Midtown at 558 King, 93 Queen Street, East Bay/Prioleau, Concord/Cumberland and others), and some have $5 to $7 evening flat rates. Street meters cost $3 an hour, Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Most inns charge for parking: valet is $40 at the Francis Marion, $49 at Zero George and $59 at the Mills House, and the smaller inns’ private lots run $16 to $35 a night. Wentworth Mansion includes valet, and 20 South Battery gives guests a free street-parking pass.

When to go

Spring is peak season. Spoleto Festival USA, founded in 1977, fills the city’s theaters and churches for 17 days each late spring (May 22 to June 7 in 2026; 2027 dates were not yet posted when we checked), so book early for those dates. The Mills House calls March to June and September to November the busy seasons, and July to August and December to February the off-season, when rates and crowds drop.

Accessibility

Many small historic inns have no elevator: the John Rutledge House main house, Zero George and the Barksdale House are stairs only, and 20 South Battery says it is not fully ADA compliant. Wentworth Mansion has an elevator to most rooms (not the East Wing), and several inns ask guests to phone to book an accessible room.

Before you book

The guest booking the room must be 21 at the John Rutledge House Inn, Wentworth Mansion, Kings Courtyard Inn, Fulton Lane Inn and Barksdale House Inn; at The Vendue, everyone checking in must be 21, and the Jasmine House is adults-only. The John Rutledge House, Wentworth Mansion, Kings Courtyard, Fulton Lane and The Vendue take a first-night deposit and need 72 hours’ notice to cancel; Zero George needs 10 days. Book Spoleto and spring weekends well ahead, and expect parking and fees on top of the rate (Planters Inn adds a 5% occupancy fee).