Thanks everyone! We live in the upstate of SC so the drive will only be about 4 hours but we wanted to get a room fairly close but I don't mind renting a nice little house for an extra day....with the price of gas this may be our only trip this summer!!! Beaufort sounds good and I have not been there. Port Royal is also an option but I don't know a lot about that town. I did see where quite a few houses are available but I don't want to get ripped off!!!
My niece goes up to NC after her graduation and then who knows where!
Beaufort is a lovely little town....(there's a great/& popular seafood restaurant close by but I'll have to search to find the name)
Picturesque, tranquil, nice shops, Civil War history.
..a good vacation spot.