Visitors to the Palmetto State should be advised: You might want to bring an empty suitcase in which to bring home all the treasures that you�ll find here.

The state renowned for its rich history and physical beauty is also an outstanding place to shop, with a variety of treasure troves that even the infamous pirate Blackbeard, who once terrorized old Charleston, would have loved to plunder. In South Carolina, you can find the variety of New York�s Fifth Avenue or Chicago�s Michigan Avenue, but here shopping is a pleasure, not a hassle. There are plenty of places to park, the sales personnel are warm and courteous, and the prices are unbelievable.

�The tastes here are much more sophisticated than people might think,� said Nancyjean Nettles, an Atlanta native who now directs Summerville�s �DREAM� team � Downtown Restoration Enhancement and Management. �The stores are a community that help each other. They enjoy people coming in; they actually treat you like they�re glad you are there. This is a place where you leave feeling better than when you came into the town.�

South Carolina has plenty of elegant malls and first-rate outlets, and they are easy to find. Here�s a sampling of some of the less obvious places to find wonderful gifts to take home to the kids, the neighbors, or maybe just keep for yourself. THE COAST

PEOPLE, PLACES & QUILTS of Summerville, named one of the top 10 quilting stores in America by American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. It is home to American folk art, quilts and fabric. 129 West Richardson Avenue in Summerville, (843) 871-8872. 1 Henrietta Street, Charleston, (843) 937-9333.

Actor Richard Gere has been a customer at ALL BOOKS & COMPANY, a independent Summerville bookstore that has a children�s play area, comfortable sofas for reading in and an adjacent coffeehouse with specialty coffees and desserts. 145 Central Avenue, (843) 871-2772.

FRAZIER�S IRONWORKS of Charleston specializes in everything iron. Owner-artisan Chris Frazier creates one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture such as tables, chairs and beds; he also makes gates, fences, art work, even a nest for a mother duck. The main shop is in downtown Charleston at 95 Brigade Street, (843) 577-0830. Sweet Magnolia�s in Mount Pleasant, 630 Coleman Blvd., also carries Frazier�s work.

For more than 60 years, EIGHTY-TWO CHURCH STREET has been the premier children�s clothes shop in Charleston. It moved to a new location: 108 Church Street, but retained the name as Jane Cowan took over from her aunt, Georgiana Grimball, who ran the shop for the past 40 years. The store specializes in classic children�s clothing: girls newborn to 6X; boys, newborn to 4T. They also carry original smocking by The Smockery and the Charleston Bonnet, a white organdy bonnet with a bow on top. �We believe we have the original pattern,� says Cowan. 108 Church Street, Charleston. (843) 723-7517

CHARLESTON COLLECTIONS is a gift and furnishings store specializing in all things Charleston. Pick up a Rainbow Row lamp or afghan, or Charleston Christmas ornaments, or notecards featuring Lowcountry lighthouses. They also have a wide selection of art featuring the South Carolina coast and historic Charleston jewelry reproductions. 625 Skylark Road, near Citadel Mall, (843) 556-8911; or 1 Kiawah Beach Drive, Kiawah Island, (843) 768-7487.

Nautical, whimsical and handcarved items are the specialty at BUBBA�S BY THE BAY in Beaufort. They stock a wide range of handcarved wood items, like mermaids, otters, herons and fish. They also carry the popular and comical Sea Dog T-shirts. �We�re trying to be different. We like to see people walk around the shop and see the smiles develop on their faces, whether they buy anything or not,� said owner Dennis Dowds. 900 Port Republic Street. (843) 524-3005.

THE MIDLANDS

THE BROOM PLACE in Kershaw County sells handmade brooms and mops, as well as southern cookbooks, crafts and handmade wooden toys. �But 95 percent of my business is my brooms,� said owner Susan Simpson who has been making brooms for 30 years. Her shop is in a former slave cabin that is on the National Register of Historic Places. 82 Boykin Mill Road, Rembert, S.C. (803) 425-0933.

FOUR OAKS FARMS in Lexington, S.C., is renowned for its southern cuisine, all produced locally. The store�s best seller is yellow stone-ground grits; they also make and sell �collard kraut,� made like cabbage kraut, but with South Carolina collards. They offer peach, blackberry and strawberry preserves, country ham and bacon, local pecans and fresh local produce in season, co-owner Pete Mathias said. Four Oaks Farms has a toll-free number for out-of-state orders: (800) 858-5006. In Lexington, near the state capitol, they�re at 4856 Augusta Road, off Interstate 20. (803) 356-3194.

Nothing says South Carolina quite like the Palmetto tree, and you�ll find plenty of them at the COTTON MILL EXCHANGE, the gift shop of the S.C. State Museum in Columbia. The shop carries South Carolina crafts, such as pottery and sweetgrass baskets; art, dishes, glasses and clothes featuring the palmetto tree; South Carolina books and food products, jewelry with amethyst (the state gem) and fun and educational children�s gifts. There�s no charge to browse the store, located at the museum entrance. 301 Gervais Street, Columbia. (803) 898-4967.

WARTIME COLLECTIBLES in Camden buys and sells military medals, uniforms, badges and other war-related items from the Civil War through the Vietnam conflict. �Everything here is authentic and original. No reproductions,� said Andrew Lipps, who owns the shop along with his wife Gale. Here, you can find museum quality items, as well as affordable (think $25 or so) pieces of history. 539 East DeKalb Street, Camden. (803) 424-5273.

THE PIEDMONT

It�s part farm, part antique shop, part food store, but EMERALD FARM in Greenwood is primarily about goats. Owners Kathryn and Paul Zahn care for 25 goats on their farm, and the goats produce a lot of milk, which the Zahns turn into cheese, yogurt, ice cream and hand-made soap. They run three small shops at the farm: one specializing in trains and other hobbies; one with antiques, handmade jewelry and collectibles; and one, a natural food store, with homegrown herbs and goat-milk soap, which they ship internationally. 409 Emerald Farm Road, Greenwood. (864) 223-2247.

THE UPTOWN EXCHANGE is a wonderfully eclectic collection of vendors gathered under one roof on the Town Square in historic Abbeville. On any given day, you can find a wide variety of goods such as collectibles, old and new books, historic prints, local history books, handmade baby clothes, Christmas and seasonal items, and dried herbs. The Exchange is at 102 Trinity Street. (864) 459-2224.

PARK SEED COMPANY supplies vegetable and flower seeds all over the world, at its headquarters near Greenwood, S.C. Here, the test gardens are open for public tours and so is a sprawling garden shop. They carry all items listed in the Park and Wayside catalogues; during spring and summer, more than 100 varieties of herb plants and 250 vegetable transplants. They also sell tropical and exotic plants, and a full line of accessories, garden tools and gift items. 1 Parkton Avenue (Hwy. 254 North). (864) 223-7333 or (800) 849-3369.

THE UPSTATE

You�ll have to make an appointment, but you can tour the GOLDEN CREEK MILL in Easley, S.C., about 15 minutes from Greenville, and shop at its store that features cornmeal, grits and flour that were the staples in early American communities. They also stock Amish food products. 201 Enon Church Road, Easley, (864) 859-1958.

An outlet store for the manufacturer of Waverly fabrics, THE INTERIOR ALTERNATIVE stocks seconds of fabric, wall coverings, bedspreads, rugs, window treatments and pillows at cut-rate prices. The outlet is at 176 Lyles Road, Richburg, on exit 65 off I-77, 20 minutes from Rock Hill. (803) 789-6500.

Also off exit 65, the CARLISLE MILL CLOTH SHOP draws interior designers from across the southeast for reduced prices on drapery and upholstery fabrics. On U.S. 72/121 toward Carlisle. (864) 427-6221.

Just 15 minutes from Spartanburg is the CREATIVE HANDS ARTISANS CENTER in the town of Lyman. Here, you'll find an 8,000 square-foot warehouse containing hand-crafted gifts by a variety of artists whose wares include gift baskets, oil paintings, carousel horses, ceramics, quilts, wood carvings, floral arrangements and personalized baby gifts. The center is at 107 Hwy. 29. (864) 949-9144.

For more information on vacations in South Carolina, visit the state�s website at www.discoversouthcarolina.com or call toll-free, 888-SC-SMILES. To obtain a free South Carolina travel kit, call 1-800-810-5700.

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Media Contact: Melissa Williams +1 803-734-0193 mwilliams@scprt.com