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"REAL Charleston News 2008"
WHAT'S GOING ON IN
CHARLESTON...
Excitement
is in the air along with changing colors as Fall brings
activities galore to the Charleston area. For those who enjoy
the traditional architectural and floral beauty of the city’s
magnificent downtown area, the Preservation Society of
Charleston presents its 32nd annual Fall Tour of Homes and
Gardens, Sept. 25th – Oct. 26th.Featuring an outstanding variety
of 18th, 19th and 20th century interiors and exteriors, as well
as lovely courtyard and estate gardens in full Autumn bloom,
these candlelight tours are tremendously popular year after
year. For ticket information, call 843-722-4630, or go online at
www.preservationsociety.org.
If a spicy Caribbean or West African flavor sounds compelling,
Charleston’s 25th annual Moja Arts Festival swings into action
from Sept. 25th – Oct. 5th. This celebration of African
contributions to American art and music features traditional
crafts, gospel and jazz music, theater, storytelling, ethnic
food, and much more at venues throughout the city. For ticket
information call 843-554-6060 or go online at
www.ticketmaster.com/artist/835010.
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Food lovers get their share of Fall fare with one of
Charleston’s most beloved family-friendly events, the Taste of
Charleston, which for the first time in its 28-year history,
will be an extended three-day event, at a variety of historic
locations.
On Friday, Oct. 10th, The Iron Chef Competition will be held at
the Culinary Institute of Charleston’s Palmer Campus, pitting
some of the city’s finest nationally-renowned chefs in a lively
culinary contest. On Saturday, Oct. 11th, a downtown art walk
and taste will feature many of the city’s most heralded
galleries, offering fine art and fine foods. On Sunday, Oct
12th, beautiful Boone Hall Plantation will once again showcase
the irresistible edibles of more than 40 of Charleston’s finest
restaurants, along with live bands, cooking demonstrations, and
the always-entertaining “Waiters Wine Race”. Tickets are
available by calling 843-452-6088 or online at
www.boonehallplantation.com.
The Holy City Concert series back with a delightful Fall event
at historic St. Philip’s Church on Sunday Oct. 12th, featuring
the glorious sounds of chamber music inside the stunning
elegance of the 1835 church. Tickets are available by calling
843-763-4941 or online at
www.chambermusiccharleston.org.
For the ultimate in Fall color, the French Quarter Gallery
Association celebrates its 20th anniversary with “The Charleston
Art Experience – A Walk Through Time”, from Oct. 2nd – Oct 5th.
Featuring dozens of the city’s most elite galleries in this
charming historic quarter, the four-day event will offer art
shows, gallery receptions, lectures, demonstrations,
international guest artists, and of course, the pleasure of
strolling historic sidewalks into festive venues. For more
information, contact Elaine Hruska at 843-722-2425 or online at
elaine.hruska@comcast.net.
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CHARLESTON
OUTDOORS -
Fall Breezes
The fresh
breezes of Fall are perfect for outdoor activities around
Charleston, and things get moving in dynamic fashion with the
annual Folly Beach Surf Kayak Competition, Oct. 17th and Oct.
18th at the beautiful Folly Beach Fishing Pier. This free event
features a dazzling display of skilled paddlers acrobatically
riding the crashing surf, and is a great way to enjoy a
sparkling Autumn weekend along the ocean shore. All paddling
events are open to competitors of any age or skill. For
information, call 843-795-4386.
For those who enjoy a more relaxed experience on the water, a
Full Moon Sail aboard the Schooner Pride is an intriguing way to
view the beauty of Charleston and its harbor under the stars.
Sailing comfortably on a 2-hour voyage aboard the fully-staffed
18th century replica schooner offers breath-taking views, cold
beverages and an intimate, unforgettable experience. For ticket
information, call 843-722-1112 or online at
www.schoonerpride.com.
One great event that combines Fall tradition and Lowcountry
beauty is Halloween in the Swamp at historic Cypress Gardens,
Oct. 24th and 25th. This fun family affair is hugely-popular and
includes boat rides under the massive canopies of ancient
cypress trees, a haunted walking trail through the lush gardens,
a kids’ fun house, marshmallow roast, campfires and
storytelling. For information call 843-553-0515 or go online at
www.cypressgardens.info.
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CHARLESTON EXPLORER - Francis Marion
The cool days and
warm colors of Autumn beckon the adventurous to discover some of
the hidden gems of Charleston’s natural surroundings along the
wonderful trails of the Francis Marion National Forest.
Featuring a variety of horse, bicycle, canoe and hiking trails,
the 250,000-acre protected habitat offers excellent views of
deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, fox squirrels, bald eagles, ospreys
and countless songbirds that fill the forest with sound each
Fall. The Palmetto Trail takes hikers over historic railroad
trestles and along the borders of the Old Santee Canal that was
in service shortly after the Revolutionary War. The Jericho
Horse Trail loops gently through old-growth forest and pristine
wetlands where carnivorous pitcher plants and other unusual
flora grows lush and wild. The Wambaw Canoe Trail is a quiet,
gliding paddle along freshwater streams that flow through the
old rice fields of Hampton State Park. After a day on the trail,
a special treat awaits at the See Wee Resturant in Awendaw.
Fashioned inside an old general store complete with
old-fashioned cupboard shelves, pot-bellied stove, weathered
beam floors, tongue-and-groove paneling and red tin roof, this
classic country-cookin’ establishment is a great favorite of
locals and visitors alike. For forest trail information, call
843-336-3248 or go online at
www.Fs.fedus/r8/fms/forest/about/fm.shtml.
For See Wee restaurant information, call 843-928-3609.
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CHARLESTON ARCHITECTURE - St. Philips Church
St. Philip’s Church enjoys a unique position in Charleston
history and on Church Street, where it juts prominently into a
thoroughfare that bends around it. Construction of St. Philip’s
began in 1835, after a fire destroyed the church that had stood
on the spot since 1710. The Georgian architectural style of
architect Edward Hyde is comparable to the famed St.
Martins-in-the-Fields Church of London, with massive Corinthian
columns dominating a distinctive three-sided portico. The
English Renaissance-style steeple was added in 1848, designed by
famed Charleston architect Edward Brickell White. Its eleven
tower bells were donated to the Confederacy during the Civil War
and melted down for cannon balls, and replaced in 1976. The steeple
stands more than 175 feet, and was used by the U.S. Lighthouse
Service as a harbor range marker from 1893-1915.
The wrought iron fence and gates along the eastern graveyard
date to 1826, when a heavy brick wall featuring iron skull and
crossbones was considered too ominous and drear, and the
renovation earned the burial area the nickname as “the friendly
graveyard”. The graveyard across the street is also part of St.
Philip’s and is legendary as the “strangers’ graveyard”, for
parish members and visitors born outside of Charleston. Former
U.S. Vice-President and Senator John C. Calhoun has been buried
on both sides, dug up in 1865 for fear of desecration by Union
troops, then moved back to the “strangers’” side years later,
because Calhoun was not Charleston-born.
Find out more about Charleston's most famous addresses...
Real Estate Update - September 2008
Charleston Tri-County Association of Realtors: The
Charleston housing market remained relatively flat in August,
showing a 6% decline in sales compared to July, though the
region continued to avoid the drastic fall other markets have
seen across the nation. The median home price fell slightly from
$215,000 in August of last year compared to $202,250 to the same
time period this year, keeping the year-to-date median on par
with that of last year. Condo/co-op sales continued to sustain
the median price for all homes, with the 83 recorded
transactions in this category posting a median sale price of
$285,000.
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