Southern Wildlife Expo – Winters are mild in Charleston, and ideal for dressing up and attending a number of fabulous events. The most heralded activity of the season is the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, celebrating its 29th annual weekend Feb. 18th through the 20th. This exciting weekend draws more than 30,000 people each year, and features exhibits by more than 120 renowned wildlife artists. The magnificent beauty of painting, sculpture, and carving displays are enhanced by a wide range of activities throughout the historic downtown area throughout the weekend. Live animal exhibits include flight displays by the Center for Birds of Prey; eager retrievers wow crowds in the colorful “dock dog” competition; the famed Busch Sanctuary hosts its “living with wolves” event; and some of the Southeast’s best chefs offer cooking displays in preparation of game and fowl. Besides the art and wildlife, the weekend is filled with gala parties, including the fabulous Saturday Soiree, featuring live music and wild game culinary delights. For information and tickets, call 843-723-1748, or go online at www.sewe.com.

Lowcountry Blues Bash - Winter blues are something to look forward to in Charleston, as the 21st annual Lowcountry Blues Bash hits town with sensuous rhythms from Feb. 3rd through the 19th. This showcase of soulful Southern sound features acclaimed national and regional blues musicians in a wide variety of venues and musical instrumentation. Performances include 93 shows in 25 locations around Charleston, as audiences can delight to crooning voices, tunes that range from guitar and piano to washboard and harmonica, and heart-felt lyrics that inspire as well as entertain. For information on this incredible array of musical artistry, call 843-762-9125, or go online at www.bluesbash.com.
 

Charleston Ballet - Enjoying Charleston’s winter doesn’t require being on your toes – the Charleston Ballet Theater will do that for you. This year’s “February Masterpieces” production is themed “Black and White”, and will feature a delightful blend of classic and contemporary dances, set to contrasting visual themes. Famous scenes from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco have been skillfully interwoven with choreography created by Charleston Ballet Theater’s award-winning director, Jill Eathorne Bahr for a sensory-pleasing delight at the gorgeous Sottile Theater on historic King Street. For information and tickets, go online at www.charlestonballet.org. 

Gullah Heritage Celebration - The unique art, stories and sounds of South Carolina’s historic African heritage will be on display during the Gullah Heritage celebration, held each Saturday in February an March at the Charles Pinckney Historic site in Mount Pleasant. Since being brought to America during the colonial period as slaves at such locations as the plantation of Constitution signer Charles Pinckney, the Gullah people and their descendants have transcended hardship through such uplifting mediums as music, story-telling and creative arts. These cultural connections, still passed down through generations today, will be on display with such Lowcountry classics as sweetgrass basket-weaving, indigo dyeing, African drumming, and singing spirituals. For schedule of artists, displays and performances, call 843-881-5516, or go online at www.gov.nps/chpi.

Charleston Restaurant Celebration - The “world’s largest oyster festival” takes place for the 28th consecutive year at Boone Hall Plantation on January 30th. More than 700 acres of historic ground will be the back drop for a delightful family event, featuring tables piled with steaming oysters, live music, wines and imported beers, an colorful competitions such as the hilarious oyster shucking contest.  This event by the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association raises money for children’s charities and draws crowds as large as 10,000 people each year. For complete information on tickets and gate openings, call 843-4526088 or go online at www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com.

An unexpectedly serene wilderness area exists in the very heart of Mount Pleasant at Palmetto Islands County Park, off historic Long Point Road. Inside this 943-acre park on the edge of the Wando River estuary, miles of hiking paths offer a sensational glimpse into pristine marsh island and tidal creek habitat. Although Palmetto Islands is a major summer destination for its water park, crabbing docks and paddling rentals, winter is an ideal time to seek out the compelling hideaways down paths lined with great moss-covered oaks and miles of unspoiled marsh swaying in gentle breezes. Nature does not take the season off in marsh estuary, as birds of prey hover majestically overhead, and deer, squirrels and raccoons scamper through the cover of dwarf palmetto and cedar trees. Sparkling creeks wend their way through miles of captivating nature scenes, and are accentuated by the shrill cry of marsh hens and the darting color of cardinals and bluejays.

A very pleasant excursion only 20 minutes from historic downtown Charleston can be found enjoying the charm and unique sights found on Sullivan’s Island. This mostly-residential barrier island has historic fortifications and churches, grand island houses, a majestic beach, and a lively restaurant scene. Only three miles long, Sullivan’s Island is serenely situated overlooking Charleston harbor, with blocks named “stations” since the days of old trolley lines. Down at Station 12, beach access leads to one of the most spectacular sunsets you’ll ever witness, as shimmering streaks of light silhouette against Charleston’s steepled skyline across the water. Nearby, the early 1800’s structure of Fort Moultrie is part of the Fort Sumter National Historic Monument site, and includes a fascinating museum and views of great cannons and parapets. The entire south end of the island was used as a U.S. Army instillation until the end of World War II, and stretching for blocks are old concrete gun batteries, as well as some beautiful Victorian-era buildings and housing, such as the grand “officer’s row” houses along Poe Avenue. Next to Fort Moultrie is Stella Maris Catholic Church, built largely from bricks from the old fort in 1873, the interior of the church is exquisitely crafted in tongue-and groove heart pine, and features a hand ringing of bells in its tower. Farther up the island at the small commercial area between Station 18 and 22 are some of the area’s most popular eateries, featuring the upscale seafood dishes of the Atlantic House restaurant, the more relaxed island charm of Station 22 restaurant, and the hip outdoor atmosphere of Poe’s Tavern, where bar and tables line a classic island porch over picturesque island happenings. From any station street, the miles of unspoiled beach are accessible, and wind-swept winter walks can be particularly rewarding with views of diving osprey and a pounding surf.

  Charleston Architecture - If there is one quintessential image of quaint historic Charleston, it is embodied in the tiny frame of the Pink House at 17 Chalmers Street. Estimates on age of the building range from 1690’s to around 1711, in either case one of the oldest still standing in Charleston. Built as a small tavern along what was then on a narrow lane called Chalmers Alley, the structure got its famed name from walls that were made of Bermuda stone. A soft stone that was easily mined in the Caribbean and cut into large blocks, Bermuda stone offered a simple and inexpensive framing material for those without a great deal of money for construction. When Bermuda stone is exposed to the air , it begins to give off a pinkish hue, thus the pastel identity that has been enhanced in the last century with coats of pink paint. Although a three story building, the ceilings are low and the footprint of the old tavern is only 13’ x 13’. Another oddity is the gambrel roof of the Pink House, high-pitched on front and back, with a gable on either side, covered with terra cotta cap & pan tiles covered with black tar and red paint. Roof tops of tile were a new idea to early Charleston, which had suffered the loss of many a wood-roofed building from flaming embers flying on the wind. Today, the old tavern houses an art gallery, part of the very chic French Quarter art district, made much more colorful by this tiny address.

  Bet You Did Not Know - Beneath the streets and sidewalks of downtown Charleston is an historic engineering and architectural marvel that dates back to the late 18th century. A labyrinth of subterranean “tidal drains” were built after the Revolutionary War, using a simple, but ingenious technology. These arched brick structures were designed to prevent flooding that had so long plagued Charleston the peninsula due to its low elevation and proximity to tidal surges from the sea. The idea was to create a system of tunnels into which accumulating water in streets and yards would flow. Swinging flood gates connected drain tunnels to the surrounding Cooper and Ashley rivers, and were designed so that incoming high tides could be funneled into a series of underground “traps” that kept water from rising above ground. Gravitational pull would dictate outflow at low tides, and with the build-up of flushing force made possible by trapped water, the drain system had an added advantage of sweeping out debris and pollution. The tidal drains were extensive enough to spark a failed attempt to use one tunnel as an avenue to rob bank vaults in 1801, and have been the subject of many legends of hideaways for privateers and bootleggers. Circumvented by Charleston’s first pipe sewer and drainage system in the 1890’s, the old tidal drains are largely clogged with leaves and mud today, but are still there, with brick arches that are readily evident in utility and archeological digs.

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