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contents What’s inside “My Charleston”
knowing
11
WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE HERE
living
31
A LOOK AT LOWCOUNTRY COMMUNITIES
playing
67
CHARLESTON: A FUN PLACE TO LIVE
experiencing 83 SAVOR THE LOWCOUNTRY FLAVOR
learning
103
PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND HIGHER EDUCATION
working
119
OUR ECONOMIC ENGINE
www.charleston.net
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Want to learn more about “My Charleston”? Visit www.charleston.net or www.postandcourier.com for video tours of local communities, links to important resources and photo galleries showcasing the award-winning work of The Post and Courier’s photojournalists.
contributors Who created “My Charleston”
GAYLE J. SMITH Director of Advertising, The Post and Courier 843-937-5405, gjsmith@postandcourier.com
DESERET A. SCHARETT Business Development Manager, The Post and Courier 843-937-5482 descharett@postandcourier.com
ANDREW LYONS Metro Editor, The Post and Courier 843-937-4799 alyons@postandcourier.com
MATT WINTER Special Projects Director, The Post and Courier 843-937-5568 mwinter@postandcourier.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS, THE POST AND COURIER: Marcus Amaker, Tony Bartelme, Robert Behre, Allyson Bird, Paul Bowers, Ken Burger, Diette Courrégé, Prentiss Findlay, Stephanie Harvin, Brian Hicks, Paige Hinson, Diane Knich, Schuyler Kropf, John McDermott, Dave Munday, Adam Parker, Bo Petersen, Gene Sapakoff, David Slade, Glenn Smith, Katy Stech, Teresa Taylor, David Quick, Warren Wise CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS, THE POST AND COURIER: Grace Beahm, Leroy Burnell, Melissa Haneline, Alan Hawes, Yalonda M. James, Brad Nettles, Mic Smith, Wade Spees, Tyrone Walker ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC AND GRAPHIC DESIGN CREDITS: Edward C. Fennell, Jim Huff, Abi Nicholas, Cathy Petersen, David Slade, Gill Guerry, Matt Winter COPY EDITORS, THE POST AND COURIER: Angie Blackburn, Laura Bradshaw, Tony Brown, Sandy Schopfer
My Charleston, The Post and Courier’s guide to life in the Lowcountry is a publication of The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, S.C. 29403-4800. Copyright 2010 by The Post and Courier. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without express written permission from The Post and Courier.
WHAT DOES CHARLESTON MEAN TO YOU? • • • •
Delightful year round climate Sophisticated dining and shopping experiences History lurking around every corner and down every alley The Ashley and the Cooper, the two rivers that form the Peninsula and Atlantic Ocean, to name a few.
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FROM THE EDITOR
Andrew Lyons is the metro editor of The Post and Courier. He lives in West Ashley with his wife and three children.
I
had questions when I moved here four years ago. How do I sign my kids up for soccer? What’s the deal with grits? What’s a magnet school? What’s a charter school? And seriously, what in the world is a constituent school board? One afternoon I pulled education reporter Diette Courrégé aside and asked her my school-related questions. It didn’t take long to figure out she had the answers. The truth is, the journalists for The Post and Courier are experts in the beats they cover, whether it’s a community, school district, the hospitals, industries or sports teams. Maybe you’ve got some lingering questions. Ever wonder who this Francis Marion guy was? Just how old the Angel Oak is? My Charleston has those answers, and more. Inside are sharply written essays with fun and useful facts and breathtaking photographs from the premier experts in their fields. Flip through. Enjoy the pictures. Read the stories. In the historic timeline, you’ll
learn about the early settlers and Revolutionary War heroes. Columnist and history buff Brian Hicks put that together. In the downtown section, enterprise reporter Glenn Smith takes you on a stroll through the uniquely complex neighborhoods of the peninsula. He knows a lot about downtown; that’s where he lives. And Features Editor Stephanie Harvin tells about the history of Spoleto Festival USA and how it sparked a renaissance. She knows a thing or two about Spoleto; she’s been attending since the 1970s. Can’t get enough pictures of this beautiful place we call home? Then head to postandcourier.com or charleston.net to see the award-winning work of our photojournalists. If there’s one impression you take away from My Charleston, I hope it’s the same one I had four years ago when I moved here: The reporters, editors and photographers at The Post and Courier have answers to your questions. — Andrew Lyons, editor of My Charleston
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knowing WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE HERE
ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER
Legendary Lowcountry blacksmith Philip Simmons died June 22, 2009, at age 97. His artistic ironwork adorns dozens of Charleston landmarks.
13
Who we are
Columnist Brian Hicks explains what it means to be a true Charlestonian.
16 19 29 Stats & Facts
Charleston revival Architecture
A side-by-side comparison of Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.
Columnist Ken Burger recalls Charleston’s transformation from “dingy relic” to destination city.
From the Plantation District to The Battery, Charleston’s storied buildings define its civic identity. postandcourier.com 11
WHO WE ARE
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
Pluff mud in our veins
People who are not fortunate enough to live in Charleston always ask those of us who are the same question: What’s it like? That’s a loaded question.
Columnist Brian Hicks came to The Post and Courier in 1997. A former S.C. Journalist of the Year, he is the author or coauthor of five books, including Raising the Hunley and the forthcoming Toward the Setting Sun. A native of Tennessee, he lives in Charleston with his wife and two sons.
Maybe they dream of living in one of the most pristinely preserved Colonial towns in the country, hearing the echoes of history on every corner. Or maybe they just like the idea of living at the beach. Then again, maybe they are mortified by the traffic, or just want to know what it’s like to be featured on “The Daily Show” every other week. That is to say, Charleston is complicated. This is a traditional city, regal, majestic, storied — and as eccentric as they come. And we wouldn’t change it for the world. If you really want to know what Charleston is, if you want
one glimpse of a city entering its fifth century, take a walk through Waterfront Park on a Sunday evening. In those hours when the sun is casting its last light on the city, the harbor is so blue it will break your heart. The salt air and smell of pluff mud permeates everything and there is an amazing quiet on the waterfront. In one sweeping vista, you can see some of the oldest homes in the country, 19th-century fortresses and a marvel of 21stcentury engineering. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a few dolphins playing near the pier or following the sailboats out for an evening cruise. postandcourier.com 13
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WHO WE ARE The park is rarely empty in those hours — locals do not allow anything Charleston has to offer to go to waste. You’ll find families swinging in those amazing porch swings, children playing around thefountains,couplessittingonbenches, college kids lounging on the grass. It is there, in that one little spot, that you can see everything that is so wonderful about this city. Any given Sunday, you could take a photo of Waterfront Park that most visitor bureaus in other cities would kill for. That’s because it is a portrait of Americana that few cities can come close to matching. My Charleston is the most beautiful city on the East Coast, if not the entire country. Unless you were born here, unless pluff mud runs through your veins, you cannot ever really be a Charlestonian. That’s the way it has been for centuries and this town, if nothing else, respects tradition. But you can become a local. If you appreciate and respect the Carolina Lowcountry properly — and understand that this is not Charlotte or Columbia or even Savannah — you will come to understand why people have defended her for centuries. This guide will tell you just about everything you need to know about Charleston — the schools, the neighborhoods, the night life. But there are other things, little things, you need to know — you need to get — to have the most basic understanding of what it means to live in this amazing city. ◗ Watch the sun rise from the beach on Sullivan’s Island. One show daily, and it’s epic. ◗ Ride a bike through James Island County Park, where a maze of trails will offer you intoxicating views of the marsh and the Stono River. Go back for the Christmas lights. ◗ Spend a Saturday morning shopping at the Farmer’s Market in Marion Square, where the locals gather. It’s a relatively new tradition but, like a lot of things around here, it has its roots in the city’s history. ◗ Learn about the Civil War, because
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
Visitors and locals alike love cooling off in the fountains at Waterfront Park. you are going to hear a lot about it. Tour Fort Moultrie, Fort Sumter and the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, where you can take a peek at one of our most valued treasures, the Civil War-era submarine, the H.L. Hunley. The Confederate Museum on the Market is home to so many artifacts of this town’s 19th-century history it is mind-boggling. You have to see it to believe it. ◗ Walk Meeting Street from White Point Garden to the Four Corners of Law (which any local will tell you is the intersection of Meeting and Broad). Between the bed and breakfast at No. 2 Meeting and St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, you will find one of the greatest collections of historic homes still standing. It’s much the same as it was when Rhett Butler walked the street, at least in Margaret Mitchell’s imagination. ◗ You must eat at The Wreck in Mount Pleasant’s Old Village. If you can find it, you’re well on your way to becoming a local. ◗ Go offshore, if not to fish then just for the view on the way back in. To truly
understand Charleston, you must see the first impression this city has made on people for centuries. It should be everyone’s introduction to the city. ◗ Visit the Ashley River plantations, which will tell you more about what antebellum Charleston was really like, for the owners and the slaves, than just about anywhere else. Inside Drayton Hall, the walls will talk to you — in a decidedly Southern lilt. ◗ Have a drink on Park Circle, where North Charleston is growing its own funky neighborhood. ◗ Sit on the north end of Folly Beach and admire the Morris Island Lighthouse. They don’t make ’em like that anymore. Literally. ◗ Read a book in the main room of the Charleston Library Society, where you can soak in all the grace, charm and literary magic the town has to offer. Start with “Porgy,” then try “The Lords of Discipline.” ◗ Explore the grounds at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, taking a moment to pause at the grave of John C. Calhoun. There’s a story there — but then, there’s
a story everywhere in this town. ◗ Have a beer on a warm night at The Joe, watching RiverDogs baseball as the sun sets over the Ashley. ◗ Finally, get a lay of the land by cruising the Intracoastal Waterway from McClellanville to Edisto Island. You will see that, despite the traffic blockading Highway 17, there is still land here that has been untouched for centuries. Those are the things that say Charleston to me. For other people, it is Spoleto, the Wine + Food Festival, the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. It is the Rockville Regatta, Harborfest or a stroll on TheBattery(whichisalwaysagoodcall). If you try a few, most or all of those things, you’ll realize why those of us fortunate enough to live here wouldn’t trade Charleston for the world. But if you want to become a local, there is only one test. It comes after you have lived here a while, go out of town and then return. When you cross that bridge and the smell of pluff mud tells you that you’re home, then you’ve become a local. It’s as close to Charlestonian as you can get. ✦ postandcourier.com 15
STATS & FACTS
✦ In terms of percentages, Charleston County has more people with bachelor’s degrees but fewer eighth-graders making it to 12th grade in four years.
45
✦ A large proportion of people in the tri-county area speak English at home, compared to the national proportion of nearly 20 percent who speak a different language at home.
St. Stephen
6
52
Lake Moultrie
95
15
St. George
Moncks Corner
6
178
78
26 61
165
17
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Hanahan North Charleston
526
Daniel Island
James Island
162
700
Johns Island
174
Seabrook Island
17
Mt. Pleasant
703 Sullivan’s Island Charleston
171
Folly Beach
Edisto Island
41
Isle of Palms
17
Hollywood
Bulls Bay Cainhoy
642
Charleston County
✦ Charleston was the only county of the three to have an unemployment rate below the national average of 9.2 percent in 2009. All three were below the state average of 11.7 percent.
Berkeley County
Goose Creek
17A
Dorchester County
McClellanville
Huger 52
Summerville
✦ Of the three counties, Dorchester is growing the fastest.
17
402
17A 27
45
41
176
78
Jamestown
17A
311
Kiawah Island
Atlantic Ocean
✦ People are more likely to own their home in Dorchester County than in Berkeley or Charleston counties, where the owner-to-renter ratios are closer to the national average ratio of 67-to-33.
GILL GUERRY/THE POST AND COURIER
STATS & FACTS
STATS & FACTS
Whether you’re deciding where to move or just curious about what’s in your own backyard, it’s good to have some numbers handy. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties.
Paul Bowers ✦ The Post and Courier
BERKELEY COUNTY
CHARLESTON COUNTY
DORCHESTER COUNTY
✦ Population, 2009: 173,498 ✦ Population per square mile, 2009: 158 ✦ Population percent increase, 2000 to 2009: 21.7 percent ✦ Under 18 years old, percent, 2008: 26.0 percent ✦ 65 years and older, percent, 2008: 9.1 percent ✦ White, percent, 2008: 69.1 percent ✦ Black, percent, 2008: 26.5 percent ✦ Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2008: 4.1 percent ✦ Foreign born, 2008: 4.4 percent ✦ Percent civilian veterans of 18+ population, 2008: 17.2 percent ✦ Speak a language other than English at home, 2008: 6.3 percent ✦ Houses built 2005 or later, 2008: 7.0 percent ✦ Houses built 1939 or earlier, 2008: 2.4 percent ✦ Percentage of occupied housing units occupied by owner: 70 percent ✦ Percentage of occupied housing units occupied by renter: 30 percent ✦ Average home listing price, week ending July 7, 2010: $313,685 ✦ Per capita income, 2008: $30,449 ✦ Median household income, 2008: $49,414 ✦ Persons below poverty level, percent, 2008: 14 percent ✦ Unemployment rate, 2009: 10.7 percent ✦ 10-year average unemployment rate, 20002009: 5.7 percent ✦ Births to teens, per 1,000 girls age 15-19, 2008: 51.7 ✦ Eighth-graders not enrolled in 12th grade four years later, 2010: 16.2 percent ✦ Earned bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 14.4 percent ✦ County revenues per capita, 2008: $604 ✦ County expenditures per capita, 2008: $591
✦ Population, 2009: 355,276. ✦ Population per square mile, 2009: 386.6. ✦ Population percent increase, 2000 to 2009: 14.6 percent. ✦ Under 18 years old, percent, 2008: 23.1 percent. ✦ 65 years and older, percent, 2008: 12.7 percent. ✦ White, percent, 2008: 66.0 percent. ✦ Black, percent, 2008: 30.8 percent ✦ Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2008: 3.8 percent ✦ Foreign born, 2008: 4.9 percent ✦ Percent civilian veterans of 18+ population, 2008: 13 percent ✦ Speak a language other than English at home, 2008: 6.2 percent ✦ Houses built 2005 or later, 2008: 3.7 percent ✦ Houses built 1939 or earlier, 2008: 7.4 percent ✦ Percentage of occupied housing units occupied by owner: 63.8 percent ✦ Percentage of occupied housing units occupied by renter: 36.2 percent ✦ Average home listing price, week ending July 7, 2010: $581,998 ✦ Per capita income, 2008: $39,581 ✦ Median household income, 2008: $50,213 ✦ Persons below poverty level, percent, 2008: 15.4 percent ✦ Unemployment rate, 2009: 9.1 percent ✦ 10-year average unemployment rate, 20002009: 5.2 percent ✦ Births to teens, per 1,000 girls age 15-19, 2008: 43.1 ✦ Eighth-graders not enrolled in 12th grade four years later, 2010: 23.4 percent ✦ Earned bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 30.7 percent ✦ County revenues per capita, 2008: $1,182 ✦ County expenditures per capita, 2008: $1,253
✦ Population, 2009: 130,417 ✦ Population per square mile, 2009: 226.8 ✦ Population percent increase, 2000 to 2009: 35.4 percent ✦ Under 18 years old, percent, 2008: 25.8 percent ✦ 65 years and older, percent, 2008: 9.7 percent ✦ White, percent, 2008: 70.8 percent ✦ Black, percent, 2008: 25.4 percent ✦ Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2008: 3.2 percent ✦ Foreign born, 2008: 3.7 percent ✦ Percent civilian veterans of 18+ population, 2008: 15.2 percent ✦ Speak a language other than English at home, 2008: 4.9 percent ✦ Houses built 2005 or later, 2008: 7.5 percent ✦ Houses built 1939 or earlier, 2008: 3.3 percent ✦ Percentage of occupied housing units occupied by owner: 75.1 percent ✦ Percentage of occupied housing units occupied by renter: 24.9 percent ✦ Average home listing price, week ending July 7, 2010: $218,782 ✦ Per capita income, 2008: $30,765 ✦ Median household income, 2008: $60,254 ✦ Persons below poverty level, percent, 2008: 10.1 percent ✦ Unemployment rate, 2009: 10.2 percent ✦ 10-year average unemployment rate, 20002009: 5.4 percent ✦ Births to teens, per 1,000 girls age 15-19, 2008: 43.4 ✦ Eighth-graders not enrolled in 12th grade four years later, 2010: 17.1 percent ✦ Earned bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 21.4 percent ✦ County revenues per capita, 2008: $623 ✦ County expenditures per capita, 2008: $422
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates; Trulia Real Estate Search; County Profiles and Comparison Tables from South Carolina Association of Counties; Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Center
postandcourier.com 17
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A CHARLESTON REVIVAL
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
A Charleston revival When I came to Charleston, the Omni Hotel was a hole in the ground. That was 1984 when the Charleston you see before you now was only a gleam in the eye of Mayor Joe Riley, a young man with a vision.
Ken Burger joined The Post and Courier in 1984 after serving 10 years as a reporter for The Columbia Record and The State in Columbia. During his tenure at The Post and Courier, Ken has covered local government, spent two years as the paper’s Washington, D.C., correspondent, 21 years as executive sports editor and award-winning sports columnist, and has been writing a metro column since January 2009.
Prior to that, I knew the Holy City for what it had been my entire life growing up in South Carolina — a dingy, gray, ghostly relic of an era we read about in history books. There are, in fact, two reasons for Charleston being the only perfectly preserved city in the country where you can touch, experience and feel the presence of our nation’s emergence as a country and its ultimate divide. One is the well-publicized efforts of the Charleston Preservation Society, the first of its kind in this country. The other is the fact that this war-torn town literally sat in moth balls for a century after the Civil War because nobody could afford to tear anything down or build anything new. “Too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash,” was
the law of the land across this languid landscape where livelihoods depended almost solely on a smelly paper mill and those coveted government jobs at the Navy Shipyard. Ashley Cooper, the legendary columnist for The News and Courier, once penned the line that the Charleston of old looked “down at the heel and out at the elbow,” much like the homeless hobos of the Great Depression.
Lawless playground As a boy growing up in the wilds of Allendale County, along the banks of the Savannah River, Charleston was a lawless playground for underage drinking. Joints along the riverfront, like Big John’s Tavern and The Merchant Seaman’s Club, welcomed all comers and lived up postandcourier.com 19
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Magnolia is a place where the past comes to life. Cross the Long Bridge to luxuriate in the soft beauty of nature, just as the planters did. Have lunch with a glass of good wine at our outdoor café. Tour the Plantation House, one of America’s most visited historic homes. Shop for art, antiques and keepsakes at our Gallery. Magnolia is timeless: the more times you come, the more you want to come back. Some say it’s the history, mystery, and romance that beckon your return. Others believe it’s the memories you left behind.
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A CHARLESTON REVIVAL
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
to their rowdy reputations. During the Vietnam Era, The Citadel was the last place many of us wanted to go to school, unless it was the College of Charleston, which had allowed its enrollment to drop to under 300 in the late 1960s. People in South Carolina tended to turn their attention to the state capital, a modern city by comparison, where the state’s flagship university, a growing Army post and middle-class neighborhoods spread like kudzu across the Midlands. In the Upstate, Greenville and Spartanburg were still mired in the millvillage mentality, which is why many native sons and daughters followed paths that led to greener pastures out of state. Charleston, however, always had
something going for it that other places never had — beautiful beaches and marshlands that seemed to stretch forever. Whenever we returned, some ancient, ancestral pull of the tides kept reminding us of home. Despite wars, neglect, industrial pollution, racial strife and indifferent leadership, the charm, beauty and elegance of the Lowcountry would prove too powerful to pilfer. All it needed was a spark, a glowing ember of evolutionary vision to bring it back from the past into the future.
Genuine gentility In more than a quarter century at The Post and Courier, I have enjoyed a front-row seat to the greatest regeneration of a classic American city.
ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER
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A CHARLESTON REVIVAL
Many steeples, many faiths
Charleston has been, since its founding as a colony in 1670, a magnet for people of many faiths, and has long provided fertile soil for the planting of churches and synagogues.
LEROY BURNELL/THE POST AND COURIER
St. Matthew’s Lutheran (from left), Emanuel AME and Citadel Square Baptist churches in Charleston. From a palette splattered with equal parts of dedication, direction, and dogged determination, Mayor Joe Riley and many, many others re-painted a dreary, drab and deteriorated image and turned it into a modern masterpiece. That hole in the ground that many criticized as a pipe dream turned into the centerpiece for all the culture and cuisine Charleston is now so famous for. While it may look as though the restaurants, shops, gardens, plantations, and playgrounds for the rich emerged naturally over space and time, all this before you has actually blossomed in the span of my newspaper career here in Charleston. This sad, sagging seaport of my youth is now a desired destination for people around the world who love the arts, the seashore, world-class golf, offshore sailing, music, Southern cooking, and a genuine gentility that neither fire nor earthquakes nor hurricanes could destroy. This is why I live and breathe and write in Charleston, and God willing, will never, ever leave. ✦
Among America’s oldest communities, Charleston is the invited to become preachers themselves. seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese that oversees all of the AftertheCivilWar,churchinstitutionssplitintwo.Blacks state.ItisthehomeofthehistoricEpiscopalDioceseofSouth were forced out of many white churches only to establish Carolina. It has the oldest — and only — Huguenot church. their own place of worship nearby. Soon, there were black The French Protestant (Huguenot) Church on Queen Presbyterian churches and white Presbyterian churches, Street was founded around 1681; the building went up in black Episcopal churches and white Episcopal churches. 1687. By 1700, the community numbered about 450. Unhappy with the way they were treated, some blacks First Baptist Church of Charleston was throughout the 1800s formed new churches founded in 1682 and is the oldest Baptist and denominations. Richard Allen founded church in the South and the first Southern the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baptist Church in existence. Philadelphia, which established a stronghold Reform Judaism in America was founded in the South. Emanuel AME Church on Calin the Holy City in 1749. Kahal Kadosh Beth houn Street was established in 1818 and reorElohim synagogue on Hasell Street is the ganizedin1865,theyeartheCivilWarended. fourtholdestJewishcongregationintheconIt’s the oldest AME church in the South. tinental United States, though the first JewMany other religious denominations are ish presence in Charleston was recorded in active in the Charleston area: Methodists, 1695.ThecityalsohasaConservativeJewish Greek Orthodox, American Orthodox, synagogue, Emanu-El in West Ashley, and Chabad Jews, Unitarian Universalists, LuanOrthodoxsynagogue,BrithSholomBeth therans, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Israel on Rutledge Street downtown. more. Lesser-known religions and spiritual Adam Parker first was a musician, Presbyterians, too, have a long history in then a businessman. Eventually he grad- organizations also flourish in Charleston. the Lowcountry. uated with a degree in journalism from The city has a small Baha’i community. It TheRev.ArchibaldStobo,asevereScottish Columbia University so he could think includes Jungian and Sufi practitioners. It missionarywhowasstrandedinCharleston and write. He has taught journalism at embracespeoplewhothinkofthemselvesas after a hurricane sank his ship, crew and the College of Charleston and worked as “spiritual,” offering opportunities to plumb library, preached for a while at the Indepen- a copy editor, newsroom editor, general their beliefs in nontraditional settings. dent Church on meeting Street, which later assignment reporter, restaurant critic, Perhaps the most prominent religious became Circular Congregational Church, arts writer and religion reporter. community in Charleston is Episcopalian. one of the city’s oldest. He had been invited The Episcopal Church was started by the to address the ecumenical congregation but, after some original English settlers, though back then it wasn’t “Episdisagreement (Stobo was a long-winded fellow), he left to copal” at all but, rather, Anglican, part of the Church of establish six other congregations in the Lowcountry. England. The churches of St. Philip’s and St. Michael’s The history of the black church intersects in places with downtown were among the first established in the colony. thehistoryofthewhitechurch.EnslavedAfricanswerepre- Throughout its long history, Charleston has fostered vented from openly maintaining their traditions, though religious freedom and tolerance, welcoming people of certain rituals and practices found their way into the style all faiths — which is not to say that disagreement has of Christian worship that developed among blacks. been entirely absent. Duringslavery,blacksandwhitesoftenworshippedinthe What is certainly true is that Charleston is a place of samebuilding,thoughblackswererelegatedtothebalcony. steeples and ceremony, of love and charity, a place where During the 1700s, some black congregations were formed people tend to foster a sense of community regardless by freed slaves. The Great Awakening saw preachers, es- of their religious beliefs. Among its citizens are atheists pecially Baptists, appealing directly to slaves, who were and agnostics. They, too, call Charleston home. ✦ postandcourier.com 23
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A CHARLESTON REVIVAL
ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER
Stuart Lambert fires on Confederates during a re-enactment of the Battle of Charleston at Legare Farms on Johns Island.
TIMELINE
Its deep connection to history defines Charleston. From its Colonial plantations to Civil War battlements and even a World War II aircraft carrier, Charleston is alive with history.
Brian Hicks ✦ The Post and Courier
APRIL 1670 — Two English ships land at Albemarle Point (now Charles Towne Landing). The colonists name the settlement Charles Town, in honor of King Charles II of England. AUG. 23, 1670 — The first slave is brought to Charles Town from Virginia; eventually slaves will make up nearly 50 percent of the city’s population. 1680 — Charles Town relocates to the peninsula, which was called Oyster Point in those days.
JUNE 1718 — The pirate Blackbeard briefly terrorizes the town.
1771 — The Old Exchange Building (then called the New Exchange Building) opens.
makeupthefort’swallrepelthecannonballs.Aweek later,thecoloniesdeclaretheirindependence.
DEC. 10, 1718 — Charles Town hangs the pirate Stede Bonnet at White Point Garden. Obviously fed up, the city hangs about four dozen other pirates, too.
1773 — Charleston Museum, America’s oldest museum, is founded.
APRIL 13, 1780 — The Siege of Charlestown by British soldiers begins. In May, the town surrenders and will be occupied by British troops through the rest of the Revolutionary War.
1748—TheCharlestonLibrarySocietyisorganized asthesecondsubscriptionlibraryinthecountry. 1770 — The College of Charleston is established.
1775 — Charlestown, with a population of 12,000, is the fourth-largest city in America. JUNE28,1776—ThefirstfortonSullivan’sIsland, whichwillbecomeFortMoultrieinlaterincarnations, isattackedbyBritishwarships.Palmettologsthat
AUG. 13, 1783 — Charlestown is finally incorporated; its name is changed to Charleston. MAY 1791 — President George Washington postandcourier.com 25
A CHARLESTON REVIVAL
visits Charleston as part of his Southern tour. Apparently sleeps in every house in town. JUNE 1822 — A free black artisan named Denmark Vesey is accused of plotting a slave revolt; Vesey professes his innocence up to the moment he is hanged. 1824 — The Medical College is founded. 1842 — The Citadel is established. APRIL 1860 — The National Democratic Party meets in Charleston to choose a presidential candidate. Northern and Southern delegates cannot agree on a candidate and leave without a decision which, as it turns out, is a pretty good example of foreshadowing. DEC. 20, 1860 — The state’s Secession Convention meets at St. Andrews Hall and votes to secede from the Union. DEC. 26, 1860 — Major Robert Anderson moves federal troops out of Fort Moultrie to the newly built Fort Sumter. South Carolinians see it as an act of aggression, if not war. JAN. 9, 1861 — Cadets from The Citadel fire on the Star of the West, a supply ship trying to deliver provisions to troops at Fort Sumter. APRIL 12, 1861— Confederate forces open fire on Fort Sumter, which becomes the opening volley in the Civil War. DECEMBER 1861 — Fire ravages downtown Charleston. MAY 1862 — Robert Smalls, a slave and harbor pilot, steals a Confederate steamer called the Planter and sails it out to the Union blockade in a bid for freedom. Later, he will become a congressman. AUG. 29, 1863 — Union forces begin bombarding Charleston, a period of shelling that will last 545 days. Civilians largely desert the southern end of the peninsula, which takes heavy damage. FEB. 17, 1864 — The H.L. Hunley, a privateer submarine, sinks the Union sloop of war Housatonic off Sullivan’s Island; it is the first successful submarine attack in history. FEB. 18, 1865 — Charleston’s mayor surrenders the city to Union forces. The Yankees will stay through Reconstruction. MAY 1, 1865 — Former slaves honor soldiers who died in Charleston at a Confederate prison camp. They call it Decoration Day; later, it will be widely considered the birth of the Memorial Day holiday. AUG. 31, 1886 — An earthquake devastates Charleston, killing 60 and leveling a number of buildings. 26 postandcourier.com
HISTORICAL FIGURES These are some South Carolinians you’ll need to know if you are going to live here. Study up, because failure to recognize these people will alert folks that you’re from off. KING CHARLES II (1630-1685). OK, he’s not a local but Charleston is named for him. Charles II was in line to assume the throne after his father, Charles I, was executed at the end of the English Civil War. But Charles II was forced into exile immediately after his forces were defeated by Oliver Cromwell’s at the Battle of Worcester. Charles II spent nine years in exile before returning to England and assuming the throne. In an amazing show of revisionist history, after Charles II put on the crown, all British legal documents were back-dated to make it appear he had assumed command in 1649 instead of 1658. A cousin of French King Louis XIV, Charles II was known for his hedonism, abolishing the Parliament and fathering at least a dozen children, but none by his wife. FRANCIS MARION (1732(?)-1795). More than a National Forest, a luxury hotel in Charleston or a discount motel in Florence, Francis Marion was basically South Carolina’s first hero. Although he served in the South Carolina Provincial Congress, and fought in the French and Indian War, the Berkeley County native is best known as the father of guerilla warfare. In the early years of the American Revolution, his dogged determination to keep British troops out of South Carolina was legendary. His nickname: the Swamp Fox. JOHN RUTLEDGE (1739-1800). John Rutledge was a member of the first and second Continental Congress, president of South Carolina and the first governor after America declared its independence. He was a signer of the U.S. Constitution and later served as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, eventually becoming its second chief justice. CHARLES COTESWORTH PINCKNEY (1746-1825). A Revolutionary War hero and politician, Pinckney came from a long line of influential Charlestonians. He was a state legislator, he joined the military during the Revolution and fought in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island. He later represented South Carolina at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. After turning down his friend George Washington twice, Pinckney finally accepted a post as minister to France. When one French official suggested Pinckney should provide him a gift (a bribe), the local boy said ‘No! No! Not a sixpence!’ The ensuing scandal became known as the XYZ affair, led to an unofficial war with France and made Pinckney a national hero. JOHN C. CALHOUN (1782-1850). Perhaps South Carolina’s pre-eminent politician, John C. Calhoun was the seventh vice president of the United States, a member of the U.S. House, a U.S. senator, a secretary of state and secretary of war. Despite all that, Calhoun is most famous for his support of limited government, states’ rights, nullification and slavery. Although he was long dead before the Civil War began, he is widely credited with stoking the fires of secession for decades before his demise. He is buried in the cemetery at St. Philip’s Church. During the war, his body was moved because locals feared the Yankees would desecrate his body. In 1957, the U.S. Senate declared Calhoun one of the five greatest senators in history. WADE HAMPTON (1818-1902). This native Charlestonian served in the state Legislature in the 1850s and, although opposed to dividing the Union, resigned from office to join the Confederate Army. A natural leader, Hampton eventually reached the rank of lieutenant general, even though he had no prior military experience. He saw action at First Manassas (or Bull Run, if you’re from the North) and in the Gettysburg campaign. In 1876, he ran for governor, an election that ended in the Supreme Court, which declared Hampton the winner. BEN TILLMAN (1847-1918). This governor and U.S. senator is best known for instituting Jim Crow laws in South Carolina and rigging the Constitution to disenfranchise black men. In the Senate, he assaulted a fellow member (John McLaurin, also of South Carolina) and was censured. He was barred from the White House as well. He gained the nickname “Pitchfork” for a speech he gave in which he threatened to poke President Grover Cleveland with one. While governor, he helped establish Clemson and Winthrop universities. FILE IMAGES/THE POST AND COURIER
A CHARLESTON REVIVAL
DUBOSE HEYWARD (1885-1940). This Charleston native, a descendant of Declaration of Independence signer Thomas Heyward Jr., gave up his work selling real estate and insurance to become a writer and — among other works — turned out the 20th-century classic “Porgy.” The novel, a sympathetic look at the black inhabitants of the fictional Catfish Row, was a best-seller. Heyward, along with his wife Dorothy, turned it into a play that became the classic opera “Porgy and Bess.” SEPTIMA CLARK (1898-1987). The daughter of a former slave, Septima Clark began her career teaching in rural schools on Johns Island. Her work to equalize pay between black and white teachers drew her into the civil rights movement. When she became vice president of the Charleston branch of the NAACP, the state legislature passed a law prohibiting state and city employees from participating in civil rights organizations. Clark refused to resign her NAACP post and was fired. Her subsequent “Citizenship Schools” campaign to teach folks to read and become involved in politics attracted the attention of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Clark became the SCLC’s director of education and teaching. STROM THURMOND (1902-2003). Strom was elected governor in 1946 but made a national name for himself (and became the face of 20th-century South Carolina) when he decided to run against President Truman in 1948 as a ‘Dixiecrat.’ It was a platform opposed to the federal government ending segregation. He later won election to the U.S. Senate as the only successful write-in candidate in history. Once there, he drew national scorn for the longest filibuster on record — against civil rights — but won election time and again, in part on the strength of his constituent services. He would be the only sitting U.S. senator to reach the age of 100 while still in office. Over the years, Thurmond would switch parties, becoming a Republican, and eventually he moderated his views on race. After his death, it was discovered that, in his younger days, Thurmond had fathered a black child with the family maid. ERNEST “FRITZ” HOLLINGS (1922- ). As governor of South Carolina from 1959 to 1963, the Charleston native is perhaps best-known for significant improvements to the state’s education system — in particular the technical schools — during his tenure in Columbia. But he is better known as the U.S. senator who fought for fair trade, wrote “The Case Against Hunger,” started the federal Women, Infants and Children program and ran for president in 1984. JAMES E. CLYBURN (1940- ). Jim Clyburn, a native of Sumter, is the most powerful African-American member of Congress, serving as the Majority Whip. The son of a minister, this S.C. State graduate and former Charleston high school teacher has been involved in politics for four decades. He was on the staff of Gov. John C. West and served as a state human affairs commissioner from 1974 to 1992, at which time he stepped down to run for Congress. Since 1993, he has held the state’s 6th District seat, a meandering district that stretches from Charleston through the poor counties along Interstate 95. JOSEPH P. RILEY JR. (1943- ). Joe Riley, a native Charlestonian and Citadel grad, has served as the city’s mayor since 1975 — that’s nine terms. A former state lawmaker, Riley is largely credited with revitalizing downtown, turning Charleston into an international tourist destination (building on the work of previous mayor J. Palmer Gaillard) while growing the city’s population and building some of its nicer amenities, such as Waterfront Park. Riley has been nationally recognized for his work repeatedly. PAT CONROY (1945- ). Although not a Charleston native, Conroy is claimed as a local son by many, in part because he has brought a good deal of attention to the city. The Citadel grad’s novel, “The Lords of Discipline” about a “fictional Charleston military college” is considered by many as one of the best depictions of Charleston. He is best known for his Lowcountry epic, “Prince of Tides,” while later novels, including “Beach Music” and “South of Broad,” also feature the city in a starring role. Conroy lives on the South Carolina coast. Brian Hicks ✦ The Post and Courier
AUGUST 1893 — The Great Sea Islands Hurricane hits Charleston and points south. Again, the city is devastated. 1901 — The Charleston Naval Base opens, transforming the city into a military town and breathing life into its moribund economy. DEC. 1, 1901 — Charleston hosts the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition at what is now Hampton Park. 1925 — Local writer DuBose Heyward publishes the novel “Porgy,” a novel about poor, black Charlestonians. AUG. 8, 1929 — The first Cooper River bridge opens. Built for $6 million, it will eventually be named for Mayor John P. Grace, who served from 1911 to 1915, and had championed the project. 1931 — The Board of Architectural Review (BAR) is established as part of the first preservation ordinance in the United States. SUMMER 1934 — The composer George Gershwin comes to Folly Beach to turn Heyward’s “Porgy” into the opera “Porgy and Bess.” Due to racial tensions caused by segregation, no production of “Porgy and Bess” would be staged in Charleston until 1970. 1950: — U.S. District Judge Julius Waties Waring, writes the dissenting opinion in Briggs v. Elliott, a South Carolina school desegregation case. Waring’s dissent forms the foundation of the monumental U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. SPRING/SUMMER 1969 — For 113 days, nonprofessional hospital workers at Medical College (now MUSC) strike for better pay and benefits. The strike attracts national attention, the National Guard and NAACP leaders before it ends. 1977 — First Spoleto Festival USA is held. SEPT. 21-22, 1989 — Hurricane Hugo makes landfall in Charleston. The storm kills more than 100 people and does $10 billion in damage, much of it in Charleston. 1993 — Charleston Naval Base closes. MAY 3, 1995 — A Clive Cussler dive team discovers the long-lost Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley four miles off Sullivan’s Island. JULY 16, 2005 — Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, the new Cooper River bridge, opens. JUNE 18, 2007 — Nine Charleston firefighters die in the Sofa Super Store fire. OCT. 28, 2009 — The Boeing Co. announces plans to build an assembly line for its 787 here. ✦ postandcourier.com 27
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ARCHITECTURE
‘She protects her buildings …’ Many consider Charleston the nation’s best-preserved city, and its extensive and diverse collection of historical architecture not only fuels its tourism industry but also defines its civic identity.
The thousands of homes, churches and other 18th-, and reused dozens of historic buildings, such as the 19th- and 20th-century buildings bear witness to BlacklockHouseat18BullStreetandtheSottileTheatre. Charleston’s boom and bust history — and to its onThe city’s churches, whose spires still define the skygoing interest in preserving its unique sense of place. line and undergird its “Holy City” nickname, reflect The city isn’t simply one of America’s oldest, but it the diverse styles and time periods and architectural also was a spectacularly wealthy one early on, as its styles that can be found downtown. slave-based plantation economy produced rice, cotton They include the Georgian, Palladian grandeur of and other crops that made planters very rich men. St. Michael’s Episcopal Church (circa 1752), several And they liked to show off. 19th-century Greek Revival and Gothic Revival exThe main house at Drayton Hall amples and the Victorian era stylistic plantation, built around 1740, when mix of the Central Baptist Church at George Washington was about 6 years 26 Rutledge St. old, reflects how successful colonists Charleston’s preservation ethic exwanted to transplant the English notends beyond the grand, high-style tion of a landed gentry in the New architecture to the more mundane. In World. fact,itscontributiontothenation’spresToday, thousands of homes, churchervationmovementlargelyhasbeenthe es, warehouses and other buildings notionofpreservingeverything,notjust survive — partly because they were the grand monuments of the past. built well enough to survive the 1886 The modest Powder Magazine at 21 earthquake as well as blows from Cumberland St., considered South many tropical storms. Carolina’s oldest secular public buildAnd they survive because they were ing, was among the city’s earliest presbuilt beautifully, cherished by generaervation projects when it was restored tions for their quality, durability and Robert Behre was born in New around 1900. aesthetics. AndtherowofslavecabinsatMcLeod Jersey, grew up in Pensacola, Fla., and LEROY BURNELL/THE POST AND COURIER Finally, many also remain standing graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy Plantation have been the focus of as because after the South lost the Civil and Dartmouth College. He began his much preservation attention as any St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on Church Street War, Charleston lacked the money to newspaper career in Greenville in 1985 other buildings on James Island. in downtown Charleston. build the skyscrapers that transformed and moved to Charleston five years later. The city’s historic ambiance derives other significant early American cit- He currently covers local government, mostly from the thousands of wellies, such as Boston, Philadelphia and politics and legal affairs in addition preserved private homes throughout New York. the Old and Historic District, which to the Architecture and Preservation The city’s preservation success also column that he began in 1996. covers most of the peninsula south of has stemmed from its long-standing U.S. Highway 17. ability to re-purpose buildings as times change. The homes’ exteriors are protected by the nation’s Charleston City Hall, whose pediment contains the oldest preservation law, administered through the city seal and motto, “She protects her buildings, cus- city’s Board of Architectural Review and scrutinized toms and laws,” originally was built as a bank. by both the Preservation Society of Charleston and The Dock Street Theatre was built as a hotel. The the Historic Charleston Foundation. administration building at Ashley Hall school once Many of these homes are noted in the 1997 guidebook WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER was a grand residence. “The Buildings of Charleston.” But even though this TheCollegeofCharlestonisoneofthenation’sbestur- bookrunsmorethan700pages,authorJonathanPoston The Powder Magazine, one of Charleston’s ban campuses, largely because it has bought, preserved still had to leave hundreds of historic buildings out. ✦ oldest buildings. postandcourier.com 29
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living A LOOK AT LOWCOUNTRY COMMUNITIES
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33 41 49 57 Downtown
East of the Cooper West of the Ashley Inland areas
The peninsula’s 20 densely packed neighborhoods each have their own look and flavor.
Beaches, luxurious living and an enormous national forest highlight life east of the Cooper River.
Bustling suburbs, working farms, historic plantations and barrier islands are west of the Ashley River.
Up the interstate lies a mecca for shopping and industry, a mix of small-town charm and urban life. postandcourier.com 31
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A stroll downtown
The sun sets over The Battery in a riotous swirl of lavender and pink hues that paint the clouds and dance on the water below.
Glenn Smith is a veteran crime reporter who has worked at The Post and Courier since 1999. He previously worked at newspapers in his native Connecticut, covering a variety of beats. He has received numerous journalism awards for his work. He lives in downtown Charleston with his wife and their daughter.
Couples stroll hand in hand along the aged sea wall as fishermen angle for the evening’s catch and tourists snap keepsake photos of stately mansions lining the peninsula’s edge. The scene is straight out of a postcard, a reminder of why millions of visitors flock to this spot each year. It’s quintessential Charleston, a mix of Lowcountry beauty and Southern charm. But it’s just one little slice of life on a low-lying spit of land steeped in history and packed with vibrant neighborhoods, bustling shops and world-class restaurants. Known as the Holy City for its abundance of churches, Charleston has survived devastating hurricanes, fires, earthquakes and two wars fought on its soil. It has basked in prosperity, endured poverty and reinvented itself several times
over its history, morphing from a bawdy port town into a cosmopolitan city while still retaining its distinct character. The city has come far since a group of colonists laid down stakes here in the 1670s and built a fortified settlement along the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper rivers. As the city grew, it spread beyond its walls to the north and west, eventually creating a network of some 20 densely packed neighborhoods, each with its own look, flavor and offerings. At the tip of the peninsula lies a residential enclave known to locals as “South of Broad” for its geographical position to Broad Street. Buildings in the area date from the 1700s to the 20th century and include some of the peninsula’s priciest real estate, with an abundance of postandcourier.com 33
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multimillion-dollar homes. As with much of Charleston, the best way to see the neighborhood is on foot, giving the visitor time to take in the varied architecture, peer into wellmanicured gardens and meander down a charming maze of side streets and alleyways. Make sure to take a pit stop before taking your stroll, as there are no public restrooms in this area. And keep track of time. Most nonmetered, on-street parking in the city is limited to one or two hours, and parking enforcement officers are not shy about handing out tickets. In addition to The Battery, the neighborhood is home to Rainbow Row, a historic set of 18th-century townhomes on East Bay Street painted in pastel hues, and White Point Garden, where visitors can examine cannons, artifacts and several monuments beneath a canopy of oak trees. One marker pays homage to pirates who were hanged here, White Point Garden at The Battery. including Steed Bonnet, the infamous “gentleman pirate.” At the other edge of the neighborhood is the so-called Four Corners of Law at Meeting and Broad streets, bounded by City Hall, the county and federal courthouses and St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. Just north of Broad Street lies the French Quarter neighborhood, named in recognition of the city’s French settlers and the French Huguenot Church they founded on Church Street. The area has a mix of homes, art galleries, offices and restaurants, as well as the newly restored Dock Street Theatre, created in the 1930s from five historic buildings. The neighborhood includes some of the city’s most aged buildings, including the Powder Magazine on Cumberland Street, a circa 1713 structure that is one of the oldest surviving buildings in South Carolina. Nearby Chalmers Street is the city’s longest cobblestone road, paved with stones that originally served as ballast to stabilize empty ships on their voyage to Charleston. Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston. 34 postandcourier.com
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The city has retained a thriving maritime industry. Just walk down to Waterfront Park, built in the aftermath of 1989’s Hurricane Hugo, and watch giant container ships from around the world make their way in and out of Charleston Harbor. The French Quarter abuts the recently renovated City Market, which once served as the city’s grocery store and an extension of its port. Its stalls now mainly cater to visiting tourists, with TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER vendors hawking a variety of knickknacks and curios, from sweetgrass Enjoying Waterfront Park. baskets to jewelry and hot sauces. Shoppers also can find a host of options along nearby King Street, home to a range of antiques stores, national retailers and specialty shops. On the other side of the Market lies what was the city’s first suburb, Ansonborough, named after the British lord and sea captain who supposedly won its lands in a card game in the 1700s. Ravaged by fire in 1838 and mired in slum conditions in the 1950s, Ansonborough bounced back to become one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods, a model of historic rehabilitation. WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER BRAD NETTLES/THE POST AND COURIER The neighborhood is bordered on the north by Calhoun Street, one of the Carriages tours are common. Students make their way to commencement at the College of Charleston. main traffic arteries through downtown. The street is named after John C. Calhoun, a 19th-century vice president and unapologetic defender of slavery whose bronze statue towers several stories above Marion Square, near the road’s intersection with Meeting Street. Since getting a face-lift a decade ago, Marion Square has emerged as a popular gathering spot for the community, from bikini-clad sunbathers to crowds savoring the successful Wine + Food Festival. Each Saturday between April and December, the square plays host to the Charleston Farmers Market, ranked by Travel + Leisure magazine in 2008 as one of the top 10 in the nation. The square also serves as an entrance to Upper King Street, a formerly rundown commercial strip that has been WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER transformed in recent years into a bustling corridor filled with an eclectic mix King Street always bustles with shoppers, students, visitors and professionals. postandcourier.com 35
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of trendy restaurants, hip nightclubs, clothing stores and other shops. The surrounding neighborhoods of Radcliffeborough, Cannonborough, Elliottborough and the West Side have also seen a surge of reinvestment in the past decade, in terms of both renovation and new construction. Their resurgence often has followed a pattern of “urban homesteading” as college students have pushed across the peninsula in search of cheaper rents within walking and bik-
ing distance of the College of Charleston and Medical University of South Carolina. Investors and homebuyers have followed, pumping new life and money into these communities. The two schools have continued to expand their footprints and presence on the peninsula as well, rehabilitating old properties, building new facilities and populating Harleston Village and other neighborhoods with students, professors, doctors and other folks with
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Neck Area N Mt. Pleasant St.
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CITY OF CHARLESTON
✦ City Hall: 577-6970 ✦ Police: 577-7434 ✦ Fire: 724-7386 ✦ Ombudsman: 724-3745 ✦ Visitor Information: 853-8000 ✦ Website: charleston-sc.gov/ home/home.aspx
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DOWNTOWN
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
Downtown flooding doesn’t have to be all bad.
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campus ties. Founded in 1770, the College of Charleston is the oldest school on the peninsula with an urban campus located smack in the heart of historic downtown. Its campus offers a pleasant stroll to students and visitors alike, and the Cistern, located in the center of campus, is a perfect spot to read a book or enjoy an evening jazz concert during the annual Spoleto arts festival. Spoleto and the Cooper River Bridge Run are among the many festivals and events the peninsula plays host to each year. Keep in mind that big events, as well as regular cruise ship stops at the port, bring increased traffic that can quickly clog narrow downtown streets. It’s best to familiarize oneself with alternate routes and plan ahead. Heavy rains also bring traffic challenges in the form of flooding, par-
ticularly in low-lying areas along the Crosstown Expressway, the Market, the East Side and portions of Harleston Village. The present-day peninsula is several times larger than the 1680 version, the result of filling marsh with garbage and other debris over many decades. The western peninsula has a particularly mushy foundation, which leads to potholes, sinking soil and, yes, bad drainage. For a more pleasant water experience, stop by Brittlebank Park and picnic along the Ashley River. It’s just a short walk from there to Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, better known as “The Joe.” The park is home to the Charleston RiverDogs baseball team, a Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Or head across town to the South Carolina Aquarium on the banks of Charleston Harbor. Right next door, you can hitch a boat ride — for a fee
DOWNTOWN
— to Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began. Just across East Bay Street from the Aquarium Wharf area is MazyckWraggborough, also known as the Garden District. The neighborhood was once home to the Liberty Oak, so named because patriots met there many times in the late 1700s to oppose British policies toward the Colonies. Though the tree was cut down long ago, visitors still can relax in the shade of Wragg Square, a park behind the wrought-iron fence across Meeting Street from Marion Square. From there, its just a short walk to the Charleston Museum, founded in 1773, making it the oldest museum in the country. The Garden District lies next to the East Side, originally known as the Village of Hampstead. The neighborhood, ringed by the city’s largest concentration of public housing, has struggled with drug dealing and violence but maintains a tight-knit spirit of community. Its central park, at Columbus and America streets, recently was renamed Philip Simmons Mall Playground in honor of the legendary blacksmith who made distinctive ironwork at his home and forge on Blake Street. Travel north on the peninsula and you will find yourself in the Neck Area, a roughly two-mile stretch that connects the city with North Charleston. The Neck features a largely industrial landscape peppered with businesses, rail lines, interstate crossings and isolated neighborhoods. The Magnolia Project is seeking to spruce up the area with a plan to turn polluted patches of land along the Ashley River into a mix of shops, offices and more than 4,000 homes, but its completion is still quite a ways off. This overview is far from complete, as no brief article can encapsulate everything about Charleston. The city is simply packed with places to visit and things to see and do. Your best bet is go out and explore for yourself. ✦
CHECK IT OUT
Downtown Charleston is loaded with places to see. Here are a few spots off the beaten path.
Hampton Park, bordering The Citadel military college, is the peninsula’s largest public park and features extensive floral displays, a large pond, walking paths and giant oaks. The park began as a plantation and was later home to the Washington Race Course, where an annual horse race attracted thousands. The present-day road circling the park follows the race track’s path. The area served as a prison camp in the final days of the Civil War and 257 Union soldiers died there, most buried in an unmarked grave. It also was the site of nation’s first BRAD NETTLES/THE POST AND COURIER Memorial Day on May 1, 1865. The park itself, named after Confederate war hero and former governor Wade Hampton, was created after the close of the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition, a world’s fair than ran from 1901 to 1902. What’s now the Wagener Terrace neighborhood was the site of gondolas, paddle boats and other features for its “Venice in America” attraction. The elaborate facades of the expo’s temporary buildings faded quickly and were soon demolished. The bandstand is the last standing structure at Hampton Park left over from the event, although the duck pond is also an artifact. Hang a turn off Meeting Street in the industrial Neck Area and you’ll find yourself transported into a solemn space draped in history and Spanish moss. Welcome to Magnolia Cemetery. This cemetery along the banks of the Cooper River is the final resting place of some 2,200 Confederate veterans, including five generals, as well as 14 signers of the Ordinance of Secession. Three crews from the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, the world’s first successful attack sub, also are interred here. Charlestonians have called the cemetery “the most lovely of ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER the dead,” the final stop for the city’s most elite and notorious, from politicians to bootleggers. It is a somber and beautiful place, with sweeping marsh views and rutted paths that wind past aging iron gates, gnarled oaks, ornate tombs and crypts, odd obelisks and wind-swept lagoons. The 153-acre Magnolia Cemetery was founded in 1849 on a former rice plantation, a product of the rural cemeteries movement popular in the 19th century. The idea was for people to buried amid a natural solace for perpetuity. Colonial Lake, framed by Rutledge and Ashley avenues, was set aside for public use in 1768, purportedly for use as a small, safe harbor where plantation owners could dock their boats when they came to town. Over time, homes and apartments sprung up around the lake. Thanks to benches and a paved sidewalk added in 1903, the lake has become a peaceful spot for folks to jog, stroll or just relax. Though ensconced within a bustling neighborhood, Colonial Lake remains a tidal pond linked by pipe to the Ashley River. Fountains placed in the lake in the 1970s were not for decoration, but rather to aerate the water to prevent fish kills on hot summer days.
WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER
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EAST OF THE COOPER
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A shrimper heads to his boat on a dock along Shem Creek.
East of the Cooper
Beaches, history, shopping and fine dining, sports and a national forest and wildlife refuge. That’s part of the diversity of the area east of the Cooper River.
Prentiss Findlay is a long-time reporter for The Post and Courier who has won three South Carolina Press Association Awards. He is a Georgia native who has lived in Mount Pleasant and on Sullivan’s Island. He currently calls James Island home. He has two children, ages 16 and 18.
The Isle of Palms with its rental beachfront homes and boardwalk, nightclubs and restaurants is a tourist attraction for surf and sun lovers. Nearby, residential Sullivan’s Island offers a quieter environment for beach daytrippers. Up the coast is Cape Romaine National Wildlife Refuge, where visitors to Bulls Island can enjoy surf fishing, watching wildlife, picnicking, hiking and biking. History buffs can visit Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island or the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant. The fort has been restored to portray the major periods of its history. A visitor moves steadily back in time from the World War II Harbor Entrance Control
Post to the site of the Palmetto-log fort of 1776. At Patriots Point, the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum aboard the aircraft carrier Yorktown offers a plethora of military history. Big spans dominate the East Cooper skyline. The towering Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge connecting Charleston and Mount Pleasant is visible all around the area. It opened in 2005 and is the largest bridge of its kind in North America. The highest point of the Clyde M. Dangerfield Bridge connecting Mount Pleasant and the Isle of Palms offers a sweeping view of the Atlantic Ocean as drivers descend toward the island. postandcourier.com 41
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Beneath the Ravenel Bridge is Mount Pleasant’s new Memorial Waterfront Park, which has the longest pier in the area built atop lopped-off pilings of one of the old bridges that spanned the harbor. From the park, the aircraft carrier Yorktown, Fort Sumter and Charleston are visible. The pier offers up-close and personal views of giant ocean-going ships. The park has a playground and a memorial to area veterans as well as a sweetgrass basketmakers pavilion.
Mount Pleasant
BRAD NETTLES/THE POST AND COURIER
Crowds aboard the Yorktown watch an airshow over the harbor.
In addition to being close to much of the best that the Lowcountry has to offer, Mount Pleasant has attractions of its own. Shrimp boats line Shem Creek, the picture postcard tidal tributary of Charleston Harbor that is home to restaurants, inns and the site of the town’s plans for a new creekfront park.
The town has grown from a sleepy village of a few thousand people to a bustling place of 65,000 residents that is attractive because of its low crime rate, highly rated schools and upscale shopping at places such as the sprawling Towne Centre on U.S. Highway 17. In June, the National Civic League na med Mount Pleasa nt a n A l lAmerican City. The judges recognized the town in part for its ongoing effort to revitalize Coleman Boulevard and its planned improvements to Johnnie Dodds Boulevard. The town is home to the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, the Palmetto Islands County Park and Boone Hall Plantation. Charles Pinckney was a principal author and a signer of the United States Constitution. This remnant of his coastal plantation is preserved to tell the story of a “forgotten founder,” his life of public service,
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Children play at the end of an Old Village street that overlooks Charleston Harbor. the lives of enslaved African Americans on South Carolina Lowcountry plantations and their influences on Charles Pinckney. Boone Hall is one of America’s oldest working plantations. It has been continuously growing and producing crops for more than 320 years. Once known for cotton and pecans, it now produces strawberries, tomatoes, and pumpkins as well as many other fruits and vegetables. The u-pick fields are open in season. The scenic Old Village has historic waterfront homes overlooking Fort Sumter and downtown Charleston. It is home to Alhambra Hall, which offers a beautiful view of the harbor. The hall is so popular for wedding re-
ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER
ceptions that people camp overnight for a first shot at reservations. The Pitt Street Pharmacy in the Old Village still serves beverages from a 1950s soda fountain. Sweetgrass basketmaker stands line busy Hwy. 17. The African art of sweetgrass basket making has been practiced for more than 300 years in the Christ Church Parish of Mount Pleasant. It has been seen in museums and galleries worldwide, according to “Sweetgrass Baskets and the Gullah Tradition” by Joyce V. Coakley. Progress created the market for roadside basket stands when two-lane Hwy. 17 was paved and the John P. Grace GRACE BEAHM/THE POST AND COURIER Bridge opened in 1929. “With the birth of tourism in the South, there was sud- Sweetgrass basketmakers sell their artwork along U.S. Highway 17. postandcourier.com 43
EAST OF THE COOPER
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
A sportfisher makes its way up the Intracoastal Waterway.
denly a demand for souvenirs expressing the unique nature of the region, and sweetgrass baskets were ideal,” according to the book. Wando High School is another bright spot for the town. Lucy Beckham was selected the 2010 National High School Principal of the Year by MetLife and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Beckham gave the commencement address in May to the graduating students of the Graduate School of the College of Charleston. The high school is also known for its athletics. The Wando girls soccer team in May concluded one of the greatest seasons in state soccer history by claiming the Class AAAA state championship this year. The Mount Pleasant Recreation Department is second to none in the Lowcountry. It offers aquatics, nu-
merous camps, fine arts programs, a senior center and a skate park. Adult programs include dancing, golf, karate and art. Swimmers can take advantage of the R.L. Jones and Park West pools. Numerous programs for adults or kids are offered in football, basketball and baseball as well as lacrosse, soccer and volleyball.
Sullivan’s Island The Ben Sawyer Bridge connects Mount Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island. It was originally built in the mid-1940s. The aging swing span was replaced this year with a replica of the original because islanders did not want a tall fixed-span bridge. The island has about 2,000 residents who live in half as many households and a small business district on Middle Street that offers restaurants and pubs. The Edgar Allan Poe Library is
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✦ Charleston County: 843-958-4000, www.charlestoncounty.org ✦ Berkeley County: 843-719-4234, www.berkeleycountysc.gov
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✦ Awendaw: 843-928-3100, www.awendawsc.org/ ✦ Isle of Palms: 843-886-6428, www.iop.net ✦ Jamestown: 843-257-2233 ✦ McClellanville: 843-887-3712 www.townofmcclellanville-sc.net ✦ Mount Pleasant: 843-884-8517, www.townofmountpleasant.com ✦ Sullivan’s Island: 843-883-3198, www.sullivansisland-sc.com
Sullivan’s Island
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EAST OF THE COOPER
GRACE BEAHM/THE POST AND COURIER
Re-enactors proceed inside Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island for a musket demonstration to celebrate the defeat of British Troops in 1776.
housed in Battery Gadsden, a former Spanish-American War four-gun battery. The library is named for Poe, who was stationed on Sullivan’s Island as a private in the Army in 1827 and 1828. He used the island as the background for his famous story, ‘The Gold Bug.’ This island’s Fort Moultrie has a long military history of protecting the harbor from invaders ranging from the Revolutionary War to World War II. The fort bears the name of Col. William Moultrie, who repelled a British attack in 1776. The National Park Service manages the fort as a historic tourist attraction. On New Year’s Day, thousands plunge into the frigid ocean for the annual Dunleavy’s Pub Polar Plunge. The Sullivan’s Island lighthouse is an island landmark. The Fire and Rescue Oyster Roast is a major event in February.
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selling everything from ice cream to surf boards. Charleston County Parks and Recreation operates a beachfront park on the island next to the boardwalk. The Wild Dunes resort occupies 1,500 acres on the northern end of the island and offers two 18-hole Tom Fazio golf courses, 17 tennis courts and numerous pools. An ocean-front pavilion is a favorite site for music and dancing. Wild Dunes has many private residences as well as condominiums available for rent. Just north of the Isle of Palms is Dewees Island, a residential community accessed only by boat and limited to homeowners and their guests.
Daniel Island The new part of Daniel Island is in Berkeley County, although it’s part of the city of Charleston. It’s a community of perfectly landscaped lawns and fresh-faced homes, some of them large and spacious that feature porches and balconies and a uniformed look. The Family Circle Cup puts Daniel Island in the national spotlight each year. Blackbaud Stadium, also on Daniel Island, is home to the Charleston Battery professional soccer team.
McClellanville McClel la nv i l le, a pic t u resque village, is in northern Charleston County on Hwy. 17. It was ravaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 but bounced back to become a self-sufficient community of schools, homes, churches, shops and docking facilities with an economy largely dependant upon the sea. On the way to McClellanville, check out the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center and the Center for Birds of Prey. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service operate the Sewee Center, which showcases the ecosystems of the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and the Francis Marion National Forest and provides education-
al opportunities for all ages. Exhibits feature forest to sea ecosystems, a live endangered red wolf viewing area and a classroom and laboratory for lectures and hands-on experiments. The Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw has flight demonstrations featuring hawks, falcons, owls, eagles and vultures. The center, which rehabilitates injured birds of prey, offers tours of aviaries housing more than 30 species of eagles, falcons, owls and other birds from all parts of the world. The old Buck Hall plantation, just six miles southeast of McClellanville, has 14 full hook-up camper sites, five tent sites and two bathrooms. Its location on the Intracoastal Waterway provides the best access to Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge with its 65,000 acres of marsh, tidal creeks and beaches and Bull’s Bay, the best area for shrimp baiting on the coast. The 259,000-acre Francis Marion National Forest stretches across much of Berkeley County east of the Cooper River. The forest is a lush landscape of pine stands, dense maritime forests, swamps and clusters of towering bald cypress trees. Four wilderness areas, one with a marked canoe trail, offer visitors a unique opportunity to glimpse the wild landscape. It also features two free public gun ranges and hunting opportunities for large and small game.
Jamestown For an off-the-beaten track experience, take S.C. Highway 41 from Hwy. 17 in Mount Pleasant to Jamestown, where the Hell Hole Swamp Festival happens in May. It is a family event with children’s games, a tobaccospitting contest, softball tournament, horseshoe pitching, arm wrestling and beauty contests resulting in the crowning of Miss Hell Hole. There is a parade, talent contest, exhibits and arts and crafts. The festival includes the Hell Hole Gator Trot 10k, colloquially called the Redneck Run. It began WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER in 1976 and is the oldest road race in South Carolina. ✦ Paddleboarders, power boats and shrimp boats share Shem Creek. postandcourier.com 47
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WEST OF THE ASHLEY
Middleton Place is one of a number of historic plantations along the Ashley River.
TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER
West of the Ashley
Drive west from the Charleston peninsula, leaving the bustling, historic streets in the rear-view mirror as you cross the Ashley River Memorial Bridge and contemplate the choices that lay west of the river.
David Slade covers Charleston city and county government for The Post and Courier and also writes a personal finance column for the Your Money section. He’s a Pennsylvania native with family roots that extend throughout South Carolina. He moved to the area in 2004 after several decades of regular visits.
The round Holiday Inn, which is among the city’s tallest buildings, stands like a sentinel on the riverbank, guarding West Ashley and points beyond. Suburbs extend in every direction, a mix of long-established neighborhoods and modern subdivisions, commercial crossroads and strip-malls. Beyond the bedroom communities, and not too far as the crow flies, are barrier island beach communities, historic plantations, working farms and small rural towns. Of course, crows don’t have to deal with beach traffic on a Saturday morning, or S.C. Highway 61 at rush hour. But despite ongoing concerns about suburban sprawl and traffic,
it’s a surprisingly short distance that separates Charleston’s urban core from it’s rural edge. From the peninsula it’s 30 miles to the county line at the Edisto River, and the suburbs fade away long before that. Imagine the Edisto River as the western side of an arrowtip pointing at the Charleston Harbor, with the Ashley River and the Atlantic Ocean forming the sides. U.S. Highway 17 (Savannah Highway) runs straight through the middle, a wide commercial artery through West Ashley that is mostly lined with stores, shopping centers and a menagerie of automobile dealerships. It’s the route from Charleston to all points south, including Savannah, hence the name. postandcourier.com 49
WEST OF THE ASHLEY
TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER
A Revolutionary War re-enactor plays a fife at living history camp at Middleton Place.
Near the Ashley River bridges, Savannah Highway skirts the edge of Byrnes Downs, an older neighborhood of modestly sized but well-built homes. Byrnes Downs and the nearby South Windermere Shopping Center are likely places to begin or end a bike ride on the West Ashley Greenway, a former railroad right of way parallel to Savannah Highway. Keep heading west on Savannah Highway and you’ll hit Avondale Point, a revitalized crossroads that’s become known for restaurants, night spots and interesting shops. Onward, past the landmark Coburg Cow sign with its nearly life-size cow, you’ll come to the car dealerships and Citadel Mall, one of two large, traditional shopping malls in the Charleston area. Beyond the mall and Interstate 526, Savannah Highway takes on a more rural feel, but is actually running through West Ashley’s high growth area. This
is where massive new subdivisions — Carolina Bay, Bolton’s Landing — are coming to life, joining older neighborhoods like the humorously named Ponderosa subdivision, where all the streets are named after things from the popular 1960s television show “Bonanza.” Bees Ferry Road marks the far end of West Ashley. Bees Ferry is home to the Red Top community, several modern subdivisions, Charleston County’s only landfill, and the planned Bees Ferry Circle at the Glenn McConnell Parkway. The developments on the west side of Bees Ferry Road mark the “urban growth boundary” where Charleston has decided suburban-style development should end. West Ashley is the city’s population center, with more residents than on the peninsula. New subdivisions on what is now field and forest, like the potentially 3,000-home Long Savannah development west of Bees Ferry Road, will add
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many additional residents. Parks and playgrounds can be found throughout West Ashley, and facilities that can only be used for a fee in other municipalities are free here, such as city skateboard parks and tennis courts. The city and the public service district have lately been collaborating to offer athletic programs across the area. Charles Towne Landing, a 664-acre, state-owned historic site on the Ashley River where the first settlers landed, is home to the closest thing the Charleston area has to a zoo. The 22-acre “animal forest” has animals native to 17th century Charleston, including pumas, bison, alligators, black bears, otters, bobcats and wolves. Those searching for a true zoo experience will need to make the two-hour drive to Columbia, while those with a particular interest in reptiles might consider the Edisto Island Serpentarium. Charles Towne Landing also offers trails to walk or bike, 80 acres of English park-style gardens, and historic presentations on subjects such as crops and fortifications. Along the Ashley River marsh in Old Towne Creek, visitors can see the Adventure, a replica of the 17th century ketch that brought English explorers to the area. Much of the greater Charleston area is defined by proximity to the peninsula and to the Ashley and Cooper rivers that — as the local saying goes — meet in the Charleston Harbor to form the Atlantic Ocean. West Ashley, like East Cooper, is not a town but a definition. The Ashley River frames one edge of West Ashley and divides Charleston from North Charleston, before tracing its headwaters into Dorchester County near Summerville. Ashley River Road (S.C. Highway 61) roughly follows the path of the river upstream. The scenic but often congested two-lane road winds past apartment complexes and subdivisions to the historic, grand plantations that once sent their products down the river with the tides. Drayton Hall, Middleton Place and
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens are open to the public and help define the Ashley River Historic District. Beyond the plantation district, just 10 miles from the heart of downtown Charleston, a broad patchwork of farm, swamp and forest extends into Dorchester County. Rural and cricketquiet today, much of the area is subject to development plans, including a huge swath of timber land spanning more than 78,000 acres owned by MeadWestvaco, a development plan known as East Edisto. Beyond the city limits in West Ashley MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER are the rural reaches of unincorporatVisitors can take canoe tours at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center. ed Charleston and Dorchester counties, the country towns of Ravenel, Hollywood and Meggett, and some well-defined communities, such as Yonge’s Island and Adams Run, that remain unincorporated. Charleston County’s Caw Caw Interpretive Center on Hwy. 17 near Ravenel offers a glimpse of the area’s past, with former plantation rice fields carved from Cypress swamp and wildgrowing tea from a 20th-century tea farm. The sleepy town of Meggett, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005, was once an agricultural rail hub known as the “cabbage capital of ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER the world.” Like Ravenel and Hollywood, Meggett has been working to Some of the Lowcountry’s best surfing can be found at Folly Beach. revive its small downtown and create jobs, while coping with development pressures. Rural quiet and marsh views attracted developers to the area, particularly before the housing downturn that started in 2008. In rural areas and suburbs alike, throughout Charleston and surrounding counties, newcomers to the area are often struck by the way poor rural communities exist side-by-side with expensive, new and sometimes-gated subdivisions. From rural western Charleston County near Hollywood to the east side of the county and Mount Pleasant, it’s not uncommon to see golf WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER course subdivisions across the road Seafood is a part of every day life for many living along the coast. from clusters of trailer homes and cinpostandcourier.com 51
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GRACE BEAHM/THE POST AND COURIER
A Cajun festival is one of many events held each year at James Island County Park.
der-block shacks, where generations of extended family may have built houses on a single tract of land. Unlike some states, where every place is part of a municipality, much of rural South Carolina has only a county government, sometimes paired with service districts that provide things like fire protection and waste collection. Because of the way South Carolina’s annexation laws work, next-door neighbors can be in different municipalities. Depending on which side of the municipal line a person’s residence is on, a West Ashley 911 call might be answered by the Charleston police or the county sheriff, and garbage might be collected by a city crew or a public service district crew. Some people know if they live in the city or not by the color of their garbage can. That’s true on James Island as well, which is where you’ll soon find yourself if you take a left after crossing the
Ashley River Memorial Bridge from Charleston, or if you take the James Island connector. Residents of the island who wanted more direct control over their government have repeatedly formed a town from the unincorporated areas of the island. The rest of the island is part of the city of Charleston, creating another Swiss cheese of municipal boundaries. The town’s latest incorporation is the subject of a lawsuit by Charleston, which has twice before succeeded in having the town dissolved. Some town residents blame the city for traffic and other growth-related problems, on what is likely the most populous sea island in the Lowcountry. James Island is home to Charleston’s well-regarded and affordable municipal golf course, the county’s James Island County Park, which helped launch the area’s embrace of dog parks by allowing them off-leash in one area. The island is
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✦ Charleston County: 843-958-4000, www.charlestoncounty.org ✦ Dorchester County: 843-832-0103, www.dorchestercounty.net
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✦ Charleston: 843-577-6970, www.charleston-sc.gov ✦ Edisto Beach: 843-869-2505, www.townofedistobeach.com ✦ Folly Beach: 843-588-2447, www.cityoffollybeach.com ✦ Hollywood: 843-889-3222, www.townofhollywood.org ✦ James Island: 843-762-7744, www.townofjamesislandsc.org ✦ Kiawah: 843-768-9166, www.kiawahisland.org ✦ Meggett: 843-889-3622, www.meggettsc.com ✦ Ravenel: 843-889-8732, www.townofravenel.com/index2.html ✦ Rockville: 843-559-7072, www.townofrockville.com ✦ Seabrook: 843-768-9121, www.townofseabrookisland.org
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The Ocean Course at Kiawah attracts golfers from around the world. also home to historic McLeod Plantation, and a government marine research center built where the first shots of the Civil War were fired from Fort Johnson. As in West Ashley, James Island today is a mix of modern subdivisions, traditional neighborhoods, and rurallooking communities with dirt roads. The island is a gateway to Johns Island, which is one of the largest sea islands on the east coast, and to Folly Beach, which is notable for its surfing and permissive rules about drinking on the beach. West of the Ashley River, Folly Beach is the only reasonably nearby beach that can be accessed without going through a gate or paying a fee. Traffic on Folly Road can be horrendous at peak hours when the weather is nice, so plan accordingly. The east end of Folly Beach is known for surfing. Kids from Mount Pleasant come to Folly instead of nearby beaches for surfing lessons. And surfing culture influences Folly’s commercial areas. Also at the east end is a former Coast Guard base where walkers can pass through to reach the tip of the barrier island for a close-up view of the famous Morris Island Lighthouse. Take Maybank Highway from James Island, past the municipal golf course 54 postandcourier.com
and over the Stono River, and you’ll be on Johns Island, known for it’s live oak-draped scenic roadways and farming communities. Maybank Highway is the main artery of Johns Island, with commercial centers at its two main intersections. Two lanes wide, the road is slated to be widened, and was the subject of much debate over how to improve traffic while retaining the roadway’s charm. Johns Island is partially in the city of Charleston, partially unincorporated. Most amenities — shopping, restaurants, a library — are found on or near Maybank Highway. One unexpected place to see is Trophy Lakes, where water skiers and wakeboarders practice and play on man-made freshwater lakes ringed by a disc golf course. Another is Angel Oak Park, not far from Maybank Highway and Bohicket Road; a tiny city park home to an immense live oak tree rumored to be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi River. Johns Island is rural but facing development pressures, and it’s repeatedly been a political battleground over plans to extend Interstate 526 from West Ashley across Johns Island to James Island, and over plans
WEST OF THE ASHLEY
to build a new road across the island to the gated communities of Kiawah and Seabrook. Kiawah Island, named for the Indians who lived there before the arrival of European settlers, is a study in how the Charleston area so quickly and dramatically developed. After passing through the Vanderhorst family for more than two centuries, the entire island was sold to an Aiken lumberman in the 1950s for $125,000. That man, C.C. Royal, logged pine trees, built a causeway, and in 1974 sold the island to Kuwaiti investors for $17 million, kicking off development there. Kiawah Resort Associates bought Kiawah for $105 million in 1988. This year, an oceanfront home on Kiawah sold for $14 million, setting a Charleston County record. Developers in 2010 were approved to build a 1,285-home golf and resort development on Johns Island, across the marsh from the island. The island is a residential and resort community is known for topquality golf courses and pristine beaches. One tip of the island is home to public Beachwalker Park, with access to the entire Kiawah beachfront for a small entry fee. Two-acre Beachwalker Park was named one of the nation’s top 10 beaches in 2008, 2009 and 2010. A stone’s throw from the western tip of Beachwalker Park, across Captain Sam’s Inlet, is Kiawah’s quiet neighbor, the town of Seabrook Island. Smaller, gated and less resort-oriented, Seabrook is a place few Charleston-area residents have occasion to visit. However, school children regularly visit Seabrook for the Barrier Island Environmental Education Program at the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center. From Seabrook Island, it looks like you could practically swim to Edisto Island or the town of Rockville. But, with water and bridges defining the
distance from place to place, it’s really a 25-mile drive to Rockville and nearly 60 miles — figure 90 minutes — from Seabrook Island to Edisto Beach. The small town of Edisto Beach, which is part of Colleton County, is known as a laid-back beach getaway. It is home to Edisto Beach State Park, a popular campground. Like other Lowcountry sea and barrier islands, Edisto is part of the federal Gullah/Geechee Cultural Historic Corridor, a multistate swath of coastal areas where formerly enslaved Africans carved out subsistence farming and fishing communities after the Civil War, somewhat isolated by bridgeless rivers and marsh. Edisto Island marks the end of the 250-mile-long Edisto River, which is among longest free-flowing blackwater rivers in the nation. The Edisto River forms the western boundary of Charleston County and serves as a destination spot for canoe and kayak enthusiasts. The river flows into the ACE Basin, a 350,000-acre ecological treasure bounded by the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers, where Cypress swamps bleed into saltwater marshes and on to the ocean. Rockville, located across the North Edisto River east of Edisto Island, is a very small town (about a third of a square mile) at the tip of Wadmalaw Island. It was formed in 1996 when about 150 residents there decided to incorporate the town. Rockville is mostly known for the two-day Rockville Regatta, held on the first weekend of August every year since 1890. From Rockville, Maybank Highway takes you back toward Johns Island, past the estate properties of the landed gentry, the modest trailer homes of descendants of small farmers, and the sprawling Charleston Tea Plantation. Stick to Maybank Highway and you’ll end up at Folly Road on James Island, minutes from downtown Charleston. ✦
CHECK THIS OUT The safest assumption to make in the Lowcountry, when it comes to brackish and freshwater ponds, is that there are alligators. American alligators are common throughout the area, 100,000 of them in the Lowcountry is one estimate that gets thrown around. It’s illegal to feed them, harass them or harm them, although they can be hunted in season with a permit from the state. Gators look slow but are capable of short bursts of speed. Roughly 60 feet is considered a safe viewing distance. WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER Activities involving bait, such as fishing or crabbing, require extra caution in areas where alligators may be present. Gators can pose a threat to pets that venture near ponds, and to people. A golfer lost an arm while retrieving a ball on Fripp Island in 2009 and a snorkeler lost an arm in Lake Moultrie in 2007. The number to report nuisance alligators in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties is 953-9856. Nuisance alligators are killed. The Angel Oak is a magnificent live oak tree of tremendous size, widely rumored to be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi River. The tree is the reason the city of Charleston’s tiny Angel Oak Park exists on Johns Island, and if you’ve never seen it, it’s worth a visit. The Angel Oak is often described as being at least 1,400 years old, though the city says 400 years old is probably more accurate. The tree is 65 feet high and has a circumference of 25.5 feet. Its branches shade 17,000 square feet. Its largest limb is more than 11 feet around and 89 feet long. Recently, the Angel DAVID SLADE/THE POST AND COURIER Oak became a rallying point for people opposed to a development planned on neighboring land. Angel Oak Park is at 3688 Angel Oak Road, a dirt road just off Bohicket Road, not far from Maybank Highway. The park phone number is 559-3496. postandcourier.com 55
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Tens of thousands of people crowd into Summerville’s beautific streets every year during the Flowertown Festival.
TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER
Living the good life, inland To the north of the peninsula lie quiet bedroom communities, beautiful scenery and a world of opportunities where new businesses and industries thrive.
Schuyler Kropf covers North Charleston and military issues. He has been with The Post and Courier since December 1987, covering a wide array of beats, including the S.C. Legislature, courts, politics and the effort to raise and restore the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley.
Every spring, the blooming azaleas draw tens of thousands of visitors to walk the picturesque streets of a thriving town. Folks who call Summerville home say their community would never play second fiddle to anywhere else and that it’s the superior place to live in the Lowcountry. They have quaint storefronts, grand oak trees, newly built homes, historic older ones and plenty of strongly performing schools. Berkeley County also carries a tradition of good schools, tight-knit communities and pretty countryside. People from far and wide visit Cypress Gardens to take a swamp boat ride or walk the nature trails. The county’s massive lakes and fertile hunting grounds are also renowned. With its more urban feel, North Charleston is a place where more and more people head for good-paying jobs and first-class shopping. It’s becoming an economic powerhouse for the Lowcountry and the rest of the state.
North Charleston While Charleston promotes a history dating back to South Carolina’s early beginnings, just to the north up Interstate 26 is the much younger city of North Charleston, home to an
Bo Petersen has nearly 25 years experience writing for daily newspapers in the Southeast. He is the author of ‘Soldiers’ Stories,’ 1995, a collection of the accounts of World War II veterans. He is a kayaker, and plays guitar upside down and backwards. postandcourier.com 57
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estimated 94,000 people, making it one of the three largest municipalities in the state and the retail shopping headquarters of the Lowcountry. Bordered by the Ashley River to the west and the Cooper River to the east, North Charleston was long identified with the region’s industrial hub that grew up around the former Naval Base and Shipyard along the Cooper River. For nearly a century, the “Yard” employed thousands of skilled workers who helped outfit the ships that defended America, reaching its production peak during World War II and into Vietnam and the Cold War. One of the featured sites along the city’s waterfront is the Greater Charleston Naval Base Memorial. The memorial, with photographs and flowing water, gangplanks and statues, maps and memorabilia, pays homage to the tens of thousands of men, women, sailors and civilians who labored at the 1,600-acre
CHECK THIS OUT North Charleston’s most focal outdoor gathering site along the water is Riverfront Park, north of the former Navy shipyard on the Cooper River. After the Navy pulled out in the 1990s, the new park — for the first time — gave residents access to a waterfront that had been off limits because of the military’s needs. Each year, thousands gather there for the city’s Fourth of July celebration featuring a day of music, food and WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER fireworks. Recreation opportunities in North Charleston are widespread. The city has an active sports and intramural program, and lists at least 22 parks of all kinds.
A HOME & NEIGHBORHOOD WITHIN YOUR MEANS.
former military installation from 1901 until 1996, when it fell victim to base closure after the end of the Cold War. Even though the Naval Base and Shipyard was ordered closed, the area’s Navy and other military presence continues to thrive. In addition to the Charleston Air Force Base that employs thousands and is home to a fleet of workhorse C-17 cargo planes, more than 13,000 people come through the Charleston Naval Weapons Station gates in Goose Creek and Hanahan almost daily. Some of the major local commands still in Charleston include the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command, the Naval Space and Air Warfare Systems Center and the Naval Consolidated Brig. Meanwhile, as the industrial opportunities sprouted outward from the base during the latter half of the 20th century, dozens of new neighborhoods took hold in the area surrounding the waterfront. By the early 1970s, residents
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✦ Bonneau: 843-825-3385, http://bonneausc.com ✦ Goose Creek: 843-797-6220, www.cityofgoosecreek.com ✦ Hanahan: 843-554-4221 www.cityofhanahan.com ✦ Harleyville: 843-462-7676, www.harleyvillesc.com ✦ Jamestown: 843-257-2233 ✦ Moncks Corner: 843-719-7900, http://townofmonckscorner.sc.gov ✦ North Charleston: 843-554-5700, www.northcharleston.org ✦ Ridgeville: 843-873-4971 ✦ St. George: 843-563-3032, www.visitstgeorgesc.com ✦ Summerville: 843-871-6000, www.summerville.sc.us ✦ St. Stephen: 843-567-4480, www.sstvisitorsc.org
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✦ Berkeley County: 843-719-4234, www.berkeleycountysc.gov ✦ Charleston County: 843-958-4000, www.charlestoncounty.org ✦ Dorchester County: 843-832-0103, www.dorchestercounty.net
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began sensing their own identity and triggered a drive to create a locally organized government. The mostly blue collar “City of North Charleston” was incorporated in 1972 under the driving force of eventual first Mayor John E. Bourne Jr. Today, more than 75 different neighborhoods and communities make up greater North Charleston. Current Mayor Keith Summey — only the third mayor in the city’s history — is in his 15th year in office and regularly promotes North Charleston as “a great place to live, work or play.” While several of North Charleston’s many older neighborhoods are going through a renaissance, the emerging social scene is centered around the Olde Village of Park Circle, a four-block area of businesses, eateries and bars off East Montague Avenue. One of those gathering spots is Madra Rua, an Irish pub, (1054 E. Montague), which hosts the
CHECK THIS OUT South of Riverfront Park is the Warren Lasch Conservation Lab, home to the restoration effort of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley. The vessel became the world’s first successful attack sub when it sank the Union blockade ship Housatonic off Sullivan’s Island on the night of Feb. 17, 1864. It was recovered four miles offshore in 2000 and brought to the new lab. For the immediate term, the Hunley sits in a cold water bath as scientists explore the best methods to preserve it and the belongings of the eight men who perished inside that night. For an entrance fee, visitors can view artifacts connected to the sub and climb a raised viewing platform that allows a view down into the sub as it undergoes restoration. Eventually, the sub will go on display in North Charleston as part of a permanent museum. Because the Hunley conservation project is a working lab Monday through Friday, public access is limited to only Saturday and Sunday visitations. Tickets are $12,
WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER
children 5 and under are free. There is a $2 discount for military and seniors. Tours run every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Directions: Off Interstate 26: Take exit 216-B, Cosgrove Avenue North. At the third traffic light, turn left onto Spruill Avenue. At the next light, turn right onto McMillan.Proceed onto the old Navy base. At the next light, turn right onto Hobson Avenue. Go approximately one mile and turn left onto Supply Street.
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WEEKLY DELIVERIES TO CHARLESTON AREA
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INLAND
INLAND NATURE Rain lilies bloom early in the spring, usually about Easter, all through the bottom wetlands across the Lowcountry. They are considered a type of Easter lily, although they are more funnel shaped than the standard, cultivate Easter lily. They are Zephyranthes atamasca, named for the Greek word for the west wind.
TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER
Want to try something new? Try the disc golf course in Park Circle. city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The adjacent Park Circle neighborhood, with its mix of young and old residents, is one of the city’s more desirable housing sites. In 2009, Men’s Journal magazine named Park Circle one of the nation’s “Coolest Neighborhoods.” “Sure, there are lots of new residents but they seem to have the same unique, character-driven, fun-loving attitudes as the pioneers,” the magazine said. Also nearby is the modern Oak Terrace Preserve area, billed as an attractive and environmentally friendly neighborhood to the northwest of Park Circle. The first phase included almost 60 single-family homes, all different but built with similar materials in a traditional architecture that recalls
early 20th century bungalows and arts-and-crafts homes. Each house is independently certified as energyefficient. In 2010 the Home Depot Foundation honored Oak Terrace for excellence in sustainable community development.
Dorchester County More than a half-dozen motels now line the Interstate 26 exit to Summerville. Family-run shops find themselves competing with national brand stores. Flower Town in the Pines isn’t so far back in the woods any more. More than 40,000 people live in Summerville today. Maybe twice as many live in areas immediately around the town. You can’t go down a road that was woods or fields a decade ago and
JIM HUFF
Everybody will tell you they kill rattlers and copperheads around their homes all the time and have seen Eastern diamondbacks. But diamondbacks are rare, so reclusive and camouflaged that you’d have to go out in a pine savannah and step through bushes to find one. The brown water snake is almost identical to the copperhead and a young black rat snake not only can look like a rattler, but vibrates its tail in leaves to mimic the pit viper’s rattles.
CATHY PETERSEN
A cave opens in a striking marl outcropping on Wadboo Creek outside Moncks Corner. The lore is that it used to be the opening of an escape passage where stairs led from the rectory well at the Parish of St. John’s Berkeley, a secret way out in case of attack by native tribes or any one of the nationalities raiding through the Colonies to seize ground and property. It’s one of those little marvels that make the outer Lowcountry, in its own way, just as storied and mysterious as Charleston itself.
ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER
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GRACE BEAHM/THE POST AND COURIER
Parades, cheerleaders, high school football — life in inland communites can be a slice of Americana.
TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER
The Flowertown Festival is usually held when azaleas are blooming. 64 postandcourier.com
not see a subdivision. But its small town feel is still there, in the air in the older neighborhoods like the scent of tea olives, the historic ambience of a place that made its name as a world-class winter resort during a “Golden Age” more than a century ago. Back then, newcomers remade a horseand-wagon farming community into a health spa village so thick with pines that the air was said to be good for the lungs and throat. The secret to its survival today might just turn out to be that secret: Old Summerville has always had a taste for new blood.
Take, for example, the Elizabeth Arden house. The 19-room Victorian mansion sits in the heart of the historic district, the centuries-old heart of the town, the place where some of the family names go back to the 16th century Dorchester community. The Arden house got its name from the beauty salon magnate who wasn’t from Summerville; she was “from off.” She didn’t build the home. She had it restored during the Golden Age, a time when newcomers built or beautified a lot of the architectural curios now praised as the heritage of the place. In the building boom at the turn of the
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21st century, another set of arrivals refit- get into town, you see a busy-looking ted those homes for a new century. Sure, Main Street that reminds you of Rivers the recent boom more than doubled the Avenue in North Charleston. population of this place and some of the Like North Charleston, you can old burnish might have brushed off. But even buy beer and wine on Sundays new blood is the rub that makes this there now. Moncks Corner residents place shine. approved the referendum last NoThe more rural Dorchester County is vember. It was one of the last major divided and defined by municipalities around its two swamps, Cypress Charleston to do so. and the Four Holes. It’s County residents are home to vintage Camp expected to vote on a Meetings, Colonial-era similar referendum in religious retreats in November. circles of wooden cabin Hanahan is another “tents,” and a half-dozmajor population cenen intimate towns and ter, next door to North communities like St. Charleston. Despite its George or Dorchester, reputation as a highwith their own folksy crime district, mainly histories. of f Remount Road, The black willow and Dave Munday of The Post and Cou- the city has some nice sandbar Edisto River, rier contributed to this story. Munday, established neighbormaybe the longest free- a West Virginia native, has worked hoods, such as t he f low ing black water as a copy editor and covered the tree-lined Yeamans river in the world, runs automotive and real estate industries, Hall Road. along its entire southern religion and crime. T he cou nt y a lso boundary. draws those looking for a quiet place in the country, such as Berkeley County ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER the rural areas in the Francis Marion In recent years, Berkeley County has National Forest in the eastern part of Lion’s Beach on Lake Moultrie is a popular cooling-off destination. been the place to live for those look- the county. ing for a roomy, affordable house and Not that Berkeley County is simply a don’t mind the daily commute down bedroom community, by a long shot. I-26 to Charleston. The county is home to a host of major For instance, neighborhoods in industries, including Alcoa and NuGoose Creek continued to expand cor. Google opened a new data center even during the building slowdown. near Goose Creek last year. A new inA couple of years ago, developers dustrial park near Jedburg promises and planners mapped out more than thousands of new jobs as soon as ac30,000 new houses in new neigh- cess roads are finished. borhoods just north of downtown Berkeley County also draws its share Goose Creek. Most are on hold now of visitors. Major attractions include until the economy picks up again, but Cypress Gardens, between Goose new houses continue to mushroom Creek and Moncks Corner, where a in neighborhoods such as Cane Bay scene from “The Patriot” was filmed Plantation. in the swamp. Visitors also f lock Moncks Corner is the county seat, to Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion where council meets in a big modern north of Moncks Corner. Mepkin Abroom with glass walls on the entrance bey, a tranquil community of Trappist ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER side. It’s a ways up U.S. Highway 52 monks along the scenic Cooper River from North Charleston or up U.S. near Moncks Corner, is also a popular The monks of Mepkin Abbey in rural Berkeley County spend much of 17A from Summerville. But once you destination. ✦ their day in worship and personal meditation. postandcourier.com 65
playing CHARLESTON: A FUN PLACE TO LIVE
ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER
69 73 77 80 A fun place to live
Staying fit
Catch a game
Events
Whether on the water, in a park or on a trail, we have plenty of places to play.
Grab your surfboard, paddleboard, bicycle or tennis shoes and just get out there.
The competition is stiff, the teams are many and the venues are superb.
With a calendar this packed, there’s no excuse for staying home every weekend. postandcourier.com 67
A FUN PLACE TO LIVE
WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER,
New Year’s Day revelers brave the chilly water of the Atlantic Ocean during the Dunleavy’s Pub Polar Plunge on Sullivan’s Island.
Take the plunge When water meets land, you get a topography full of edges. And because of the Lowcountry’s gentle fall toward the sea, we have our share — soft edges full of marsh grass and sand. It also makes for a unique outdoor playground, one with opportunities and limitations. Tony Bartelme, an investigative reporter for The Post and Courier, has lived and played in Charleston for more than two decades. In his spare time, he runs, bikes and does anything else he can to get outdoors.
First the limitations: If you don’t have a boat or a friend with one, this playground will feel somewhat smaller. When you’re on the water, whether in a kayak or speedboat, the place simply opens up in a way it doesn’t on land. Also, in such a low and flat place, forests often merge with swamps and rivers, so it’s not the easiest place to find long hikes in the woods. Sure, the Francis Marion National Forest has some beautiful stands of longleaf pines, which are
popular with botanists and birders, but many of the hikes there can be a tad monotonous after a few miles. So it’s better to embrace the water and its edges: the beaches, lakes and rivers. If you want to hike, take the ferry to Bull’s Island and walk past slumbering alligators to a deserted beach full of gnarled driftwood. Or park across from the Omar Shrine Temple near Patriot’s Point, and dive into the maritime trail next to the golf course. It ends up at a boardpostandcourier.com 69
A FUN PLACE TO LIVE
TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER
The old Pitt Street bridge in Mount Pleasant is popular with anglers.
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Locals and tourists alike flock to Folly Beach. 70 postandcourier.com
walk overlooking the mouth of Shem Creek and is one of the area’s hidden walking gems, not to mention a terrific add-on to what has become the area’s most popular promenade: a walk up the Cooper River bridge. In the end, what we do in this watery playground is limited only by our imaginations.Weenjoystand-uppaddleboarding, particularly around Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, and kitesurfing on the north end of Sullivan’s Island near Breach Inlet. We like to fish off the Pitt Street Bridge in Mount Pleasant, or the county’s pier on Folly Beach, (a barrier island that proudly calls itself the “Edge of America.”) In the fall, we toss balls of bait and pluff mud into the harbor and waitfortheshrimptocome,ourcastnets ready to be tossed like spider webs. It’s invigorating to live on the edge, so here’s a look at a few other ways to enjoy this special geography: Beaches: Pick one based on your personality or mood. Folly has a funkier vibe, while Sullivan’s has an old-money feel. The Isle of Palms is somewhere in between, and with their gates and golf courses, Kiawah and Seabrook, have the feel of private estates. Hot spots on Folly: On and around the county’s fishing pier; the county’s park on the island’s southern tip; and the Washout near the northern tip, the area’s premier surfing spot. For a quiet walk, go past the Washout to the island’s northern tip and enjoy a spectacular view, especially at sunrise, of Morris Island and its lighthouse standing in the waves. Hot spots on the Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island: Near the Isle of Palms town center, especially when the Windjammer holds one of its volleyball tournaments or bikini bashes. On Sullivan’s, watch the kitesurfers near Breach Inlet, or head south toward Fort Moultrie and take the trail off Station 16 (They named the streets after old trolley stops.) The trail takes you through a maritime forest to the mouth of Charleston Harbor. On some days, you’ll be the only one out there and feel as if you own the island.
On Kiawah: Head to the county’s Beachwalker Park and hike south to Capt. Sam’s Spit, a breathtaking undeveloped stretch of beach where dolphins sometimes chase fish onto the beach and temporarily beach themselves to feed, one of the few places in the world where this happens. Hikes/Walks: Go to Audubon Society’s Francis Beidler Forest about an hour north of the city for a walk through one of the two remaining stands of oldgrowth swamp forest left in the state. The West Ashley Greenway starts near South Windermere and takes you to Johns Island; the best stretch is just before it reaches Johns Island over dikes through the marsh. Camping: Edisto Beach has a beautiful campground for tents and RVs set behind the dunes, though camp sites can be hard to come by on busy weekends. And friends say there’s nothing better than watching the stars on the beach of Morris Island. (You’ll need a boat to get there, though.) Kayaking: You could spend a lifetime exploring the area’s marshes, lakes and rivers: Here are a few good places: Wambaw Creek in the Francis Marion National Forest, which takes you through cypress and tupelo stands; Edisto River, particularly around Givhans Ferry State Park and toward the coast in the ACE Basin; and the upper Ashley River, which meanders past Middleton Plantation and Magnolia Gardens and can be a good spot to see alligators. For an easy jaunt in a swamp, Cypress Gardens near Moncks Corner rents row boats and is spectacular in April when the azaleas bloom. A kayak trip around Fort Sumter can be a blast, and if you can find a place to land, you can visit the monument for free. (Admission fees are for the tour boat.) Another option: Old Santee Canal Park, where canoes go for $3 per half hour. Boating: If you have a bigger boat, head to the Gulf Stream for world-class deep-sea fishing. Away from the shore, the water turns Caribbean blue and several scuba shops around town can tell
A FUN PLACE TO LIVE
you which reefs are good places to dive. Biking/Mountain Biking: The Francis Marion National Forest has lots of trails, including the Swamp Fox and the Wambaw Cycle Trail. One of the bestkept secrets is the Marrington Plantation bike trail at the Naval Weapons Station near Goose Creek. It has 12 miles of dirt trails that wind through swamps and ditches and has enough sharp turns and bumps to keep things interesting. A good biking area is on Seewee and Doar roads in Awendaw. Park your car at the Sewee Outpost and consider a detour to the Bull Island Ferry. Other random outdoor things to do:
Disc golf: North Charleston has a great disc golf course around Park Circle. Get some pizza afterward at Evo Pizza a few blocks away. West Ashley Park also has a disc course. Rock climb: In Charleston? James Island County Park has a 50-foot climbing wall, tallest in the Lowcountry. Water skiing: Johns Island’s Trophy Lakes is a hot spot for teaching and tournaments. Sailing: The College of Charleston has one of the best sailing teams in the nation, and the College of Charleston Sailing Association offers recreational sailing courses to the community. ✦
PARK IT
TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER
Mount Pleasant’s Memorial Waterfront Park is one of the area’s newest attractions.
ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER
A climber rappels down the James Island County Park climbing wall.
ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER
Boats converge on Charleston Harbor for the Carolina Yacht Club Regatta.
Call 795-4386 for specific information, but here’s rundown of what Charleston County offers: Waterparks: Splash Island is tucked in Mt. Pleasant’s Palmetto Islands County Park and is the smallest (and most affordable) waterpark. Admission: $6.99 for county residents. Splash Zone is at James Island County Park. (Admission: $9.99). Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark is in North Charleston’s Wannamaker County Park and is the largest of the three ($14.99 for county residents). Beaches: The county has parks with lifeguards and dressing areas on the Isle of Palms, Folly Beach and Kiawah. Parking is $7. Check the county for operating hours. James Island County Park has cottages, space for RVs, a climbing wall, walking trails, bicycle rentals and a popular dog park. Caw Caw Nature & History Interpretive Center in Ravenel is on the site of a former rice plantation. Palmetto Islands County Park in Mount Pleasant has a waterpark and walking trails. Mount Pleasant Pier underneath the new Cooper River bridge is a great place for a sunset walk. Mullet Hall Equestrian Center at Johns Island County Park hosts horse shows and festivals and has 20 miles of riding trails. North Charleston Wannamaker County Park has a waterpark and 1,000 acres of woodlands. postandcourier.com 71
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STAYING FIT
WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER
Tens of thousands of runners and walkers converge in Charleston and Mount Pleasant every year for the Cooper River Bridge Run.
Stay active, stay fit It’s always been a surprise to me that the metro Charleston area is often overlooked for its active lifestyle.
While David Quick covers the health beat, his passion is fitness and the outdoors. In the past decade, the avid runner and triathlete has written a running column, been the chief contributor to the “Get Out” and “Your Health” sections, and written daily — near and afar — on his “Running Charleston” blog on postandcourier.com.
We are known more for our history and scenery, restaurants and food culture and good manners. But in truth, the Lowcountry is a regional mecca for fitness, and the area’s offerings are expanding on an annual basis. In fact, it seems the only activities we lack are those involving mountains or snow. So let’s cut to the chase.
Running, cycling & triathlon The Charleston area boasts of 50-plus road races, 10 triathlons and one open water swim. It has a half dozen specialty stores and three clubs — Charleston Running Club, Coastal Cyclists and Charleston Triathlon Club — catering to the needs of local weekend warriors.
The major events, in order of occurrence, include the Cooper River Bridge Run on the first Saturday in April, the Turkey Day Run on Thanksgiving Day, Race for the Cure on the third Saturday of October, Kiawah Island Marathon and Half Marathon on the second Saturday of December and the five triathlons of the Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series. Meanwhile, the most popular places to run include the bike/pedestrian lane of the Cooper River bridge, the secondary roads and beaches of Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island and Folly. Serious cyclists gravitate to the roads of the Francis Marion National Forest, Johns Island and Wadmalaw Island, and the barrier islands of Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s and Folly. Swimmers and triathletes hit the water at the Martin Luther postandcourier.com 73
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YALONDA M. JAMES/THE POST AND COURIER
Serious cyclists are a common sight on Lowcountry roadways. King Jr. Pool and the MUSC Wellness Center pool, the W.L. Stephens Pool in West Ashley, Danny Jones Pool in North Charleston (summer only), and the Jones Center and Park West pools in Mount Pleasant.
Fitness clubs Within the past 25 years, the health club scene in the metro Charleston area has grown and flourished, even in the wake of the recession. The variety of clubs range from large — including multiple locations of East Shore Athletic Club throughout the area, World Fitness in the North area, ECO Fitness in Mount Pleasant and Charleston, and Gold’s Gym on James Island — to smaller, specialty and personal training studios sprinkled throughout the area, including several locations of CrossFit. Other notable larger facilities include BlueFish Fitness Club in Charleston, Summerville Family YMCA, Velocity Sports Performance in Mount Pleasant, and Tempo Indoor Cycling and Endurance Training in Mount Pleasant.
Remember, the two most important aspects of joining a gym are location (it should be relatively close to your house or workplace) and comfort (is it geared to your fitness needs and expectations, such as cleanliness, friendliness of staff and courtesy of members).
Yoga Similar to the health club scene, yoga has witnessed amazing growth in the Charlestonareainthelastdecade.Yogain thearea,asitexistsnow,startedwithHoly Cow Yoga in West Ashley, which offers a variety of styles, and continued with Serenity Now Yoga in Mount Pleasant, the veryspiritualJivamuktiYogaCharleston andtheveryhot,verystructuredBikram Yoga Charleston (both in Mount Pleasant), to the athletic Charleston Power Yoga on King Street. And that’s on top of a multitude of yoga classes taught at gyms and by individuals. A clearing house for all things Charleston yoga is www.charlestonyogi.com.
South Carolina coast, a surfing tradition in the Lowcountry dates back to the 1960s and its epicenter is Folly Beach, home to the Southern South Carolina district of the Eastern Surfing Association, an array of surfing competitions and surf shops and the best surfing spot in the area, The Washout. While the crescendo of the local surfing contest season is the ESA’s Governor’s Cup of Surfing in early August, the excitement builds more when a tropical storm or hurricane sweeps just far enough away to create decent waves. The height of hurricane season is late August and all of September.
Stand-up paddleboarding
A cousin of surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, in which someone stands up on an longboard on steroids and then paddles, has become a sensation in the Charleston area over the last three years. Its lure is due to its relatively ease to learn and the great workout it provides the “coremusclegroup”(abs,obliques,lower Surfing back, glutes). Paddleboards are relatively While the waves aren’t great along the expensive ($1,000 and up), but rentals
and lessons are available at a variety of outfitters, including Charleston Watersport Outfitters, Half-Moon Outfitters and Oli-Nah.
The host of others And there are a lot of other fitness resources in Charleston. The martial arts run the spectrum from traditional karate and Tai Chi to Krav Maga, mixed martial arts and even Brazilian capoeira. Kayaking is a terrific aerobic, core workout. If you don’t have a kayak, check out a few of the area outfitters: Sea Kayak Carolina, Coastal Expeditions, Nature Adventures Outfitters and FB Watersports, among others. Similarly, climbing is a great workout and just because the mountains are a threehour drive away doesn’t mean you can’t get pumped up going vertical. Artificial climbing walls are available at James Island County Park, the Goose Creek Community Center, Half-Moon Outfitters at South Windermere and Time-Out Sport and Ski in Mount Pleasant. ✦ postandcourier.com 75
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CATCH A GAME
GRACE BEAHM/THE POST AND COURIER
The Citadel’s baseball team earned a Southern Conference title in May 2010.
Catch a game
Rookie residents who left larger markets for Charleston miss the NFL buzz and MLB chatter. Perhaps they were NBA or NHL season ticket holders.
Sports columnist Gene Sapakoff has covered the Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Super Bowl and once caught a bass on James Island. When not running marathons, Gene enjoys reading intriguing novels.
True. We do not have a big league professional sports franchise or a university with major athletic conference affiliation (or many Thai restaurants with ocean views). But the Lowcountry, pound for venue, has both quality and variety in its spectator sports offerings. Highlights include famous fun at a charming ballpark along the Ashley River, a tradition of college basketball overachievement and some of the best college baseball in the country. Then there was that Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova three-set match and the looming 2012 PGA Championship
and college football. You barely have time for professional hockey and soccer. The Charleston RiverDogs are no ordinary low-level Class A minor league baseball team. An ownership group including marketing guru Mike Veeck and comic actor Bill Murray frequently draws national attention with such promotions as Nobody Night, Silent Night and Go Back to Ohio Night (alas, Vasectomy Night was canceled). “Fun is Good” is Veeck’s business/life mantra and his book by the same title was a hit. The RiverDogs are affiliated with the love ’em or hate ’em New York Yankees. South Atlantic League foes include the ripostandcourier.com 77
CATCH A GAME
CATCH A GAME CHARLESTON RIVERDOGS
SPORT: Minor league baseball LEAGUE: Class A South Atlantic League AFFILIATION: New York Yankees SEASON: April to September VENUE: Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park TICKETS: 843-577-DOGS WEBSITE: www.riverdogs.com
SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS
CHARLESTON BATTERY
SPORT: Minor league soccer LEAGUE: United Soccer Leagues Second Division SEASON: March to September VENUE: Blackbaud Stadium TICKETS: 843-971-GOAL WEBSITE: www.charlestonbattery.com
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
CONFERENCE: Southern VENUES: Carolina First Arena (basketball), The Ballpark at Patriots Point (baseball). TICKETS: 843-953-COFC MORE INFO: www.cofcsports.com
THE CITADEL:
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
CONFERENCE: Big South VENUES: CSU Stadium (football), CSU Field House (basketball), Buccaneer Ballpark (baseball) TICKETS: 843-863-7678 WEBSITE: www.csusports.com
FAMILY CIRCLE CUP
Daniel Island, April 2-10, 2011 TICKETS: 800-856-7900 WEBSITE: www.familycirclecup.com
2012 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
CONFERENCE: Southern VENUES: Johnson Hagood Stadium (football),
Kiawah Island, Aug. 6-12, 2011 MORE INFO: www.pga.com
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SPORT: Minor league hockey LEAGUE: ECHL AFFILIATION: Washington Capitals SEASON: October to April VENUE: North Charleston Coliseum TICKETS: 843-744-2248 WEBSITE: www.stingrayshockey.com
McAlister Field House (basketball), Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park (baseball) TICKETS: 843-953-DOGS WEBSITE: www.citadelsports.com
val Greenville Drive (a Boston Red Sox affiliate), plus the always pesky Savannah Sand Gnats. The long list of former Charleston minor league players who have reached the majors includes 2000 RiverDogs teammates Josh Hamilton and Carl Crawford, starting outfielders for the American League at the 2010 All-Star Game. The South Carolina Stingrays play minor league hockey in an ECHL spread clear to Alaska. In fact, the Stingrays outlasted a team from Anchorage to win the 2009 Kelly Cup (and in the obligatory governor vs. governor wager, Sarah Palin had to send Mark Sanford some crab legs. Add your own punch line). One of the top hockey attendance draws below the NHL, the Stingrays have a tradition of on-ice success expected to continue with popular former player Rob Concannon as president. Like the RiverDogs and Stingrays, the Charleston Battery makes waves beyond
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its modest United Soccer Leagues Second Division status. Blackbaud Stadium is regarded as one of the finest socceronlyfacilitiesintheU.S.andalongwitha rugged regular match schedule, the BatteryhashostedMajorLeagueSoccerand English Premier League foes. South Carolina and Clemson fans dominate local sports talk, and a significantSoutheasternConferenceorAtlantic Coast Conference game in one sport or another is never far away. But the College of Charleston, Citadel and Charleston Southern offer in-town excitement on an economically friendly stage. The College of Charleston in the 1990s under legendary former head basketball coach John Kresse zoomed from NAIA classificationtofourNCAATournament appearances. Current head coach Bobby Cremins, the man who built Georgia Tech into a national power, already has led the Cougars to home upsets of South Carolina and North Carolina inside 2-year-old Carolina First Arena. The Citadel’s renovated McAlister Field House is a throwback basketball venue best known for the enthusiastic support of cadets along the baseline and alum Pat Conroy’s book “My Losing Season.” Final Four participant Mich-
WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER
Charleston RiverDogs play in Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. igan State visited McAlister last year during the Bulldogs’ second straight nonlosing season. The Charleston Southern basketball team made the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and annually holds its own, and then some, in rivalry games with the College of Charleston and The Citadel. The Citadel plays football in typically the toughest FCS league, the Southern Conference. Rivals such as Furman, Wofford and Appalachian State visit regularly and road games against such heavyweights as Clemson, North Caro-
REC SPORTS Please call recreation departments for age requirements and other information.
CHARLESTON
843-724-7327, www.charleston-sc.gov ✦ Spring registration, Jan. 11-Jan. 29: baseball/middle school baseball, fencing, flag football, lacrosse, micro soccer/middle school soccer, softball/middle school softball, youth rugby ✦ Fall registration, July 1-July 30: baseball, cheerleading, cross county, micro soccer, flag football, football, middle school volleyball, softball ✦ Winter registration, Oct. 11-Nov. 5: basket-
ball, flag football, youth wrestling
GOOSE CREEK
843-569-4242, www.goosecreek recreation.com ✦ Spring 1 registration, Feb. 1-17: baseball, softball, T-ball ✦ Spring 2 registration, Feb. 18-March 2: basketball, soccer ✦ Fall 1 registration, July 6-22: soccer ✦ Fall 2 registration, Aug. 3 -16: baseball, softball ✦ Fall 3 registration, May 10-June 2: football, cheerleading ✦ Winter registration, Nov. 1-18: basketball
lina and Arizona help pay the bills. Head coach Kevin Higgins plans to switch to a triple-option offense for the 2010 season. Charleston Southern continues to upgrade its Big South Conference football program. Recent road foes have included Miami and Florida. Baseball is what our college athletic departments do best. The Citadel, College of Charleston and Charleston Southern all have been to the NCAA Tournament inthelast15years,withtheBulldogsand Cougars making the field in 2010. The Citadel shares Riley Park with Moncks Corner
843-719-7900, www.townofmonckscorner. sc.gov/Recreation/ ✦ Spring registration, Feb. 1-Feb. 19: T-ball, baseball, fast-pitch softball ✦ Fall 1 registration, July 1-23: football, cheerleading, soccer ✦ Fall 2 registration, Aug. 2-20: baseball, fast-pitch softball ✦ Winter registration, Nov. 1-19: basketball
the RiverDogs and added to its winning ways in 2010 with Southern Conference Tournament and regular season titles. The College of Charleston, led by current New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2004 and has qualified three more times. The Family Circle Cup, one of the most prestigious non-Grand Slam events on the Women’s Tennis Association tour, is played on the green clay of Daniel Island’s Family Circle Tennis Center. Champions since the event moved to Charleston from Hilton Head for the 2001 tournament have included Jennifer Capriati, Justine Henin, Venus Williams and Serena Williams. The 2012 PGA Championship is coming to Kiawah Island’s renowned Ocean Course and will be the first golf “major” held in our state. Want to volunteer? An application process begins in March of 2011. Contact 2012pga@pgahq.com for more information. NASCAR fans appreciate “The Track Too Tough To Tame” just up the road. Darlington Raceway and its famed oval host the Showtime Southern 500, most recently reserved for Mother’s Day weekend on the Sprint Cup schedule. ✦ ✦ Winter registration, Oct. 19-30: basket-
ball/unified basketball, lacrosse, track and field, unified swim team, wresting ✦ Summer registration, April 19-30: basketball/ unified basketball, softball, swim team, T-ball, machine pitch baseball, track and field
NORTH CHARLESTON
843-740-5814, www.northcharleston.org ✦ Springregistration,January:baseball,softball ✦ Fall registration, July: baseball, cheerMOUNT PLEASANT leading, football, soccer, softball 843-884-2528, www.mtpleasantrec.com ✦ Summer registration, April: basketball ✦ Spring registration, June 21 - July 12: base- ✦ Winter registration, October: basketball ball, basketball, soccer, softball, track ✦ Fall registration, July 19-July 30: baseball, SUMMERVILLE basketball, cheerleading, cross county, 843-851-5211, www.summerville.sc.us football, soccer/unified soccer, softball, ✦ Fall-Spring: baseball, fast-pitch softball, volleyball slow-pitch softball
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EVENTS
WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER
SOUTHEASTERN WILDLIFE EXPOSITION
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
COOPER RIVER BRIDGE RUN
EVENTS POLAR PLUNGE: Jan. 1. Sullivans Island. Jump-start the new year and help raise money for Special Olympics by taking a quick but freezing dip in the Atlantic Ocean. www.dunleavyspubpolarplunge.com. SOUTH CAROLINA RESTAURANT WEEK: Jan. 14-22. Greater Charleston area. In honor of South Carolina Restaurant Week, local restaurants offer discounted menus, giving area residents a chance to eat at a favorite place or try somewhere new. www. restaurantweekcharleston.com. LOWCOUNTRY OYSTER FESTIVAL: Jan. 30. Boone Hall Plantation, Mount Pleasant. One of the largest oyster roasts in the Lowcountry, the annual festival offers thousands of oysters as well as live music and oyster-eating and shucking contests. www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com. LOWCOUNTRY BLUES BASH: Feb. 4-13. Charleston. Enjoy 10 days of music from local and national blues artists performing in bars, hotels, restaurants and other venues in the Charleston metro area. www. bluesbash.com. SOUTHEASTERN WILDLIFE EXPOSITION: Feb. 18-20. Downtown Charleston. The “largest wildlife
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FAMILY CIRCLE CUP
Here in the Lowcountry, something fun seems to be going on every day. Unfortunately, we can’t list each and every event, but here are our picks for the biggest and best events in the greater Charleston area. Keep in mind that due to weather or other unforeseen conditions, all dates are subject to change. All events listed are for 2011 dates.
art and nature event in the nation,” the annual expo features demonstrations, vendors, parties, special guests and more. www.sewe.com. CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL: March 3-6. Downtown Charleston. Discover Charleston’s renowned culinary scene during the Lowcountry’s premier food and wine event that includes celebrity chef appearances, wine and beer tastings and much more. www.charlestonwineandfood.com. FESTIVAL OF HOUSES AND GARDENS: March 17-April 16. Downtown Charleston. Go inside some of Charleston’s finest homes and gardens during the city’s peak blooming season. www.historiccharleston.org. CHARLESTON FASHION WEEK: March 22-26. Marion Square, Downtown Charleston. Emerging and veteran designers alike converge on Marion Square to showcase their most fashion-forward looks during one of Charleston’s up and coming new festivals. www.charlestonmag.com/fashionweek. FLOWERTOWN FESTIVAL: April 1-3. Azalea Park, downtown Summerville. Celebrate spring at the annual Flowertown Festival, which features more than 200 vendors, crafters and artisans. Proceeds benefit
the Summerville YMCA. www.summervilleymca. org/flowertown. COOPER RIVER BRIDGE RUN: April 2. Mount Pleasant and Downtown Charleston. This 10K race, one of the largest in the Southeast, attracted more than 40,000 runners and walkers in 2010. The race begins in Mount Pleasant, spans the Ravenel Bridge and ends in Marion Square. www.bridgerun.com. FAMILY CIRCLE CUP: April 2-10. Family Circle Tennis Center, Daniel Island. Watch some of tennis’s hottest stars battle it out for $1 million in prize money during nine days filled with a variety of activities. www. familycirclecup.com. LOWCOUNTRY CAJUN FESTIVAL: April 3. James Island County Park, James Island. Celebrate Cajun culture while enjoying Zydeco music and authentic Cajun and Creole food. www.ccprc.com. CHARLESTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: April 14-17. Downtown Charleston. Become acquainted with Charleston’s film community during four days of the best in local, short, featurelength, documentary and classic films. www.charlestoniff.com
EVENTS
GRACE BEAHMS/THE POST AND COURIER
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA
BLESSING OF THE FLEET FESTIVAL: April 17. Waterfront Memorial Pier, Mount Pleasant. The annual festival typically features shag dancing and shrimp eating contests, the blessing of the fleet ceremony, live music, local seafood, craft and art shows, childrens’ activities and more. www.townofmountpleasant. com. The Lowcountry Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet is held around the same time and always draws a big crowd. NORTH CHARLESTON ARTS FESTIVAL: April 29May 7. North Charleston. The North Charleston Cultural Arts Department hosts an annual celebration of the arts that features dance and theater performances, photography, crafts, fine art, activities and more. www.northcharleston.org. GREEK FESTIVAL: May 6-8. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, downtown Charleston. Enjoy authentic Greek cuisine, folk dancing, music, church tours, wine, beer and much more. www.greekorthodoxchs.org/greekfest. SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA: May 27-June 12. Downtown Charleston. Charleston’s world-renowned arts festival celebrates its 34th year of bringing premier musicians, performers and artists to the Lowcountry to highlight the best in opera, theater, dance, poetry, music, fine art and more. www.spoletousa.org. PICCOLO SPOLETO: May 27-June 12. Greater Charleston area. Spoleto USA’s companion festival, presented by the City of Charleston, focuses more on local and regional artists, musicians and performers and offers inexpensive and free performances throughout the
TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER
MOJA FESTIVAL
EDWARD C. FENNEL/THE POST AND COURIER
HOLIDAY FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
Charleston area. www.piccolospoleto.com.
hoods. www.preservationsociety.org.
HARBORFEST: Mid-June. Downtown Charleston. This week-long festival celebrates everything boating related and typically features tours of tall ships, boatingrelated activities, family events, parties, sailing lessons and much more. www.charlestonharborfest.org.
MOJA FESTIVAL: Sept. 29-Oct. 9. Downtown Charleston. Celebrate African-American and Carribean culture and art during 10 days of dance, music, literary and visual arts, theater, children’s events and more. www.mojafestival.com.
ROCKVILLE REGATTA: Aug. 6-7. Bohicket Marina, Rockville. The annual regatta, which began in the 1800s, happens during the first weekend in August and features two days of sailboat racing and reveling. Each night after the day’s races, the 1,000-plus spectators and competitors bring Rockville to life with drinking and dancing. 768-1280.
TASTE OF CHARLESTON: Oct. 14-16. Charleston, Mount Pleasant. The spotlight is on Charleston’s culinary scene again during this annual three-day event that includes an Iron Chef competition between local chefs, a “Taste of the Arts” stroll on Gallery Row and the main tasting event at Boone Hall Plantation. www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com.
CHARLESTON BEACH MUSIC AND SHAG FESTIVAL: Late August. Charleston. Discover shag, South Carolina’s state dance, and enjoy two days of great live beach music and dancing. Shag lessons are offered for beginners. www.pivotsbeachclub.com.
COASTAL CAROLINA FAIR: Oct. 27- Nov. 5. Exchange Park Fairgrounds, Ladson. The 55th annual fair continues to offer 10 days of rides, concerts, competitions, exhibits and more. www.coastalcarolinafair.org.
BBQ CHAMPIONSHIP AND BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL: Sept. 4. Boone Hall Plantation, Mount Pleasant. Barbecue, brews and bluegrass are the highlights of this fun festival that features an annual barbecue cook-off, top names in bluegrass, games and children’s activities and more. www.boonehallplantation.com.
TURKEY DAY RUN AND GOBBLE WOBBLE: Nov. 24. Downtown Charleston. Work up an appetite for a Thanksgiving feast during this 5K run and walk that begins on Meeting Street, continues past The Battery and ends on King Street. An after-party follows the annual race. www.turkeydayrun.com.
FALL TOURS OF HOMES AND GARDENS: Sept. 22Oct. 23. Downtown Charleston. The spotlight is on Charleston’s amazing architecture during the 35th annual event presented by The Preservation Society of Charleston. Each weekend, tour homes and gardens in several of Charleston’s finest neighbor-
HOLIDAY FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: Nov. 11-Jan. 1. James Island County Park, James Island. This three-mile driving tour takes visitors through close to 600 lighted displays. Guests also may enjoy train rides, marshmallow roasts, a sand sculpture, photographs with Santa, walking trail and more. www.ccprc.com. ✦
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experiencing SAVOR THE LOWCOUNTRY FLAVOR
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
85 91 95 99 Lowcountry flavor Artistic mecca It’s fine food we know, fine food we love. And so much more than just shrimp and grits.
Charleston scene
Spoleto Festival USA sparked a re- From promising bands in dimly lit naissance, and now the city is an bars to Bruce Springsteen at the artistic force to reckon with. Coliseum, we rock.
Shopping
From ritzy boutiques to bargain outlets, a where-to guide for buying the perfect gift. postandcourier.com 83
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LOWCOUNTRY FLAVOR
BRAD NETTLES/THE POST AND COURIER
Cooks serve up a boiled shrimp dinner at Hyman’s Seafood in downtown Charleston.
Lowcountry flavor
Whether you’ve lived in the Lowcountry all your life or a short while, the question is inevitable: “Where is the best place to eat in Charleston?” Or, “Where can I find real Charleston food?”
After joining The Post and Courier in 1983, Teresa Taylor soon realized how extraordinary the food of the Lowcountry is and began the quest to enjoy it as many times and ways as possible. Fortunately, she became the newspaper’s Food Editor in 2003.
The first thing that comes to mind: At the table of a good Lowcountry cook. Be friendly, be nice, be mannerly and sooner or later you’ll likely be invited to a meal. (It’s not that difficult, this is a hospitable place.) For holidays and special occasions in particular, traditional family dishes — some passed down like heirlooms — are likely to make an appearance. That’s when you can taste the true soul of the food here and, equally as important, experience the context. In the Lowcountry, context is everything, especially when food is involved.
Like all celebrated cuisines in the world, the distinctive food of the Lowcountry first disseminated from home hearths, now digital kitchens. Our cultural stew of English, French, Caribbean, African-American and other influences has simmered together for nearly 350 years, drawing heavily from the sea and nature’s bounty. And more than two centuries of rice growing made a permanent imprint. Rice lives on as an essential and celebrated element of Lowcountry gastronomy. As a result, the Lowcountry plate is splendid, yet not pretentious. postandcourier.com 85
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Charleston has earned a national reputation for fine dining.
We eat shrimp and “hominy” (grits, in Charlestonese), she-crab soup, red rice, pilau or “purloo,” Hoppin’ John, okra soup, benne seed wafers, Frogmore stew, collard greens and pot “likker.” We boast of Meeting Street Crab and St. Cecilia Punch and Lady Baltimore Cake. Fried seafood, in the right hands, is an art form, lightly crisp and sweet. Because of this foundation, Charleston’s restaurant industry has flowered into national prominence, particularly in the past 10 years. Chefs of three restaurants, Hominy Grill, FIG and McCrady’s, have earned “Best Chef Southeast” from the James Beard awards for three years running. The secret is definitely out. Choosing a place to eat out in the Lowcountry used to be pretty easy — there wasn’t all that much to choose from. Now we’re loaded, and not just downtown, and the dining is getting
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more diverse. From Gullah Cuisine in Mount Pleasant to O-Ku Sushi downtown, Jack’s Cosmic Dogs on James Island to the Fat Hen on Johns Island, there’s a menu that will please almost any palate. It’s impossible to say which restaurant is best because so many do so many things well. And while the Lowcountry is not the vegetable and seafood producer of years past, the best local cuisine remains faithful to what is locally grown and locally caught. Johns Island tomatoes, Wadmalaw Island eggs, Shem Creek shrimp and Boone Hall strawberries, to name a few, do make a difference in the quality of what we cook at home and eat out. The good news is, more people and more restaurants are catching on to that fact. One word of advice: Eating in or out, great food can be found all over the Lowcountry but is best enjoyed in the company of others. Lowcountry folks are a convivial bunch, and much of the social life revolves around food and drink. That’s community, that’s context. It contributes mightily to our special “sense of place.” What are the best food experiences in the Lowcountry? It’s subjective, of course, but there are a number that can give you a good taste of what our reputation is all about. The oyster roast: These fall and winter parties are a fabulous Lowcountry tradition. They’re outdoors, a fire is often burning, you don’t have to dress up, and hopefully they’ll be shoveling clusters of local oysters. It’s true: saltysweet South Carolina oysters are No. 1. We do a fine pot of chili, too. The tea room: In the spring and early summer, several local churches put on a “tea room” for a week or two. The local tradition is said to have started in the 1940s at the Old St. Andrew’s Parish Episcopal Church. Women of the church would meet for a cleaning day, have lunch on the lawn and kindly share food with tourists stopping by. Since restaurants were scarce in those days, the practice evolved into a fund-
raiser and spread to other churches. Luncheon fare varies but typically includes Lowcountry specialties such as okra soup, shrimp paste sandwiches and the like. Best of all, the desserts are all homemade. Charleston Wine + Food Festival: The four-day festival in late Februaryearly March is chock-full of events around eating and sipping. For those who yearn to learn, there’s education in the mix as well. If we had to pick just one event, it would be the outstanding food at the opening night party, Salute to Charleston Chefs. It’s ALAN HAWES/THE POST AND COURIER a friendly competition of sorts within the city’s chef corps, and the winner Diners take in the sunset at Vickery’s on Shem Creek. is the guest who gets to sample all the awesome edibles. Fundraisers, special events: Food is a source of pride here, so rubber chicken just won’t do under any circumstances. Some of the best eating can be found at fundraisers, such as the annual Chef’s Feast organized by Peninsula Grill’s Robert Carter to benefit the Lowcountry Food Bank. Or keep an eye out for events like the Chef’s Potluck sponsored by Lowcountry Local First. Lip-smacking experiences also can be found at smaller happenings, like the whole hog barbecue lunch with farm vegetables at Sidi Limehouse’s annual Hydrangea Festival or Circa 1886’s July MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER Fourth celebration. Oysters get steamed at the Lowcountry Oyster Festival at Boone Hall. Wine dinners: Many restaurants host wine dinners throughout the year. Generally, three or four courses are paired with wines, both of which you might not be able to afford otherwise. The kitchen shines and the wines are excellent, mostly. These are terrific deals and a good time. Sustainable Seafood: Along the same lines are the Sustainable Seafood Dinners held at local restaurants in conjunction with the Sustainable Seafood Initiative at the South Carolina Aquarium. Naturally, fish and seafood have starring roles on the menu. Courses also are paired with wine, and TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER an aquarium representative talks in a fun but educational way about “fish for Frogmore stew is a Lowcountry classic. postandcourier.com 87
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LOWCOUNTRY FLAVOR
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Fine dining and fine wine take center stage during the annual Charleston Wine + Food Festival.
Charleston-based chefs have earned “Best Chef Southeast” from the James Beard awards for three years running: Hominy Grill chef Robert Stehling (top), FIG chef Mike Lata (middle) and McCrady’s chef Sean Brock.
the future.” Restaurant week: This has gotten traction fast. The inaugural week in January was so popular that several restaurants extended the special meal deals though the month. It’s coming again Sept. 8-19, with more than 40 restaurants participating, and surely will be back in January. Great food can
are closely tied to Lowcountry cuisine. Lunch at 181 Palmer: This is a hidden jewel. The cafe at the Palmer campus of Trident Technical College offers a three-course lunch for only $15 at various times during the year. The meal and service, the work of students in training, is superb. You just can’t beat the cost for the quality. ✦
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be had at great prices. Farmers markets: Get your hands on the freshest vegetables and fruit grown in the Lowcountry. Talk to the farmers and get in tune with the seasons. Depending on the market, you can buy local eggs, honey, pastured meat and poultry or pickles and preserves, and much more. The energy is
high and contagious. The two largest markets are in Charleston (Saturdays, Marion Square) and Mount Pleasant (Tuesdays, pavilion at Moultrie Middle School). Cooking class: There are a number available, but Charleston Cooks! downtown and the Coastal Cupboard in Mount Pleasant offer the most that
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ARTISTIC MECCA
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A dancer with the Charleston Ballet Theatre prepares for a performance.
Artistic mecca
Thirty-five years ago, Charleston was a different place. It was a city on the cusp. It could have followed the paths of so many American cities of flight to the suburbs, leaving historic but dilapidated buildings behind.
Stephanie Harvin is an awardwinning writer, editor and photographer who has been covering the arts in some form for 34 years with The Post and Courier. For the past five years, she has been the editor of the newspaper’s annual Spoleto Today coverage.
The heart of Charleston was still threadbare in many ways. Warehouse buildings were going unused, and parts of the lower peninsula were crime-ridden, making those who stayed behind in neighborhoods glad to have scrolling iron gates. Restaurants were few and far between. But King Street was a viable shopping district with many of the shops owned by local businessmen. The Dock Street Theatre was in operation after it was built as a WPA project in 1937 on the site of the first theater in America. There were two ballet companies, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the Footlight Players theater company. The Gibbes Mu-
seum of Art had undergone a renovation. There were city parks for people to congregate. And there were the churches, beautiful echo chambers for fine music with good instruments and plenty of seating. Charleston was a Southern city with an old soul, but one that needed new blood. Then came Spoleto Festival USA. It was a 17-day performing arts festival conceived by Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti and embraced by a young Mayor Joe Riley. The festival was designed to fall in the space between spring and summer semesters at the College of Charleston so there would be dorm space for musicians and technicians. It would postandcourier.com 91
ARTISTIC MECCA
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Art buyers crowd around an auctioneer during a Southeastern Wildlife Exposition gala.
fall across Memorial Day weekend, so it had the opportunity to attract holiday crowds. And it would spread across the lower part of town to replicate the walking nature of a European city. But it was also designed as a classical musicfestival,onewhereopera,chamber and orchestral works would take center stage, modeled on performances popular in Europe. Menotti was the founder of the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, and wanted an American version of what he had created in 1958. In 1977, when the first strains of “The Queen of Spades” by Peter Tchaikovsky were due to float off the Gaillard Auditorium stage, the organizers were holding their breath to see if people were going to come. But come they did. And for those children who didn’t want to spend time indoors, there were giant puppets and music in the streets. Mimes and storytellers like Brother Blue found their way to the
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ARTISTIC MECCA
City Market, willing to perform for any- the Charleston County School District one passing by. Visual artists hung their and is now used by all. The Dock Street artworkfromthewroughtirongatesand Theatre was carefully retouched over a fences outside City Hall. three-year period with funds from the Slowly,theartsceneinCharlestonblos- city, Spoleto and private donors. And somed as more artists came to check out now plans are being proposed to rework the city — and stayed. It’s hard to say the 42-year-old Gaillard Auditorium, whether it was the visual artists who again through a consortium of private helped create the mystique of Charles- and public money. ton with their paintings of slanting light, More than renovating the buildings, hiddengardensandvoyeuristicglimpses though, the festival raised expectations of statues or if they were captivated by it. for the arts by bringing in the icons of New galleries renovated fine old build- music, dance, opera, theater and music ings.Andthecoreofactorsandmusicians in Ray Charles, Bobby McFerrin, Ella grew, filling out the stages, not just dur- Fitzgerald, Yo-Yo Ma, Karen Allen, Reing the festival, but startnata Scotto and composingcompaniestoperform er Philip Glass. Dancers the rest of the year, too. have ranged from the Today, Charleston is a Phe Zulu Theatre ComSouthern artistic mecca. ✦ City Gallery at Waterfront pany in 1978 to Mikhail Park, 34 Prioleau St. It hosts film festivals, Baryshnikov and the art galleries, plays, jazz, ✦ Gibbes Museum of Art, Alvin Ailey American 135 Meeting St. chamber music, wine Dance Theater’s 50th and food festivals, and ✦ Dock Street Theatre, anniversary tour. 135 Church St. the annual SoutheastNew artists are making ern Wildlife Exposition. ✦ Galliard Auditorium, their mark in their fields, 77 Calhoun St. There is an artistic pertoo, like cellist Alisa formance nearly every ✦ Footlight Players, Weilerstein, the black 20 Queen St. weekend of the year, and string group Carolina performers from all over ✦ Charleston Music Hall, Chocolate Drops and 37 John St. the globe find a welcome local jazz artist Quentin ovation at venues all over ✦ Marion and Wayland H. Baxter. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts, the Lowcountry. Visual artists have 161 Calhoun St. Riley said that Spoleto come to the city and Festival and Piccolo Spostayed like Eva Carter, leto, the regional festival West Fraser, John Carheld at the same time, helped the city oll Doyle and Manning Williams, and because the annual event set a standard pavedthewayforyoungartistsbysetting of excellence that spilled over into other astandardofexcellencethatsupportsthe development projects. numerous galleries in town. The French But it also helped renovate the city QuarterhasFridayartwalksfourtimesa as building after building has been re- year that showcase current artists. paired, restored or repurposed to serve Now, donors are sinking money into the arts year round, but also with the the town, too, like the new Marion and cooperation of other organizations. Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts The old Gloria movie theater be- at the College of Charleston that sponcame the Sottile Theatre and is now sors the exhibition of modern art and used by the College of Charleston. The fosters young artists. old city waterworks building became Who knows what Charleston might Spoleto Festival USA headquarters. have become without the arts as its soul. WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER Memminger Auditorium underwent The resurgence of the city has seemed to a transformation into a black box the- go hand in hand with its resurgence in Andriana Chuchman, rehearses the title role in the 2010 Spoleto production “Flora, An Opera” while Mike Eastman works on the set. ater with the cooperation of the city and the arts. ✦
VENUES
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THE MUSIC SCENE
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Charlton Singleton is a respected jazz trumpeter in the Lowcountry.
The Charleston Scene
Since moving here in 2003, I’ve watched as our arts and entertainment community evolved. The pulse of the Lowcountry is its entertainment. Every year we reap the benefits of what our city has to offer.
Marcus Amaker arrived in Charleston in 2003. He has published three poetry books and released seven self-produced studio albums. As a spoken-word poet, Amaker has 11 years experience working for newspapers and is the editor and graphic designer of Charleston Scene.
It is an exciting time to live in Charleston because our local art and music scene seems to be going through a renaissance. This artistic resurgence is both beautiful and overwhelming because you could do something every night and still miss a beat. For example, just last week I had the chance to catch a jazz band downtown, Brazilian music in West Ashley, poetry in Goose Creek and an art opening in North Charleston. How are we supposed to sort through it all? Where do we start? And more so, how are we supposed to find time to sleep?
Here’s the lowdown on who you should be watching and where you should be going.
Music: The players Charleston’s strong music scene is definitely on the map. Acts have emerged from the Lowcountry into the national spotlight. Below is a list of the major players: Band of Horses: They toured with Pearl Jam and have been written about in music publications around the world. The Mount Pleasant-based band has three albums under its postandcourier.com 95
THE MUSIC SCENE
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Musician Cary Ann Hearst
belt, and all three have been critically acclaimed. Expect even bigger things in the future. www.bandofhorses.com Jazz Artists of Charleston: Jazz artists are the new rock stars of Charleston. If you’d had any chance to see any of the jazz artists live, then you’ve witnessed true musicianship. You can definitely feel the passion and the professionalism in the playing. Leah Suarez, Charlton Singleton, Kevin Hamilton, Ron Wiltrout, Quentin Baxter and friends are actively changing the culture of Charleston. And we are better for it. www.jazzartistsofcharleston.org/ Dangermuffin: These local heroes from Folly Beach have reached heights that might even surprise the band’s loyal fans, since it’s rare for jam bands to earn respect in the music world. Dangermuffin’s feel-good instrumental music has struck a chord with audiences all around the country, though.
As of this writing, they are touring the U.S. in support of “Moonscapes,” a fun record that adequately captures the band’s intricate and excellent musicianship. www.dangermuffinmusic.com Cary Ann Hearst: Every note commands your attention. Every live show is powerful. Every song hits you in the gut. If you’ve ever seen Hearst play live, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s no one like her, and no one better at expressing raw emotion. Her “Dust and Bones” album is a gem, and one of the most brilliant CDs to ever hit the local music scene. Believe it. www.myspace.com/caryannhearst Righchus: Quite possibly the hardest working man in Charleston’s music scene. Local hip-hop is a tight-knit community, and Righchus has quickly become the symbol of success in that arena. His latest album, ‘chaos Theory’
is full of catchy and bass-heavy hits that wouldn’t sound out of place on any urban radio station. (The single “Ridin’’ in particular, is a highlight of the disc). He’s also provided a blueprint for up-and-coming artists who are looking to make a name for themselves. You can find him on Twitter, Word Press, Facebook, iTunes, Myspace, YouTube and just about every corner of downtown if you look hard enough. Jump on the bandwagon now before he gets even bigger. www.righchus.com Honorable mentions: Crowfield, Michael Flynn, Lindsay Holler, Leslie, Skye Paige, The Bushels.
Music: The venues It’s amazing that Charleston can accommodate all kinds of bands and give them a good place to play. It all starts with the venues, and we have plenty of great places to plug in a guitar and play.
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THE MUSIC SCENE
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Bruce Springsteen and drummer Max Weinberg perform with the E Street Band at the North Charleston Coliseum in 2008. The Music Farm: The Music Farm is the first place that comes to mind when talking about music venues in Charleston because it has stayed true to its roots. For many years, The Music Farm has provided us with a great blend of indie and well-known acts. Its lineups are always eclectic, as well. Everyone from The Smashing Pumpkins to Corey Smith have graced its stage. A Charleston staple. 32 Ann St. www.musicfarm.com The Pour House: Quickly becoming the go-to place for hipsters in search of a good live show, The Pour House always delivers the goods. The James Island venue is the perfect place for indie bands looking for some exposure. And I think it has the best sound, as well. One of the
best shows I saw there was electronic maestro Bassnecter. During his show, you could feel the bass through the f loor. Also, The Pour House’s back porch and bar is a great venue itself. 1977 Maybank Highway. www.charlestonpourhouse.com The Tin Roof: Given its size, it’s hard to believe that The Tin Roof would be a good venue for music. Go to one of its shows, though, and you’ll be more than convinced. The sound is top notch and the intimate stage makes the perfect home for any kind of band. I’ve seen a lot of different kinds of shows there, but the venue definitely seems to be best suited for rockabily and punk music. Plus, the food and the drinks are awesome. A definite favorite. 1117 Magnolia Road.
www.myspace.com/westashleytinroof North Charleston Performing Arts Center and The North Charleston Coliseum: Proving that Charleston can support big-name acts, the Coliseum and the Performing Arts Center have had an impressive lineup in recent years. The best show that I experienced this year was indie folk band The Swell Season, who made the friendly PAC stage feel like a living room. Ani DiFranco also took full advantage of the great acoustics of the PAC when she came here a few years back. The Coliseum is for the heavy hitters. Who can forget the hoopla surrounding Bruce Springsteen’s celebrated visit? 5001 Coliseum Drive. www.coliseumpac.com
Honorable mentions: Eye Level Art, The Family Circle Cup, Jimbo’s Rock Lounge, The Mill, The Village Tavern, The Windjammer, The Oasis, The Dive.
Poetry, theatre and the arts Looking for more than music? Here’s a quick rundown of other arts activities. Poetry: Monday Night Poetry and Music happens every Monday night 8-11 p.m. at East Bay Meeting House, 160 East Bay St. Also check out Jordan Armanis, 5060 Dorchester Road, on the first Saturday of each month. Theatre: Visit www.theatrecharleston.com/ for all of your theater needs. The League of Charleston Theatres’ website has a thorough list of performances, ticket prices, membership information and even job listings. ✦ postandcourier.com 97
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SHOPPING
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Shoppers crowd M. Dumas and Sons clothiers, located in the heart of the King Street shopping district.
Lowcountry shopping
If you are looking for places to shop, there are plenty of them to please any budget. From the ritzy boutiques and antiques shops of King Street in downtown Charleston to the deals at Tanger Outlet Center at International Boulevard and Interstate 526 in North Charleston, treasures can be found throughout the metro area.
Warren L. Wise focuses on retail and other business issues. A graduate of the University of South Carolina and Palmetto State native, Wise joined The Post and Courier in 1997 and has covered local government, politics, utilities and the Legislature.
Two large shopping malls — Citadel Mall on Sam Rittenberg Boulevard in West Ashley and Northwoods Mall on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston — complement an array of shops found at Mount Pleasant Towne Centre on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard, Azalea Square on Main Street in Summerville and Freshfields Village between Kiawah and Seabrook islands. A stroll through the exclusive Shops at Charleston Place near the City Market is always a nice diversion away from
crowds on the street. Loads of other quaint stores are scattered across the metro area in shopping centers and stand-alone shops from Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant to Savannah Highway in West Ashley, and from Main Street in Summerville to Folly Road on James Island and St. James Avenue in Goose Creek. There are way too many great places to mention in this space, but here are a few: postandcourier.com 99
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SHOPPING
Search for gifts at places such as the Coastal Cupboard in Belle Hall Shopping Center on Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant or repair the soles on a pair of shoes at Peter & Sons Shoe and Luggage Repair at South Windermere Shopping Center in West Ashley. Look through consignment shops in Avondale in West Ashley or visit the many stores at Seaside Farms in Mount Pleasant. For those looking to fix up their homes and get their hands dirty in the garden, there are Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores, Home Depot, True Value Hardware and several nurseries, including local favorites Hyam’s Landscaping and Garden Center on Folly Road and Abide-A-While Garden Center on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. Car dealers are scattered throughout the metro area with concentrations on Savannah Highway in West Ashley and Rivers Avenue in North Charleston. Others can be found on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, U.S. Highway 17A in Summerville and U.S. 52 in Moncks Corner. For souvenirs, try the City Market on Market Street in downtown Charleston. You will also find sweetgrass basketmakers weaving new treasures there as well as along roadside stands on U.S. Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant. For art lovers, a full palette of shops on Broad Street, King Street and others areas in downtown Charleston offer paintings, prints and sculptures. For menswear, try the long-established Berlins or Ben Silver on King Street or any of the national chains scattered throughout the Lowcountry. For toys, locally owned Wonderworks in St. Andrews Shopping Center in West Ashley and Belle Hall Shopping Center in Mount Pleasant offers unique educational items. For sporting goods, try Half-Moon Outfitters and The Sportsman’s Shop as well as some of the national chains such as Dick’s or Sports Authority. Looking for tires, try Gerald’s. It’s al-
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
Popular Lowcountry shopping destinations include Northwoods Mall (above) in North Charleston, Citadel Mall in West Ashley, Towne Centre in Mount Pleasant and Tanger Outlets in North Charleston. ways a great day there, as their popular ads proclaim. Locally owned Hay Tire is a popular bet as well. For shoes, Bob Ellis on King Street has been around for decades and has a national reputation for designer heels. Dozens of grocery stores dot the metro area, but if you are looking for unique, try Earth Fare at South Windermere Shopping Center in West Ashley or Whole Foods on Houston Northcutt in Mount Pleasant. Harris Teeter, Publix, Piggly Wiggly, Bi-Lo, Food Lion and Walmart also can stock your cupboards. Discount warehouse stores Costco and Sam’s Club are also good bets. Looking for a special compound that
large pharmacy chains can’t mix, try Pitt Street Pharmacy in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant and Palmetto Custom Compounding in downtown Charleston. Tucked away gems include Beba Luxe women’s apparel on Maybank Highway, Burbage’s Grocery on Broad Street and Gwynn’s in Mount Pleasant. For furnishings, Southeastern Galleries offers upper-end designs while GDC Home is more midpriced. The best thing about shopping in Charleston, according to Helen Hill, executive director of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, is that it appeals to all interests. “One of the main things visitors like
to do when they come to Charleston is go shopping,” she said. “All of our surveys show that. It’s because of the really unique retail mix in our area. You can do everything from discount shopping at Tanger to luxury and rare antiques. We run the gamut of what visitors are interested in.” Another thing that makes Charleston unique is the thriving presence of local products. From specialty foods to barbecue sauces, Charleston’s 4 million visitors a year and newcomers alike can always find something off the beaten path. “They are mixed in very well with national retailers,” Hill said of the local specialties. ✦ postandcourier.com 101
learning PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND HIGHER EDUCATION
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105 111 113 115 Public schools
Private schools
School Q&A
The achievements and struggles of the area school districts, and how parents can choose.
A sampling of Lowcountry private What’s a charter school? Magschools, how they vary and how net school? Constituent school they excel. board? Here are the answers.
Higher education
How local colleges and universities educate and train our future work force. postandcourier.com 103
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PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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South Carolina has been recognized for improving its graduation rates and SAT scores.
Public school primer Don’t be scared. Someone probably has told you that South Carolina has the worst public education system in the country and that there’s no way they’d ever enroll their kids in a public school.
Education reporter Diette Courrégé has covered schools for The Post and Courier for more than five years. A native of Baton Rouge, La., she loves running, eating and watching her LSU Tigers.
Fear not. It’s not nearly as bad as they say, although, to be fair, the state has its share of problems. South Carolina’s on-time graduation rate and SAT scores rank among the worst in the country, and poverty plagues a majority of the state’s schools. Still, South Carolina has been recognized for improving its graduation rates and SAT scores, and its elementary and middle school students score just below the national
average on nationally standardized exams. Multiple studies have cited the state’s academic standards as among the toughest in the country. Here in the Lowcountry, the state of schools varies. Some are ranked among the best in the U.S. Others are among the lowest achieving in the state. But don’t worry. Learning more about local school districts is the first step to making the best possible decision postandcourier.com 105
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER
The Academic Magnet High has been ranked as one of the best high schools in the country by Newsweek magazine. for your children and your family.
Charleston County Charleston is the second largest school district in the state, enrolling 42,000 students in 77 schools. It’s fairly diverse, with 46 percent of its students being black, 43 percent white, and 6 percent Hispanic. But that district-wide diversity is less apparent in schools. A majority of the district’s schools are skewed racially, with more than 70 percent of their students being black or white. Predominantly black or predominantly white schools are the norm, not the exception. The district’s enrollment has been on a fairly steady decline for the past decade, but schools have seen an uptick in those numbers for the past two years. District leaders believe it’s a sign of the public’s growing confidence in the system, but no one really knows why there’s been an increase or whether it’s a trend that will continue. The district spans 1,000 square miles, and it serves students in rural, urban and suburban communities. The quality of the district’s schools varies wildly, and you tend to find clusters 106 postandcourier.com
of similarly performing schools in certain areas. For example, Mount Pleasant has the strongest cadre of schools, while downtown and North Charleston have some of the weakest. As for schools’ performance, the district has its standouts. Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report magazines repeatedly have recognized Academic Magnet High in North Charleston as one of the best schools in the country. And Wando High School in Mount Pleasant is led by the country’s Principal of the Year. On the flip side, roughly 40 percent of the incoming freshmen at Burke High on the peninsula and North Charleston High in North Charleston can’t read better than a fourth-grader, and one in five schools have received the worst possible state rating from the state for its achievement. Like school districts across the South, Charleston has struggled to overcome its segregated history and the inequities that has created. A large achievement gap exists between black and white students, as well as between those who live in poverty and those who don’t. An often divided and political
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
school board also has been a roadblock for improvement in loca l schools. Its disputes often center on the district’s leadership, which has caused substantial turnover in the superintendent’s position. Charleston schools have seen more stability in that area since the board hired Nancy McGinley in 2007. A Philadelphia native, McGinley had been working here since 2004 as chief academic officer, and the board thought hiring her would help with continuity when the former superintendent left for the top schools job in Seattle. McGinley is a hard-working, goalfocused, hands-on leader who has laid out a clear vision for the district. She’s made literacy her top priority and has devoted millions of dollars in new programs to help struggling readers. Her other key goals include improving the graduation rate, increasing achievement for all students and closing the achievement gap. Noticeable improvements have accompanied McGinley’s leadership, such as more students attending schools rated excellent by the state, and a smaller percentage of students starting high school reading at a fourth-grade level or worse. One of her biggest initiatives has been providing more choice for students, and she did that by creating a new type of magnet school: a partial magnet. She hoped the hybrid design of these schools would give families more options while making the existing schools better. The concept still is in its early stages of being implemented, and it seems to be working better in some areas than others. But what’s important to know is that regardless of where you live, your children aren’t forced to attend their neighborhood school. In addition to par tia l magnet schools, the district has many types of schools, including magnet schools, charter schools and alternative education programs for children with be-
havioral and academic problems. You can find schools that offer single gender, Montessori, arts-infused, communications and military-themed programs. One of the options available to Cha rleston pa rents a re cha r ter schools. The district is one of the state leaders for its number of charter schools, and eight will serve the county’s students during the 2010-11 school year. Charleston was the first district in the state to have a charter school in 1997, one year after the state passed its charter school law. Neither Berkeley nor Dorchester counties BRAD NETTLES/THE POST AND COURIER have charter schools, and only one charter school, Palmetto Scholars Students at Cane Bay High School gather in the common area. Academy in North Charleston, is open to students who live outside of Charleston County. Most of charter schools serve a specific student group, such as at-risk students or students with disabilities, but two of the district’s charter schools, James Island High Charter and Orange Grove Elementary Charter, converted to a charter after previously existing as a neighborhood school. District leaders pride themselves on t heir state-of-t he-ar t school buildings. Until 2000, the district TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER had neglected and failed to maintain its school buildings. Because of the A teacher works with students at Charleston Progressive Academy. poor state of its schools, students and teachers were getting sick from mold and the district was in violation of health and fire safety codes. The district hired Bill Lewis, a retired Navy captain, to execute a massive construction program to transform schools that were eyesores into points of pride, and many believe he has accomplished exactly that. The district has had two phases of an ambitious building program: the first $432 million plan spanned from 2000-05 and built nine new schools, renovated or added to 26, addressed critical needs at 37, created design MIC SMITH/THE POST AND COURIER plans for four new schools and secured land for five future schools. A student reads in the media center at the Daniel Island School. postandcourier.com 107
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PUBLIC SCHOOLS
DISTRICTS
The second phase cost $495 million and will finish in 2010. It included 17 new school buildings, two major additions or renovations to existing schools, four new sites for schools or athletic facilities, and seven design plans for new schools. Officials hope to launch a third phase of a building program, and that would happen during the 201011 school year.
BERKELEY COUNTY
229 East Main St., Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-899-8600 www.berkeley.k12.sc.us
CHARLESTON COUNTY
75 Calhoun St., Charleston, SC 29401 843-937-6300 www.ccsdschools.com
Berkeley County Berkeley County is like Charleston in that it encompasses a large geographic area and has a diverse mix of schools. In its 1,200-square-mile district, Berkeley has rural, high-poverty and low-achieving schools. But you also can find urban, well-to-do and high-scoring schools here. But there are fewer extremes in Berkeley schools. Its problems with poverty and achievement aren’t as acute or pervasive as those in Charleston, and its achievements aren’t as numerous or significant. For example, none of the district’s schools have the worst possible rating, “at-risk,” on the state report card, but the district didn’t garner any unique major national honor during the 2009-10 school year. Enrollment in t he count y’s 40 schools has been on the rise, and with nearly 29,000 students, it’s the fourth largest district in the state. The district opened a new elementary and high school within the past two years to relieve overcrowding, and it’s in the early stages of planning a new middle school in Cane Bay. Fifty-five percent of its students are white, 33 percent are black, and 68 percent live in poverty. The district has formed a partnership with Trident Technical College to launch the Lowcountry’s first Middle College, which is a public high school available to juniors and seniors on the campus of Trident Tech. Students are able to take high school classes and tuition-free college classes in a college
DORCHESTER 2
102 Green Wave Blvd., Summerville, SC 29483 843-873-2901 www.dorchester2.k12.sc.us
DORCHESTER 4 BRAD NETTLES/THE POST AND COURIER
Williams Memorial Elementary School kindergarten teacher Jennifer Durr was named Dorchester District 4 Teacher of the Year in 2010. campus setting. Berkeley was one of 37 school districts to sue the state, accusing it of failing to provide a minimally adequate education. In December 2005, a judge ruled that the state does not sufficiently fund early childhood education for high-poverty children in those districts, and lawmakers responded by creating the Child Development Education Pilot Program. The program serves low-income 4-year-olds in full-day classes with a qualified teacher. Berkeley has one of the largest programs of this kind in the state, serving 2,800 4-year-olds since 2006-07. Anthony Parker became the district’s superintendent in March 2009, and he was the district’s first superintendent to be hired from out-of-state. Parker served as superintendent of two North Carolina school districts before coming here.
Dorchester 4. Dorchester 2 is a fast-growing, high-achieving district that includes a sliver of North Charleston and all of Summerville. It’s home to 20 schools as well an alternative education program for middle and high school students and an adult/community education program. The increase in student enrollment has been this district’s biggest story for the last several years. It’s ranked among the fastest-growing districts in the state, increasing its size by more than 15 percent during the past five years. The district enrolls more than 22,000 students. The growth has led the district to open four new schools since 2007 to relieve the overcrowding, and a new elementary school is slated to open in the fall of 2011. The reason Dorchester 2 has seen so much growth is because of its awardwinning schools. Many families move Dorchester County to this area for its schools, which ofDorchester County is home to two ten outscore students in other local school districts, the larger, suburban districts as well as those from across Dorchester 2 and the smaller, rural the state.
500 Ridge St., St. George, SC 29477 843-563-4535 www.dorchester4.k12.sc.us
Although its student population has had some increases in diversity and poverty, those rates are far lower than neighboring districts. Thirty-seven percent of the students are considered low-income, while 60 percent are white and 28 percent are black. Joe Pye has been the superintendent of Dorchester 2 since 1999. He’s spent more than three decades in the district as a teacher, principal and administrator, and he’s well-liked and well-respected in educator circles. Just nor t h of Dorchester 2 is Dorchester 4, the county’s smaller, rural school district. The district’s five schools enroll about 2,200 students who live in St. George, Harleyville and Ridgeville. Unlike Dorchester 2, a majority – 87 percent – of Dorchester 4’s students live in poverty, and about 60 are black. Dorchester 4 schools also struggle academically, earning an at-risk rating on the state report card overall. Superintendent Jerry Montjoy has worked for the district for more than 30 years and has led the district for the past five years. ✦ postandcourier.com 109
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BRAD NETTLES/THE POST AND COURIER
Students practice violin at Ashley Hall. Notable Ashley Hall alumnae include Barbara Pierce Bush (’43), Martha Rivers Ingram (’53), D’Anna Fortunato (’63), Crandall Close Bowles (’65) and Margaret Anne Florence Siachos (’97).
Private school options
Lowcountry parents considering a private school are faced with a legion of choices.
Private schools offer fewer students per teacher, fewer discipline problems, generally higher academic standards and a better chance of getting into an elite college. But private schools can be expensive, especially the older ones in downtown Charleston. Ashley Hall, an all-girls school behind a wrought-iron fence on Rutledge Avenue, has been teaching girls the secrets of success for more than a century. Tuition in the high-school grades is $18,800 a year. If you have a son, or you want your daughter around mixed company, or you want a more spiritual dimension in the school day, you might consider
Porter-Gaud. It’s an Episcopal school for grades 1-12 just across the Ashley River. Tuition is $17,830 for grades 6-12 and $15,180 for grades 1-5. Porter-Gaud’s graduates include comedian Stephen Colbert, worldrenowned street artist Shepard Fairey, East Coast Hockey League founder Henry Brabham and Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie P. Mughelli. Charleston Day School at 15 Archdale St. costs $14,950 a year. The school started in 1937 in the carriage house at 48 South Battery and moved to the present site in 1986. The school reports 191 students in grades 1-8. Mason Preparatory School is off Lockwood Boulevard near the down-
town hospitals. Tuition is $10,295 for grades 7-8 and $9,895 for grades 1-6. Attorney and preservationist Nancy Hawk started the school in her home at 1 Meeting St. in 1964. The school moved to its present campus in 1965 and reports 327 students. First Baptist Church School of Charleston is one of the betterknown church-run schools. It’s been at 48 Meeting St. since 1949. Tuition is $4,514 to $7,645. The school reports 430 students in K3-12. For those looking for a small school with an international approach, there’s the three-year-old University School of the Lowcountry for grades 3-8. All students learn Spanish and Latin, and old-
er students also learn Mandarin. The school rents space at Hibben United Methodist Church in Mount Pleasant. Tuition is $8,500, which includes a laptop for every student. Parents looking for a nontraditional approach also might consider the Montessori schools as well as The Cooper School in West Ashley. A number of churches run private schools and enroll hundreds of students all the way through high school. The most famous local Catholic school is Bishop England High School, home of the Battling Bishops. The school moved from Calhoun Street to a 40-acre campus on Daniel Island in 1998. Tuition is $6,900 for parishioners and $10,060 for others. Addlestone Hebrew Academy in West Ashley teaches classes through high school from a Jewish perspective. Dave Munday ✦ The Post and Courier postandcourier.com 111
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SCHOOL Q&A
SCHOOL Q&A Diette Courrégé ✦ The Post and Courier
What’s a charter school? Charter schools are public schools (that means they’re free and funded with taxpayer money), and they’re governed by elected boards of parents and community members. The state gives charter schools a certain amount of money, depending on the type and number of students they serve, and it’s up to the schools to decide how to spend it. Charter schools don’t have to follow the county school board’s policies or mandates, but they still have to meet state and federal requirements for student achievement. Why are charter schools controversial in Charleston? Money is the short answer. State lawmakers passed Act 189, a piece of legislation applicable only to Charleston County. It prohibits the school district from denying a charter school anything that is otherwise available to a public school. The problem is the statewide charter school law calls for charter schools to pay their bills, such as teachers’ salaries, rent and transportation, with an amount of money determined by a formula (charter schools receive the average of what the district receives per student). Because the district doesn’t charge neighborhood schools for its buildings and transportation, some believe Act 189 obligates the district to pay those costs, along with the amount required by formula. That could add up to millions of dollars more going to charter schools annually. That money would come off the top of the district’s budget, so that would leave less for the district’s remaining schools. What’s a magnet school? In Charleston, being a magnet school means not having a traditional neighborhood attendance zone and having some sort of theme, such as arts-infused or academically advanced. Some magnet schools are open to the entire county, while others are open only to certain geographic areas. Magnet schools don’t always receive more money than a traditional neighborhood school, but many do. Most have waiting lists.
What’s a constituent district magnet school? Constituent district magnet schools have a defined neighborhood attendance zone, but they also are open to students who live in that constituent district. These schools typically select non-neighborhood students by lottery, and they often have waiting lists. Examples include Jennie Moore Elementary in Mount Pleasant and Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary in West Ashley. What’s a partial-magnet school? Partial magnet schools have a defined neighborhood attendance zone, but they also are open to students who live in that constituent district or elsewhere in the county. These schools aren’t in high demand yet, but they also are fairly new (the Charleston County district opened five partial magnet schools in the 2009-10 school year). Examples include Chicora School of Communications and Haut Gap Middle. What’s a constituent school board? Some say Charleston is the only school district of its kind in the country because of its governance structure. The 1967 Act of Consolidation created the county school board along with eight constituent school districts and boards with specific powers. The county school board handles the district’s budget and policies, while constituent school boards have the responsibility for disciplinary hearings, student transfer requests, and schools’ attendance boundaries. All of the constituent board’s powers are subject to appeal of the county school board. Why should I care about constituent school boards? If you want your child to attend a school that he or she isn’t zoned to attend, constituent school boards will be the ones deciding whether to grant that request. And if a new school is opening and new attendance lines need to be drawn, constituent boards will decide on the attendance zones. And if your child is being recommended for expulsion, a constituent board will decide his or her fate.
Are online schools or classes an option in South Carolina? The state has both. You can earn a diploma through an online school, or you can take just a few classes online. It’s up to you. The state Department of Education offers a Virtual School Program that’s open to any student who is under 21, lives in South Carolina and is a member of a home-school association or attends a public or private school. The program doesn’t award diplomas, but it does offer dozens of courses. Students also can enroll in one of the state’s five virtual charter schools. The schools accept students from kindergarten through 12th grade, and students can earn a diploma this way. Where do I go if I want to find out more about a specific school? Govisit!Nothingbeatsafirsthandexperienceofwalking a school’s halls and meeting the folks who will be working with your children. Before you go, check out the school’s Web site (every school has one) and look at its report card (all of them can be found at http://ed.sc. govandsearch“reportcards”).Besidestellingyouhowa schoolperformed,thestatereportcardshavestatsabout students and teachers, such as how many students are eligible for gifted and talented programs. What do I need to register my child for school? Every local district requires parents to have their child’s birth certificate, proof of residency and a copy of their immunization records. Some districts request more information. In Berkeley, parents must complete a registration form and health history questionnaire, which are both available on the district Web site, as well as provide an additional proof of residency. Charleston officials also require a second proof of residency, and they request a Social Security Card, if available. Dorchester District 2 parents are asked to complete a registration form that’s available on the district’s Web site as well as provide a $20 registration fee that goes toward materials and resources for that school. Dorchester District 4 parents are asked to provide a Social Security Card, if available. ✦ postandcourier.com 113
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HIGHER EDUCATION
WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER
A group of incoming College of Charleston students makes its way down St. Philip Street during orientation.
A college town
Charleston’s colleges and universities infuse the already vibrant city with youth, energy, the arts and science and business opportunities.
Diane Knich has covered higher education for the past four years, loves to learn new things and can hold her own in a game of trivia. She grew up in Milwaukee, Wis., and graduated from the University of Minnesota and American University.
And like the many faces of the city, the largest and most ways. Many of the schools’ older and distinctly Charleston established schools have distinct personalities. buildings make history come alive on the campus. And they blend with the many new facilities the school has built College of Charleston over the past few years. Six new or renovated facilities were The College of Charleston, located in the city’s Historic completed in 2007 and three in 2008. Two new buildings District, is a public liberal arts college that has the feel of a were completed in 2010: The Marion and Wayland H. Cato private school. Jr. Center for the Arts and a new building for the School of Founded in 1770, it’s the oldest educational institu- Sciences and Mathematics. And renovations will be comtion south of Virginia, and the 13th oldest in the United plete by the end of the year on the iconic Randolph Hall, States. one of the oldest buildings on campus, Porter’s Lodge and The college has a beautiful campus. Rows of stately live the Towell Library. oak trees draped in Spanish moss shade the brick walk- About 10,000 undergraduate and 1,600 graduate students postandcourier.com 115
HIGHER EDUCATION
are enrolled at the college. At the undergraduate level, female students outnumber males by about 2 to 1. The college offers 45 undergraduate majors and 82 minors. Although students have myriad academic reasons for enrolling at the college, many also are attracted by the area’s fabulous beaches and the arts and nightlife of downtown Charleston.
Charleston Southern University Charleston Southern University students say they feel at ease in an environment where they can freely integrate their Christian faith with their intellectual pursuits. Founded in 1964 as Baptist College, the suburban North Charleston university is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. About 3,200 students are enrolled at the school, which offers more than 30 un-
dergraduate majors and four master’s degree programs. It also has 35 student organizations and 17 NCAA Division I athletic teams. The university is well-known for its nursing programs. It’s the only school in the Charleston area that offers a traditional four-year Bachelor of Science in nursing program. And it has expanded its offerings to give students more options, and to put at least a small dent in the state’s nursing shortage.
Medical University of South Carolina The university offers mostly graduate education in the health-related sciences and professions. It’s made up of six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The institution has grown from one building in 1913 to an 82-acre medical
complex with 93 buildings today. One of the newest buildings on campus is a dental clinics buildings, which opened in late 2009. The new building has the latest technology to serve patients, and the space to train more dentists and dental specialists. It has 190 dental surgical spaces and clinical space for 11 departments, including general dentistry, pediatric dentistry and oral surgery. A Drug Discovery Building and a BioengineeringBuildingareunderconstruction and expected to open in the fall of 2011. The buildings will provide space for rapidly expanding research at the university. MUSC research funding grew about 76 percent, from about $124 million in 2001 to $218 million in 2009. One of the many interesting research projects under way is one in which scientists are in the early stages of developing the technology to con-
struct human organs and creating the biological material required to create them. It’s part of The South Carolina Project, a statewide academic alliance of 10 higher education institutions, including MUSC, the University of South Carolina and Clemson University, that will work on organ biofabrication. MUSC’s Roger Markwald, chairman of the department of regenerative medicine and cell biology, is the lead scientist on the project. The university also recently hired Etta Pisano as dean of the College of Medicine, the first woman to hold that position in the school’s history. MUSC President Ray Greenberg has said Pisano is a leader in the field of mammography and was the principal investigator of a landmark study of digital mammography published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2005.
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The Citadel
Trident Technical College
The Citadel is a landmark in Charleston, known for its educational opportunities, military training and rich history. The military college has an undergraduate student body of about 2,000 students who make up the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. The school trains cadets not only in academics, but also in leadership skills. Freshman year is tough for incoming students,whoarecalled“knobs”fortheir extremelyshorthaircuts.Thefirstweekof military training, unofficially known as Hell Week, though school leaders bristle at the term, is especially challenging. Cadets come from about 40 states and a dozen countries. They live by an honor code that calls upon them not to lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those who do. About a third of the graduating classes accept military commissions. The college began admitting women in 1996 — that process didn’t unfold gracefully — and women now make up about 6 percent of the Corps. Even if attending a military college isn’t in your family DNA, The Citadel is worth a visit. The campus is open to the public year-round. Take a walking tour and see the fortress-like buildings and historic military equipment on the parade ground. Stop by the museum, which chronicles the history of the military college from its founding in 1842 to the present. And don’t miss a military parade, held on Summerall Field most Fridays during the school year. It’s probably the best free event in town.
Trident Tech has something for everyone. The college has three campuses: the Main Campus on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston; the Berkeley Campus in Moncks Corner and the Palmer Campus downtown. It also holds classes at numerous community sites. The college offers associate degrees, certificates, training programs and classes. It’s the place to go if you’re a traditional college-age student looking for a less expensive way to knock out the first two years of a bachelor’s degree. It’s also a place adults can get training for new jobs, or beef up their skills to do more in their existing positions. It even has a Kids’ College, which offers weeklong summer courses for 7- to 16-year-olds. The school offers flexible schedules that make it easy for working adults, parents and other busy people to fit education into their lives. The college is especially well-known for its culinary programs, with state-ofthe-art facilities on both the Main and Palmer campuses. Students can earn an associate degree in culinary arts, take a short course in mixing bar drinks, and just about anything in between. It also has an extremely popular nursing and allied health programs. Unfortunately, the waiting list to get in the nursing program can be long. But Trident Tech President Mary Thornley is raising money for a new building that TYRONE WALKER/THE POST AND COURIER she says will give the school the space to admit more students. ✦ A Citadel freshman signs a form as cadets give instructions.
LOWCOUNTRY COLLEGES CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
843-863-7000, www.csuniv.edu Affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the university’s mission is to promote academic excellence in a Christian environment.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
843-805-5507, www.cofc.edu Founded in 1770, the college is the oldest educational institution south of Virginia, and the 13th oldest in the United States.
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
843-792-2300, www.musc.edu The National Cancer Institute has designated the university’s Hollings Cancer Center as one of the country’s 64 leading cancer research facilities.
THE CITADEL
843-225-3294, www.citadel.edu The college has many famous alumni, including
author Pat Conroy; Ernest F. (Fritz) Hollings, U.S. Senator from 1966-2005 and S.C. governor from 1959-1963; and Charleston Mayor Joe Riley. TRIDENT TECHNICAL COLLEGE 843-574-6111, www.tridenttech.edu The college has the largest culinary arts program in the state with offerings that range from a short course in mixing bar drinks to an associate degree program in baking and pastry.
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Ashley Hall provides a classical education with program committed to producing an educated woman who is independent, ethically responsible, and prepared to meet the challenges of society with confidence. Ashley Hall welcomes students of any race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin.
working OUR ECONOMIC ENGINE
WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER
121 123 125 129 A diverse economy Bet on Boeing
Medical giants
What lies ahead
Charleston now boasts a much stronger and more vibrant economy through its diversity.
Charleston’s medical facilities deliver care, cutting-edge technology and advancements.
Wind turbines could spin off thousands of jobs and produce more economic growth.
The new jet-assembly plant will need nearly 4,000 workers to keep it running.
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A DIVERSE ECONOMY
John McDermott is the business editor of The Post and Courier, where he has tracked the ups and downs of the local economy since 1994. A graduate of the University of of Hawaii, he previously worked for newspapers in Washington, D.C., and Honolulu, but thinks Charleston beats both of those cities hands down. GRCAE BEAHM/THE POST AND COURIER
The recent addition of more cruise ship stops adds another dimension to Charleston’s economy.
A diverse economy For much of Charleston’s long history, the local economy has been defined largely by a single, dominating force. Early on, the region prospered from its agricultural resources, most famously rice. As the 20th century progressed, the metro area was transformed into a military town, becoming dangerously reliant on Uncle Sam’s deep pockets. In 2010, in a place that clings to its history and tradition more than most, it’s not that way anymore. And as difficult as the shift has been, Charleston now boastsamuchstrongerandmorevibrant economybecauseit’snolongeroverlydependent on any single job sector. “One of the things about the metro area is that we have one of the most diverse economies on the East Coast,” says College of Charleston economist
Frank Hefner. The latest arrow in the quiver is a $750 million aircraft plant at Charleston International Airport, where Boeing Co. will assemble its hotly anticipated 787 Dreamliner. Starting in mid-2011, the Lowcountry will join Washington state and France as the only three places on the planet that manufacture wide-body commercial jetliners. More broadly, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce identifies four pistons that now drive the region’s economic engine. Port of Charleston: The state-run waterfront supports more than 50,000 jobs in the local area, where the maritime
trade has a $7 billion impact. Military: The defense business remains a potent force, supporting 29,000 jobs and kicking in $3.5 billion to the regional economy. Hospitality: Greater Charleston attracts more than 4 million visitors annually who spend, on average, $235 a day in support of a $2.8 billion industry. Health care: The local lineup of major medical centers stands at 10 (with several more to come), anchoring a labor force that employs more than 24,000 individuals, including 2,000 physicians. The increased diversity has served Charleston well since the Pentagon begangraduallyclosingtheCharlestonNa-
val Base & Shipyard in the early 1990s, a move that was projected at the time to trigger more than 22,000 job losses. The shock and awe of it all galvanized the community, including turfconscious public officials who suddenly realized the value of regional cooperation when it came to replacing the lost military jobs. Though no one could have predicted it at the time, that jolt to the economy actually worked in Charleston’s favor, as private industry was about to embark on a massive expansion. “As bad as that scenario was, it was an opportune time in terms of the economic development of the country and the state,” Hefner said. He added that had the deep military cuts of the mid-1990s taken place now in Charleston, they likely would have caused “a calamity,” given the severity of the latest recession. “Thank goodness the Navy base closed when it did,” Hefner said. ✦ postandcourier.com 121
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Bet on Boeing
Transformational. That’s what South Carolina leaders are calling Boeing Co.’s decision to build its 787 Dreamliner jet plant near the Charleston airport. The aviation giant’s announcement in from around the world will come to the fall 2009 marked the state’s largest eco- site to pick up their jet purchase. And nomic development in South Carolina because many airlines are supported by history — an opportunity that could foreign government, their dignitaries stabilize the economy and help replace may come along for the pick-up too. some of the manufacturing jobs lost The jet handovers, formally called deover the years as companies switched liveries, sometimes involve fanfare and to less labor-intensive could boost the region’s techniques or took their profile. The region’s first operations overseas. delivery is expected to Boeing’s new jet-astake place in early 2012, sembly plant, a maswhen Air India officials sive structure with a are expected to pick up footprint of 12 football one of their planes. fields, will need nearly Boeing has always de4,000 workers to keep livered jets in Seattle. it running, easily makBut once the North ing it the region’s largest Charleston plant is private employer when it complete, the site will opens in summer 2011. become only the third in Already, two Boeing Katy Stech, a native of Minnesota, the world where wideplants piece together bits has covered real estate and economic body jets are handed of fuselage at the North development for The Post and Courier over. (Boeing rival AirCharleston site — a task since November 2006. She graduated bus delivers planes in that takes 3,000 workers. from Syracuse University and also has Toulouse, France.) It’s still unclear how worked for Newsday in New York and Aerospace engineers m a n y c o m p a n i e s The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle from around the world will follow Boeing to in Rochester, N.Y. also could come to the Charleston to help put site to check on their together the Dreamliner jets. Economic handiwork. The Dreamliner’s supply leaders are comparing it to BMW’s Up- chain has, for example, landing gear state manufacturing plant, which spun from the United Kingdom, cargo doors off an automotive cluster that employs from Sweden and wing tips from Korea. an estimated 7,000 workers and has at- The Charleston region has already tracted dozens of supplier companies. gotten a glimpse of that as Italian engiAnd with more than 850 Dreamliners neers fly over to check on their fuselage on order, the production offers a long- work. A barista at the Starbucks Cofterm stability that other types of manu- fee nearest the Boeing plant once told facturing haven’t been able to provide. me the shop has a loyal customer base Boeing’s Dreamliner operation also of Italian-tongued clientele who “chug has the potential to open up Charles- espresso like it’s water.” ton to the world. Not only will work- To be fair, Charleston has always ers complete Dreamliner jets in North shown an international flair that, in Charleston, airline representatives past centuries, came from its port. ✦
BRAD NETTLES/THE POST AND COURIER
A Boeing worker works inside section 47 of the new Boeing 787 at Boeing’s facility near Charleston International Airport.
How to land a job at Boeing Just because you don’t have an exhaustive resume in chemical sealants and composite drill techniques doesn’t disqualify you from working on Boeing’s airplanes. Boeing executives were admittedly nervous about building their plant in South Carolina, which lacks the longstanding aerospace skills that distinctly market Washington state’s workforce. So state officials agreed to pay $33 million for a program that will train future Boeing workers. The training takes place at Trident Technical College’s Rivers Avenue campus in North Charleston. Training program administrators screen applicants through sctechjobs.com, a website that local major manufacturers sometimes use to post jobs. Boeing also posts jobs at its own website — boeing.com/careers — and the company also relies on a handful of outside hiring agencies to find workers. One such agency, CTS International, has opened a local office at 4130 Faber Place Drive in North Charleston. postandcourier.com 123
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MEDICAL GIANTS
WADE SPEES/THE POST AND COURIER
With a practiced surgeon manning the controls, a robotic surgical device is demonstrated in an operating room at Roper St. Francis Healthcare.
Medical giants
From war-weary veterans suffering from mental illness to diabetics at risk of losing limbs and cancer patients seeking the most cutting-edge treatments — Charleston can deliver that care.
AllysonBirdgrewuponFollyBeach, graduatedfromtheUniversityofSouth CarolinaandworkedatThePalmBeach PostinFlorida,coveringcrime,before returningtoCharlestonin2008.Shenow coversbusinessandplaysonthelocalroller derbyteam,theLowcountryHighRollers.
Its medical facilities, historically clustered downtown, buildings, valued at more than $110 million, open late next continue to grow away from tradition in more ways than year on the downtown campus. The two connected properjust geography. ties include lecture space on each ground floor and laboratories up above. Medical University of South Carolina Projects inside range from cell imaging to regenerative Charleston’s pre-eminent research facility — with its pres- medicine, including a “vascular tree” designed to supply tigious National Cancer Institute designation — is about to artificial organs with blood. get even more clout, plus some new research that seems to Blocks away at an old Meeting Street mattress factory, be the stuff of science fiction. MUSC collaborated with the city of Charleston and the MUSC will see its Drug Discovery and Bioengineering S.C. Research Authority to launch The Innovation Cenpostandcourier.com 125
MEDICAL GIANTS
ter. Its 11 high-tech labs each come work-ready with about $50,000 in equipment, including emergency showers, gas and air lines, and ventilation systems that keep potentially contaminated air from escaping into the hallways. The plan: To create a place where scientists will study new ways to kill cancer and create alternative fuel that, one day, also will house bankers, attorneys and other experts who could help push the products to market.
Roper St. Francis Healthcare Roper St. Francis Healthcare will see serious expansion this fall: It opens a $143 million Mount Pleasant hospital and a $19 million cancer center in West Ashley. Roper’s oncology research includes 20 active studies on various types of cancer, each generating new information monthly. But arguably its most cuttingedge studies come from its work with stem cells to save limbs from amputation. Roper St. Francis conducted the first procedure in the nation three years ago, removing cells from a patient’s hip bone and injecting them into the muscle of the leg with poor circulation. The outpatient procedure takes about an hour and has shown a 60 percent to 70 percent success rate in patients who otherwise had no alternative to amputation. With studies for similar treatment in heart disease patients already under way in Europe and India, doctors expect the technology to save more than just legs in the future. The next phase of local study, already federally approved, will include patients for whom amputation is not imminent and those without normal kidney function.
Trident physicians continue work on three active trials, including two that use artificial devices as alternatives to fusion. To keep the experimental control, patients who agree to participate in the trials don’t know until they wake up whether they received the traditional fusion treatment or the artificial devices. The third trial studies whether stimulating the spinal cord treats recurring herniated disks better than surgery.
East Cooper Medical Center In a dramatic parade of ambulances, Tenet Healthcare Corp. closed its Mount Pleasant hospital down the road and christened the doublesized East Cooper Medical Center in April. The $153 million facility off Mathis Ferry and Von Kolnitz roads came stocked with medical technology never before seen in the East Cooper area, including an imaging laboratory where doctors can work on veins and arteries, and monitors mounted on the wall in the operating rooms that show procedures in real time. All 130 acute-care beds are private rooms with extra space, and the labor and delivery rooms include tall wooden wardrobes and ceiling heat lamps.
Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Previously, the hospital on Bee Street downtown treated its patients with regular visits and psychotropic drugs in between. It worked off a maintenance approach, trying to keep veterans from breakdowns, but now it expects them to get better. Thanks to a push from the federal government, the hospital put in a recovery coordinator, trained another veteran as a peer counselor and rolled Trident Medical Center out a curriculum in June with plans Inside the nearly 300-bed hospital to expand its classes to everything EDWARD C. FENNELL/THE POST AND COURIER in North Charleston, neurological from finances to sobriety, healthy surgeons test the latest technology in relationships and sexuality. ✦ Dr. Dilan Ellegala, MUSC neurosurgeon, performs brain surgery using a spine care. microscope. postandcourier.com 127
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WHAT LIES AHEAD
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The dawn of a new day at Breach Inlet.
What lies ahead Katy Stech ✦ The Post and Courier
South Carolina isn’t known for being on the leading edge of emerging technology, but renewable energy experts say that’s about to change. In late 2009, North Charleston won a $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help turn an aging warehouse building into a world-class wind-turbine test facility. At a site near the Cooper River’s edge, Clemson University scientists will help wind-turbine manufacturers test their drive trains, which harvest the energy from the rotation of a turbine’s blades. The project could spin off thousands of jobs and serve as a springboard for economic growth within the industry. Private companies around the world already have the wind-turbine manufacturing process down pat. But researchers, pushing ambition, are calling for the next generation of turbines to generate 15 megawatts apiece, enough electricity to power 20,000 homes.
Today, most offshore turbines generate about 1.5 megawatts. Problem is, there aren’t any research facilities in the world that can test drive trains of that capacity. That’s where the North Charleston site comes into play. The research work, hopeful economic development leaders say, could push the region to become a renewable energy hub, creating thousands of jobs. Why so confident? It’sbecauseofthemassivesizeandweightofwind-turbine drive trains, which can weigh up to 300 tons each. That’s heavier than a 787 Dreamliner jet filled with fuel, luggage and passengers. The size of the turbine parts makes it difficult to transport them, which is why manufacturers may want to build them nearby,
possibly in some of the vacant warehouses scattered throughout the former Navy base. The facility itself only will employ about 20 workers year-round. Pennsylvania, Michigan and Massachusetts also tried to get the facility. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said South Carolina won the project because of strong state support, good port facilities and Clemson University’s “forward-looking” management plans. Clemson University’s Restoration Institute rounded up a list of public and private donors who amassed enough money to match the federal grant. The Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority chipped in $6 million; the Commerce Department and the state added another $10 million. The State Ports Authority also pledged the use some of its facilities on the Navy base, and the S.C. Public Railways Commission agreed to build a rail spur to the lab. Altogether, they amassed $98 million for the project. So far, no other companies have opted to open facilities here that will test wind turbine parts. And it’s unclear where renewable energy job postings will be advertised if the industry picks up steam. The lab is expected to be ready for testing in late 2011. ✦ postandcourier.com 129
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