Run For The Fun Of It-The Cooper River Bridge Run

Run, Charleston, run. That's exactly what it will be doing April 2. Something it has been doing since 1977. The 34th annual Cooper River Bridge Run registration has reached 40,000 participants, where it was be cut off. So if you haven't and you want to, it is now too late to register. But don't let that minor setback prevent you from joining in the fun.

The first run took place on, and this is a fitting piece of information, April 2 1977. At that time there were two bridges crossing the Cooper, one called the Silas Pearman Bridge and the other the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge. The Silas Pearman Bridge hosted that first run, but later it was switched over to the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge. Over the course of time the starting locations and ending locations changed as well as the distance. The two bridges eventually met their demise, but the race continued to grow. The run is now a 10K(6.2 mile) race on the new Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

People from all over the States and other countries will participate. Action will begin on Coleman Blvd near Simmons Street and end on Meeting Street near George Street. The race for the first time will have a wave start, which will include 12 unique starts categorized by color, alpha and numeric. Runners with the best times are set in the front. The cost is $40 dollars.

It no doubt was an experience running across the old bridges, which were substantially narrower and old. I remember the first time I came to Charleston crossing those bridges and wondering if at any moment they would collapse into the Cooper. The Author Ravenel Jr Bridge offers a beautiful panarama of Charleston Bay and surrounding areas. When the gun goes off a wave of humanity will be set in motion and will continue for some time. When the race is over the fun will not end there. Music, drinks, food, and celebration continue long after the race is over.

So, for those who registered, make preparations and get ready to strap on those running shoes. The weather has been quite warm. Be prepared to sweat out all that sweet tea and bottled water. If you do not plan to run, go for the festivities and fun times. Charleston will be at her glorious best with other events planned for that busy April weekend, no fooling.-Vacation Rick Travel

Spring Is In The Air-Summerville's Flowertown Festival

It's spring in Charleston and it's surrounding areas. Winter has come to an abrupt end. The warmer weather has brought residents out of hibernation and energized the flower buds in a big way. Not even the higher gas prices can put a damper on the festivities. Stiff upper lip and all that there such stuff. Oh well, can't do anything about it, so you might as well just go out and enjoy the activities.

Spring in Summerville brings something else in an abundance. Has all the green haze coating your cars and lawn furniture got you sneezing and wheezing? If it hasn't, you are one of the fortunate. Still, you are faced with the daunting task of combating the green wave and washing your car has become a daily ritual. The culprit is the numerous pine trees. It was all those pine trees growing in Summerville that made it world famous at the beginning to the 20th century. The International Congress of Physicians in 1899 proclaimed Summerville one of the two best places in the world for people suffering from lung disorders. The turpentine scent emitted by the pine trees was considered to be the cure for a variety of respiratory ailments.

Since, Summerville's popularity has grown and is now host to a nationally acclaimed festival called South Carolina's largest Arts & Crafts festival and named one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society. The event has become known as the Flowertown Festival and is scheduled for April 1-3. The family-oriented 3-day event is staged in Azalea Park. More than 200 craft artisans and vendors will display their creative wares throughout Azalea Park. Food vendors, live entertainment, a children's carnival, a tennis classic, and a tour of historic homes and gardens will ensure that everyone has something to do, see, or eat. Bring your cameras to record the fun. The azalea bloom should make for some colorful pictures.-Vacation Rick Travel

Other events in the area include:
Rockfest 2011-Apr 3, 1:00 pm, Exchange Park Fairground. Tickets
Cooper River Bridge Run-04/02/2011. To register for the Bridge Run, go to bridgerun.com.
Family Circle Cup-April 2-10, 2011
Festival of Houses and Gardens-March 17 - April 16

A Night Of Tennis And Music-Family Circle Cup Week April 2-10

He was known for his tantrums and recently did a commercial that tried to capitalize on that deserved reputation. Most everyone thought he lacked sportsmanship and was super obnoxious. If you had the chance to watch him play, you would have seen him on several occassions slamming his racket to the ground and hurling four letter words at the official while his opponents dreaded the break in the action. Sometimes you wondered if it was a deliberate act to throw his opponents out of sync. One of his more well known quotes stated he let his racket do the talking and in most cases it did. He won 17 Grand Slam titles - seven in singles (3 Wimbledon, 4 U.S. Open) and 10 in doubles (5 Wimbledon, 4 U.S. Open, 1 French Open). He finished the year as No. 1 player in the world 1981-84. His name is John McEnroe and he is returning to the Family Circle Cup, which is scheduled April 2-10, 2011.

The Family Circle Cup is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. The tennis event has been played on the green clay courts at the Daniel Island Tennis Center Facility since 2001. Other previous notable venues include the Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island and Amelia Island off the coast of Florida. Last year Samantha Stosur was the Singles Champion. Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova were the Doubles Champions. Top prize money this year is set at $721,000. Over ninety players will be competing for a piece of that purse. Samantha Stosur, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova and American Melanie Oudin are among the top players scheduled to appear along with No. 1 ranked Caroline Wozniacki.

John McEnroe will defend his Game, Set, Rock! singles title on a special night of entertainment Saturday, April 9, 2011. Festivities for Game, Set, Rock! Tennis. Amplified begin at 7:30pm. It will be an evening of music and tennis entertainment. McEnroe will be playing Todd Martin, who was ranked No. 4 at one time. Joining them will be tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Tickets for this one night event can now be purchased. Box Level seating will be available for $50, Terrace Level for $35, and Grandstand for $20.

A Family Circle Tennis Center highlight: Hootie & the Blowfish on August 8, 2006 released an album featuring such hits as "Hold My Hand", "Only Wanna Be with You", "Old Man & Me", and "One Love" filmed in Charleston, South Carolina's Family Circle Magazine Stadium on August 12, 2005.-Vacation Rick Travel

Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel-Charm And Sophistication

Charleston is renowned as a walking city. After spending the day passing through the iron gates of its most famous estates you will be looking to cool your heels and just plain chill out for the rest of the day. There is no shortage of hotels and inns to choose from when it comes to accommodations in The Holy City's Historic District. Some are former residences of Charleston's elite of yesteryear and others are renovations of old structures that once graced its cobbled streets, some with not so graceful of a past. Each establishment is ready and willing to pamper your self indulgent side and cater to your most basic traveling needs. The Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel provides the ultimate experience in comfort and hospitality combining traditional southern charm with modern sophistication.

This AAA Four-Diamond award winning hotel was built in 2001 and went through a massive renovation that was completed in 2008. The Renaissance Charleston has marked themselves as the hotel known for "Unlocking the Gates of History." The beautiful iron gates found throughout the city was incorporated into the decor from the carpets to small details found throughout the building. Every room has new furnishings and fully equipped with a new 32-inch, flat screen HD Television, as well as a connectivity panel, allowing users to charge and integrate all their electronic devices.

The lobby area has also been redesigned and furnished to create a central meeting place in the heart of the hotel where you can relax with a drink while making plans or talk over the days activities. The Wentworth Grill serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Lounge at Wentworth Grill offers both local and specialty cocktails with patio seating. The Hotel also has a roof top swimming pool.

It is ideally located right next to the King Street Shopping District. Three blocks away is the Old City Market. South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston City Marina, and Fort Sumter Tours are also nearby. From the Old City Market you can catch a historic carriage ride to get a quick overall exposure to the city and its history, picking out sights to come back to for a more intimate look-see. The hotel staff will be glad to help you with information pertaining to tours and places of special interest. Rates start at $238 per night on hotels.com, $219 on priceline.-Vacation Rick Travel