Great Beach Day On Isle of Palms Memorial Day, May 28, 2012-TS Beryl Kicked Up The Surf

Isle of Palms pier

While Tropical Storm Beryl's bands battered Florida and Georgia, Charleston's beautiful beaches basked in bright sunshine and balmy breezes on this Monday of the Memorial Day weekend. Even though much of Beryl stayed south, the surf was feeling the effects. I ventured out onto Front Beach on Isle of Palms around noon time and the waves were washing up on shore making finding a spot to lay a towel on dry sand more difficult because of the crowd of sunbathers and swimmers. It was also near high tide. Those closet to the water were doing the beach shuffle, trying to keep there blankets out the encroaching waters. Everyone was having a great time.

There was a few surfers working the swells. The best wave hopping would have been found on Folly Beach, the place where all the more experienced surfers go when a storm is brewing in the Atlantic, but the Isle of Palms this day offered plenty of opportunity for it. It was the boogie boards and skim boards that ruled the waves. On shore, there were a few batting the volleyball around by the nets, like Jim and Melonie and others throwing the football in the surf like Joey, Joseph, and Torri. There was also the usual bocce ball players. Most were just there simply to soak up the rays and relax. Whether resident or vacationer, emphasis was on spending some quality time with family and friends.

Jim and Melanie practicing vollies

Bocce players

Mother taking pictures of the kids

Boogie board fun

Beach beauties

The whole time I was on the Isle of Palms the skies were clear, the sun hot, and the breeze brisk. The temperature was around 85 degrees. The clouds stayed off to the south and west. After I left Front Beach, I drove up to Breach Inlet where Isle of Palms ends and Sullivan's Island begins. The inlet is historically known as the actual launching site for the H. L. Hunley. There were a few fishing from the H. L. Hunley Bridge and about the same number fishing off the beach. You can't swim in Breach Inlet because of the powerful currents, and with the wind and high tide the waters were even more worked up. It's a beautiful spot to take pictures with the open waters of the ocean in the distance and the docks in the Intracoastal Waterway of the islands. You will often find dolphins frolicking in these waters, but today was not one of those times.

The Boathouse restaurant is located at Breach Inlet on the Isle of Palms side of the bridge. The restaurant was originally an old bait shop. In 1996 it was reconstructed and became the Boathouse. The restaurant's interior and exterior were designed to reflect an understated, low country island dwelling, complete with authentic local nautical features. It is casual dining with first-rate seafood, guaranteed to be fresh. The restaurant also features a rooftop bar where you can sip cocktails with a beautiful waterfront view, especially around sunset. Located at 101 Palm Blvd, Isle of Palms. Call 843-886-8000 for reservations and information.

I headed over to Summerville late afternoon. Summerville was feeling the effects of the tropical storm. There were more clouds in the sky and the ground showed signs that it had rained not long before. I wanted to check out the eatery called Perfectly Frank's. It was recently featured on the Food Network. Their main featured food is hot dogs, but there is nothing simple about these hot dogs. These hot dogs come topped with just about anything you can think of and have names like Frankie Valli and Frank Sinatra. I like bratwurst, so I chose the item called Frankie Brat. It was a bratwurst marinated in beer and onions, then grilled and topped with spicy mustard. Along with the brat, I ordered a 1/2 basket of fries. With a drink, it all cost between $7 and $8's.

The establishment was bright and colorful with scenes painted on the walls and simple tables and chairs to sit on. When I was there the line was long, which is not a good thing when you are hungry, but a good sign for the restaurant. One final note: Guard your food with your life or conscientious workers clearing the tables will take it. I got up to get a refill on my sweet tea and when I returned to the table my food was gone. Apparently, they thought I had left. They gave me a free order of fries and offered me another brat, but I declined. No harm, no foul. You can check them out at 118 N. Main Street in Summerville or perfectlyfranksonline.com.

What did you do on Monday, Memorial Day weekend?

Spoleto Festival USA And Piccolo Spoleto Time Has Arrived-Choose Your Event, There Are Many

Piccolo Spoleto 2012 Poster Image

by Linda Elksnin

It's Spoleto Festival USA time in historic Charleston starting on May 25, 2012. But this venue is a two for one deal because it is also Piccolo Spoleto Festival time. The two festivals coincide with one another, beginning on the same day and ending on the same day. Spoleto Festival is the parent festival and Piccolo Spoleto was incorporated as a compliment but with a different emphasis. Both festivals are a celebration of the performing, literary and visual arts. Where as Spoleto's focus is on international artists, Piccolo Spoleto's focus is primarily on artists of the Southeast region. Obviously, with over 700 events scheduled in the 17 days the festivals run, you have to be selective. For a complete list of Spoleto events go to Spoleto Festival USA.

One aspect of Piccolo Spoleto is half of its events are admission free. The series of free events include the Sunset Serenade concert behind the U.S. Custom House featuring the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Children’s Festival, the Memorial Day Concert, the Sand Sculpting Competition, the Intern Block Party, the Petite Performance Pavilion, and the Piccolo Spoleto Finale at Hampton Park.

The Intern Block Party: "Anchored Down in Charlestowne" will be June 2 from 6-10pm at Marion Square, King and Calhoun Streets. There will be live music by local bands, a variety of food vendors, and lots of games. Local favorites Folkgrass, Old You, and Rustic Remedy are the featured bands performing their versions of folk, soul, and blues-rock music. Another featured talent will be McKenzie Eddy of Bluroc Records. This soulful songwriter is a graduate from the University of South Carolina and from Hilton Head Island. She toured the East Coast with her funk-rock band Stealing From Bandits for a time and then linked up with hip-hop mogul Dame Dash in New York City where she began running Blueroc and working with artists such as the Black Keys, the London Souls, Curren$y, Ski Beatz, Vado, and Camron. After the party, Charleston has a vibrant nightlife including places like Wet Willies, Mad River Bar and Grille, Charleston Beer Works, Rooftop Bar Vendue Inn, and Closed For Business to name a few. Here is a complete list, and enjoy this video of last years block party.


The Children's Festival: "Once upon a time..." will be at Marion Square, King and Calhoun Streets on May 26 from 10am-3pm. It will be a day of music, dance, arts & crafts with a special focus on storytelling, children’s literacy, and summer reading programs for kids at the Charleston County Library. This is only the beginning of the story. On site will be SC Aquarium’s sealife “touch tank” and Cabot Cheese of Vermont with a sizable exhibit featuring Vermont dairy farmers making their famous cheddar cheese. Photographs of their farms will also be displayed for your viewing and education.

Isle of Palms Front Beach will be the scene of the Sand Sculpting Competition June 2 from 9am-12noon. We look forward to seeing what the area's creative minds can come up with this year. This is a specialized art form utilizing a balanced mixture of water and sand blended together to create whatever shape or form the human imagination can conceive and the hands can orchestrate at its best, with alittle help from various small tools and enhancing mediums. After all, isn't that what Piccolo Spoleto is all about, fostering appreciation for the arts. A great way to begin the day. Young and not so young can join in the fun for free. Trophies will be awarded. Bathing suits and bare feet recommended. Her are some pictures of last year's entries.

Do you like American films? Charleston County Public Library will host a series of free movies. For the complete list of times visit Charleston County Library. Do you like poetry? Dock Street Theatre Courtyard will feature "Sundown Poetry". Judith Pacht, Jerri Chaplin, Diana Pinckney, and Gretl Claggett are some of the poets highlighted. For the complete list of times and dates visit Dock Street Theatre. This is only the tip of the ice tea. Go to Piccolo Spoleto Festival for all of the scheduled events.

It all ends on June 10, 2012. So, choose your poison, figuratively speaking. Charleston's festivals offer the best in visual arts exhibits, classical music, jazz, dance, theatre, poetry readings, children’s activities, choral music, ethnic cultural presentations, crafts and film. Enjoy the free stuff and for everything thing else purchase your tickets and have the time of your life.

A "Dinner In The Sky" Charleston Style-Imagine It, Dream It, Live It

Last year, I wrote an article about one of the world's most unique and fascinating dining experiences. By far, it has been the most popular article I have written to date with readers from all over the world, and it ranks high on numerous search engines. Forbes magazine listed it as one of the 10 most unusual restaurants in the world. One of the features that makes this dining venue unusual is its versatility. You don't have to make a reservation and then travel to a specific geographical location because it comes to you, wherever that may be. It is totally mobile and not even limited by the sky. The only limitation is your imagination.

This "birds eye view" dining experience debuted in May of 2006. It has catered to high flying patrons in places like Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Johannesburg, Las Vegas, and Miami with backdrops like the unforgettable Grand Canyon, the skyline of Tallinn, London Bridge, Paris' famous Notre Dame cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, majestic Niagra Falls, and a host of other historical landmarks many people only dream of seeing. The concept was founded by Belgium marketing entrepreneur, David Ghysels, and has taken flight to greater heights since it began under the name "Dinner in the Sky". Now, it is operational in 32 countries around the globe with an impeccable safety record.

Notre Dame cathedral, Paris

Johannesburg, South Africa

London Bridge, London

Las Vegas

Dining where eagles fly gives a whole new name to the experience of eating out, or should I say eating up. Picture yourself and a group of your closest friends dangling 165 ft. above Patriot's Point around sunset with downtown Charleston, the Authur Ravenel Bridge, Charleston Bay, Fort Sumter, Patriot's Point Links, the USS Yorktown, and Mount Pleasant spread below your feet as a backdrop. With your sense of sight soaking in the grand panorama, your other senses will likewise indulge equally, especially your sense of taste and smell along with your sense of balance. Add to this, one of Charleston's finest chefs conjuring up his imaginative take on the famous Lowcountry cuisine and servers catering specifically to your needs and wants, and you will have experienced the total dining package with a different twist. Imagination is the idea behind the concept.

The concept of "Dinner in the Sky" allows it to be organized anywhere and in anyway. It could be a golf course, a sports venue, ocean side, in a vineyard or a historical site. It could be sky high gourmet dinners, corporate/hospitality events, and special events such as promoting your business, VIP client dinners, board dinners with a “Wow” factor, seminars or celebrating unforgettable rehearsal dinners. A surface area of approximately 5000 square feet is required to accommodate the 40 ft. truck and crane, and of course the authorization by the owner of the property. If you are unable to find an acceptable venue, "Dinner in the Sky" will be happy to help you. You can arrange your own catering, but if you need any assistance they will be able to assist you with some high quality catering companies.

The platform is 30 ft. in length and 17 ft. in width. The 22 guests are comfortably strapped into a leather seat that is secured to a dining table. The seats swivel 180 degrees for maximum viewing. The dining table and seats are connected to a crane with a telescopic boom which then performs the lift. If you have ever been to the amusement park in Ohio by Lake Erie called Cedar Point, think of the Power Tower, only not near as fast. The center of the dining table has a walking platform that can accommodate 5 additional standing guests primarily for the purpose of serving food and beverages. The additional five could be three chefs, a supervisor, and a photographer. Or, and this is where your imagination comes in, it could be 3 chefs, a photographer, and Eddie Bush for some musical entertainment. So, sit back, get comfortable, but please try to avoid kicking your shoes off for obvious reasons.

Platform with chef and servers

Example of advertising.

Now, let's talk money. It all comes with a hefty price tag, especially the insurance. "Dinner in The Sky" carries a $10 million in liability insurance of its own. An event can cost anywhere from $20k to $50k. "Dinner in the Sky" is secured in 8 hour blocks. It takes 3 hours for set up and break down leaving 5 hours for entertaining. In that time frame you could realistically serve up to 66 guests. After all, you don't need more than an hour and a half to eat. At the low end of $20k, if you were to divide the expense between the 66 guests, it would cost $303 each. Take it down to an hour a sitting and you could serve 110 guests equalling $182 per person. If you are promoting your business there are some kickbacks. The platform itself offers hundreds of square feet of advertising space. It would solicit you some serious exposure, not to leave unmentioned, you would be the talk of the town.

How about a wedding in the sky?

Aside from the money concern, there are frequently asked questions. One pressing concern: What do you do if you have to use the restroom? If you must go, the table goes down. Just think of this, if you are on a jet and you see someone get up, you know where he or she is going, but it isn't so obvious to everyone on the jet. In this situation, when the table goes down unexpectedly, everyone will know the culprit and the reason when the seat belt starts unlatching. Do you tend to get embarrassed easily? But hey, you are only human.

You only live once, so they say. Throw caution to the wind, roll the dice, convince yourself money is no object. Make the move to "Dinner in the Sky", then sit back and prepare yourself for seduction amongst the clouds. Revel in ecstasy from the finest of champagnes to gourmet food, cocktails, music, or anything in between. Live in the moment because after the booze wears off you might then second guess the expenditure, or not. If you would like detailed information or brochures, send me an email at vacationrick@hotmail.com

Mount Pleasant-Gateway To Charleston Hosts The Lowcountry Splash May 19th And Other Activities You Don't Want To Miss

This one-time English settlement was known as "the sleepy town on the other side of the harbor." Then, it had an abrupt awakening. Life changed dramatically for this "sleepy town" with the construction of the Grace Bridge in 1929 and then the Silas Pearman Bridge in 1966, but these two bridges, which crossed the Cooper River and connected it with Charleston, would feel the stiff winds of change themselves, in a big way. The bridges bowed to the inevitable winds of progress and were replaced with the highly celebrated eight-lane wonder, the Authur Ravenel Bridge. The gates of Mount Pleasant were flung open. The building boom that was ignited made it one of the states fastest growing areas for several years. It is now known as the suburban gateway to Charleston and two of Charleston's most popular beaches, The Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island.

Shem Creek

Mount Pleasant's cherished history has been well preserved along side its remarkable growth. You can still view the fishing fleet moored at the docks in 300 year old picturesque Shem Creek, also considered the historic heart of Mount Pleasant. Historic Boone Hall Plantation is open to the public with events scheduled throughout the year. Across the road from Boone Hall is Snee Farm Plantation, home of one of the original signers of the Constitution. Travel along Highway 17 and you will get a glimpse of its Gullah heritage where sweetgrass basket stands dot the roadside. The Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Pavilion is located at Memorial Waterfront Park. The original village was laid out by James Hibben in 1803 when it received its name. Hibben House still stands in the Old Village. A note from the Civil War years: Mount Pleasant was the secret training ground for the crew of the H. L. Hunley, the Confederate submarine that sunk the USS Housatonic.

USS Yorktown, Patriots Point

Today, Mount Pleasant is home to Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum where the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown serves as a museum, Palmetto Islands County Park, a nature-oriented, 943-acre park with Splash Island Waterpark, paddle boats, bicycle paths, boardwalks, and picnic sites with grills, Westbrook Brewing Company, golfing, kayaking, and a farmer's market. Shem Creek is a popular hot spot for live music and eateries such as Red's Icehouse, Vickery's Bar and Grill, Shem Creek Bar and Grill, and the Water's Edge Restaurant. It hosts the Cooper River Bridge Run held every year, a 10k run across the Authur Ravenel Bridge, that draws people by the tens of thousands from all over the country and the world. The list of festivals and events goes on and on.

Shem Creek Inn

This Saturday, May 19th, it will host the "Lowcountry Splash", a 2.4 mile open water swim along the Mount Pleasant shoreline from Hobcaw Yacht Club and wet finish at the Charleston Harbor Marina in front of the USS Yorktown. The Splash has been growing in popularity through the years attracting swimmers from 30 of the 50 states and 3 countries. It is a benefit race for the Logan Rutledge Children’s Foundation. Entry fee is $60. You can register here. Race begins at 8:00 am. First shuttle bus departs Patriots Point at 6:30am-schedule. There are prizes in different age categories. The weather looks good for this Saturday morning and the tide is favorable.

Following the race, head on over to The Lighthouse on the Creek, next to Reds on Shem Creek for "Eddie Bush and The Mayhem" kicking off the "Lowcountry Splash Race to Rock II After Party" starting 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. Admission is free and $20 wristbands get you all you want adult beverages.

The fun doesn't end there on Saturday, May 19th,  in Mount Pleasant. "Shaggin' on the Cooper" should be your next stop. Live music will fill the air on the Mount Pleasant Pier. Gates open at 7:00 pm and the music begins at 8:00 pm. The featured band is the Yeager Park Band. All ages are invited to let loose, breathe in the ocean breeze and dance the night away under the stars. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets purchased in advance: $10/$8, at the gate: $10 (based on availability). Located at 71 Harry Hallman Boulevard, Mount Pleasant.

Don't forget the "Party at the Point" held every Friday night at the Hilton Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina on Patriots Point. It will be Reggae Night with Dub Island and The Dubplates. Admission is $5. Gates open at 5:30 pm.

Party at the Point

May 20, 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Park West Recreation Complex will be the "Mount Pleasant Beers, Beats, and Eats." If you want to sample local and regional craft beers, this is the event. A home brewer's tent will be set up with creative craft beer demonstrations and accompanied by delicious local food. Entertainment will include the bands The 3 Dudes, The Larry/David Project and Plane Jane. The first 1,000 sample-ticket buyers will receive free souvenir mini-tasting mugs. Free admission, parking and kids activities. Located at 1251 Park West Boulevard, Mount Pleasant.

"Charley's Aunt" Now Showing-Laugh Your P-Aunts Off At The James F. Dean Theatre In Summerville

It was to be the night of the "supermoon". It is a celestial event called a perigee in astronomical terms. It was extensively publicized on the internet at the start of the day and highly anticipated by many. It happens once a year and occurs when the moon is at its closest point to our celestial home during its yearly orbital trek through space. If you are a Facebook follower, and who isn't these days, you would have seen a multitude of posts throughout the day making reference to its coming. Plans were made to take advantage of the best vantage points for observation and cameras were readied.

As the "supermoon" moved through the skies above us, another highly publicized and anticipated event was unfolding in Summerville. The overhead lights in the James F. Dean Theatre were dimmed and the Flowertown Player's stars of "Charley's Aunt" stepped out of the darkness unto the stage. The resolve of their hard work and sacrifice would now be put to the test. "Charley's Aunt" was billed as a comedy of the classic type.

Matthias Burrell

Classic by definition means top quality with lasting value, timeless, ageless. "Charley's Aunt", released in 1892, was a highly successful play in its debut and set the standard for its genre, comedy. The storyline is timeless and ageless in that what was found to be humorous in its early days is still found to be humorous today. It set records for longevity and was a Broadway success in 1893. A classic, it is without a doubt. To live up to the billing as a comedy, laughter would have to be heard in the theater.

When the stage lights came on, Jack Chesney (John Black) was sitting at a desk agonizing over the proper words he should use in preparation of writing a letter to his sweetheart. Moments later, Charles Wykeham (David Whittington) entered on the scene plagued with the same indisposition. From those initial moments you could tell the two actors had the right chemistry for a successful pairing as friends with a common objective, winning the hand of their sweethearts. How they would achieve that objective is where the story begins and Charley's Aunt was a pivotal piece in the ultimate success of their scheme. John Black and David Whittington kind of reminded me of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, a one time successful comedic pairing, or more recently Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn of "Wedding Crashers" fame.

The butler, Brassett (Jerry Squires) was summoned to deliver the letter. (If you are ever in need of a butler, Jerry would be a good choice. His butler-like mannerisms and inflection were "spot on.") With the letter sent, it looks as though the plan was proceeding smoothly. Jack and Charley leave the scene, at which time Lord Fancourt Babberley (Matthias Burrell), affectionately known as Babbs, enters looking for some champagne to borrow and then attempts to sneak off with it. He is intercepted by Jack and Charley. In the course of their interaction Babbs informs them he will be in a play where he dresses as a woman. He wants to try the dress on and get their opinion on how it looks.

John Black, Matthias Burrell, and David Whittington

While Babbs is getting ready, Jack and Charley find out Charley's aunt would not be arriving as scheduled, which throws them into a tizzy because she was to be their chaperon. Kitty Verdun (Alexa-Marie Acuna) and Amy Spettigue (Lindsey Murray) arrive and find out Charley's aunt is not there yet and tell the boys they will leave to go shopping and come back later. Meanwhile Babbs, in the other room, had put on his wardrobe and summoned Jack to take a look. When Jack saw Babbs the scheme took a new, diabolical course. Babbs stepped out in a black dress and blonde wig. He is coerced into substituting for Charley's aunt.

From that moment on the laughs began. Things got even more complicated when Jack's father, Colonel Sir Francis Chesney (Barry Gordon), visits him unexpectedly with disturbing news and then later, Amy's uncle, Stephen Spettigue (Ken Malcom), appears on the scene. To make matters even worse, the real Charley's aunt (Stephanie Crowley) shows up accompanied by Ela Delahay (Erin Gentry), an orphaned young girl. The aunt's name was Donna Lucia d'Alvadorez. Now, that is a mouthful. Try saying it five times fast without messing it up.

Ken Malcom, Jerry Squires, Stephanie Crowley
Alexa-Marie Acuna, John Black, Matthias Burrell
 David Whittington, Barry Gordon, Lindsay Murray
Erin Gentry

Matthias Burrell brought the laughs with his characterization of a man wearing a sloppy blonde wig, dressed as a woman from Brazil, where the nuts come from. The scary part, he looked alot like the bratty girl from "Little House on the Prairie", only older. I have to say, at times the very shrilly voice grated on your nerves, but it no doubt was all part of the act.

The director, Jamie Gresens, did a good job bringing it all together. The timing and flow of the character's movements on stage were coordinated well. The lines were delivered near flawlessly by the actors. Sean Lakey, set designer, did an excellent job with the visual aspects pertaining to backdrops and props. You will have to follow this one closely to keep up with all the twists and pay attention to the punch lines. If you do that, you will find "Charley's Aunt" very entertaining and worth a night out at the James F. Dean Theatre for laughs. Buy tickets.

Charleston's Pirate Past-Colorful History Telling And Family Fun

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow

Who doesn't remember the unforgettable Seinfeld episode where Jerry unwittingly agreed to wear the puffy shirt. "I don't want to look like a pirate," he lamented. Jerry apparently was not impressed by the fact pirates have become quite fashionable in recent times thanks to the infamous attraction at Disney called "Pirates of the Caribbean", the ride that inspired the creation of the character movie fans and pirate lovers have come to know as Captain Jack Sparrow. Pirate popularity borders on that of cultural icons. There is even a day set aside since 1995 called "International Talk Like a Pirate Day" commemorated on September 19. So, what was it about pirates, speaking of the ones from the Golden Age of Piracy and not the modern version, that makes them appealing enough for people to be willing to fork over $11 to sit and watch two hours of piratical hijinks?

If one is to believe the movie version of pirates, such as what Disney presents, one would envision an individual where a healthy, personal hygiene appears to be lacking as well as an upstanding vocabulary and daily change of wardrobe. Existing in a state of a rum induced coma would have been a common repose along with swinging from ropes with sabres clenched in their rotting teeth pillaging and plundering seaside towns and ocean going vessels as their frowned upon preoccupation. All these apparent characteristics are not what you would exactly call desirable or inspiring, if you are to believe the movies. Actually, the shreads of known reality and imagined myth have been inseparably intertwined by bookwriters and storytellers when it comes to the real pirate life.
   
Still, I think what appeals to the masses on the subject of pirates is the socially unfettered freedom they represented. The pirate lived outside of the social contraints others were bound by either religiously or politically. A freedom to do what you pleased, go where you pleased, and do it when you pleased is appealing to the modern person who rises every morning to an alarm clock and answers to an institution he or she depends upon for economical survival. In reality though, a pirates life was anything but glamorous. Life on the high seas was rigorous and dangerous. Only a few names attained greatness, but their endings were ignominious.

Charleston was no stranger to pirates and piracy. Famous names like Stede Bonnet, Blackbeard, and Calico Jack are recalled and stories recounted in its historic tours and even though the list is male dominated, a few women had made their claim to fame in the annals of pirate legends, Anne Bonny and Mary Read to name a couple. So, the following facts to my knowledge are true because "Dead men tell no lies."

Guard House at Half Moon Battery where Bonnet's crew was imprisoned now the Old Exchange 

Stede Bonnet, also called "the gentleman pirate", figured prominantly in Charleston's pirate past partly because of his association with Blackbeard, but mainly due to the fact he met his demise in 1718 dangling from a rope at White Point Gardens overlooking Charleston Harbor on the end of E. Bay Street. His captor, William Rhett, also had a Charleston connection. In the early days, when Charleston was called Charles Town, Rhett purchased a sugar plantation on Hassel Street where he built a house that was completed in 1716. It still stands today as a tourist attraction. Sullivan's Island was also a part of the Bonnet story. Shortly after his capture by Rhett, Bonnet escaped custody and hid on the island where he was recaptured for the last time.

Blackbeard (Edward Teach)

Blackbeard's real name was Edward Teach. Of all the famous pirates, his legend is the most remembered in Charleston. Blackbeard, in 1718, blockaded the harbor with his fleet and plundered any ship making an attempt to enter its port, thus cutting off any supplies coming into Charleston. He held the entire town hostage with this action and had only one demand, medicines. If the town didn't meet his demands, the captives he took from the pillaged ships would have their heads cut off and the ships burned. Blackbeard sent Mr. Marks and two other pirates to retrieve the medicines. When the entourage didn't return, Blackbeard moved his ships into port and threatened to burn the town. It seemed the two pirates did what pirates do, drank and got drunk. A reporting messenger also claimed Mr. Mark's boat capsized on the way into town, adding to the delay. Finally, they returned with the medicines and Blackbeard honorably held to his side of the bargain by releasing the ships and hostages minus anything of value, including their clothing. After all, he was a pirate. In time, Blackbeard had his head separated from his body and his crew taken in irons to meet their fate.

Pirates have walked the streets of Charleston and drank in its taverns, creating tall tales blended with a mixture of truth and myth. A good example is the Pirate House with its Pirate Courtyard on Church Street next to St. Phillips Church Cemetery. Legend tells it was a boarding house for pirates. There is even another story linked to Blackbeard where it was rumored the top of his skull was sent back to Charleston to be fashioned into a drinking cup. The Pink House on Chalmers Street, once a tavern, was also a likely drinking hole. "Drink up me harties, drink up." You can learn all about the fascinating piratical history at the various tours in Charleston. Check out Charleston Pirate Tours and Tour Charleston.

Pink House on Chalmers Street