Step Back to Charleston's Colonial Days during and after the Revolutionary War--The Heyward-Washington House

The Heyward-Washington House became Charleston's first historic house museum in 1930 after being acquired by the Charleston Museum in 1929. It was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1978. Two of the Heyward-Washington House's dramatic features are exclusive to Charleston house tours. It is located far from the madding crowd of tourism just south of Broad Street in a quiet section of the Lower Peninsula on Church Street.

Thomas Heyward Jr was one of four South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence and an artillery officer with the South Carolina militia in the Revolutionary War. He built his Georgian-style double house in 1772. However, he was captured by the British in 1780 when they took possession of the city and returned in 1781 by way of an exchange. In May of 1891, the city rented the house for George Washington's use during the President's week-long Charleston stay. Thus, it is recognized as the Heyward-Washington House, even though it was purchased from Heyward by John F. Grimke in 1794.

A black sign bearing its name marks the address. Standing at its large, Colonial-style pediment front door, a note requests you to knock. The host welcomes you to step into its large center hall which leads to the room where you either pay for the tour ($15) or present your pre-paid voucher. The tour is a self-guided audio presentation, and you can begin anywhere you want. The audio tour includes a recognition of the contributions of Lowcountry women and the enslaved.

You will see a superb collection of historic Charleston-made furniture as you leisurely stroll from room to room including the priceless Holmes Bookcase, considered one of the finest examples of American-made colonial furniture. The audio device details how each room had a specific use to the family combined with a story from the life of the Heyward family in that particular room. Recovered artifacts are displayed throughout. No surprise, in one of the rooms, you will see a portrait of its famous guest, George Washington, hanging above its fireplace.

The highlight of the tour, in my opinion, is when you step out the back entrance. It is here you will see the two dramatic features exclusive to Charleston house tours--the only 1740s kitchen building open to the public in Charleston as well as formal gardens featuring plants commonly used in the South Carolina Lowcountry in the late 18th century. The carriage house and kitchen building flanked each side with the spacious, beautifully landscaped garden extending beyond to the estate's farthest edges. I was surprised how far back it went. It was interesting to see the wide variety of utensils used in the kitchens and what meals were prepared for Thomas Heyward and guests. There is still an active archeological dig underway in the gardens.

The Heyward-Washington House offers an interesting and informative step back to Charleston's colonial days during and after the Revolutionary War for $15. However, several options are available for purchase. You can combine this tour with tickets to the Charleston Museum for $22 or combine it with tickets to the Museum and a tour of the Joseph Manigault House for $30. Tickets are valid for one year after purchase date. For the options, go to Charleston Museum.

87 Church St, Charleston, SC

Monday-Saturday: 10 am -5:00 pm (last audio tour at 4:15 pm)

Sunday: 12:00 - 5:00 pm (last audio tour at 4:15 pm)

Be the Talk of Charleston and Consider Doing Something Extraordinary

Charleston is an awesome city for sightseeing. There is history at every turn of the corner and a tour dedicated to assisting you in reliving that history for a brief moment.

As you walk its streets, you are surrounded by the gentle chaos of tourism at its best. Horse drawn carriages prowl the cobbled streets, groups led by knowledgeable guides crowd the corners, families and couples scurry about looking in the windows of its small shops or patiently stand in long lines for an opportunity to eat at one of Charleston's signature restaurants.

Now, imagine having a birds eye view of this menagerie of human activity. It is feasible with one of the many highly technical drones available today. From that vantage point, you can soak in a view of the popular rooftop bar on the Pavilion Hotel gracefully overshadowing the famous landmark called the Old City Market. In the near distance, the South Carolina Aquarium glistens in the sun and the salty bay waters lick the docks where the cruise ship Fantasy resides when in port. Across the rolling water stands old Fort Sumter like a proud sentinel at the edge of Charleston Bay between Sullivan's Island and Morris Island. As you scan back to the waterfront, the many diverse rooftops of the majestic old homes along East Battery come into view culminating at Battery Park. St. Matthew's Church, Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, Rainbow Row, Dockstreet Theater, and Meeting Street trailing like a cement river are all within view. 

Now, let's take that thought to another level. Imagine physically hovering 165 feet over the downtown district with a glass of wine in your hand. That would be a unique experience, and for the right price, it is within the realm of probable. A Belgian based novelty restaurant can make that once in a lifetime, unique, and unforgettable dining experience possible. In May 2006, Hakuna Matata, a communication agency featuring gourmet pleasures, and The Fungroup, a company specializing in amusement park installations deploying cranes, joined forces to offer a unique concept called Dinner in the Sky.

Brussels

Belgium

Dinner in the Sky is now operating in over 60 countries above some of the most famous landmarks with many of the worlds top chefs and has gained official authorization from the toughest countries, including France, Canada, Australia and Israel. Michelin three-star chef Alain Passard of L'Arpege, a famous restaurant in Paris, prepared a special dinner party in the sky above the stunning Cathedrale d'Amiens, also called Notre-Dame d'Amiens, which is located in the city of Amiens a little over 100 kilometers north of Paris. Other cities include Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Madrid, London, Dublin, Dubai, and Las Vegas. This is a schedule of upcoming events.

Dinner in the Sky is hosted on a platform of 22 people suspended at a height of 160 to 180 feet by a crane. You are seated at tables with three staff in the middle (chef, waiter, entertainer) for a session of up to 8 hours. It can be divided or personalized according to the client’s wishes. An event can be held anywhere (golf course, public place, race track, castle, vineyard, historical site...) as long as there is a surface of approximately 500 square meters that can be secured. Of course, authorization by the owner is required. As far as cost goes, the same type of event as the one hosted by Passard with a star chef cooking above a famous U.S. landmark, like the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls, would cost anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000, but in Las Vegas it is advertised at $289.00 per person.

This platform can also be used for Swing in the Sky, which gives golfers the incredible experience of playing their swing from 50 meters up. Just think of the driving distance from that tee. Rory Mcllroy would be envious. Other events include Meeting in the Sky, Marriage in the Sky, Movie in the Sky, and Concert in the Sky.

Dinner in the Sky Movie

You can share a dinner or a glass of Champagne with friends while listening to the sounds of Ghanaian drummers; arrange a match of bridge or poker; sip Brandy while enjoying a fine Havana cigar; play a round of baccarat while being entertained by French Cancan dancers; participate in a quiz or a talk show broadcast live from the stars; attend a DJ jam session … all from an altitude of 50 meters.

Dinner in the Sky has been around since 2006. I first reported about the concept in 2010 to the Charleston area and it is one of my most read articles. I thought it was worth another look. Forbes magazine called it "one of the world's ten most unusual restaurants." You definitely would need deep pockets to personally afford this but a business organization or restaurant could consider it if they were into stepping out of the box when it comes to personnel or client parties. Could you see High Cotton hosting a Dinner in the Sky or Fleet Landing.

To be realistic, maneuvering a large crane or finding an open surface of 500 square meters in Charleston would be a challenge. Hey, where there is a will, there is a way. However, looking for something more down to earth? Charleston has a long and diverse list of restaurants to choose from with beautiful roof tops. But what the heck, go for it. Do something extraordinary and consider booking with Dinner in the Sky. You could be the talk of the town.

Contact information for Dinner in the Sky.

Charleston's Oldest Commercial Building and the Nation's Longest Operating Liquor Store

On an early trip to Charleston many years ago, I stood on East Bay Street framing the colorful Georgian houses of Rainbow Row in the viewfinder of my camera. On the same corner, a young woman was making preparations to immortalize the pastel scene on canvas. Unknown to me at the time, the two of us were engaging in a popular tradition common to many of the city's locals and tourists. This well-known historic landmark of the French Quarter is for obvious reasons the most photographed and painted of the Holy City.

However, in the midst of this most recognizable attraction unassumingly sits the oldest commercial building in the Holy City with the added distinction of being the nation's longest-operating liquor store. Located just two blocks from the old city's bustling waterfront, this part of the original walled city of the late 1600's was anything but holy. It was the rompin', stompin' playground for pirates and den of iniquity for seafarer's. Members of Blackbeard's crew, not Blackbeard himself, more than likely prowled and drank liquor from this establishment along with Stede Bonnet and a host of other pirates, many of whom were hung a short distance away in White Point Gardens.

The Tavern at Rainbow Row dates as far back as 1686 according to discovered documents and maps found in Scotland and the Netherlands. Quite possibly Captain William Carse and crew of the Magdalen from Edinborough purchased liquor from the establishment in August of 1743 after unloading its cargo of salt, sailcloth, and, among other items, 96 golf clubs and 432 golf balls consigned to David Deas, a Scottish emigrant who had become a successful Charleston merchant.

Through its three centuries of business, The Tavern has endured the test of unstoppable and sometimes hard-pressed time. It survived the Revolutionary War and the incessant pummeling from the Federal cannons of the Civil War, not to leave unmentioned the numerous historic fires and catastrophic earthquake of 1886 that brought down hundreds of Charleston's buildings.

It has been known by more than a few names such as The Tavern on the Bluff's, Harris's Tavern, and Mrs. Coates Tavern by the Bay. In 1903, it became a "Whiskey Store" during an era when it was illegal to buy a drink, even if it was served in a teacup. Fronting as a barber shop through Prohibition, it sold liquor from a backroom. A latch door in the back of the shop led to an underground tunnel that once moved moonshine to speakeasies—then called "blind tigers."

The Blind Tiger Pub building on Broad Street has such an underground tunnel, which also can be entered through a latched door at the back of the building. Those wanting a drink would have to sneak one in one of the tunnel's many dark nooks. Whether the two tunnels connected is open to question. At this time, I must insert a bit of caution because like many stories from Charleston's past, you must measure its factuality with a grain of Carolina Gold. Following Repeal, The Tavern returned to legal status. It has been the nation's oldest Spirits store in continuous operation. Now that bit of information is as bona fide as its Bluffton Whiskey.

The original building is split into three different addresses. Due to law, spirits must be sold separately from wine and beer. The middle section, which sells wine and beer, is the most fascinating of the three. Its brick, front exterior has an arched double-door flanked by two arched windows, and directly above, a double-window second floor extension all painted in dark green. Inside, the current owners have preserved the shop's legacy by restoring its interior featuring its original hardwood flooring and brick walls with antique furnishings from around the world--a bookshelf from the Library of Congress and an artisan's working table from France. In one of the adjoining rooms is the mysterious latched-door leading to the underground. The third section of the building is unused--at one-time a gallery. Future plans are to open up the wall where the beer taps are presently and turn the unused section into a drinking space with a garden patio outside.

The Tavern specializes in local or rare spirits, like a five-grain bourbon made with a Carolina rice variety(Seashore Black Rye) once written off as extinct, and Carolina Gold; a black tea liqueur made from the only large-scale tea plantation in the U.S.(Charleston Tea Plantation); and a vodka made from a rye grain grown on South Carolina's Edisto Island. To acquaint you with the unfamiliar, the shop also offers weekly tastings.

The Tavern has been featured on Southern Charm, Moonshiners, History’s Most Haunted, and Atlas Obscura. With a multifaceted history and a singular focus, The Tavern at Rainbow Row stayed true to its reason for being and never stopped distributing booze. Now that makes for one happy sailor.

Unused space--future drinking space

Entrance to garden patio

 

Future garden patio

120 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC

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A Beautiful Charleston Landmark With an Illustrious History and Lots of Good Events on Tap

This Charleston landmark originally seated nearly 2000 people. It was the largest of its kind in South Carolina to open to the public at the time. Its first showing was a silent film starring Norma Shearer. The South Carolina premiere of Gone with the Wind appeared at this venue, with members of the original cast in attendance, including Charleston native Alicia Rhett, who played India Wilkes in the film. It closed in 1975, not long after a showing of Sound of Music, and then purchased by the College of Charleston. Originally named the Gloria, it reopened in 1990 as the Sottile Theatre.

The Gloria was designed as a smaller version of the great movie palaces of the era and was lauded for the grandeur of its architecture and design. However, the theater's eye-catching wall paintings stole the show and became a source of mystery. Italian artists from New York executed their work on canvas, but the actual artists' names were left unmentioned. 

When the College of Charleston purchased the theater, acoustic tiles covered its walls. During renovations in 2011, the workers removed the tiles and discovered the two large-scale murals hiding beneath the tiles. Apparently, the College was unaware the famous murals were underneath. The south mural had to be removed temporarily due to severe damage. The north mural remained on display, despite having suffered damage and deterioration. Much of the restoration work would involve remediation of the many spots of tar used to attach the acoustic tiles to both murals decades ago. Renovations included the preservation of the theatre's illuminated blue dome and twinkling stars and restoring the south mural to its original location. The most recent large-scale renovation was completed in 2020.

The College of Charleston's historic Sottile Theatre serves as a performance and event venue for the College and the community, including operas, plays, musicals, ballets, concerts, and receptions and conferences. In addition to the 785-seat theatre, the facility offers several lobby areas, an outdoor balcony terrace, and a garden for reception venues.

My partner and I attended the Grande Serenata, a concert of operatic hits by the Charleston Opera Theater. It would be my first operatic concert, aside from an introductory hour-long opera performance we attended at the Charleston Library Society on King Street.

All performances were sung in a foreign language, so if you do not speak those languages, it is not about the words but the power with which they are sung and the music played by the accompanying orchestra. The high level of pitch the woman singers reach is almost glass-shattering, and there were a few of those moments. A screen above the stage displayed the translation, but you could tell what was going on by the body language and facial expressions, and you would miss that if you looked away. One segment was performed in English to honor the Irish festival celebrated that day.

The orchestra was superb. I am not an opera aficionado, so I will just say the featured singers were operatic. Two College of Charleston Artists in Residence, Abigail Erin Oldstrom and Halis Runk, were highlighted in a duet. The stage lighting was captivating and set the mood for each set. The theater was impressive and the seating was comfortable with plenty of leg room.

Grande Serenata was a suggested black-tie event but not required. It felt good to dress to impress, and I pulled out all the guns with a blue-black feather bow tie and brown Steve Madden shoes. I am for experiencing everything, so I can say I did it. So, I did the opera, and frankly, I enjoyed it. I just might do it again. The best part is I shared it with a special friend, and you can not beat that. The evening began with a dinner at Fast and French, making it a complete and satisfying outing. Hey, it's Charleston. So much to offer, so much to do.

The College of Charleston Sottille Theatre is a beautiful venue with an illustrious history and lots of good entertainment on schedule. Sophisticate yourself and check it out.

Upcoming events.

44 George St, Charleston, SC

The Captain's Tour Aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown by Bulldog Tours--Excellent Guide and Narration

While you cross the impressive Ravenel Bridge spanning the Cooper River that separates Mount Pleasant and Charleston, it is impossible to miss. Anchored in the riverbed mud some 20 feet, it towers over the passing tidal currents like an immovable colossus. As a matter of fact, the only threatening force able to move it was Hurricane Hugo, which put a slight lisp in its profile. It has been a centerpiece of Patriots Point since 1975. It is the National Historic Landmark called the U.S.S. Yorktown, an Essex-class carrier of World War II.

Viewing the U.S.S Yorktown from the Cooper River bridge as you pass by in a car doesn't do it any justice. Stand on the pier just below its gaping entrance, and you experience the full scope of its massiveness. However, scale the broad, steel steps and enter its interior, and you will feel like you were just swallowed by a gigantic iron whale. Numerous antique aircraft spanned the total length of the main deck to the right, and to the left, a museum with a restored B-25B Mitchell medium bomber used in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo just beyond.

We had reserved the Captain's Tour: Steel Canva offered by Bulldog Tours. We checked in at the Information Booth and waited for our guide. There would end up being six people altogether in our group--a very manageable number. Upon arrival, the guide introduced himself and stated his credentials, along with a few humorous statements bunched in to lighten things up. A retired Navy man, Tom Simons had served on several ships as an aviation mechanic. His gentlemanly and personable demeanor was accentuated by a striking military stature.

He led us to a replica of the U.S.S Yorktown housed in a glass case, where he began a detailed history of the ship from its beginnings to its decommission and finally ended up stuck in the mud of Charleston's Cooper River to serve as a Naval and Maritime Museum. He also talked about the ship's first captain, Joseph James "Jocko" Clark--the first Native American to serve in that capacity.

Next, he made a brief stop to highlight a museum dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients and their stories--not a part of the tour but could be viewed anytime before or after. We took a short walk from the museum to the restored B-25 bomber used in the Doolittle Raid, where pictures of the 16 crews that partook in the raid and their stories lined an adjacent wall. We were afforded the opportunity to step aboard the display's bomber called the Ruptured Duck--a unique feature of this tour.

We now descended into the ship's guts to the crew's quarters, torpedo arming area, the galley, food preparation, dental offices, and medical quarters. A highlight was a stop at a drinking fountain, where the guide detailed the story that gave birth to the word "scuttlebutt."

We left the lower decks and trekked across the main deck to ascend several flights of steps at the very front of the ship to where the ship's huge anchor was stored, called the fo'c'sle or anchor room--each link of the long chain weighed 130 pounds with color coding positioned at various points of its length. From the anchor room, our group entered the upscale Captain's Quarter. Pictures of celebrity Ann Margaret, who once stayed on the Yorktown, hung on the wall. From there, we moved to the command centers and the flight deck, which was the end of the tour.

The tour was a total success, and that was because of our tour guide. He made it entertaining and enthralling. He spoke to each of us personally even though we were a group of six. His narrations were a balanced blend of facts and humor. As to the ship, it speaks for itself in many ways as you get an eyewitness look at its splendor and a glimpse into what it was like to live and serve on its decks. You get access to some things self-guided patrons do not on this tour. It is two hours long.

Photographs contributed by Anne-Merle Bryant

Adults: $42

Child (4-12): $29

Senior: $34

Military: $36

3 and under free

Bulldog Tours, 18 Anson Street, Charleston, SC