Piccolo Spoleto Festival Fun-Sand Sculpting Competition On Isle Of Palms

Everytime I vacation on the beach somewhere I can't help myself. I have an irresistable urge to dig around in the sand and sculpt something, usually hammerheads or sea turtles. One time, when I was staying at the quaint oceanside condo resort called the Lahaina Inn Resort on Fort Meyers Beach, I sculpted a human head with its hands sticking out of the sand. I added seaweed for hair and etched in the sand the words, "Help me." A couple walking along the shore stopped and asked me if I did it for a living and whether I worked for the resort as a sand sculptor. I slyly smiled and said no. Another time I made Mount Rushmore with Disney characters instead of presidents. I am also a Disney enthusiast on top of it.

The Piccolo Spoleto Festival begins May 27 and there are plenty of things to see and do, including a sand sculpting competition to encourage appreciation for art and the environment. It will take place on the Isle of Palms at Front Beach on May 28 from 9am to noon. Admission is free. Bring your shovels, buckets and sand utensils. Fun for the whole family. Cameras are encouraged. Hopefully the weather will cooperate because sand mixed with  large volumes of water don't adhere together well. Map location.

Other ways to enjoy the celebration of art are the exibits, both painting and photography. Piccolo Spoleto 27th Annual Juried Art Exhibition will showcase works of South Carolina artists. This year’s jurors are Alex Powers (painting/ 2D) and Rick Rhodes (photography). Charleston Visitor Center, 375 Meeting St. Admission: free. May 27-June 10; Daily, 8:30am-5pm. Map location.

Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition will showcase the works of award-winning South Carolina artists at Marion Square, with free demonstrations each day. King and Calhoun Streets. Admission: free. May 27-June 11; 10am-5pm. Map location.

Jack Alterman Invitational Exhibition: Allende! will debut his documentary film featuring two Charleston artists and a longtime expatriate educator who have made San Miguel their home. Jack Alterman Gallery, 36 George St. Admission:  Free.  May 25-June 12; Mon.-Sat., 10am-6pm; Sun., noon-5pm. Map location.

Looking for tips on sand sculping click here.

It's Near Spoleto Time In Charleston-Join In The Fun

It's Spoleto Festival USA time and it's Piccolo Spoleto Festival time. Wait a minute, which is it? Is it Spoleto Festival or is it Piccolo Spoleto Festival? Both festivals conspicuously take place May 27 thru June 12. The question is: Are they one in the same or two separate festivals occurring simultaneously? To answer that question, we need to investigate its history.

The name Spoleto comes from an ancient city located in Italy situated in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. To put it in perspective, it is centrally located some 131 miles southeast of Florence and 78 miles north of Rome. Spoleto is home to the "Festival dei Due Mondi" also known as the "Festival of the Two Worlds" first organized and founded by Gian Carlo Menotti. The festival has developed into one of the most important cultural manifestations in Italy, with a three-week schedule of music, theater and dance performances.

Gian Carlo Menotti wanted to establish a counterpart of the festival in the USA. So, the organizers searched the US for a city that would offer the same charm and hospitality of Spoleto, Italy, and also its wealth of theaters, churches, and other performance spaces. Charleston was rightly selected and the first festival was held in 1977. Spoleto Festival USA produces its own operas, which are rarely performed masterpieces by well-known composers and also presents theater, dance and music ranging from classical to jazz. It is now one of the world's major performing arts festivals.

While Spoleto Festival USA features artists and performers of national and international renown, the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs wanted to highlight outstanding local and regional artists. Thus, Piccolo Spoleto was established and became the official companion festival, the perfect complement.

Each festival has its own official poster. The poster of the Spoleto Festival is often not well received by the native masses and this years choice is no exception. The official poster is a red, white, and black abstraction of the interior, architectural schematic of London's famed opera house Covent Garden, home of the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet. The Piccolo Spoleto poster tends to favor local artistic tastes. Both posters are the featured images of this article. You decide for youself?

So, Charleston, for 17 days, will be full of the performing arts. Its theaters and streets will be filled with visitors and locals alike. There is scheduled something for everyone and anybody, a spattering of the diverse artistic expressions in our culture. It is by far the most popular festivals of the year. You can purchase Spoleto tickets and events and Piccolo Spoleto tickets and events. Charleston hotels and accommodations.

A couple of interesting scheduled performances:
Circa-Australia’s most innovative circus company debuts with its newest show, hailed by The Herald (UK) as “truly a circus, but with a poetic, life-affirming modern twist.” Combining heart-stopping acrobatics with contemporary choreography and cheeky humor. Memminger Auditorium June 7-12. Times and tickets. Prices $30-$45. Map location.
The Gentleman Pirate-Great fun, splendidly performed and exhaustively researched. “Grade A,” Charleston City Paper. A one-of-a-kind interactive theatrical event that brings to life the notorious Stede Bonnet. Pure Theatre, Powder Magazine, 79 Cumberland Street. Tickets: $16. Complete list of dates and times. Map location.
Award-winning South Carolina artists display their works at Marion Square, with free demonstrations each day. Marion Square, King and Calhoun Sts. Admission: free. May 27-June 11; 10am-5pm King St. at Calhoun St.

Charleston Is Both Fascinating and Entertaining-Come And Live The Story

Charleston is amalgamated with stories brimming full of mystery, intrigue, and historical importance. Whether fact or fiction, they are an intregal part of Charleston's persona. They breath life into every brick, plank, cobblestone, and iron gate that have been fused together into the mass of buildings and homes that form today's Holy City. They are spouted from every corner and doorstep. They are inescapable.

It wasn't always like this. There was a period of time when the life spark was close to being extinguished. Charleston, like the Planters Hotel, had fallen into near ruin. The stories were there, but the bricks, planks, and cobblestones had become infested with disinterest, dangling from a noose like Stede Bonnet at White Point. Although, the fate of Charleston turned out differently then the "gentleman pirate's" fate thanks to a modern day renaissance, an awakening into everything historical.

You will be warmed by the story of Poogan, a once homeless dog that found his way onto the porch of a home being renovated into a restaurant now known as Poogan's Porch. Maybe, while you are there enjoying some upscale Lowcountry cuisine, you might hear a ruckus in the kitchen, pots and pans banging around. That would be Zoe St. Amand making her presence known, a native Charlestonian who lived in the house at one time. Yes, lived, as in the past tense.

One of Charleston's most infamous characters, Lavinia Fisher, is the climax of Charleston's scariest tours at the Old City Jail. Lavinia, along with her husband, poisoned guests at their inn with oleander tea, robbed them, and hacked up their bodies and stashed them in the cellar. She was put on trial and executed by hanging at the Old City Jail where she is said to make appearances from time to time. Supposedly, her final words before the rope snapped were, "If anyone has a message for hell, give it to me-I'll deliver it." She maybe somewhat ticked-off because a recent investigation into the legend shows she may have been innocent. Something to do with corrupt politicians. Now, that I can believe.

Another quaint story you will hear on a carriage ride in the French Quarter pertains to three houses at 23, 25, and 27 Meeting Street. The guide speaks of how they were built by a wealthy Charleston father for his three daughters, who were so ugly that he figured they would never marry and have a home of their own. That's the narrative. The simple truth may point to a different explanation. Their similar architectural styles may have something to do with the title, Three Sisters. Which account is more intrtiguing to you?

If you are a bit squeamish or easily frightened by such stories of ghosts and things that go bump in the night, there are plenty of iron gated mansions with gardens to tour that are filled with real life artifacts, not to leave out the beautiful plantations, each with a documented history of its own. Fort Sumter guards its harbor and greets the passing cruise ships. The South Carolina Aquarium gives you a quick peak at its topography and wildlife.

The fact of the matter, Charleston is both facsinating and entertaining. Its hotels are a testimony to its hospitality and grace. Its restaurants are a declaration to its unique blend of Lowcountry cuisine. Its numerous tours and historical carriage rides will familiarize you to what is the beating heart of the South.

Come, step into the antebellum past for a day or a week. As an added bonus, immerse yourself into everything the present has to offer in the way of sandy beaches, boating, fishing, golfing, and shopping. Click on Charleston Attractions for a complete list of things to do.  

Swinging On A Hammock At Pawleys Island, SC-That's My Story And I'm Sticking To It

Looking for an unspoiled, unsophisticated, casual place where you can stick you toes into some soft sand or stretch out in the sun and take in some tanning rays? A place where a shoeless, carefree, laid-back life style swinging in a rope hammock is the norm? Look no further than the small, non-commercial resort island situated on the coast of South Carolina. It is 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach and twelve miles north of historic Georgetown. Pawleys Island is known as one of the oldest summer resorts on the East Coast and carries a reputation for being "arrogantly shabby".

The four miles long and a quarter of a mile wide island was first inhabited by the Waccamaw and Winyah Indians. In time the area became populated with rice plantations on the creeks and backwaters during the colonial era. To escape the mosquitoe infestation and malaria common in the salt marshes, the planters sought refuge on this little breezy island. A man named George Pawley owned it during that time and sold portions of it to those rice planters.

It was the Cypress sided cottages built on the island that gave the community one of its monikers: arrogantly shabby. The island has stayed unpretentious with a ban on commercial and industrial buildings, allowing only a condominium complex and a few inns to be built. Some of the oldest, most classic homes have stayed, such as Beachaven, owned by William Brigham Sr., and the PCJ Weston
House, which is now the Pelican Inn. One for the record, Pawleys is the birthplace of the rope hammock, which was invented by Joshua John Ward in the late 1800s

The accommodations on Pawleys vary greatly, some brand new and modern, others simple and rustic. The list include the Sea View Inn, a 20-room Inn serving three meals a day, the Pelican Inn, an 8-room bed and breakfast and Pawleys Pier Village, a 42 unit Condominium Complex and many residential homes for weekly rental. All cater to the family experience. Other accommodations for Pawleys Island.

There is crabbing in the adjacent creeks, fishing, surfing, and stories of ghosts. Just ask any local about the "Gray Man". If you are looking for nightlife action, Myrtle Beach isn't that far away and Charleston is only a little over an hour south. The spring and fall seasons are magnificent and offer uncrowded beaches and nature at its best. So, take the plunge and swing on down, or up, whichever applies.-Vacation Rick Travel

Disney's Timeless Tale Of Beauty And The Beast-Don't Miss It

It's a story that has been around since the 1700's. It has been told and retold countless times since its inception and has never lost it's enchantment. Several varying versions of the tale over the years have been produced in the form of prose, stage, and in the twentieth century, screen and television. Its most notable rebirth came in 1991 when Walt Disney Feature Animation produced a musical animated film based on an abridgement of the original work published in 1756 by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. It was entitled "Beauty and the Beast".

"Beauty and the Beast", the musical animated film, won Academy Awards for Best Song and Best Original Score, in addition to becoming the first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and and also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy. Adding to its success was the musical version produced in 1994, which ran on Broadway for 5,464 performances between 1994 and 2007, becoming one of Broadway's longest running productions in history. It has been topped only by the likes of "Cats", "Les Misérables", "A Chorus Line", "Chicago", "Oh! Calcutta!", and another Disney production, "The Lion King". The longest running musical ever is "The Phantom of the Opera".

I have had the opportunity to see five of those Broadway shows at the historic Cleveland Playhouse Square, including the Phantom of the Opera at the famous Plantages Theater in Toronto, Ontario. They are all worth the money you pay for the tickets and then some. Residents in the Lowcountry of Charleston will have the opportunity to be enchanted and mystified by this timeless tale of "Beauty and the Beast" at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Two performances are scheduled for April 26 and 27 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $62.00, $52.00, & $32.00 plus applicable fees. You can buy tickets now.

So, take the family, take the wife, or just take a friend and be enchanted by "the most beautiful love story ever told". This eye-popping spectacle has won the hearts of over 35 million people worldwide and will win your heart too. Coutesy of Vacation Rick Travel.

Charleston's April Events Continue-A Full Line Of Family Fun

There was a festival scheduled this past week that was dedicated to the lowly yet very common "grits". Yes, the gritty stuff, when added to water or milk, that turns into a sticky, clumpy pile of goop and dries like cement if the remains are left in the bowl to long. It was called The World Grit Festival and held in St. George. It seems people will come up with anything for an excuse to party. If by chance you missed out on the fun, not to worry, there are more scheduled events in the Charleston area. Plus, things are beginning to warm up nicely and the numerous beaches are now an option.

The Festival of Houses and Gardens will be coming to a conclusion this week. The final Glorious Gardens Tour has sold out as well as the South Battery Tour for Wednsday, but there is still availability for the final South Battery Tour on Saturday the 16th. Fun for the whole family is the Festival Oyster Roast and Picnic at Drayton Hall on Sunday April 15, 4:30 - 7 p.m. This event will introduce guests to the culinary pleasures of the Lowcountry with steamed oysters as appetizers, along with other Southern cuisine. Admission includes a guided tour of the historic house and grounds. Drayton Hall was built when George Washington was only six years old. How's that for an introduction.

It's spring. Time to spruce up the house and landscaping. Thank goodness a government shutdown was avoided because that would have meant tax refunds being delayed and all that extra money you could use for that very purpose. To help you out with some good ideas and suggestions the Home and Outdoor Living Show will take place at the Charleston Area Convention Center April 15-17. Friday is free admission for everybody. Saturday and Sunday admission will be $5.00 for adults. There is also a Home Sweet Home Improvement Giveaway.

If the theater is your cup of tea then check out the Dockstreet Theater. The Original Peter Pan will begin showing April 15. The production will feature Flying by Foy, who flew Peter Pan on Broadway, five full sets, including a pirate ship. The story of Peter Pan is timeless and entertaining for the whole family.

That's it. Well, not entirely. There are plenty of things to do in Charleston, plenty of excellent places to eat. Beaches, tours, museums, harbor cruises, golf, and shopping. Get your mojo on and get moving.-Vacation Rick Travel

Charleston Place-Inspired The Holy City To New Heights

It's hard to imagine some thirty years ago an Atlanta magazine wrote this unflattering sentence about The Holy City, "Downtown Charleston, in many ways, epitomizes the decaying American city." Joe Riley, the mayor at the time, likened the downtown area to a poisoned ecosystem. The Historic District was anything but historic and King Street was a realestate of empty storefronts. Pedestrian traffic was scarce. Tourists were rare.

Something needed to happen to rekindle the historical flame that once burned in Charleston. It would be one single initiative that set in motion the beginning of a revival and Charleston was on her way to being restored to her former glory. The brainstorm was the envisionment of what would become Charleston Place. It was said, "I hate to use the cliche that the hotel put Charleston on the map, but it's certainly accurate." Charleston Place rose from a huge, sandy lot where a JCPenney once stood.

Charleston Place, known for its traditional southern hospitality, sits on Market Street where the entrance to the property is marked by a fountain. The Hotel has 320 deluxe rooms, 80 Club level, which occupies the top two floors and offers a private concierge service along with a wide array of enhanced services, amenities and cuisine. There are 40 suites.

The Spa at Charleston Place, located on the 4th floor, is available by appointment to local visitors and guests. Amenities are a health club, a beautiful indoor/outdoor salt water pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, steam room and children's splash pool. Charleston Grill is South Carolina’s most notable Mobil Four-Star restaurant and has received the AAA Four-Diamond award and Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award. On the lighter side is The Thoroughbread Club and Palmetto Cafe.

Top to bottom, the hotel complex has it all. The Shops at Charleston Place are an exclusive collection of world-famous stores located on the ground floor and a pool graces the rooftop. Adjacent to the Old City Market and the renowned King Street, it is situated at the heart of a local economy that considers tourism as its No. 1 industry. All within walking distance of the historic center of the city and major attractions.

Charleston continues to grow and change. In the six years I have been here, I have seen two old icons come down and the Author Ravenel Jr Bridge take their place. It has a vibrant theater scene and an endless list of fine dining establishments. It is well-known across the United States and beyond for its unique culture, which blends traditional southern American, English, French, and West African elements. So, let Charleston Place be your host and guide to all of this and more.-Vacation Rick Ttravel