The name Spoleto comes from an ancient city situated in the province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines in Italy, 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 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 as Spoleto, Italy, and a wealth of theaters, churches, and other performance spaces. Charleston was rightly selected, and held its first festival 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. This year it begins May 27.
One of my regularly attended events of the festival is the finale with its impressive fireworks display. In previous years, the Spoleto Finale was always scheduled at Middleton Place. This is my favorite fireworks show in 2014 paired with a song performed by Pink Floyd called On The Turning Away. This year the Wells Fargo Spoleto Finale will held at the Firefly Distillery with Shakey Graves.
Shakey Graves is a Texas theater-kid-turned-Americana-rocker. He will bring to the event his unique "distinct stage presence, strong vocals, insightful lyricism, and melodies that linger." (The Post and Courier) Check out one of his sessions.
Pack a picnic, gather your blankets and chairs, and head to the new Firefly Distillery grounds in North Charleston on Sunday, June 12, with gates opening at 5:00pm. Adult beverages will be sold on site, so do not bring any alcohol in from the outside. Performances will begin at 6:00pm. The rousing fireworks display closes out the affair. You don't want to miss it.
Middleton Place takes on an altogether different look and feel in the subdued light of the early evening hours. Its impressive garden's shadows lengthen, and the shaded hues lighten under the setting sun's penetrating rays filtering through the lower branches of its thick tea olive hedges and taller oaks and magnolias. Peace and serenity abound. It is the perfect setting for sipping on a glass of wine as you engage in intimate conversation with your chosen group of close friends or that special someone while you stroll the garden's quiet walkways.
Middleton Place's Garden Stroll and Wine Tasting is a 2-hour weekly event occurring on Wednesday beginning at 5:30 pm. On April 13, the evening I attended, three tables were located in different areas of the expansive gardens. You receive eight tickets--one ticket equaling one pour for each wine offering. You can double or triple each pour with one additional ticket each. At the end, a bonus pour was available at the Farm of Middleton Place. Each week the locations change, so if you attend more than one through the spring, your vantage point will not be the same. Some attendees bring their own glasses.
The first table was at the Crane Pool, which overlooks Rice Mill Pond, one of the more stunning views on the property. There were three offerings. My first choice was a double pour from Australia called Yalumba Y Series Sangiovese Rose'--easier printed than pronounced. I just said, "I'll try the one from Australia to start." I am not a wine connoisseur. My second choice at this table was also a double pour of Borsao Macabeo Chardonnay from Spain. Both were very good, but I favor the Rose' since one of its more prominent flavors was pomegranate.
A table filled with appetizers was at this location consisting of cheeses, crackers, fresh vegetables, chocolates, and finger foods, such as meat-filled empanadas.
The second table was in the Small Secret Garden. Navigating the gardens can be similar to walking a maze, so I just followed the sound of conversation to find the table, which was hidden at the end of a secluded path that opened into an enclosed area surrounded by tall, thick hedges. There were three offerings at this table also. Underwood The Bubbles was a Champaign and Sparkling Wine from Oregon. Lapostolle Grand Selection Sauvignon Blanc from Chile was a second choice. I chose a double pour of the third offering, a Christopher Michael Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. If I were to use a word to describe it, my simple palate would respond with one word, "smooth."
The third table was the least popular with the crowd. It was located at the Wood Nymph Statue at the far end of the gardens in-between the Reflection Pond and the flooded rice fields. The Sangrias were placed here, and I did a double pour of the red. Sangria is what it is.
It was my third wine tasting at Middleton Place over the years. A substantial crowd attended this event. The stroll through the famous gardens was picturesque as usual. The wine was fine. The weather was ideal, a very comfortable temperature tempered by a slight breeze. The sunlight was perfect. I always enjoy meeting people who read my articles. I had the opportunity to meet a group from my original state, Ohio. I had brief conversations with numerous others while standing in line. I also met three local Summerville ladies, one of whom told me she is a dedicated reader and fan of my blog. There was one annoying guest, but a spray was available to make its presence tolerable. The Middleton Place Garden Stroll and Wine Tasting is all about the above. Mission accomplished.
This is a true Charleston tale. Maybe you have already heard it while on a tour in Charleston or while reading one its many books or maybe you are hearing it for the first time. Simmons' Alley is more than just a tale because the names are real and the homes and plantations the people lived in are real.
However, the truth of this story lies somewhere between certainty and uncertainty. The reasons why have been often speculated, but never verified. A situation that was agreed upon by both from the very beginning. Attempts have been made to fill the void between certainty and uncertainty. One explanation has prevailed. I begin with the tale.
The townhouse in this story is long gone, but people believe the long, narrow alley on Tradd Street with an entrance marked by tall, brick columns is haunted. It is said, during the late hours of the night, the pounding of horse's hoofs and the rumbling of coach wheels can be heard passing on this section of the street and down the dark alley. The carriage is carrying one occupant. The narrow pathway is called Simmons' Alley.
The two main characters are a Charleston lady with unfulfilled expectations and a Southern gentleman who would become a victim of an honor system void of mercy, both imprisoned by social norms of the cruelest nature. Ruth Lowndes Simmons was her name, and this is their journey into the dark side of self-serving love.
Ruth was the daughter of Rawlins Lowndes, an American lawyer, politician, and president/governor of South Carolina in the 1700s. She was in love with a childhood friend and John's Island planter named Francis Simmons. Over time, Ruth made the unwitting mistake of introducing Francis to her closest friend, Sabina Smith. Francis fell in love with Sabina immediately.
In a desperate move to counteract this unintended turn in fortune, Ruth conceived a plan incorporating deception. She told Francis Sabina was planning on announcing her engagement to another gentleman by the name of Dick Johnston. Heartbroken, Francis stepped aside.
Francis showed a handkerchief with his initials on it during a visit to Ruth sometime later and said, "Wouldn't you like to have such beautiful initials?" Ruth took that as a proposal. Next, Rawlins Lowndes called Francis to his home to discuss the proposal. Assuming Sabina would never be his wife, Francis accepted and made arrangements for his marriage to Ruth.
The wedding was now one day away, and Francis was walking down Church Street, which took him passed the Smith house and a happenchance rendezvous with Sabina. Ruth's deception comes to light during their resulting conversation. Sabina told Francis she never intended on marrying Dick Johnston. She entertained the hope that one day she might be his bride. Now those hopes were dashed, for tomorrow was his wedding day.
Outraged by what he now knew was a lie, Francis confronted Ruth Lowndes. The argument was the talk of Charleston. He expressed his contempt for her while she sobbed and pretended not to know what he meant. Raised an honorable southern gentleman, he resentfully honored his word and stuck to the agreement, thus losing Sabina forever. Bitter about the trickery, he told Ruth she would be his wife in name only.
November 15, 1796, was the date of their wedding. The place was the home of Ruth's father. Francis arrived late to the ceremony. As they exchanged vows, he didn't even look at her nor did he kiss her. He maintained that cold behavior throughout the reception. After the reception, they went to their new townhouse at 131 Tradd Street, purchased by Rawlins Lowndes as a wedding gift. Francis escorted Ruth to the door, told her with icy politeness that he hoped she would find the accommodations to her liking, and then departed to his plantation on John's Island, where he stayed for the next five years, seldom coming into Charleston.
Then, he purchased the property at 14 Legare Street and built the house that would later become known as the "Pineapple Gates House." His continued vengeance was unspeakable. He would show up for his estranged wife's dinner parties, sit at the long dining table opposite her but never spent a single night in her company. He lived in his house on Legare Street until his death twenty years after marrying Ruth, leaving their union unconsummated.
Charleston's long history provides the ideal plots for stories like this one, and its streets and alleys offer the perfect backdrop. You can choose from a variety of tours offered by the numerous hosts located throughout the historic Charleston Peninsula. Before or after your selected tour, be sure to make a stop at the Market Pavilion Hotel on E Bay Street and order the ghostly drink called the Nitrotini.
The Azalea Bar and Garden rises over S Cedar Street like a welcoming evening blue sky, inviting you to steal away a few moments of time to soothe your soul while you schmooze with your closest of friends in its aura. Enter through its door, and you step through what seems like an Einstein–Rosen bridge whisking you to the kind of parlor room you would have experienced at the Pine Forest Inn.
For a brief moment, I imagined seeing Teddy Roosevelt seated at one of its small tables in front of the full wall hand-crafted bookcase filled with an assortment of old books and various figurines, reading the News and Courier. Across from Teddy, Dr. Shepard sipping on one of the bar's signature cocktails on its green couch. At the bar, Edna St. Vincent Millay discussing literature and fragrances with Florence Nightingale Graham over a glass of wine. Then, I saw a cell phone, and I was back to 2022.
Thursday was the highly anticipated grand opening for the Azalea Bar and Garden. The opening time was 4 pm. I arrived around 6 pm. By then, almost every table was occupied, including the seating at its intimate, fully stocked bar. My friend, local lead guitarist Dave Keller, and myself were escorted to a table near an ornately mantled fireplace. Our server introduced herself and placed an elegant menu with a feel of leather on our table accompanied by a complimentary bowl of caramel glazed popcorn, which proved to be quite tasty to munch on while I perused the list of offerings and waited for the arrival of my selections.
For a drink, I chose from the list of ten Signature Cocktails. Dr. Shepard was a blend of Sweet Tea Vodka, ruby port, pink lemonade, and fresh mint for $12. From the list of small plates, I chose the Pimiento Cheese with Flatbread Wedges, which was house-made chilled pimiento cheese with warm flatbread wedges for $8. Other choices on the menu included a list of six Classic Cocktails. From that list, the Hemingway Daiquiri caught my attention. It was a mixture of white rum, lime juice, Maraschino liquor, grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and lime twist for $12. For those who wanted to skip the buzz, there was an assortment of non-alcoholic cocktails and desserts.
The Azalea Bar and Garden is a well-thought-out, intimate space with hints of Summerville's past spread throughout its furnishings and menu. The good times had by all were unmistakably heard in the conversation and laughter that filled the air. Owner Will Rizzo visited the various tables to extend a welcoming handshake, gauge customer satisfaction, and clear tables. Our server, Katie, was priceless (I hope I got the spelling of her name correct). She was hospitable, attentive to our questions, and happily willing to indulge in small talk. For patrons wanting to enjoy Summerville's pleasant evening weather, the garden area in the back offered plenty of seating on a brick-accented patio surrounded by plants.
There is no doubt the Azalea Bar and Garden is the Birthplace of Sweet Tea's new hot spot for residents and visitors to gather to refresh old friendships and start new ones. A place where you can soothe your soul and uplift your spirit. I raise my pleasing glass of Dr. Shepard in congratulation to this new winner for Summerville. The big
With the Ashley River lazily meandering in the distance, a peaceful easy feeling came over me as I sat on a wooden bench leisurely sipping on a plastic cup of red wine. I was in the company of one of the oldest oak trees in the Charleston Lowcountry. Greyed from age and bearing the scars of a sometimes tumultuous past, the Great Oak's long, broad branches majestically overshadowed the calming waters of the Rice Fields where fish launched themselves into the air like mortar shells and alligators prowled the surface like the H. L. Hunley in search of an unwary prey.
Clinging to the tree's weather-beaten bark, a cardinal curiously watched my every move. We weren't alone. With the Octagonal Garden to the right and the Sundial Garden behind, the soft, intimate chatter and light laughter of fellow strollers navigating the garden's preened pathways filled the warm evening air. The occasion is Wednesday Garden Stroll and Wine Tasting at Middleton Place.
The Wednesday Garden Stroll and Wine Tasting was started as a way for visitors to experience the beauty of Middleton Place in the early evening light and a more relaxed atmosphere--no tour guides needed. It is just you, the gardens, and a world renowned vino. The Wine Strolls are an invitation to drink in the incomparable natural beauty of the plantations 274 year old gardens--the oldest landscaped gardens in America. Each week, samples of specially selected wines from around the world are uncorked by the Middleton Place Restaurant for you to savor. A different wine region and beautiful garden location in bloom is chosen for the stroll.
Enjoy the following story of a previous wine stroll.
This week's selected location was the southern magnolia-lined walkway along the spring-fed Reflection Pond. The four white-cloth covered tables were evenly spread out under the tall trees the full distance of the pond and strategically located at pathway entrances for easy access into the sprawling gardens. On each table were two bottles of wine--one red and one white. Each setting was accompanied by a basket of crackers for cleansing the palette between tastings.
The wine region selected was South America. At Table One, Tomero Torrontes 2013 from Mendoza, Argentina was the white offering and Malma Malbec 2012 from Patagonia, Argentina was the red. At Table Two, the white offering was Cautivo Chardonnay 2014 from Mendoza and the red was Errazuric Max Reserva Carmenere from the Villa de Aconcagua, Chile 2011. Moving to Table Three, Arido Moscato 2013 from Mendoza was the white and Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda Clasico 2013 from Mendoza was the red. Table Four topped off the selections with a Sangria Blanco and a Sangria Roja.
The correct pronunciations I leave to you to figure out--some Spanish required. The Cautivo Chardonnay was my white wine favorite and the Bonarda Clasico was the red I sipped under the Great Oak. After a few glasses of the South American vino and a dash of imagination, I found myself rubbing shoulders and clinking glasses with Henry and Mary as a guest of their garden party. Blame my whimsical tryst to the past on the wine.
If you want to get that peaceful easy feeling, Middleton's Wednesday Garden Stroll and Wine Tasting is where you want to be. It is a perfect blend of fine wine and floral gardens accented with the aroma of magnolias and oaks interlaced with a tremendous concentration of gentle sunlight. This event is elegant and well-balanced. Extend the evening with an overnight stay at the Inn at Middleton Place and/or dinner at the Middleton Place Restaurant .
Now, create your own story with a visit to Middleton Place on one of the scheduled dates.
Forty-six presidents have governed the United States. Only one was born in South Carolina and that was Andrew Jackson, although North Carolina disputes the claim. It seems Jackson was born on the border of the two states in the Waxsaw region, an area just south of Charlotte. Jackson himself claimed to be a native of South Carolina. Of the 46, three found their way to Summerville.
In December of 1901, Charleston opened the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition to promote the industry and resources of the state. President Theodore Roosevelt accepted proprietor FW Wagener's invitation to attend the Expo's "President's Day" celebration in April 1902. April 9, the president viewed Charleston's historic sites from the harbor aboard the USS Algonquin and visited the exhibits. At Lowndes Grove Plantation, he was treated to a special Charleston lunch which included tea grown at Summerville's Pinehurst Tea Farm. After his day in Charleston, the president was escorted by train to Summerville, where he stayed at another one of FW Wagener's enterprises, the Pine Forest Inn. Roosevelt toured the Pinehurst Tea Farm. He was also an avid outdoorsman. Perhaps, he joined one of the fox hunts on Ingleside.
Rutledge House
William Howard Taft and his wife were guests of Mayor R. Goodwyn Rhett at his home, the John Rutledge House, in January of 1909. As legend has it, Rhett's butler was asked to "dress up" the pale crab soup they usually served. The butler, William Deas, added lump crab meat and orange-colored crab eggs to give color and improve the flavor. It became the famous Charleston delicacy known as She Crab Soup. Some contend that Taft enjoyed it so much he had the soup added to the White House's menu. On this occasion, Mrs. Nellie Taft, with diplomatic grace, summed up her assessment of Southerners fondly referring to them as being "strange" for their irritating ritual of "always taking a half hour to get ready for everything." Once again, Wagener hosted a dinner at Summerville's Pine Forest Inn for the president.
The third president to visit Summerville is a story less told, if at all. Unlike Roosevelt and Taft, he did not come to be a dinner guest at the Pine Forest Inn, by this time shuffled into the dust of history. He did come on a date indelibly branded into the psyche of Lowcountry residents equal to that of the War Between the States and The Great Earthquake of 1886 centered near Middleton Place.
President Bush and Berlin G. Meyers
The time was September of 1989, and George H. W. Bush was the president. Catastrophic Hurricane Hugo was the event. On this occasion, Bush landed at Doty Park in Summerville to personally meet with Mayor Berlin G. Meyers. Together they surveyed the destruction from a helicopter. On ground, Bush rode about 15 miles in a motorcade through the heavily damaged forests. The report was the president patted the mayor on his shoulder and said, "Why am I here? I'm here to give a little encouragement to a courageous man."
Who will be the next president to visit the Flowertown in the Pines? Maybe, it will be one who may have a hankering for a refreshing glass of sweet tea in the Birthplace of Sweet Tea, or a need for a fantastic cup of in-house roasted coffee at the local community hot spot, Coastal Coffee Roasters, or any one of the many amenities that make Summerville a desirable place to visit and hang out. Only time will tell.
Summerville is at present shimmering in a sea of magnificent multitudinous masses of magenta. It is the annual azalea bloom putting on its best dress for the upcoming Flowertown Festival hosted in Summerville's Azalea Park. The flowers are the official doorkeepers of spring greeting all to the celebration of warmer days. Drive anywhere on the streets in the town's historic district between Central Ave. and S. Main and you will be convinced Summerville is rightfully crowned the "Flower Town in the Pines".
Rightfully the "Flower Town in the Pines" because Summerville is also famous for its pine trees, but unfortunately, the pollen bloom that rains down from its branches, when the weather warms, is not enthusiastically embraced with happy celebration like the azaleas. With that being said, pine trees and azaleas are a perfect collaboration because azaleas grow well in its shadows.
The varieties of azaleas are as bounteous as its blooms thanks to hybridizing, or crossbreeding. They are native to North America, so it is likely they greeted our arriving ancestors in some form. All North American species are deciduous, meaning they drop their leaves. The evergreen varieties come from Japan where they can be hundreds of years old. The plants and blooms are mildly toxic, but I can personally dispute this assumption as not likely to be a deterrent to consumption. When I lived in northeastern Ohio years ago, I planted extensive rock gardens and plant mounds on my property. I attempted to incorporate azaleas into my scheme, but was unsuccessful. It seemed the branches were a favorite delicacy of deer, who ate the plants down to a stub before having a chance to pop a bud.
The azaleas that helped make Summerville famous are most likely the non-native variety. These originated in China and Japan, and made their way to the U.S. via England, France, and Germany. According to azalea historian Fred Galle in the United States, Azalea Indica (specifically speaking about the group of plants called Southern Indicas) got its name because when it was discovered, Asia was known as the East Indies. The first hybrids were planted in Charleston, South Carolina.
John Grimke Drayton imported the Azalea Indica from Philadelphia--where they were grown only in greenhouses by a nurseryman who also had a branch nursery in Charleston--and introduced them into the estate gardens of his rice plantation on the Ashley River. Marie Clinton Hastie wrote about the beginnings of her grandfather's garden, "it was somewhere in the mid 1840s that the Azalea Indica was introduced to Magnolia." His garden was the first in America to plant azaleas outdoors.
Thanks to the generosity of George Segelken, a pioneer in azalea propagation, Summerville became the place to see these uncommon plants in all their abundant glory in 1935. People came from all over to view the lush beauty of the town's Azalea Park. Segelken named the salmon pink colored azalea "Pride of Summerville." The park is the predominant venue of the Flowertown Festival.
The Flowertown Festival ranks as one of the largest festivals in the Southeast with an origin that goes back to 1972. The three-day festival also carries the well-deserved distinction as one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society. One of the main features of this family-oriented festival centers on the promotion of arts and crafts. More than 200 craft artisans and vendors are given the opportunity to showcase their creative wares throughout Azalea Park. The Taste is another feature that offers festivalgoers a chance to sample appetizers, main courses, and desserts from local restaurants. For the young ones, there will be a Children's Jubilee/Kid's Fest, for the adults, a Saturday farmer's market. Admission is free and parking is free. The Robert Pratt Band will be sending musical vibes through the town's historic district.
The current festival was predated by a previous one in 1941, when Summerville celebrated the first Azalea Festival—a four-day event that included dances, concerts, a parade, and a formal ball. The festival promoted local business and celebrated the town's community pride, a pride as old as the trees. Summerville's rich history dates all the way back to the late 1600s. In those early days, coastal residents sought refuge from the heat and mosquitoes among the cooler pines of Summerville. One of the trees redeeming features was the turpentine scent it emitted, and even doctors considered it a cure for a variety of respiratory ailments. Many came all the way from Europe for the pine air and its believed benefits, but it was not just for the air, they also came for the southern charm and beauty.
Spring is a great time to experience Summerville's southern beauty, charm, and community pride. It is the season to celebrate the Flowertown Festival in The Birthplace of Sweet Tea beginning on April 1st, and this is no April fools. Speaking of sweet tea, allegedly, in 2003 as an April Fool’s joke, the Georgia House introduced a bill making it a "...misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature" to sell iced tea in a restaurant that did not also offer sweet iced tea on the menu. The bill never went to a vote. You can not accuse the Georgia House of lacking in humor. South Carolina adopted sweet tea as the state's Official Hospitality Beverage in 1995.
Of course, you cannot have sweet tea without a tealeaf, and Summerville owns the bragging rights for a particular variety. With French explorer and botanist Andre Michaux's planting of Oolong tea on the Middleton Barony in 1795, South Carolina was the only colony in America producing tea plants at that time. Later, Dr. Charles Shepard founded the Pinehurst Tea Plantation in Summerville in 1888, where he made tea growing a profitable reality. While Oolong tea could be your choice in making sweet tea, any kind can be used, though black tea is always a classic.
Well, that is Summerville—azaleas, sweet tea, and the biggest festival in the Southeast. While visiting for the Flowertown Festival, grab a glass of the best sweet tea at Sweetwater One Twenty Three. When you see me walking around town, be sure to say, "Hey." I am always interested in making new acquaintances.
