Guest Columns

Skip The Traffic! Here’s How We’re Enjoying Our Charleston Summer

Featured Image Credit: Coastal Expeditions Facebook

Summertime is upon us which means young professionals all over Charleston are daydreaming about sunshine, beaches, booze, and bikinis. Sounds great, right? Wrong.

All you locals know, while Charleston beaches in the summer are AWESOME, they also come with traffic and lots of it. So we’ve compiled a list of alternative summertime activities that will keep you out of the car and enjoying the summer sun.

Ready for the “reel” Charleston experience? Book an afternoon with one of Charleston’s top Fishing Charters [https://www.charlestoncvb.com/plan-your-trip/sports-recreation~207/fishing-charters~1179/] or sip on a cocktail and take in a Charleston sunset aboard the Palmetto breeze [http://aqua-safaris.com/discover/charleston/palmetto-breeze/]
In the mood to sweat? Navigate our waterways by kayak [https://www.charlestoncvb.com/plan-your-trip/sports-recreation~207/canoe-kayak-rentals~1177/] or paddle board [https://www.charlestoncvb.com/plan-your-trip/sports-recreation~207/paddleboarding~1183/] then head ashore to take on Charleston’s very own high ropes course [https://wildblueropes.com/].
Feeling sporty? Charleston is home to not one but TWO professional sports teams. Head to Joe Riley Park downtown for some RiverDogs baseball (and maybe a Bill Murray sighting) or over to Daniel Island to watch the Charleston Battery Soccer Club [https://www.milb.com/charleston] at the new an improved MUSC Health Stadium.
Wanting to get off the beaten path? Start with a trip to the must-see Angel Oak [http://www.angeloaktree.com/] followed by a quick visit to North America’s ONLY tea plantation [http://www.charlestonteaplantation.com/] and a tour (or two) at the Firefly distillery [http://fireflyspirits.com/distillery]
Looking for a little Charleston charm? Start with one of Charleston’s many Farmers Markets [http://charlestondaily.net/guide-to-charleston-sc-area-farmers-markets/] and follow it up with a self-guided Art Walk [http://www.charlestongalleryassociation.com/] around downtown’s French Quarter.

Did we miss anything? Tell us how you’re avoiding the traffic this summer.

Guest Columns

Top Spots To Watch Fireworks In Charleston

Featured Image Credit: Unsplash

When July 4th lands on a Wednesday, do you celebrate the weekend before or the weekend after? The answer? Both!

We don’t care where, or how you do it, but make sure your 4th includes friends, family, good food, and fireworks!

Need a little guidance on that last one? We’ve got you covered. Here are some of the best spots to watch fireworks around Charleston.

1. The Harbor – take in this year’s firework show from the best seat in the house. Depending on $$ here are a few different options for you.

Fireworks Harbor Cruise

Charleston Harbor

8:45 – $25/adults

July 4th – Red, White and Bluegrass Cruise

Charleston Harbor

8:30pm – $36/adult

July 4th Dinner Cruise

Charleston Harbor

7:00 pm – $88/adult

2. Harbor Adjacent – Not quite ON the water, but still pretty close.

Sea Stars and Stripes

South Carolina Aquarium

7:00pm – $60/adult

This all-inclusive ticket comes with food, fun (beer and wine for you 21+ers) and a front row seat to the fireworks show.

Landside Celebration at Patriots Point

Patriots Point

4 p.m. – $10 parking

BYO cooler & chair and snag a spot to watch the fireworks alongside the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point. Enjoy food, music, and entertainment for the little ones starting at 4 p.m.

Uncle Sam Jam
Mount Pleasant Pier

7 p.m. – $8/advance

Music, dancing & fireworks. PSSTT! There are only 800 tickets available for this event so grab yours today.

North Charleston’s Fourth of July Festival
Riverfront Park

3 PM – Free

Get the party started with DJ Natty Heavy at 3:30 PM and stick around for the Lowcountry’s largest lights show. Enjoy food trucks, local art, and activities for the kids. Don’t forget to BYO blanket & chair to enjoy the show.

3. The Beach – We’ve got plenty, so take your pick!

Folly Beach

3rd Block West

9:30pm – FREE

Sullivans Island

J Marshall Stith Park

6 PM – FREE

Isle of Palms

Front Beach

8:00 PM – FREE

Where do you like to watch the fireworks?

Guest Columns

Bike For Booty, Booze or Views: Charleston’s Offers Something For Everyone

Featured Image Credit: Holy Spokes Facebook

With summertime temperatures in full swing and the kids out of school, what better time is there to get out and pedal your worries away? Whether you want a scenic view, a killer workout or a few drinks stops along your ride, we’ve picked out the best places to ride your bike around the Charleston area.

Folly Beach

Biking around Folly is perfect for the casual rider who wants to enjoy a breeze and some booze. Starting at Center Street, there’s just a 4-mile bike ride and a short walk to the far end of the beach where you can see the Morris Island Lighthouse and Cooper River Bridge. On your way back to Center Street, you can swing by Bert’s, grab a quick bite to eat, then hop back on your bike and pedal your way to all the restaurants and bars on Center Street.

Intensity: 1 out of 5

Sawmill Branch Trail

The Sawmill Branch Trail is a 6.5-mile bike ride just on the outside of Downtown Summerville. This trail is perfect for those trying to escape from people for a day and enjoy nature. You should expect to see plenty of wildlife and greenery and most of the trail goes under roads, keeping you away from the traffic. People have been known to spot alligators in the canal, owls and many dogs, as the trail is dog-friendly.

Intensity: 3 out of 5

Ravenel Bridge

This bike path is far more so for the fitness seeker than the day drinker, with its 2.7-mile span and intense slope, but the views make it worth the workout. Spanning from Downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant, there’s plenty of room on the path for both runners and bikers, and gives each a spectacular view that will give you the perfect excuse to stop and catch your breath.

Intensity: 4 out of 5

Sullivan’s Island

Starting at Breach Inlet in between Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms and biking down to the Charleston Harbor end of Sullivan’s Island will give you a 7-mile ride and access to Fort Moultrie. Don’t worry, if you work up an appetite on your bike ride, there are plenty of delicious restaurants to stop and grab food before finishing up back at Breach Inlet. There’s always room for a burger from Poe’s Tavern.

Intensity: 3 out of 5

Downtown Charleston

One way streets and busy roads can make Downtown a stressful bike ride, so we recommend going early Saturday and Sunday mornings, but Charleston makes for a beautiful bike ride. There are so many routes to choose from, whether you bike along the Battery, Waterfront Park, White Point Gardens or a few random streets with historic homes, you’re sure to get Instagram worthy pics.

Intensity: 2 out of 5

Guest Columns

A Day In The Life Of A Charleston Carriage Horse Barn Hand

Featured Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works Facebook

At the Big Red Barn, Palmetto Carriage Works has twenty hand-selected, caring barn hands. This is a team full of well trained, knowledgeable, and dedicated people who take the animals care as seriously as their employers do.

A barn hands daily responsibilities are feeding, grooming, harnessing, and hitching twenty-five or more horses and mules. In a week a single horse can go through about 2-3 bales of hay plus about 8 quarts of grain per serving (on average two serving per day). Throughout the day a barn hand tends to many horses and mules, on average grooming a horse takes 7-10 minutes, of course, the condition of the horse can affect that time. Some horses need a full bath in the mornings, while others can just be brushed and are ready to go.

After cleaning, a barn hand would dress the horse in dray (its harness). Putting on their collar and collar pad first, then they would put on the actual harness. Because they use a floating style harness, it is all one piece making it slightly easier to put it on. The hames sit on their collar and then are buckled at the bottom. Once the hames are buckled, the girth (the band around the belly) is fastened and the remainder of the harness is stretched out over their back. Lastly, the bridle is placed on their head.

Again, each horse is different, the horse may be incredibly stubborn, making it much harder to complete this process, while others may be incredibly laid back and let you put on the harness with ease. Most barn hands have their own way of connecting with the animals, some barn hands find that when the animal willingly takes the bit when placing the bridle is a sign of companionship.

Each day in the life of a barn hand can be incredibly different. They always have to expect the unexpected, but they have great patience and a gentle persistence that is key to interacting with the animals.

Guest Columns

The Best Rainy Day Chucktown Activities

Featured Image Credit: Frothy Beard Facebook

Hang out at your favorite brewery.

Frothy Beard Brewing Company: Located on Sam Rittenberg Avenue, Frothy Beard is our favorite West Ashley brewery. It’s the perfect place to kick back and relax. Home to a variety of good beer, a friendly staff, and old school video games, Frothy is a family friendly location to spend your rainy days.

Strike out at your local bowling alley.

The Alley: Located on Columbus Street, The Alley is the best local hangout spot in Charleston. The Alley has a variety of food options, trivia nights, and some nights include all-night happy hour.

Don’t be spoiled by spoilers, catch the latest film.

Cinebarre: Located in Mount Pleasant, Cinebarre is a movie theater that also serves all types of food. It is a family-friendly, casual place to spend your rainy days.

Support your local coffee shops.

Bitty & Beau’s: Located on Church Street, Bitty & Beau’s is a coffee shop that employs adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Bitty & Beau’s is more than just a coffee shop, but a great place to spend time with family and meet there super sweet staff.

Get lost in a local museum…and learn A LOT.

Everyone knows that Charleston is rich with unique history. Even if you’re not a history buff, it’s still important to know how Charleston became Charleston! Below is a list of museum’s downtown:

Gibbes Museum of Art (will re-open May 28, 2016)

Historic Homes

Joseph Manigault House

The Aiken-Rhett House

Edmondston-Alston House

Heyward Washington House

Nathanial Russel House

Calhoun Mansion

Wander around The South Carolina Aquarium.

The South Carolina Aquarium is one of the best aquariums in the country, and we’re not just saying that because we’re biased. They have a state-of-the-art sea turtle hospital that just recently opened to the public. The entire experience is informative AND impressive!

Solve puzzles with your friends at Escape in 60.

Escape room games are fairly new to Charleston, but they are definitely something to add to your bucket list. Each scenario has a different goal, and you and a team of friends are given 60 minutes to unlock the mystery!

Guest Columns

A Charming Charleston Experience: Second Sunday On King Street

Featured Image Credit: Zero George

Now that spring is in full swing, and the weather is getting so much better, it’s the prime time to spend your Sunday afternoons in the beautiful city of Charleston.

Every Second Sunday of the month, year-round locals and tourist are invited to shop, dine, and enjoy Charleston’s “Main Street” on a vehicle-free, pedestrian-only afternoon. King Street is blocked off from Calhoun to Queen Street between the hours of 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM, allowing pedestrians to leisurely stroll down the street. These special Sundays are so unique because of the shop’s abilities occupy the streets, restaurants abilities to set up tables outside, and musicians ability to provide a unique, lively atmosphere.

Second Sunday has become the most attended, regularly scheduled event ever held on the Charleston Peninsula, with guest numbering to almost 20,000 throughout the afternoon. Whether you are looking for a bite to eat, a day full of shopping, or just a place to spend outside with friends and family, this event is sure to provide positive vibes.

The remaining scheduled Sunday’s of 2018 are:

June 10th October 14th

July 8th November 11th

August 12th December 9th

September 9th

Guest Columns

Why Horseshoes Are Necessary For Charleston Carriage Horses

Featured Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works

Have you ever been walking in downtown Charleston, seen a horse drawn carriage and thought to yourself, “Man, those horses feet must really hurt!”? There is no need to worry, because Palmetto Carriage Works takes special care of all of their animals by providing them with shoes that protect and add traction to their hooves.

Horses’ and mules’ hooves need proper care to prevent abnormal hoof wear and injury to the foot. At Palmetto Carriage Works, this care is proved by a farrier who makes his rounds twice a week to ensure the protect and safety of each of the animals. A farrier is specialized in preparation and fitting of the horseshoes.

A horseshoe is a u-shaped plate usually made of steel but can also be made of aluminum or plastic. Each of the animals comes in different shapes and sizes, which means each animals horseshoes are going to be different. For small horses and mules, the shoe is made of steel and has a plastic covering, while the larger, draft horses have shoes made of steel with plastic bolted in. The horseshoes are nailed into a not sensitive area on the bottom of the hoof.

To insure the best protection of their animals’ hooves, Palmetto Carriage Works askes their farrier to change each of the animals shoes every six weeks. This prevents the shoes from becoming loose and being thrown. In the case that a shoe becomes thrown, the horse or mule will wear a boot until the farriers next visit to the barn so that it may continue working. In the case of an injury to an animal’s hoof, they will see both a vet and a farrier to ensure proper treatment can be decided, whether it is a special shoe or time to rest.

Learn more from our source.

Guest Columns

Top Family-Friendly Charleston Activities

Featured Image Credit: Charleston, SC/ Facebook

Image Credit: Frothy Beard Brewing/ Facebook

Brewery Hop: Charleston is known for its cuisine. But, it is also an upcoming spot for micro beers and breweries. Breweries are great for tasting a multitude of beers that you know are local. Breweries like Frothy Beard offer the PERFECT family friendly experience. They have an entire kids corner with games and toys so the kids can be distracted while you sip on a nice cold one!

Image Credit: Pitt Street Bridge/ Facebook

Pitt Street Bridge: First constructed before the Revolutionary War, the Pitt Street Bridge was an old trolley bridge that connected Mount Pleasant to Sullivan’s Island. Since the bridge shut down in 1945, it has since offered the BEST view of Charleston where you can see the Charleston Harbor, Mount Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island, Fort Sumter, and parts of downtown Charleston.

Image Credit: Charleston, Charleston Park Conservancy/Facebook

Sightsee at The Battery and Waterfront Park: Nothing is more relaxing than swinging on the swings at Waterfront Park while listening to the sounds of the saxophone in the background. When leaving, don’t forget to stop by The Vendue nearby to look at their wall full of View-Masters.

Image Credit: Charleston Farmer’s Market/ Facebook

Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square: The best way to spend Saturday morning is walking through the farmers market in Marion Square. It is the perfect opportunity to support local farmers as well as local businesses. This is also a great way to taste the local cuisine that is easy on the wallet- there are food trucks everywhere.

Image Credit: River Street Sweets/ Facebook

Eat something sweet: There is always room for dessert – whether that’s taking one too many free praline samples at River Streets Sweets or one of downtown’s dessert shops, like Kaminsky’s. According to Tripadvisor, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Carmella’s Cafe and Dessert Bar holds the place of top desserts in Charleston.

Image Credit: Holy Spokes/ Facebook

Get lost on a bike in downtown Charleston: Downtown Charleston offers an amazing bike share program with Holy Spokes. With the peninsula only being a four to five square mile area, biking the Holy City is easy. And without a doubt, beautiful scenery will follow no matter which way you may go.

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