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Folly Beach Pier to Begin 24-month Renovation

The infamous Folly Beach pier is getting a facelift! 

The iconic wooden pier that offers visitors stunning views of the beach, as well as a place to reel in a fresh catch, is being renovated. 

Starting on October 19th, the current pier will be closed to visitors as renovations get underway. The pier, which first opened in 1995, has seen over 6 million visitors in 25 years. Understandably, it has undergone a substantial amount of wear and tear over the years prompting this much-needed renovation. 

While the new pier will be similar in layout, it will now be composed of concrete piles instead of wood in hopes that it will be more durable. The project is expected to cost around $13.8 million and will be open to the public in the Spring of 2023.

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instagrammable spots Charleston

The 7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Charleston

Featured Image: Explore Charleston/FB

Charleston is an Instagrammers dream. Between the pastel colors, historic charm, and gorgeous views, it’s pretty much impossible to take a stroll and not snap a pic. So whether you’re a local who can’t get enough of Charleston because let’s face it, who can? Or you’re stopping by for a visit and ready to incite major FOMO in your Insta followers, make a stop at one of these spots for a quick photoshoot and get ready for notifications to be on fire!

Pineapple Fountain

Take a stroll to Waterfront Park and make a wish at the Pineapple Fountain. Get silly with your friends and run through the water for a definitely-not-planned candid pic or strike a post in front of the iconic fountain for the ultimate Charleston pic. 

 

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The Battery

Check out The Battery during sunset for a beautiful picture along the water. With historic homes on one side and the Charleston Harbor on the other, this famous seawall is the perfect place to practice your strut and slay pose.

 

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meet me where the sky touches the sea ? #marinatakesoverthesouth

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Uptown Social

Enjoy happy hour deals on the roof of this King Street bar and score an awesome picture with the butterfly mural. The vibrant colors of this social butterfly will really make your Instagram pop. No filter needed!

 

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The Watch

Connected to The Restoration Hotel, The Watch is a rooftop bar with one of the best views in Charleston. Get a glass of rosè and a side of truffle fries for a crowd-pleasing picture that will leave your followers dying to recreate.

 

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enjoying the summer glow?

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Folly Beach

Have some fun in the sun and get a picture at Folly Beach. Lounge back in your beach chair, slip those shades on and show your followers how you relax.

Rainbow Row

You can’t have a list of most-Insta worthy spots in Charleston without these iconic pastel-colored homes. It’s the ultimate Charleston backdrop for an Insta pic that will have all of your followers double tapping!

Hotel Indigo

Head here for a Sunday Funday and snap a pic that will make your followers think you’ve escaped on a tropical getaway. There pool area is serious #poolgoals!

Where’s your favorite spot to snap a pic in Charleston?

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Best friend dates

Celebrate Your Person With One Of These Best Friend Date Ideas

After a long day at work or a tense fight with bae, nothing is better than running to your BFF. They keep you sane in a world full of craziness and are your permanent Top 1 (we miss Myspace). You know you can count on having a blast with them and can rule out any judgement or drama. Whether you’re out adventuring or sitting in silence binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy again, nothing can relieve stress like a BFF day.

Here are our favorite things to do with our person:

Drive to the beach

Living in Charleston, we’re super close to not only one beach, but three. Looking for a fun Sunday Funday? Head to Folly. Want a more laidback relaxing beach day? Sullivan’s is right around the corner. Or want to make it a staycation and hang out with all the tourists? You’re Isle of Palms bound. Soak up the sun, listen to some tunes, and relax in the sand with your BFF and don’t forget to document your day with some awesome IG posts.

Take an exercise class

Friends who sweat together, slay together. Hit up a spin class, go kickboxing, or head to HYLO for the latest craze and get fit with your BFF. Nothing makes working out fun like working out with your bestie. Then you have a partner in crime to grab some post-workout margs with.

Go to a baseball game

Check the Riverdogs schedule to see when they play at home and head over to Joe Riley for a night out at the ballpark. Enjoy a hotdog or three while watching the game and try to get featured on the big screen with your BFF for your awesome dance moves. 

Take a cruise on the Palmetto Breeze

Feeling adventurous? Buy you and your bestie a ticket to board the Palmetto Breeze and drink as you cruise along the Charleston Harbor and catch some of the best views the Holy City has to offer.

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remember when y’all were my only friends in Charleston? #ha

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Go shopping for a new outfit

With so many stores to choose from in Charleston, shopping is a must with your best friend. Plus, no one will give you a more honest opinion when it comes to picking out clothes than your bestie. Buy each other an outfit for the next night y’all hit the town.

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Events

Folly Gras

Join Charleston’s Largest Mardi Gras Celebration This Weekend At Folly Gras

Couldn’t quite swing the trip down to New Orleans this year? No worries! Charleston knows how to throw a good Mardi Gras celebration too.

The largest Mardi Gras in Charleston, Folly Gras, is back this Saturday and every year the festival brings thousands of people to the city of Folly Beach annually.

The festival includes local vendors, crafts, live music, drink specials, and an all around good time. There will be three stages with different musical acts including Candy Cigarettes, Dangermuffin, Sundy Ledford, and more.

Festivities begin at 10am on Saturday the 23rd with the Folly Gras parade, and wrap up around 4pm. Admission is $10 per person but free for Folly Beach residents and children. Parking is limited so the city of Folly Beach is encouraging visitors to take Lyft or Uber; Lyft coupons will be available at the festival.

Check out this video to see some highlights from Folly Gras last year!

If you’re looking for a fun filled day with great energy and crazy costumes then Folly Gras is definitely the event for you!

Looking to keep the party going? here are other Mardi Gras celebrations also happening in Charleston in the coming weeks at The Royal American, Lola Cajun Food, and Frothy Beard Brewing Company!

News

Charleston Lands On Daily Mail’s 2019 List of Thrilling Destinations

Image Source: Canva

Charleston has landed itself on many “must visit” lists over the years and it’s now found itself on Daily Mail’s list of “Thrilling Destinations You Must Visit in 2019”. Charleston, referred to as “the city where old meets new” by Daily Mail, is the only United States destination on the short list. Other destinations on the list are Brazil, Japan, Australia, Anguilla, Madrid, and the UAE.

The publication calls out Charleston’s scenic views, walking tours, and beautiful waters as a few of the reasons to visit our beautiful city. Of course, Daily Mail also writes about the abundance of delicious seafood our city has to offer including oysters, fish, and crab. Folly Beach, Isle of Palms, and Drayton Hall were all listed as attractions you can’t miss while visiting, stating that Folly Beach and Isle of Palms are both great spots for “sports and family fun” while nothing that Drayton Hall is one of the oldest plantation houses in the country.

And, as British based Daily Mail points out, British Airways is launching direct flights from Heathrow to Charleston starting April 4, 2019. Get ready for more visits from our friends across the pond.

Where will they stay?

According to Daily Mail, The Dewberry Charleston where they can book their room and flights together on British Airways. 

Read the full Daily Mail list here.

New In Charleston

Meet The Three Great White Sharks Hanging Out Off The Coast Of South Carolina

Image Source: ABC.Net

Have you heard the news? South Carolina just got three new residents. Gray Lady, Jefferson, and Hal each made the long journey from the Northeast to the great state of South Carolina. Around the New Year, these three great white sharks made their way to the South Carolina coast, making it their temporary home.

Ocearch, a nonprofit organization leading research efforts around great white sharks and other large marine species, tracked each of them as they made their way through the dark depths of the ocean.

After leaving the Northeast region, all three great whites made their way down to Florida before heading back up north and taking up temporary residence in South Carolina. Grey Lady, originally from the Nantucket area, and Jefferson, hailing from the waters of Nova Scotia, are right below the Charleston coast. However, Hal, also joining us from Nova Scotia, traveled farther North for the New Year, hitting up Myrtle Beach.

Ocearch has tagged over 300 marine animals during their expeditions allowing you to watch the journey each of them makes as they travel the world.

While Grey Lady, Jefferson, and Hal are the only three tagged great whites off the coast of South Carolina, there are many other sharks hanging out off the coast, including three tiger sharks named Jax, Georgia, and Miss Michalove, and Norris, the hammerhead shark.

Additionally, with the recent arrival of our three new residents, we can bet there are more great whites coming into the area that aren’t tagged.

You can track the journey of all the tagged animals using Ocearch’s tracking map or keep up with each individual shark by following them on Twitter: @WhiteSharkHal, @GreyLadyShark, and @MissCostaShark.

Sometimes you can even catch a conversation between the sharks:

 

News

Folly Beach Looks Into Solutions For Parking Problems

Featured Image Credit: FollyBeach.com

The City of Folly Beach is considering bringing a new transportation service, catered towards the workforce, to the Edge of America. The new service would bring employees on and off the island without the struggle of finding parking and the traffic.

Mayor Tim Goodwin said he met with CARTA a few days ago about the possibility of creating a service similar to the HOP transportation service on the Charleston peninsula. “We’re very early in the process of working with the town,” said CARTA spokesperson, Daniel Brock.

Brock says the bus service will most likely be a park and ride service, where you have a parking area on the mainland and the individuals would take a CARTA bus over to Folly Beach.

It would be a great advantage for the people who reside on Folly Beach and will provide a way to alleviate the parking issues and will keep more people off the road, fixing the traffic issues.  

Mayor Tim Goodwin suggests we start thinking like our northern friends, by using trains and buses as public transportation. In the south, the use of public transportation has never been a popular option, but as the population grows and the road gets to be congested, public transportation could become the solution to our problem.

Learn more from our source.

Guest Columns

Best Places To Destress In Charleston

Featured Image Credit: http://mexicobeach.com/
Even though Charleston is one of the best cities in the world to live in (if not THE best), day to day life here can get a little stressful. Fear not dear Charlestonians, our city is home to plenty of places where you can de-stress. So visit one or more of the below places to get refreshed and recharged so you can take on the city again and again.

Image Credit: fineartamerica.com

Botany Bay Plantation
Sometimes the best way to de-stress is to be one with nature. If you’re willing to go a little bit out of the way to visit Botany Bay Plantation on Edisto Island, you will be rewarded with beautiful surroundings when you arrive. The plantation has historic buildings and the entrance to the plantation is lined with picturesque oaks. But the real star of the show is the beach, with it’s deserted island feeling. The “skeletons” of trees and plenty of seashells line the beach giving it an eerie otherworldly feeling.

 

 

 

Image Credit: penandlensart.wordpress.com                                                                      

White Point Garden

When you’re looking for a place in the city to rid yourself of stress, a public park can do the trick. White Point Garden at the end of the battery is an ideal place to take a stroll and unwind. The park is 5.7 acres so you’ll have plenty of time to loosen up as you explore this gem in Charleston’s historic district. Throughout the park you’ll find monuments that mark our fair city’s history, giving you a reminder of why Charleston is so special.

Image Credit: charlestonweddingguide.com

The Spa at Belmond Charleston Place
A spa is a perfect destination for relaxation and de-stressing. This spa is located in the heart of Charleston at the beautiful Belmond Charleston Place, so it’s an oasis in the middle of all the city’s action. Patrons enjoy massages, manicures, pedicures, and other salon treatments at this luxurious locale. Make an appointment and prepare for pampering.

Image Credit: www.sciway.net

Folly Beach
When you’re looking to unwind Charleston style, head to the beach. Folly Beach is the quintessential beach town. It gives off laidback vibes and has been praised as one of the best beaches on the East Coast. When you’re not soaking up the sun on the actual beach, there are plenty of small shops and restaurants to keep you in that beachy keen mood.

Image Credit:pathtoluxury.com

King Street
With its hustle and bustle King Street may seem like an unlikely place to de-stress, but if retail therapy is the way you unwind, you can’t do better than this historic street. From big name retailers to small boutiques, you’ll find treasures all along the stretch of King Street. Whether you’re perusing upscale merchandise at the Shops at Belmond Charleston Place or searching for your new favorite read at Blue Bicycle books, the stores on King Street will satisfy your retail thirst. You’ll also find plenty of eateries and galleries to take a break from your shopping spree.