Whether its one of the many annual festivals and lively arts events or recreational opportunities and attractions, would be hard pressed not to find some thing interesting to see or do at most times during the year. The area is famous for keeping its residents and visitors' calendars filled with leisure activities.
The Lowcountry has inspired the works of such notable American writers as Edgar Allen Poe and Pat Conroy. The Charleston area also provided the setting for Dubose Heyward's novel "Porgy,"the basis for George Gershwin's classic opera "Porgy and Bess."Today, the Trident area' s cultural scene is resurgent, as evidenced by a number of local festivals, arts organizations productions and museum exhibits.
ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
The Trident area is home to a number of renowned arts organizations, including the Charleston ballet Theater, the Charleston Opera Company, the Charleston Area Arts Council and the charleston Symphony Orchestra, whose season includes masterworks, chamber music and pop concerts, a community orchestra and band, nine theater groups and two dance companies.Painters, sculptors, photographers, potters, basket weavers, jewelry makers and other artists exhibit their work in galleries and outdoor shows. The local colleges, county recreation departments and the Gibbes Museum offer resources for instructional courses.
FESTIVALS
Special events keep the Trident's visitor industry hopping year round and have enhanced the reputation of the Trident area as an international destination. Charleston plays host annually to the Spoleto Festival U.S.A., the world's most comprehensive arts festival. Founded in l977. Spoleto offers a 12 day menu of international drama, opera, dance, music and visual arts each spring. The city of Charleston also hosts Piccolo Spoleto, the official concurrent companion to Spoleto,highlighting the best of, both regional and local talent.
Some of the other local festivals include World Fest such Charleston, the new Charleston international film festival; the MOJA Arts Festival, which celebrates African and Caribbean Arts;the Southeastern Wildlife for Exposition, the largest wildlife arts, crafts and collectibles show in the South; the Maritime Festival; the Festival of Houses and gardens; the Flowertown Festival,held each spring in Surnmerville; and the Preservation Society's Annual Candlelight Tours of Houses and Gardens. Several of these festivals provide visitors and residents an opportunity to view the interiors of downtown Charleston private homes.
The Trident's many attractions, museums, historic homes, churches and city's latest botanical gardens give visitors top notch choices. There are thousands of historic sites on walking, bus or horse drawn carriage tours. Plantations, parks and forts offer visitors and residents alike a host of beautiful options to enjoy.
Many of the area's special events are hosted at either the Gaillard Auditorium in downtown charleston, or at the 12,400 seat North Charleston Coliseum. In the coliseum's first year of service it has seen likes of several concerts such as Neil Diamond, Luther Vandross, Rod Stewart, and events such as the Ringling Brothers Circus, sports, World Cup Figure Skating and more. It is also home of the Stingrays professional ice hockey team.
A comprehensive listing of these major at Boone Hall attractions is available through the Charleston area Visitors Guide, which can be obtained through the Charleston Trident Convention and Visitors bureau,.....P.O. Box 975,.....Charleston, S.C. 29402,.....853-8000.....Or.....(800) 868-8118.
PARKS & GARDENS
With over 50 public parks and gardens beckoning visitors, the Lowcountry offers a different adventure daily. The Charleston Waterfront Park, one of the city's latest revitalization efforts, provides a grand view of the Charleston harbor. The Waterfront Park features a pier, picnic areas and a wading fountain. Other public parks, most notably White Point Gardens at the Battery, have given Charlestonians a marvelous place to stroll for the past two centuries. From Dorchester County's Givhans Ferry State Park to Charleston County's 943 acre Palmetto Islands County Park, county operated parks offer amenities such as campgrounds, meeting and conventions, facilities and lakes.The Trident region is also home to James Island County Park, Folly Beach County Park, Dorchester country's Francis Marion National Forest and state operated Charles Towne Landing. Boone Hall plantation located east the Cooper River, was originally a cotton plantation. Today, Boone Hall features one of the most majestic avenues of moss draped live oaks in the South.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens America's oldest garden (c.1685) boasting one of the largest collections of azaleas and camellias in the country, is planted to perfection for year round bloom. The audubon Swamp Garden, located adjacent to Magnolia Gardens, encompasses a 60 acre black water cypress and tupelo swamp.
HISTORIC CHURCHES
The first laws of the Carolinas, guaranteeing religious freedom for settlers, lured an amazing variety of immigrants to Colonial Charles Towne. By 1704, Charles Towne had become a mecca for people of all faiths, from Quaker to Anabaptist denominations. These historic churches are open for tours through local historical groups.
HISTORIC HOMES
Every year thousands of locals and visitors tour Charleston's magnificent collection of historic homes,from the Charleston Museum' s, Joseph Manigault House to the preserved grandeur of Drayton Hall.And in both Summerville and Mt. Pleasant are homes more than 150 years old, built when the areas were summer villages. Each year tours of historic houses highlight the community calendar, including the annual Fall House and Garden Candlelight Tours, sponsored by the Preservation Society of charleston, and the Festival if Houses, held every spring by the Historic Charleston Foundation. For more information on tours
Charleston Trident Convention & Visitors Bureau....853-8000.....(800) 868-8118
Historic Charleston Foundation 723-1623
Preservation Society of Charleston 711-4630
BEACHES
The Trident's 91 miles of white, sun drenched beaches have a diversity unmatched by any area on the east Coast. From the pristine sands of Beachwalker Park to Folly Beach's bastion of individualism, the area's five public beaches boast public amenities. including lifeguards.
WATER SPORTS
The Charleston Trident area offers a wealth of opportunities for water sport enthusiasts. Boating is one of the Charleston area's most popular sports, as local marinas are packed year-round with everything from schooners to yachts. A fisherman's paradise lies in the 171,000 acres of fresh water in Lakes marion and Moultrie in Berkeley County and in the salt water of the rivers and creeks of the Atlantic ocean. Thousands of residents and visitors enjoy their choice of other water sports including skiing,wind surfing, jet skiing, scuba diving, deep- sea fishing and swimming.
HUNTING
Within the Trident area lies on of the Southeast's leading wildlife reserves, the 250,000 acre Francis marion National forest. The Trident area itself, located within South Carolina Game Zone 6, offer shunters a myriad of popular game species, including white tailed deer, feral hogs, wild turkeys, ducks,rabbits and squirrels.
For more information on hunting and fishing regulations, seasonal information and obtaining licenses:
S.C. Wildlife & Marine Resources Division P.O. Box 12559,.....Charleston, S.C. 29422, 795-6350
Wildlife Management Area Game Offices Francis Marion, Hatchery, and Moultrie WMA.....825-3387
GOLF & TENNIS
The area basks in about 234 days of sunshine every year, drawing tennis and golf enthusiasts to the Trident's world class facilities.
In September 1991, more than 20,000 visitors watched the U.S. golf team regain the prestigious Ryder Cup at the now world famous Ocean Course Kiawah Island. Kiawah's golf courses, including one designed by legend Jack Nicklaus, are some of the stops on the itinerary for Trident golf lovers.
Wild Dunes, on the Isle of Palms, relishes its two world class, 18 hole championship courses designed by Tom Fazio. Golf magazine and Golf Digest both rank the Links Course among the top 100 in America and the world. Equally challenging is the Harbor Course, which lies along the Intra coastal Waterway. Golf instruction, club house privileges and two well stocked pro shops complete this unique experience.
Public courses in the area are second to none. The options are endless when challenge is combines with beauty at the numerous public courses found throughout the Trident region.
For tennis lover, Charleston area resorts provide blue chip tennis facilities. Both novices and professionals enjoy the Trident area's many public tennis courses and private clubs.
SPECTATOR SPORTS
Spectator sports flourish through minor league baseball's Charleston River Dogs; the area's professional ice hockey team, the South Carolina Stingrays who average an attendance of 8,500 fans at each game; and the Trident's NCAA member schools: The Citadel, the College of Charleston and charleston Southern University.
EQUESTRlAN SPORTS
Charleston area equestrian events are sponsored by the South Carolina Jockey Club, founded in 1786.The club sponsors events ranging from weekend polo matches to the annual Charleston Cup steeplechase race held each fall. Seabrook Island offers the Charleston Summer Classic Horse Show in july.
There are many private stables in the area that board horses and teach riding lessons.
CHiLDREN'S ACTIVITIES
Local recreation departments have different sports leagues sponsored by municipal governments.Other recreational opportunities for children include workshop theater, local museum programs and programs tailored to special interests.