Charleston, SC Holiday Festivities Tap into History, Culture

The Garden Club of Charleston has partnered with the Joseph Manigault House to present “Charleston’s Antebellum Charms,” a themed floral display.

Charleston, S.C. is celebrating the holiday season with a series of festive events and lectures that tap into the area’s rich history and culture. The charming city comes to life featuring breathtaking southern Antebellum mansions decorated in traditional holiday themed flora and more. Here are some highlights:

• The Charleston Museum presents Holiday Decorations at the Joseph Manigault House,December 6 – 31, 2014: The Garden Club of Charleston has partnered with the Joseph Manigault House to present “Charleston’s Antebellum Charms,” a themed floral display. The Joseph Manigault House is an exquisite antebellum structure that reflects the lifestyle of wealthy urban rice planters in the early part of the 19^th century. The Garden Club highlights the magnificent beauty of the Joseph Manigault House with creative holiday arrangements, using only live plant materials that would have been available in the Lowcountry during the first quarter of the 19th century. For more information, visit  www.charlestonmuseum.org or call (843)722-2996.

• The Historic Charleston Foundation presents Yuletide in the Lowcountry HolidayExhibitions, end of November 2014 – early January 2015: Visitors are invited to experience the feasts, decorations and local traditions of Historic Charleston Foundation’s two museum houses, the Nathaniel Russell House, constructed in 1808 and the circa 1820 Aiken-Rhett House. Guests will experience Christmases past and learn the evolution of holiday traditions in Charleston through the display Yuletide in the Lowcountry. Beginning at the Nathaniel Russell House Museum, guests will learn about elegant early 19^th century family gatherings replete with holiday embellishments collected from local flora.  Visitors will observe the time-honored Victorian trimmings of a Lowcountry Christmas dinner in 1860 at the Aiken-Rhett House Museum. House museums hours of operation are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon. through Sat.; 2 – 5 p.m., Sunday; last tour begins at 4:15 p.m. Closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Reservations are needed for groups of 12 or more. For more information, visit www.historiccharleston.org or call (843) 724-8485.

• South Carolina Historical Society presents the 7^thAnnual Winter Lecture Series, January 20 – March 10, 2015: The South Carolina Historical Society will host a series of lectures this winter highlighting “South Carolinians You Should Know.” A few highlights include Robert Mills, a Charlestonian who famously designed the Washington Monument, and Anne Pamela Cunningham, a South Carolinian who salvaged Mount Vernon through donations and the creation of “The Mount Vernon Ladies Association,” which continues to manage the property today. Lectures will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6 – 7 p.m. at the historic First Baptist Church in downtown Charleston. Please join the SCHS each Tuesday to learn more about South Carolina and its contributions to our national history. For more information, visit www.southcarolinahistoricalsociety or call (843)723-3225.

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

New: Moral Compass: Great Places to Go Where the Going Does Good

moralcompasstravel.info

Check out our newest travel site for special deals, insiders’ tips at tidbitts.com: http://www.tidbitts.com/karen-rubin/where-in-the-world

 

Southern Living Taste of Charleston & Charleston Restaurant Week Events Set for September

Charleston, SC, known for being a culinary mecca, is hosting two of the city’s most highly-anticipated culinary events this September.

Charleston Restaurant Week is set to take place from September 3-14, 2014. The city-wide event features nearly 150 casual and fine-dining restaurants offering specially-priced menus and offers. As the event draws nearer, more participating restaurants will be added and the September Restaurant Week menus will be added and updated. Reservations are strongly suggested where accepted. (Participating restaurants can be viewed on the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association’s website.)

The 34th annual Southern Living Taste of Charleston will take place September 26-28, 2014. The weekend features a variety of events including: Taste: Iron Chef, where local chefs compete at the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Palmer Campus in a heated head-to-head battle; Taste: Sweet & Southern, an upscale event on Historic Charleston Harbor at Harborside East; and Taste: The Main Event, a showcase of samplings from more than 50 local restaurants that takes place at picturesque Boone Hall Plantation. During the Main Event, guests will enjoy demonstrations and vignettes from Southern Living, live music, a children’s area, the legendary waiters’ race, and much more.

The Southern Living Taste of Charleston is a charity event and raises money for local charities including The Ronald McDonald House, Hollings Cancer Center, Hospitality Heroes, Shriners Hospitals for Children and Charleston County Schools Science Materials Resource Center. Tickets for all Taste of Charleston events are now on sale and can be purchased online through the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association’s website, or in person at the Downtown Charleston or Mt. Pleasant Visitor Centers, Boone Hall Farms or any Southcoast Community Bank.

The GCRA will host two more foodie events in January 2015. Charleston Restaurant Week will take place January 7-18, followed by the Lowcountry Oyster Festival coined the “World’s Largest Oyster Roast,” which will take place on January 25. For more information about these and other events orchestrated by the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association, visit CharlestonRestaurantAssociation.com.

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

Belmond Charleston Place, an Orient-Express Hotel, Offers Special Summer Package for Single Parents

One of Charleston’s top hotels, Belmond Charleston Place, channels the heart and soul of this South Carolina city and its watery surroundings with a new By Land and By Sea package.  Geared especially well for single parents traveling with their kids, it ensures that every generation is happy both inside and out (and both indoors and outdoors!).

Charleston is most definitely a seaside town. The historic harbor is just blocks from the hotel, and was the scene of the opening shots in the Civil War. For centuries, it has welcomed ships from all over the world and today sports recreational boaters, pods of dolphins and more.

This stay starts with luxury accommodations in a plush guest room, and children eat free with accompanying adult purchase (even in the Four-Diamond Charleston Grill). Families receive a choice of activities for two per night, such as a downtown walking adventure with Bulldog Tours, admission to the South Carolina Aquarium, Palmetto Carriage Ride or Charleston Harbor Tour. (Additional tickets can be purchased for each.)

Tours are booked at time reservation, additional guests pay the standard tour fees. One complimentary meal is provided from the Children’s Menu, per paid adult meal, at the hotel’s Palmetto Café, Thoroughbred Club and Charleston Grill. (In-room dining is not included).

Charleston Place hotel’s family friendly amenities also include an infinity edge pool, a full-service spa with a menu of kid-friendly services, and a special “kids concierge” listing that highlights some of the city’s best offerings for the under-21 set.

Rates start at $314 per night, and the package is available through September 7, 2014.

Consistently ranked among the best hotels in the world by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines, Belmond Charleston Place evokes the feeling of a grand, 17th century residence, from its lush personal suites to the Italian marble lobby with its signature Georgian Open Arm staircase and 12-foot crystal chandelier. The staff of the hotel is dedicated to indulging its guests with the finest in Southern hospitality, and has become the choice of celebrities, princes and politicians.  Guests can enjoy the hotel’s full service European-style spa and horizon-edge swimming pool with retractable glass roof. The hotel is centrally located, surrounded by historic homes and buildings, and within strolling distance of the city’s delightful shops, galleries and restaurants. To book, please call 800-383-2335, or for more information, visit www.charlestonplace.com.

Owned and operated by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., Belmond is a global collection of exceptional hotel and luxury travel adventures in some of the world’s most inspiring and enriching destinations.  Established over 30 years ago with the acquisition of Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice, its unique and distinctive portfolio now embraces 45 hotel, rail and river cruise experiences in many of the world’s most celebrated destinations.  From city landmarks to intimate resorts, the collection includes Belmond Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg; Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa, Riviera Maya; and Belmond El Encanto, Santa Barbara.  Belmond also encompasses safaris, six luxury tourist trains including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and three river cruises. Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. also operates ‘21’, one of New York’s most storied restaurants.Visit belmond.com.

 

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

Belmond Charleston Place Hotel Offers Hands-on Master Craft Program to Learn Building Arts

Belmond Charleston Place Hotel is offering a  rare opportunity to experience the traditional building arts that make this city so special. The exclusive “Charleston Building Arts Package” includes a two night’s stay at Belmond Charleston Place with breakfast for two, a hands-on plaster lesson at American College of the Building Arts (ACBA) and admission for two to the Nathaniel-Russell House to see examples of plaster work and other building arts at their finest.

Guests will begin by touring the college, the only liberal arts college in the U.S. teaching traditional building arts. Participants will learn about each of the trades taught –plasterwork, masonry, stone carving, timber framing, ironworking and carpentry ­– and background on the college. Then, guests will join students for a rare opportunity to create plasterwork as it has been done for hundreds of years. World-renowned instructors will lead guests through making castings (pouring plaster into molds to create beautiful designs), creating and shaping intricate crown molding and even building a plaster souvenir.

Participants also get a “master class” by visiting a magnificent example of traditional Charleston architecture featuring numerous building arts at the Nathaniel-Russell House (51 Meeting St.). Here, guests can observe some of the finest examples of plasterwork, ironwork, carpentry and masonry.

The “Charleston Building Arts Package” is offered starting at $380 per night. Package includes a plaster lesson for one, admission to the Nathaniel-Russell House, two nights accommodation and breakfast for two daily. Additional ACBA sessions available.  ACBA plaster lessons are available Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. until April 17, 2014 (Fall package dates to be announced). To inquire or to book, contact 800-383-2335 or visit charlestonplace.com/build and use the promo code “build.”

The American College of the Building Arts is the only four-year liberal arts college in America educating and training artisans in the traditional building arts to foster exceptional craftsmanship. For more information, visit: buildingartscollege.us.

Belmond Charleston Place Hotel

Consistently ranked among the best hotels in the world by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines, Belmond Charleston Place Hotel evokes the feeling of a grand, 17th century residence, from its lush personal suites to the Italian marble lobby with its signature Georgian Open Arm staircase and 12-foot crystal chandelier. The staff of the hotel is dedicated to indulging its guests with the finest in Southern hospitality, and has become the choice of celebrities, princes and politicians.  Guests can enjoy the hotel’s full service European-style spa and horizon-edge swimming pool with retractable glass roof. Belmond Charleston Place is centrally located, surrounded by historic homes and buildings, and within strolling distance of the city’s delightful shops, galleries and restaurants. To book, please call 800-383-2335, or for more information, visit www.charlestonplace.com.

Owned and operated by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., Belmond is a global collection of exceptional hotel and luxury travel adventures in some of the world’s most inspiring and enriching destinations.  Established over 30 years ago with the acquisition of Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice, its unique and distinctive portfolio now embraces 45 hotel, rail and river cruise experiences in many of the world’s most celebrated destinations.  From city landmarks to intimate resorts, the collection includes Belmond Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg; Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa, Riviera Maya; and Belmond El Encanto, Santa Barbara.  Belmond also encompasses safaris, six luxury tourist trains including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and three river cruises. Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. also operates ‘21’, one of New York’s most storied restaurants (belmond.com).

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures