Southern-Charmed Weekend in Charleston

My husband and I first visited Charleston last summer for a relative's wedding in the famous downtown Theatre on King Street, and it happened to be the last weekend of the Spoleto festival. This summer, we made sure to return and take in more of the wonderful food, sights, and local art. Memorial Day is the opening weekend of this event which has a sister festival in Italy. Piccolo Spoleto is a more local, grassroots festival with its own eccentric culture and events. We enjoyed walking the main streets of downtown Charleston with the southern charm, fun shopping, and well-dressed locals. The heat was worth the sweat to see the spread of local art tents, clowns, sweet tea, fresh lemonade, impressionistic paintings, and local photography.

The streets are active at night with the outdoor music concerts near the market streets and the restaurants are packed with people laughing and every other person you pass on the street seems to hold an ice-cream cone. Be sure to visit Hominy Grille, a southern staple with homemade creamy grits that have been featured in Bon Appetit Magazine. The large, waterfront aquarium is worth the trip with many interesting exhibits of local sea life to the exotic aquatics. Before you leave the active city, take home a local Charleston handmade grass basket from the open-air Market Hall behind the Daughters of the Confederacy building and taste the shrimp and grits entree from Jestine's Kitchen, named after Jestine who lived to be 112 and was the daughter of a slave in old time Charleston.

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Be ready to walk, walk, walk! Parking is not too easy, but you can find a place not too far from the action...then just enjoy downtown on foot. At the end of the day, treat yourself to a rickshaw ride back to your hotel or car!

We've enjoyed a couple meals at Hominy Grill, a famous home-style restaurant on the outskirts of Downtown Charleston. Since reservations are only taken for dinner, make sure you are prepared to wait outside on the sidewalk to get in for the well-worth-it breakfast or lunch. Get ready to indulge in creative, yet simple local cuisine including breakfast dishes of shrimp-n-grits, omelets filled with okra and portobello, or the "you-can't-go-wrong" original of eggs, creamy grits and home fries, or lunch entrées like grilled soft shell crab with apricot slaw and Brunswick stew.

The name of this cafe comes from the staple of many dishes - hominy (grits), and they are not your ordinary grits, oh no...but fresh, large hominy made with fresh cream...so thick it takes effort to clean your spoon! Outdoor seating is available on a shaded patio paved with bricks, or sit inside and notice the premier articles around the walls of Hominy's features in "Bon Appetit" magazine and more, along with antique art against the beat-board walls and ornate southern ceiling!

Breakfast begins at 7:30 and lunch is 11:30-2:30 Mon-Fri, while a weekend brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 to 2:30. Be sure to make reservations for dinner (served from 5:30 to 9:30 Monday to Thursday, from 5:30 to 10 Friday and Saturday), because the popularity of this restaurant is evident in the waiting times. Check out www.HominyGrill.com for some shared recipes and a email reservation form!

If you enjoy Thai food, don't miss out on a visit to Basil Restaurant while in Charleston! On historic King St., this restaurant boasts a convenient location to downtown, hip atmosphere, and optional outdoor seating for the cool evenings! The variety of customers is evident as soon as you enter...from casual tourists trying out a new dish to the young locals in the southern-charmed dressy attire. The menu selection is excellent from traditional Thai curry to experiments with interesting spices and flavors (especially hot peppers). The head chef, Suntorn Cherdchoongarm, is a Thailand native and knows how to prepare fresh, fresh dishes which onlookers can watch from the dining room.

The atmosphere is very urban and modern, but the tables and booths are arranged in a way to not feel cold and bleak, but welcoming and family-style. The noise level is a bit high, but you can opt for the cafe seating outside if the weather permits.

Curry bowls (red/yellow/green) and, of course, Pad Thai are the favorites as well as the freshest spring rolls you'll ever taste! They offer many vegetarian options, as well as the traditional meat dishes with duck, beef, and chicken. Wash your meal down with an iced Thai tea and a sample of the unique desserts! Our experience was wonderful all around, with tasty food, extremely fast service, and moderate pricing (about $15/plate). Definitely worth a stop!!

I debated whether or not to include this review in "restaurants" or "bars". It is most definitely a bar (alcohol, coffee, and dessert all in one) and is most popular late at night, but it keeps a fun, cafe-like feel to the atmosphere. Located next to T-Bonz Steakhouse, Kaminsky's seems to be one of the most popular places to experience by tourists and locals alike. Plan on waiting a while (even past 11pm) for a small table to open up in the crowded room, but use your time to peruse the glass case full of, what's often referred to as, Charleston's best desserts!

The menu is chock-full of sinful indulgences like Tollhouse Cookie Pie, Turtle Cheesecake, Creme Brulee, Italian Creme Cake, and Hummingbird Spice Cake, not to mention various hot toddies like the Hot Apple Pie (apple cider, Tuaca, and cinnamon stick). Of course, you can't leave without trying one of the famous dessert martinis, from the Classic to the Toasted Almond. This is a must-see for all with a sweet tooth!

When we first visited Charleston, we didn't expect to get a taste for Italy -but with the Spoleto Festival in town, that's exactly what we got...and it was delicious! Begun in 1977 as a sister festival to the European counterpart in Spoleto, Italy, this USA version became a player in the "Festival of Two Worlds." This 17-day festival is a time when the city is transformed into a stage for visual arts, theatre productions, operas, dance, and symphonies at various locations around the town. The annual event kicks off each Memorial Day weekend and hotels fill up fast, so be sure to book accommodation far in advance, especially for the opening and closing celebrations. Tickets and individual event info are available online at www.SpoletoUSA.org.

Even if you aren't able to go to a specific event while you visit, just being in the city during the festival is an experience in itself. The entire town seems to pull together in support of this worldwide acclaimed event! You can also stop by the Piccolo Spoleto Festival which is a smaller, more localized festival with free outdoor concerts and plays. With many events geared toward children, Piccolo Spoleto is a cost-effective, fun family outing. Walk around Wragg Square (Meeting & Charlotte St.) to enjoy the multitude of regional arts, crafts, and food! Watch for the occasional clown or sidewalk musician performer to stroll by, and be sure to get some fresh lemonade to refresh after walking in the southern heat!

Overall, Spoleto (and Piccolo Spoleto) are wonderful festivals, complete with European flair, world-class entertainment, and classy southern charm! A "don't-miss" for your Charleston visit!