Charleston Hosts Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto
May 2007
Story and Photos By Renee Wright

Spoleto USA and Piccolo Spoleto, Charleston's annual arts extravaganzas, host hundreds of performances by top national and international groups during their two-week run. Not one, but two festivals run concurrently.

Spoleto, with an international pedigree, concentrates on the performing arts: opera, musical theater, drama, classical music and dance. Musical offerings include a Chamber Music series sponsored by Bank of America and a Jazz series sponsored by Wachovia, as well as concerts ranging from Brahms to the latest in contemporary orchestral music. One 2007 highlight: The legendary composer Philip Glass premiers his much anticipated work Book of Longing based on the poetry of Leonard Cohen.

Although tickets to high-profile Spoleto events can be hard to come by, don't let that keep you from making a last-minute trip to Charleston. Piccolo Spoleto, the city-sponsored "fringe" festival, schedules literally hundreds of events, and tickets to most of them are almost always available, and reasonably priced.

Hundreds of events cover all the bases in arts from gallery exhibits and poetry readings to avant-garde theater and that exciting blend that goes by the name of "performance art." Piccolo includes a dance series, a jazz series, music cruises on Charleston Harbor, and much, much more.

A full schedule of Piccolo Spoleto events are designed especially for children, including a special beach party on the Isle of Palms. Most children's events are free.

The fringe festival also sponsors special in-depth tours of the city's art and architectural treasure, lovingly preserved by the oldest Society for Historic Preservation in the country.

Charleston doesn't just celebrate its history, it revels in it. With a pedigree dating back to the 1600s, the city is one of the few early English settlements that grew into a real city. In fact thanks to rice and trade, it was the wealthiest city in the British Colonies and in the young United States until the opening shots of the
Civil War.

The site of that battle lies just off shore at Fort Sumter, and a visit to Charleston is not complete without at least a boat ride around the harbor that played such an important part in our national history. Not only did the Civil War begin here, but an important battle in the Revolutionary War took place at Fort Moultrie, where the palmetto log walls absorbed cannon balls shot by attacking British forces.

Several companies run cruises of the harbor, including SpirtLine, which makes a stop at Fort Sumter Island itself. The excursion boat, Carolina Belle, takes a leisurely route around the harbor, with a historic commentary that ranges from the earliest settlements to the newest giant cranes in the busy seaport.

The harbor tours also give you a close up view of the aircraft carrier Yorktown and other ships moored at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum across the Cooper River from Charleston. A magnificent new bridge, the Arthur Ravenel, makes this area "east of the Cooper" -which includes Mt. Pleasant and the Isle of Palms-much easier to reach. It's also the site of the annual Bridge Walk, one of Charleston's signature events.

Charleston has concentrated many of its newest attractions at Liberty Square, on the Cooper River north of the busy Market district. The National Park Service has a new visitor center for Ft. Sumter here, and this is the main dock area for harbor cruises and kayak tours. Next door, the S.C. Aquarium does a super job showcasing the aquatic wildlife of the state from mountains to sea. An IMAX theater and the American Military Museum are also part of this complex.

The Charleston Visitor Center is just a few blocks from Liberty Square on Meeting Street, the city's "main drag." Several of the city's larger hotels cluster here. The largest, and most attractive, is the Embassy Suites Historic District, housed in the former home of the famous Citadel Military Academy. The imposing historic building centers on a huge atrium and the amenities here are unsurpassed, including a free full breakfast buffet every morning and manager's reception with complimentary cocktails each evening.

For a look at the natural side of Charleston, explore the area's marshes and islands on an eco-tour excursion. One company, Barrier Island Eco-Tours, makes daily trips from the Isle of Palms marina via pontoon boat or kayak to Capers Island, one of the last undeveloped barrier islands along this coast.
There are many ways to see the city of Charleston from walking tours to the on-off trolleys you can catch at the Visitors Center. Ghost tours are especially popular in this old city.

If you like creepy buildings, visit the Old Jail where paranormal events are often reported, even caught on film. Bulldog Tours offers nightly tours of the haunted building.

The Old City Market area is destination central for visitors with a concentration of shopping, dining, and tours. For casual meals, the original A.W. Shucks can't be beat. The oyster bar recently received a complete facelift and the patio directly overlooks the Market.
For romantic dinners and special occasions, try the five-course dinner with free flowing wine offered by Robert's of Charleston near the Market. Robert Dickson, a professional opera singer turned chef, introduces the first course with "Food, Glorious Food" then returns to entertain with medleys of show tunes and classics that make each course gloriously digestible. His daughter, also a trained chef, keeps delightful creations coming from the kitchen during the perfectly paced meal.

Accommodations within Charleston range from historic inns to all the big-name hotels, but if you like to mix some golf and/or beach in with your history, consider staying on one of the nearby Sea Islands. Seabrook, next to Kiawah, provides a rich, Lowcountry experience amid old live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. The resort includes a beach club and a golf club as well as a marina. At the Seabrook Equestrian Center, shady trail rides wind through the woods past osprey nests and alligators, while more experienced riders can enjoy faster paced beach excursions.

Nearby, the River Road winds past a series of old plantation houses along the Ashley River as well as Charles Towne Landing, the original settlement site, now a state park. Many of the plantations welcome guests, including Drayton Hall, the oldest plantation house in America open to the public and a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Become a member of the Trust here and you'll receive a long-handled silver rice spoon, once a necessary item on every Charleston table.

Next door is Middleton Place with the oldest landscaped gardens in America. It's the site of Spoleto's Grand Finale every year, a pleasant evening of picnicking, music and strolling through the grounds-the Lowcountry lifestyle at its best.

For more information, visit www.spoletousa.org, www.piccolospoleto.com, www.charlestoncvb.com or call 800.868.8118

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