Thank you for choosing Charleston Gateway for your vacation guide, “spanning the decades as Charleston’s first source for fun filled vacation days!” We are pleased to offer you the most comprehensive vacation guide available in our beautiful city.

Enjoy a glass of delicious sweet tea while you read through our guide and choose what to do next! Southerners love this frosty beverage, and you can learn how to make your own in our “What’s Cookin’?” feature.

South Carolina is the nesting place for hundreds of endangered Loggerhead Turtles and, during a visit to any of our beaches, you may see these nests or meet one of the many dedicated volunteers who work to protect this rapidly disappearing species. Unfortunately, many of these magnificent animals are stranded on our shores after being injured by propellers, crab traps or inclement weather. The South Carolina Aquarium houses the only Sea Turtle Hospital in our state and offers behind the scenes tours, an experience well worth the visit.

Enjoy your visit to Historic Charleston. Our website, www.charlestongateway.com, offers many more suggestions on what to see and do in our beautiful city, and, if you are on Facebook, please “like” Charleston Gateway for weekly tips on the very best our city has to offer.

Sea turtles are a threatened and endangered species that highlight the many pressing issues surrounding coastal development and ocean conservation. To help ensure that sea turtles have a future in our oceans, the South Carolina Aquarium uses its facilities to aid sick and injured sea turtles through its Sea Turtle Rescue Program. When an unhealthy sea turtle is found along the coast, it is brought to the Sea Turtle Hospital by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) where animal care staff can begin to monitor and treat the animal in this state-of-the-art facility. The Sea Turtle Hospital admits 10 to 20 sea turtles each year.

Sea turtles arrive with a variety of problems, including bacterial and fungal infections, shock from being exposed to cold temperatures, and wounds from boat strikes and shark bites. A full-time veterinarian is on staff to diagnose each turtle and, with the help of hospital staff and volunteers, to provide treatments and rehabilitative care.

The average length of stay for a sea turtle in rehabilitation is 7-8 months. When a turtle is deemed healthy enough to survive on its own, it is brought to a local beach to be returned to the ocean where it can rejoin the sea turtle population and help to maintain their species through reproduction.

According to SCDNR, over the last 10 years, the average number of sea turtle strandings on South Carolina beaches each year is 133. Of these, roughly 10% are alive and successfully transported to the Sea Turtle Hospital. To date the South Carolina Aquarium has successfully rehabilitated and released 43 sea turtles and is currently treating 13 patients. The average cost for a patient’s treatment is $43 a day with the average length of stay reaching nine months.

Behind-the-Scenes-Tours of the Sea Turtle Hospital are offered at the South Carolina Aquarium weekly at 11:30 am and 1 pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit scaquarium.org or call 843-577-FISH.

September 25 & 26

The second annual Museum Mile Weekend in downtown Charleston will be held on September 25 and 26. Situated along Meeting Street, the Museum Mile runs from the Charleston Visitor’s Center to the Nathaniel Russell House and offers the most comprehensive array of historical and cultural attractions in downtown Charleston. Along the Museum Mile are six museums, five nationally important historic houses, four scenic parks, a Revolutionary War powder magazine, twelve historic houses of worship and five historic public buildings including the Market and City Hall.

During Museum Mile weekend, a single $20 pass allows adult visitors complimentary admission to thirteen sites along Meeting Street (passes for children are $10). For more information, visit www.charlestonmuseummile.org or call 843-722-2996 x 235.

Jerry Gowdy and his wife, Josephine, love Charleston. Both are natives of the area—from families that can trace their lineage back to 1690. Today, they share this love of history and the Holy City through their company, Charleston’s Finest Historic Tours, Inc. Jerry has been a consultant on many Boone Hall, Middleton and Drayton Hall projects while working with Clemson University and is an avid collector of Southern history books. He and Josephine’s motorized tours are packed with information about the very best to see and do in our area and a great value for the new and returning visitor.

Tours are available both to the sprawling plantations surrounding Charleston and through the gardens and gates of our city. For more information, call 843-577-3311 or visit www.historictoursofcharleston.com.

Take a stroll under the lights of Charleston’s doorways during The Preservation Society of Charleston’s 34th Annual Fall Tours of Homes and Gardens from September 23-October 24. Tours are given Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, from 7-10 pm and Sunday afternoons from 2-5 pm. Tours feature the interiors of architecturally significant privately owned homes, beautiful gardens, churches and public buildings of historic Charleston.

These are self-paced, self-guided walking tours with volunteer guides stationed in each house or garden; on average, eight to ten properties are included in each tour, which vary in architectural styles and periods. All tours are in historic districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Tours usually include properties on more than one street and often cover six to eight city blocks.

Tickets are $45 per person for each individual tour. A special weekend rate of $120 per person is available. (Includes Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Friday, Saturday, Sunday tours of the same weekend only.) For more information visit www.preservationsociety.org or call 843-722-4630.

Charleston has had many monikers over the years. By 1740 it was referred to as “Little London” as it was the most cosmopolitan city in America. It has been called “the jewel in the crown” of our country for its varied and beautiful architecture, yet most residents refer to it as the “Holy City” for the many churches that grace the town. Unlike other cities in America, Charleston’s skyline is peppered with towering spires and bell towers which give it a European feel.

In 1821, The Right Reverend John England was given the task to lead the diocese of Georgia and the Carolinas. Soon after his arrival in Charleston he supervised the construction of a wooden house of worship that would serve the congregation until a Cathedral could be built in its place. Unfortunately, he would not live to see the construction of the first Cathedral in 1854, situated at Broad and Legare Streets. The current Cathedral is the third structure in this place where Catholics have worshipped since the early nineteenth century.

In spring of 2010, The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist received a much wanted addition, that of a steeple. The Cathedral, completed in 1907, is a relative newcomer to the cityscape. Its predecessor, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and St. Finbar was decimated by the flames of the great fire of 1861 that burned east to west across the peninsula. That religious structure was the largest of its kind constructed in the antebellum period with its nave measuring 54 feet and its tower reaching 200 feet toward heaven. The current Cathedral was designed by Patrick Keely and Decimus Barbot in the Gothic revival style and it took seven years to build because of the lack of funding as this was only four decades following the Civil War. Its current bold and large edifice is a testament to the congregation and their devotion to create an ornate presence representing their faith; however, the 100 foot designed tower and steeple was never constructed. Several years ago, the congregation decided to make the addition of a steeple a priority.

The brownstone Cathedral boasts 14 stained glass windows that were made in Germany by the Franz Mayer Company including a large rosette window which is situated above the altar. The detailed plasterwork inside the Cathedral is also noteworthy. For over 100 years the congregation had planned to eventually add a steeple to this gem on Broad Street, and this spring that addition became a reality.

The design of the 82 foot steeple was created by Glenn Keyes Architects and constructed by Hightower Construction Company. The innovative team created the steeple out of modern materials that are lighter and more durable than their traditional counterparts. The steeple, made of precast concrete, matches the historic fabric of the church while the copper spire adds interest with its gilded 16 foot cross topping the spire. Bishop Guglielmone, the current Bishop, blessed the three new bells from France that are housed in the bell tower. The steeple, with its tower and cross, will measure 160 feet tall and will complete the dreams of the past and current congregations.

The steeple is a beautiful adornment to the city’s skyline, and visitors and residents alike will be charmed by the sweet cacophony of the bells as they welcome parishioners to worship. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist lies in easy walking distance within the historic district and is often open to the public.

All the bells are the voice of the town.
They speak for her silences, which are eloquent.

Dubose Heyward

Exhibition Modern Masters from the Ferguson Collection on view through August 22.

The Gibbes Museum of Art presents the exclusive exhibition Modern Masters from the Ferguson Collection in the Main Gallery through August 22, 2010. Selected from the private collection of prominent art enthusiasts Esther and James Ferguson, this exhibition includes paintings, sculpture, and works on paper by significant twentieth-century artists such as Pablo Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg and Christo. The Ferguson’s remarkable collection reflects their personal tastes in art, but also offers an overview of European and American modernism. Cubism, Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art are among the many movements represented by this exhibition.

Also through August 22, the work of renowned American photographer, JoAnne Verberg will be exhibited, featuring the architecture of Spoleto, Italy, her home for the past twenty-five years. Verburg’s work has been shown throughout the world, including a recent mid-career retrospective organized by the Museum of Modern Art.

Located at 135 Meeting St., museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm and Sunday 1-5 pm. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, students and military and $5 for children 6-12. For more information, call 843-722-2706 or visit www.gibbesmuseum.org.

Balmy breezes fresh from the sea dance along Charleston’s cobblestone streets, bringing sweet relief in the sultriness of her legendary summer heat. Long, humid days are whiled away by young and old alike at Charleston’s fabulous local beaches. Families build sand castles on Sullivan’s Island, beach comb or swim on the Isle of Palms; friends and co-eds surf the waves at Folly Beach. Fishing and scuba diving charters are available at local marinas; eco-tours of the barrier islands replete with delicious Lowcountry boil all beckon to adventurers. In the Historic District, air-conditioned shops along Market and King streets welcome visitors into their cool embrace, and a cold drink enjoyed at one of our famous local restaurants bring to mind the famous tag line from the American opera Porgy and Bess: “Summertime…and the livin’s easy…”

While modern life and amenities make summer a fantastic time to be in the Carolina Lowcountry, in the past Charleston was a difficult, often dangerous place in the summer months. Arriving settlers were met by a myriad of blackwater tidal creeks and marsh that bred sickness through mosquitoes and other parasites, though at the time it was believed to be “bad air,” or malaria. The natives referred to the near-constant breeze over the tiny peninsula as chicora, a native Kiawah word that means “land of healing winds.” The original settlers had landed up the Ashley River, but the move to the peninsula was recognized as both more strategic as well as more comfortable. The site was, as Joseph Dalton recorded in 1671, “very healthy, being free from any noisome vapors and all the Sumer long refreshed with Coole breathing from the sea.”

However, the quickly growing settlement was still bisected with many marshy creeks, and with waste runoff and lack of sanitation the whisper of trouble soon became a roar. Stagnant lots, many of which were filled over time due to the “poisonous” water, ran along the westerly side of the city. In 1785, one visitor reported that he would count himself “fortunate” if he was able to leave “before some…disorder rages.” Citizens continually appealed to the city that the low-lying areas of marsh must be drained, as it “must be highly injurious to the health of the inhabitants.” Because of this, as well as extension of the seawall on numerous occasions, the streets in Charleston have a noticeably asymmetrical layout. A modern map compared to the original settlement shows a line-up of streets to old rivers, including Market Street, Water Street and lower Church Street. A portion of the original seawall is still visible nearly three blocks inland on Limehouse Street.

Rife with influenza, smallpox and scarlet fever, the port city saw many harrowing outbreaks of these epidemics as well as other various ailments, such as the devastating summer of 1738 when approximately ten percent of the colony’s population succumbed to yellow fever. The rector of St. Philip’s Church recorded “4 to 12 Funerals a Day & many sick to Visit.” Charleston earned a sordid reputation in the colonial days as an unhealthy place, and in later years this reputation would hurt the economy as others feared to trade in the port, believing—not without merit—that sickness would follow the ships to their destination. Doctors, however, were attracted to the rumors of good wealth and bad health, and the saying among many was “Carolina is in the spring a paradise, in the summer a hell and in the autumn a hospital.”

For the planter, wealthy elite of Charleston, summer was the time to abandon the city in pursuit of a cooler, healthier clime in the North. For the pampered classes, the balls and gaieties of the winter and early spring season were begrudgingly given up in favor of summer country retreats, such as the mountains of North Carolina or the refreshing seacoast of Newport, Rhode Island. In the 1760s and 1770s, so many people from the Lowcountry traveled to Newport that the city became known as the “Carolina Hospital.” At the first press of lasting heat in May, trunks were stowed and passengers crowded upon packet boats to make the coastal journey, not returning until late October. Still others made the voyage to England in an attempt at restoring vitality and remained there, as Charleston continually had “want of health.” While fourth in population behind Philadelphia, New York and Boston at the time, Charleston ranked first in health problems. Between 1800 and 1860, there were twenty-five epidemics of yellow fever alone. In 1807, John C. Calhoun wryly commented that the constant fever in Charleston was “a curse…for their intemperance and debaucheries.”

Slaves, indentured servants, poor free whites and blacks were not as lucky as the ruling classes. Escape from the raging swelter was not for them; only long, arduous days in the hot southern sun. These people labored daily, even in the press of blazing August. The plantations deeper inland from the coast were stifling hot and muggy; yet work continued to produce rice, cotton, tobacco and indigo crops. Severe cases of dehydration and heatstroke were common.

Very quickly, the use of West Coast African slaves surpassed the use of all other labor on Charleston area plantations. Slaves from Angola and Ghana, for example, were more highly prized than European slaves for many reasons, as the Africans held many skills the Europeans did not. Primarily, they were experienced farmers in the cash crops that dominated the colonial and antebellum periods. Having introduced the ability to grow rice in Carolina, they knew how to plant and clean the rice, how to kill an alligator that lurked in the fields. Yet equally important was the Africans’ ability to survive the violent “fever and ague” that ran so rampantly. The sickle-cell is a natural, defensive mutation against malaria. Because of this, the black slaves were able to survive the swamp fevers of summertime while white and native slaves perished by the dozen.

So take a break this summer and reflect…for in contrast to summers of old, the livin’ truly is easy!

Experience history and wildlife on this action-packed tram tour of Magnolia Plantation’s wetlands, lakes, forests and marshes. Naturalist guides help you spot alligators, turtles, egrets and herons in native habitats, and as you ride through the landscape, Magnolia Plantation’s rich history will be brought to life—from a row of slave cabins to 19th century rice ponds and a Native American ceremonial mound that evokes the plantation’s complex past. The tour will bring to life the true landscape and culture of the old South.

Nature Train tours last approximately one hour and are $7 in addition to regular garden admission. For more information, visit www.magnoliaplantation.com or call 800-367-3517.

The festivities will begin with a bluegrass concert on Friday, May 28th at 7:00 PM in Building B of The City Market, next to the MoonPie General Store, performed by Mountain Cove Bluegrass of Signal Mountain, TN, a young and rapidly rising band formed in 2008.

Also at 7 PM Friday night, the City Market will be hosting its weekly Art in the Evening series featuring works from many talented local artists. And on Saturday, from 11:00 – 1:00, Mountain Cove Bluegrass will be performing again in the courtyard of the City Market. At the conclusion of this concert, the MoonPie General Store will cut and serve the World’s Largest MoonPie. Weighing 55 lbs., measuring 40″ in diameter and 6″ in height and boasting 14 lbs. of marshmallow, 6 lbs. of chocolate and 45,000 calories, the World’s Largest MoonPie is a sight to behold and serves several hundred. Come join the celebration!