This year Summerville celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Flowertown Festival, an event that started as a fundraiser for the Young Women’s Christian Organization and has grown to one of the top 20 events in the Southeast welcoming some 200,000 attendees. The festival remains a major fundraiser, benefiting the Summerville YMCA.
The festival not only features some of the best in arts and crafts but shows off the dozens of azalea bushes blooming in Azalea Park, 12 acres of gardens, bridges, butterfly ponds, gardens, an amphitheater and sculptures in the heart of this town.
It’s worth venturing out of downtown Charleston for this festival, which also highlights local businesses, restaurants and organizations along with an entire area just for the kids. Here’s our tip: go on Friday when the crowds are little less dense.
Festival hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 30, and Saturday, March 31, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 1. Save yourself the parking headaches and park for free at Seacoast Church, 301 E. 5th North St., or at 200 Old Trolley Road, and ride the shuttle to the festival.