Take Part in Charleston’s Art Explosion

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The Charleston area has a vibrant arts and culture scene. With dozens of theaters, galleries and events showcasing visual, performing and literary arts, the city is alive with creativity and enlightenment. These are just a few ways you can experience Charleston’s rich artistic lifestyle.

YALLFest
photo/David Strauss

YALLFest Literary Event

Celebrating its fifth anniversary is YALLFest, a premier festival for children’s and young adult literature, on Nov. 13-14.

It’s an impressive lineup of authors at this year’s event: New York Times bestselling authors Veronica Roth (“Divergent” trilogy), Gayle Forman (“If I Stay”), Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”), Kody Keplinger (“The Duff”), Rick Yancey (“The Fifth Wave Series”), Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (“Beautiful Creatures Series”), Ann Brashares (“Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series) and Meg Cabot (“The Princess Diaries” series).

New York Times bestselling author Richelle Mead (“Vampire Academy” series) and legendary children’s book author R.L. Stine (“Goosebumps” series) will give the opening keynote. Winding out the festival will be Brandon Mull (“Fablehaven” series) and Brandon Sanderson (“Mistborn” series).

Tickets are required for keynote events. Check out the free YALLCrawl from 3-5 p.m. Nov. 13. Purchase books and get a map at Blue Bicycle Books, 420 King St., and then make your way to other venues along King Street for author signings.

Evening Art Walks

Relax on a Friday evening with a glass of wine and a stroll through some of Charleston’s finest art galleries. The Charleston Gallery Association – a group of more than 40 art galleries – will host a December art walk. Enjoy refreshments while visiting multiple galleries along lower King Street and through French Quarter from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 4.

The first Friday of each month, visit art galleries along Broad Street from 5-8 p.m. Some 15 galleries, restaurants and shops along Gallery Row open their doors to art lovers.

Free Art Exhibits

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts provides a multidisciplinary laboratory for visual artists from around the world. Located at 161 Calhoun St., Halsey is open to public with free admission.

Exhibits include Jiha Moon (through Dec. 5), who harvests cultural elements native to Korea, Japan and China and then unites them with Western elements to investigate the multi-faceted nature of our current global identity as influenced by popular culture, technology, racial perceptions and folklore. Also featured at the gallery is Susan Klein (through Dec. 5), whose paintings explore questions of time, of accumulation and losses, of spaces that become layered by history. She often combines imagery from separate places and times into one image.

Holy Trinity AME Church by Betty Anglin Smith
Holy Trinity AME Church by Betty Anglin Smith

Healing Power of Art

As Charlestonians continue to heal from the tragic shooting of nine people at Emanuel AME Church over the summer, a new exhibit will use art to celebrate Charleston’s strength and unity during such a difficult time. More than 90 artists will come together for Artists for Emanuel: Straight from the Heart, an exhibition, reception and silent auction, on Nov. 11. Auction proceeds will benefit the Lowcountry Unity Fund. An exhibition of the artwork is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 10-11 with the auction and reception from 6-9 p.m.  Nov. 11 at the Cigar Factory on East Bay Street.

Musical Sensations

 

The Gaillard Center, completely renovated and re-opened this fall, has a packed schedule of concerts, shows and dance performances. Enjoy the new world-class performance hall for everything from classical to country.

The Charleston Music Hall hosts a number of entertainers throughout the year from national to local performers. Upcoming shows include Rick Springfield, Judy Collins, Edwin McCain, and Shovels and Rope.

For more art/culture events:

Charleston Regional Alliance for the Arts

League of Charleston Theaters

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Charleston FAQ's

Choosing a hotel and where to stay in Charleston all depends on your budget and goals. Do you want to stay Downtown, at the beach or in the outer areas such as North Charleston where you have to drive to get everywhere? For more help on deciding: https://travelerofcharleston.com/articles/hotels/

Charleston has 3 main public beaches which are: Folly, Isle of Palms and Sullivans. Each beach has it’s own atmosphere. The most common beach that people visit is Folly Beach and then Isle of Palms followed by Sullivans Island. For more info on Charleston’s beaches visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/

Charleston, SC is full of historical things to do. Everything from museums, to public sites and free landmark sites such as Rainbow Row and the Battery can be seen. For more info on Charleston’s top historical sites visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/places-to-learn-about-charleston-sc-history/

There are many things that will keep the kids and family entertained and educated in Charleston. There are historic sites such as Fort Sumter, a Children’s Museum, Aquarium and the USS Yorktown…a WWII era aircraft carrier you can tour. For more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-family-fun-activities/

There’s so many  things you could do in Charleston it can be overwhelming. We recommend that first time visitors, checkout the ultimate first-time visitor guide here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-first-time-visitors-guide/

Spring in Charleston, SC is an amazing time of year to visit. The flowers are blooming and the weather is mild and sunny. For more info, check-out our spring guide to Charleston here: https://travelerofcharleston.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-springtime-in-charleston/

Summer in Charleston is a great time to visit. There’s plenty of things to keep you busy and visiting the beach will probably….or should be on your short-list. Also water-based activities and tours are popular. Checkout this summer guide to Charleston for more info: 

Our 10 Favorite Summer Activities in Charleston

Fall is one of the best times to visit. The weather cools down a bit and the skies are typically blue and clear. In addition there are many great events, festivals and the large crowds of summer have gone back to school or work. For more info on visiting in the fall, checkout this article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-12-things-to-do-fall/

There are so many great things to do that it’s difficult to narrow the list down. This article does a great job with figuring out the must do things to do in Charleston

7 Can’t Miss Reasons to Visit Charleston, SC Now

The consensus is a minimum of 3-days is needed to settle in and experience Charleston. For instance, many people take 2 days exploring downtown and another day visiting sites outside of downtown such as the plantations, Angel Oak Tree or beaches. Checkout this page for a list of tours and attractions: 

Charleston’s Top Tours & Attractions | Things to do

Downtown Charleston was made for walking and for sure one of the best way to soak up and experience the history first-hand. This article goes over getting around Charleston with and without a car as well: 

Getting Around Charleston, SC

We’re of course partial to Charleston, but here’s the truth. There are many similarities however there are some differences in our opinion: 

  • Both cities are historic and beautiful. 
  • Both cities are extremely walkable. Savannah, with it’s park-like squares maybe more walkable than Charleston. 
  • Charleston has a more established and food scene with many more options. 
  • Charleston has better hotels and shopping.
  • Both cities have equally good tours.
  • Charleston has better beach options. Savannah has Tybee which is great, however it’s 1 beach vibe versus Charleston which has 3 beaches with different vibes. Checkout this Charleston beach guide article: https://travelerofcharleston.com/guide-charlestons-beaches/
  • In Savannah you can walk with alcoholic beverages on the street. This is not allowed in Charleston. This can be good or bad depending on your stance. 
  • Savannah is more affordable.
  • TourPass offers all-inclusive passes in both cities: https://tourpass.com

There are always great and world-class events happening in Charleston. For a calendar of events and things to do in Charleston, checkout our online calendar of events: https://travelerofcharleston.com/events/

Of course there are free money-saving coupons that you can use. Visit the coupons page for a bunch of ways to save: https://travelerofcharleston.com/coupon/

Charleston has some fantastic can’t miss tours such as Fort Sumter, carriage, ghost, harbor, historic and culinary tours. For a full list with more info visit: https://travelerofcharleston.com/attractions/

Checkout the Charleston Relocation Guide page which will guide you during your move: https://travelerofcharleston.com/charleston-sc-relocation-guide/

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