Aqua Safaris. Choose a captain from the Lowcountry's largest and best selection of inshore and offshore fishing charters, experience sunset and land on the beach aboard new catamaran Palmetto Breeze, sail historic Charleston harbor and enjoy a romantic B&B, or simply entertain in motor-yacht luxury. One call for all your water activities in the Lowcountry and to exotic destinations beyond! aqua-safaris.com, www.palmettobreeze.com, (843) 886-8133, (800) 524-3444.
Boone Hall Plantation. Boone Hall Plantation's world-famous Avenue of Oaks, which leads to the plantation house and gardens, and its original slave street are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Easy walking tour and a Plantation Kitchen restaurant. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. and 1-4 Sun. (843) 884-4371
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site. An 1828 Lowcountry cottage serves as a visitor center on a 28-acre remnant of Founding Father's Snee Farm. 1254 Long Point Road, Mount Pleasant. Twenty-minute film, exhibits, walking trail. Open 9 to 5 daily, except Christmas & New Year's. Free. Call (843) 881-5516 or see www.nps.gov/chpi.
Children's Museum of The Lowcountry. Seven different exhibits that allow chidren to explore the arts, sciences and humanities through their own hands-on experience. $5 per person, Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; 25 Ann St. (843) 853-8962.
Cypress Gardens.3030 Cypress Gardens Road, Moncks Corner, SC. 843-553-0515. Made from the rice fields of a former plantation, huge cypress trees rise to stately heights above shallow lakes and sandy paths through a forest and garden setting.
The Dock Street Theatre. 135 Church Street Charleston, SC. 843-720-3968. A lineage that dates back to one of the earliest theaters in America, Dock Street is the home of the Charleston Stage Company which performs plays and performances throughout the year.
Drayton Hall. 3380 Ashley River Road Charleston, SC. 843-769-2600. Built between 1738 and 1742, Drayton Hall is considered one of the best examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture in America. It is the only Ashley River Plantation to survive the Civil War. The special preservation presentation shows the house unfurnished so that all the architectural details are exposed which promotes a greater appreciation for the structure to the visitor.
Fort Moultrie. Discover more than 200 years of coastal defense at this National Park Service site. 1214 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island. Visitor center with 20-minute film and exhibits. Open 9 to 5 every day except Christmas and New Year's. Adults, $2; seniors and children, $1; family, $5; school groups, free. Call 843-883-3123 or see www.nps.gov/fomo for more information.
Fort Sumter National Monument. In Charleston Harbor, where the Civil War began on April 12, 1861. Boats depart from Liberty Square in Charleston and Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. For rates and departure times, call 843-883-3123 or 843-722-2628. New exhibit hall at Liberty Square, south of the Aquarium, is open daily 8:30 to 5 at no charge. Closed Christmas and New Year's. See www.nps.gov/fosu.
Frankie's Fun Park. 5000 Ashley Phosphate, North Charleston. (843) 767-1376. Serves up Great Rides, Great Food and Great Times. Go-Karts, Miniature Golf, Bumper Boats, Amusement Rides, Batting Cages and an awesome Arcade are part of our mega mix of fun. Frankie's Grill dishes out tasty food and drinks. We've got it all. Sized up for little kids, big kids and those who still think they're kids.
With no admission fee, you pay as you play and Frankie's Ultimate Fun Package gives you more go for your dough. Frankie's is open everyday and extra late so you can kiss your bedtime goodbye. See you soon.
The Gibbs Museum of Art. 135 Meeting Street Charleston, SC. 843-722-2706/ Featuring American works of art from the 1700s to the present including paintings, drawings and prints. Views of the city and South Carolinian notables are displayed here as well as Japanese woodblock prints and traveling exhibitions.
The Hunley. Visit us for weekend tours of the Hunley, the first submarine in world history to sink a ship in combat. Tours are available every Saturday from 10-5 and Sunday from noon-5 at the Warren Lasch Conservation Lab. For tour tickets and directions, call 1-877-4HUNLEY (1-877-448-6539) or order online at www.etix.com. Walk-up tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
IMAX. Charleston IMAX Theatre offers films that enlighten, inspire and educate on a giant screen the width of a professional basketball court. The only 3D theater in South Carolina is adjacent to the Aquarium and Fort Sumter Visitor Center. Call 843-725-IMAX (4629) or see www.charlestonimax.com
James Island County Park. 871 Riverland Drive Charleston, SC 29412. 843-795-PARK (7275) or 843-795-4386. This 643-acre park has a wide variety of activities and facilities to offer. Features include a tidal creek fishing area, paved trails, bicycle rental, pedal boats, kayak rentals, playgrounds, a spray/play fountain area, picnic areas, volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, and the Splash Zone waterpark. Admission $1
Low Country Oyster Festival. Jan. 29 at Boone Hall Plantation
Sponsored by the Charleston Restaurant Association, the massive, 23rd annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival drew nearly 10,000 shuckers and revelers —many armed with their own knives and gloves — on Jan. 29, 2006. Two tractor-trailer loads’ of freshly harvested, Gulf Coast bivalves hit the steamers across the lawn behind the big house at historic Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, while local rock/cover bands Plane Jane and the Eddie Bush Group played on the big stage across the field. Luckily for the oyster nonbelievers, a variety of local food vendors offered a list of alternatives, including corn dogs, crabcakes, boiled shrimp, and barbecue. Many beers were consumed. Many shells were discarded. Many minutes were spent in dirt-road traffic. ’Twas a Lowcountry success. —T. Ballard Lesemann
Middleton Place. A carefully preserved 18th century plantation and National Historic Landmark, Middleton Place encompasses 65 acres of America's oldest landscaped gardens. A tour of the House Museum highlights family collections and the role of the Middleton family in American history, while craftspeople in the Plantation Stableyards recreate the activities of a self-sustaining Lowcountry plantation. Located 14 miles north of downtown Charleston on Hwy. 61. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (843) 556-6020 or 800-782-3608. www.middletonplace.org
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, located on Charleston Harbor, 2 miles east on US-17 at 40 Patriots Point Road. Visit the aircraft carrier Yorktown, World War II's Famous "Fighting Lady." See the submarine Clamagore, destroyer Laffey, Coast Guard cutter Ingham, 25 military aircraft, Congressional Medal of Honor Museum, Vietnam Base Camp, Cold War Submarine Memorial, Navy Flight Simulator and many more exhibits. Working areas of the ships open for tour. Open daily, 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m., April-Sept.; 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., rest of year. Closed Dec. 25. Admission, $14; over 61 and military with ID, $12; military in uniform, free; 6-11, $7; 5 and under, free. Food is available. MC, VI. Charleston Harbor, Mount Pleasant side of Cooper River Bridge. Phone: (843) 884-2727. www.PatriotsPoint.org.
The American Military Museum. Dedicated to our Armed Forces, past, present and future. Hundreds of uniforms, artifacts, military miniatures, covering all branches and all periods, including Vietnam, world wars, Civil War, Revolutionary War. Mon.-Sat., 10-6; Sun., 1-5. Military in uniform, free. Adults, $6; children, $2. Group rates. Located at Aquarium Wharf, 360 Concord St. (843) 577-7000
SC Aquarium. The best views of Charleston start at the South Carolina Aquarium. There's no place in Charleston like it -- where fun, wonder and education come together in one unforgettable experience. Thousands of amazing aquatic animals from sharks, moray eels, loggerhead turtles to playful river otters. Also, starting March 26, you'll experience the amazing, new "Secrets of the Amazon" exhibit with creatures like frightening piranha, electric eels, poison dart frogs and an anaconda, known as one of the world largest snakes -- come see for yourself. Open daily. For information, call 843-720-1990 or visit www.scaquarium.org
Spoleto Festival. Various locations
Founded in 1977 by Gian Carlo Menotti, Christopher Keene, and others, this world-famous music and arts festival is an annual Charleston highlight. For two weeks in late May and early June, an international variety of opera, concert music and recitals, jazz, dance and ballet, and circus-sized fine arts events take place across a large number of venues in and around downtown. Sometimes, the events are traditional and a bit stuffy. Sometimes, they’re wildly unconventional. Invariably, each festival marks a cultural high point for Charleston. The festival won CP’s Readers’ Pick for Best Cultural Event as well.—T. Ballard Lesemann
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