This fall, you can explore (and even try your hand at) a myriad of Lowcountry traditions including bookbinding, rice harvesting, and sweetgrass basket making as Charleston, South Carolina presents a blend of Afro-Caribbean and European heritage in its calendar of arts and cultural offerings. Some options of the oh-so-Southern activities that will be going on include:
Connoisseur Tours of the Charleston Historical Library Society,
beginning September
As the South’s first cultural institution (founded in 1748) and
the third oldest circulating library in the U.S., the Charleston Library
Society offers a distinctive glimpse into the mind of colonial America, the
Civil War, the Charleston Renaissance and the present. For the first
time, the Society will offer private tours that will offer exposure to and
instruction of hands-on bookbinding by its newly appointed director of
bookbinding. Visitors will also enjoy a rare visit to the vaults to view
one of the country’s finest collections of books, manuscripts, maps and
pamphlets dating as far back as the 15th century. For more
information, visit www.charlestonlibrarysociety.org. To arrange a complimentary tour, call 843-723-9912.
Rice
Harvest at Middleton Place, September 15
Middleton Place is a National Trust Historic Landmark and is home
to the oldest landscaped gardens in America. The 65-acre plantation is
inviting visitors to join a costumed interpreter at the rice field for a
hands-on demonstration on how Carolina Gold rice was harvested on Lowcountry
plantations. They can learn about the complex planting, harvesting and
processing of rice from field to plate. www.middletonplace.org;
843-556-6020.
Sweetgrass Basket Workshop at Charleston Museum, September 15
Sweetgrass Basket Workshop at Charleston Museum, September 15
Guests
are invited to learn to make sweetgrass baskets with traditional basket maker
Sarah Edwards-Hammond. An iconic art form of the South Carolina
Lowcountry, participants will learn about their history, view historic sweetgrass
and other similar coiled baskets from Charleston Museum’s collection and sew
their own creation. Workshop is for adults only, takes place from 9:30
a.m. – 1:30 p.m., and includes all supplies. Experience is not required
and cost is $45 per person. For more information, visit the calendar of
events section at www.charlestonmuseum.org;
843-722-2996 x235.
Museum Mile Weekend, September 21-23
Charleston’s
Museum Mile features
the richest concentration of cultural sites open to visitors in downtown
Charleston. Guests can stroll the one-mile section of Meeting Street and
discover six museums, five nationally important historic houses, four scenic
parks and a Revolutionary War powder magazine, in addition to numerous historic
houses of worship and public buildings including the City Market and City Hall.
From Sept. 21-23, these cultural institutions will be providing special
programming throughout the weekend and tickets reflecting values of 75 percent.
Package themes including Charleston architecture, African American heritage,
the American Revolution and the Civil War are also available. Tickets are $25
for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and under. Beginning July 1,
tickets can be purchased online at www.charlestonmuseummile.org;
843-722-2996 x235.
Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock & Roll Photography at the Gibbes Museum
of Art,
September 21 - December
30
The Gibbes Museum of Art is Charleston’s signature art museum.
This special exhibition features the iconic leaders of rock and roll, blues,
and hip-hop—distinctly American forms of music with Southern roots—in images
taken over the past five decades by the foremost photographers of contemporary
musicians. www.gibbesmuseum.org;
843-722-2706.
Annual
Family Picnic at the Dill Sanctuary, October 21
Families
are invited to explore the natural side of the Lowcountry alongside the banks
of the Sono River at Charleston Museum’s picturesque wildlife sanctuary.
They can enjoy a nature walk, butterfly release, live music by the Susie
Summers Duo, Lowcountry dinner, children’s games, hayrides, demonstrations by
Birds of Prey and the SCDNR Touch Tank. The picnic takes place from
1:00-4:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children under 12 and kids
five and under are free. For more information, visit the calendar of
events section at www.charlestonmuseum.org
or call 843-722-2996 x235.
