As we cruise into the awesome weather that is the end of April, there’s an abundance of fun things going on this weekend near our Isle of Palms vacation rentals. I’ll focus on three of them.
Party at the Point near our Isle of Palms vacation rentals
That last blog covered the Shaggin’ on the Cooper summer dance series, which kicks off this weekend at Waterfront Park in Mount Pleasant. Well, another fun summer series also starts its run tonight, just up the street. Tonight is 2018’s first Party at the Point, a fun outdoor happy hour music series that has grown in popularity with each year. These parties will take place each Friday might from now through June 29th. It’s all about the music, and they have some super bands coming down the pike. Here’s what’s ahead this summer:
- Tonight - it’s the Departure: The Ultimate Journey Tribute Band, presented by Ear For Music, 98 Rock and The Bridge 105.5;
- The Reckoning - tribute to the Grateful Dead;
- he Dave Matthews Tribute Band;
- Tom Petty tribute with Sadler Vaden;
- Allman Brothers tribute with Idlewild Revival
- 90s Night with Broadcast;
- Homegrown Night with Guilt Ridden Troubadour and Sideshow Americans; Reggae Night with The Dubplates;
- Zac Brown Band tribute with Ride;
- Sol Driven Train with Sally & George.
The party takes place at the Lookout Pavilion at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina - 20 Patriot’s Point Road in Mount Pleasant. It’s a convenient drive from all our rental homes South Carolina. From our Isle of Palms luxury rentals, head over Sullivan’s to Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, and turn left right before the base of the Ravenel Bridge. Gates open at 5:30, and the music cranks up at 6:30. Admission is $8, free for ages 12 and under. It’s family friendly and appropriate for all ages in your beach house Charleston. Parking is free of you park along the road leading up to the event, or $15 in the Resort’s gated lot. Here’s the official website with all the details.
Celebrate rice up the road from our Isle of Palms vacation rentals
Go wild for rice, not too far from our Isle of Palms vacation rentals
If you feel like driving a bit, this weekend’s also the latest installment of a rather old festival, which celebrates one of the primary reasons Charleston became the historically important city it was - rice. It’s the 43rd annual Colleton County Rice Festival, taking place today and tomorrow (April 27th – 28th) in Walterboro. The festival is free, and boy do they have a lot of things going on. Get set for:
- Great family entertainment for all ages in your Charleston beach house;
- Kids’ Carnival opens at noon both days;
- Plenty of arts and crafts vendors (opens at noon Friday, 10:00 a.m. Saturday);
- Rice cooking contest
- The World’s Largest Pot of Mahatma Rice, cooked up each day at 10:00 a.m.;
- Corn hole tournament (a Lowcountry tradition);
- A parade;
- The PRTC 5K Rice Run/Walk;
- “Rise Above” BMX Ramp Shows;
- An organized bike ride - the “Tour de Lowcountry”;
- Palmetto Dock Dogs competition;
- Dog show;
- Car show;
- Lots of live music from noon to 9:00 p.m. on the City Hall Main Stage;
- Taste of Walterboro;
- Miss Rice Festival Pageant;
- Tennis, golf and croquet tournaments;
- Fireworks display!
For your GPS, party central is 225 East Washington Street in Walterboro. It’s a nice day trip from your stay in one of our beach house rentals Charleston SC. Here's the website.
Come Bless the Fleet near our Isle of Palms vacation rentals!
Bless the Fleet near our Isle of Palms vacation rentals
Then on Sunday, April 29th, it’s the 31st annual Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival, taking place from 11:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. in Mount Pleasant, right where the Shaggin’ on the Cooper was the night before. It’s a beloved event that has grown in both size and meaning over the years. The blessing is rooted in an age-old tradition - common in the Mediterranean and brought to the States from Europe - of blessing the ships and fisherman who are heading out to sea. Prayers are offered for their protection doing what is often a dangerous profession, as well as for a bountiful harvest. In our case, the fishermen are shrimpers, most of whom are based out of Shem Creek. You can easily drive there from your beach house Charleston and buy delicious local shrimp, caught that very morning. Nothing like lounging in your Charleston beach house eating fresh shrimp that was swimming offshore just hours before. At the festival there will be a parade of boats, many decorated. As each boat passes the long waterfront pier, blessings and prayers to the Lord will be offered for their safety and well being. For years the event was held at Alhambra Hall in the Old Village in Mount Pleasant, not far from our Isle of Palms vacation rentals. But the festival grew to be too large - parking was a nightmare, and tents (and people) were squeezed in cheek-to-jowl. So when the new Waterfront Park and pier were completed near the Ravenel Bridge, it proved to be the ideal location for the event. Here you have ample room to watch the boats as they parade by the end of the pier, plenty of parking and green space for all the tents and booths. Mount Pleasant’s scenic Memorial Waterfront Park is located at 99 Harry Hallman Jr. Blvd., just under the base of the Ravenel Bridge. It’s a convenient drive from all our SC vacation rentals, a very “pleasant” drive from your luxury house on Isle of Palms.
Save the shrimpers!
Our local shrimpers are a hardy lot, but they’ve faced tough times, what with foreign competition, rising fuel and maintenance costs and other challenges. This is a chance for us in the community to express our appreciation and encourage them to keep on fishing for that delicious catch. The fleet blessing/boat parade at 1:00 p.m. is the core of the festival, but it’s grown into a full-fledged celebration of all things shrimp and beyond. Admission is free. There will be tons of tents with vendors, seafood of all sorts prepared by local restaurants, beverages for all ages, a huge arts and crafts area, kids’ activities and lots of live music, including by the perennial favorite, the East Coast Party Band. It’s a perfect way to feed and entertain everyone staying in one of our beach rentals Charleston. Also a note to those beach house Charleston dwellers - shrimp-eating contest is at 3:30 p.m. on the Main Stage! Also get set for shagging. The event is very popular with locals, so you might want to get there early. Folks bring coolers, beach chairs and blankets and make a real party out of it. Basically, it’s kind of like what you bring down to the beach from one of Isle of Palms luxury rentals for an afternoon, except there will be less sand and more food, beverage and entertainment options. If you decide to go, you’re in for a real taste of the Lowcountry. The Southeast Tourism Society ranks the festival as one of the top 20 events around. As an extra bonus, the event raises funds for local charities. This year, it benefits East Cooper Community Outreach and Wando Band Boosters. Here’s the website with more info. So have fun this weekend, the weather looks to be picture perfect. And when you are looking for luxury beach house rentals SC, namely Isle of Palms vacation rentals, to call EP for the best ones. All best, Lowcountry Lisa your Isle of Palms vacation blogger