If you’re here in one of our luxury beach house rentals SC this weekend, as usual you’ll have your pick of fun things to do.
Check out a fun holiday market near our luxury beach house rentals SC…
To get you in a festive mood and kick off some shopping, check out the Charleston Holiday Market. It’s going on today through Sunday at the Charleston Area Convention Center. There will be more than 150 vendors and exhibitors with all sorts of arts and crafts, gourmet goodies and wine, jewelry, fashion, toys, holiday décor, not to mention the man himself, Santa Claus. Have a hunch there will also be some Christmas music playing. This is how they describe it: a “complete holiday experience… with gifts, glitter, music and magic.” It’s a great place to put a dent in your Christmas shopping list. Admission is $8 adult, $1 ages 6-12, free for 5 and under. Also, parking is free. Return passes are available to come back at no extra charge. You can attend all three days if you like, and only have to pay admission once. Hours are 10-8 Friday, 10-6 Saturday and 11-5 Sunday. The address is: 5000 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Here’s the website with the scoop. 
“Lights Up” happening near our Isle of Palms vacation rentals
Tomorrow night, you can continue the kickoff shopping at Towne Centre in Mount Pleasant. It’s just over the IOP Connector from your luxury house on Isle of Palms. They’ll be officially launching the holiday season with their Lights Up event, from 6:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m. Get set for:
- A holiday laser light show;
- The grand illumination of the 40-foot Christmas tree;
- Performances by Showstoppers from the Musical Theater Center;
- East Cooper Baptist Church Orchestra playing holiday favorites;
- Hosted by Y102.5’s Brian Cleary, who’ll be handing out gifts and prizes from Town Centre merchants and restaurants;
- Kids’ stuff like face painting and a jump castle;
- Santa will be there to meet the kids!
- The March of Dimes will be raising money for their worthy cause by selling cool light-up necklaces and bracelets.
The festivities are based in front of Belk’s at 1218 Belk Drive in Mount Pleasant.
Help out animals while staying in one of our luxury beach house rentals SC
There’s no shortage of wonderful charities in the Lowcountry, and they have a knack for coming up with creative ways to raise much-needed funds. One of my personal favorites is the Charleston Animal Society, which does tireless work on behalf of abandoned, injured or abused animals. Several years ago, they opened a state-of-the-art facility in North Charleston, which includes a massive spay/neuter clinic and very user-friendly cat and dog play areas. If you are here in one of our luxury beach house rentals SC, either Isle of Palms luxury rentals or Folly Beach rentals Charleston, you might want to pay them a visit. Nothing like bringing home a forever friend as a great souvenir of your stay in a Charleston beach house. It’s located at 2455 Remount Road in North Charleston, off of I-26 and just north of I-526. They recently launched “No Kill Charleston” - the most bold initiative in the Southeast, working toward the goal of becoming the region’s first no-kill shelter. It’s a lofty goal, but they are well on their way. They can also really use our help. 
A couple hot fundraisers to warm you up this weekend!
The good folks of the shelter cooked up a great fundraiser, and it’s proven to be so successful, it’s back again this year. It’s a calendar of smokin’ hot firefighters posing with adorable furry friends. Firefighters are in the business of saving lives, and so is the Charleston Animal Society - so the combination makes perfect sense. In fact, this is how they put it: “Toby’s Fund provides the medical care necessary to save lives, just like our brave Firefighters do every day!” And now that the weather has turned towards the cooler side, they’ve literally cooked up net another perfect fundraiser. Tomorrow - Saturday, November 18th - is the Charleston Animal Society’s biggest single fundraiser event of the year, their annual Chili Cook-Off and Oyster Roast. Over 100(!) teams will compete for the coveted best chili award. This is the 18th annual incarnation of the event, and it’s bigger than ever. So many people show up that they’ve had to move it to an even bigger venue. And yes, the firefighters will be on hand to sign calendars and put out any fires should the chili prove too hot to handle. Here are the specs:
- Over 100 teams, including mayors and other local celebrities, compete against each other for title of the best chili in the Lowcountry;
- Categories include Traditional, Unique, and Best in Show;
- All-you-can-eat chili AND all-you-can-eat oysters, too!
- Live music: Chance & Circumstance, Haley Mae Campbell, Chewbacky, and Run River Run;
- Cornhole and other fun games;
- Beer garden;
- Kids’ zone with bounce house;
- Deana the Queena’s magical entertainers;
- Bubble soccer;
- A Big Lebowski-themed booth, thanks to the Post & Courier and Lowcountry Paws;
- Alternative food available for purchase;
- Pets available for adoption;
- Superhot firefighters who save animals!
Tickets are $25, free for kids under 10, and for dogs. VIP tickets are $75 and include a lot of perks. It takes place from noon - 4:00 p.m. tomorrow at Riverfront Park in North Charleston, in the scenic area between the old navy base and the Cooper River. It’s at 1061 Everglades Avenue, a convenient drive from all our SC vacation rentals.
Toby's Fund
All proceeds go toward Toby’s Fund, the shelter’s medical fund to treat injured or sick animals. They’ve raised $350,000 in past years to help animals in need. So if you are here in one of our rental homes South Carolina this week, be it a luxury house on Isle of Palms or a Folly Beach house Charleston, you really ought to consider it. It is certainly a good cause, and it'll be a rollicking good time. Here’s a link to the official website, where you can also buy tickets online. Also, here’s a link to the hot firefighters calendar. So enjoy some classic fall fare - chili and oysters - and get a start on that Christmas shopping. And remember, when you are looking for beach house rentals Charleston SC - especially luxury beach house rentals SC - be sure to give EP a call and we’ll help connect you to the right one. All best, Lowcountry Lisa your Isle of Palms vacation blogger