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The Footlight Players Names Long-Time Actor Brian Porter as New Executive Director

February 7, 2018

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Footlight Players has hired long-time thespian Brian Porter as executive director of Charleston’s longest-producing theatre company. Porter spent the last decade on staff at Charleston Stage, most recently as director of administration where he oversaw daily operations of the professional theatre company.

Porter replaces Jane Broadwater, who retired in January after serving three years as executive director. She also was a member of Footlight’s board of directors before taking on the executive director title. Under Broadwater’s leadership, The Footlight Players expanded its theatrical season while providing opportunities for other theatres and performance groups to rent the Queen Street theatre during its off-weekends and summer season.

Porter has been performing on stage since childhood, earning a bachelor’s degree in theatre in performance from Purdue University in Indiana. After graduation, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, as a member of Playhouse on the Square’s Resident Acting Company. He then co-founded a theatre company in Michigan before relocating to Atlanta to pursue a career in media advertising. Porter maintained ties to local theatre and served as interim executive director of OnStage Atlanta.

After several years in Atlanta, Porter relocated to Charleston, working as media director of Davis Advertising before returning to his theatrical roots and joining Charleston Stage.

Now, Porter will take on the role of leading one of Charleston’s most prestigious community theatres. He plans to build on Footlight’s mission to provide quality and affordable community theatre as well as continuing to promote the theatre as a unique space for Charleston special events and performances.

“I am delighted to be a part of such an historical and dynamic theatrical fixture in Charleston,” Porter said. “I look forward to working with this exceptional team of artists to create something truly unique and beautiful for Charleston. I am confident I can bring a lot to the company and infuse it with my passion and love of the performing arts.”

Porter is also the co-founder of the local theatre company What If? Productions, which is now in its eighth season in Charleston. A celebrated artist and vocalists in Charleston (and current Best Actor nominee for the Charleston City Paper Best Of award), Porter has appeared on stage in many memorable roles in Charleston, including “Peter & the Starcatcher,” “Cabaret,” “Hedwig & the Angry Inch,” “The 39 Steps,” “Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story,” “Shear Madness” and “Hairspray.” He recently headlined his own sold-out cabaret show, “An Evening With Brian Porter,” as part of What If?’s popular Piano Bar Series.

About The Footlight Players
The Footlight Players launched in 1931 with a series of one-act plays directed by Lt. Commander Charles Russell Price at the Charleston Navy yard. The series was such a success and drew such a following that The Footlight Players formally organized and incorporated in the fall of 1932. To this day, The Footlight Players continues to provide professional quality, affordable community theater for the Lowcountry at the historic Footlight Players Theatre, 20 Queen St. in Charleston. For more information, visit footlightplayers.net or call 843-722-4487.

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The Footlight Players on social media
@FootlightPlayer on Twitter
@FootlightPlayers on Instagram
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thefootlightplayers
#FootlightPlayers

Food & Bev

Culinary Bliss at The Barbadoes Room at The Mills House Hotel | Charleston, South Carolina

February 6, 2018

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Provided by Travelling Foodie – Read More at the Official Travelling Foodie Digital Journal Site

The Barbaedos Room is the restaurant at The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Located on the foodie street (Queen Street between Meeting and King Streets) along with Husk and Poogan’s Porch, the Barbadoes Room serves fine American cuisine with Southern hospitality on a relaxed Caribbean atmosphere.

You can enter the restaurant from the inside of the Mills House Hotel or outside through the beautiful Fountain Courtyard, where you can also enjoy your food.

Fountain Courtyard at The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel

The inside is spacious and brightly lit with natural light from the glass walls separating the fountain courtyard.

Inside of The Barbadoes Room

The menu is not overwhelming, a simple one-pager broken down into sections: shared, soups and salads, and entrees. Portions are generous and prices are very reasonable.

When you’re trying the culinary creations of Executive Chef Justin Hunt, who has worked in places like Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay’s Bar American and Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry, you know you’re in for a treat!

Related: Alo Restaurant, a Michelin Restaurant Experience in Toronto
Read Also: Halifax, Nova Scotia: 8 Best Restaurants

When in Charleston, you must try She Crab Soup, a regional specialty that’s a cross between chowder and bisque using the region’s famous blue crab. The soup had a good amount of sweet blue crab meat on flavourful creamy soup.

Oysters, she crab soup, scallops at The Barbadoes Room in The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel — She Crab Soup ($7) – lump crab salad, fresh chives; Oysters on the Half Shell; Seared Scallops

Our fresh oysters came from Rhode Island. I kind of wish we were served local oysters instead since Charleston has an abundance of oysters.

Oysters at The Barbadoes Room in The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel — Oysters on the Half Shell ($22) – 12pcs with jalapeno-champagne mignonette and pepper vodka cocktail sauce

If you’ve been following my food journey on Instagram, you know how much I love scallops!

The scallops here are a must-order! Four pieces of perfectly seared scallops with caviar and black garlic brings a burst of umami in your mouth. With scallops this good, you might want to get shellfish with it. ?

Seared Scallops at The Barbadoes Room in The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel — Seared Scallops ($15) – sunchoke, radish, black garlic, horseradish, caviar

If you like pasta, their tagliatelle is made in-house and cooked al dente with generous portions of clams and black truffle, though I would’ve loved it more with less salt.

Clams Tagliatelle at The Barbadoes Room in The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel — Tagliatelle and Clams ($26) – local clams, black truffle, turnip greens, chorizo

If you’re looking for quick and simple, or want a #foodporn photo for Instagram, you’ll want to try the Mills House Burger with its thick Rosewood Farms American wagyu.

You can really taste the difference in meat quality here unlike other wagyu burgers I’ve tried where the patty tastes just like normal burgers. The applewood bacon was also made perfectly crispy that it’s actually hard to not eat it on its own.

My 16-year-old cousin, who’s very picky with food and would choose not to finish something he didn’t like, devoured the burger in record time!

Mills House Burger at The Barbadoes Room in The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel — Mills House Burger ($15) – Rosewood Farms American wagyu, pimento cheese, applewood bacon, tomato jam, brioche

Another must-order here is their Pork Shank. It was fall-off-the-bone tender and very meaty.

As I mentioned, the prices here are very reasonable and the portions are good. This $22 pork shank is a clear example. We went to another restaurant the night before and tried the Pork Osso Bucco, which is also pork shank. For $26, the size was much smaller, and the quality was nowhere near as close as this one.

Pork Shank at The Barbadoes Room in The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel — Southeast Family Farms Pork Shank ($22) – IPA braised, new potato, carrot, mushroom, pearl onion

If there’s only one thing you can order here, it’s the Delmonico Ribeye. It’s seriously one of the best steaks I’ve had. Perfectly cooked to my doneness, the steak was tender and very marbled all the way through.

Another important thing to note here is that this is 20oz of pure ribeye unlike other steakhouses where a big bone is part of the weight.

Travelling Foodie Tip: Ask for the sauce to be on the side instead. I find with this quality of meat, little to no sauce is needed but it’s still good to try the sauce to get a different flavour.

Ribeye at The Barbadoes Room in The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel — Delmonico Ribeye ($43) – 20oz, heirloom fingerling potatoes, haricot verts, rainbow chard, mushroom au poivre

As we were there during the holidays, we were surprised to learn that their dessert menu changes.

Chocolate Cake at The Barbadoes Room in The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel — Chocolate Cake ($7)

Since we went during the Christmas season, they had Eggnog Cheesecake to celebrate the festive season. It’s my first time having Eggnog Cheesecake and it was definitely a sweet way to end the meal.

Eggnog Cheesecake at The Barbadoes Room in The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel — Eggnog Cheesecake ($7)

The Barbadoes Room is definitely one of the rare hotel restaurants where we enjoyed every dish that we tried. Even my 10-year-old cousin, who barely cares about restaurants, remembers The Barbadoes Room and said I should recommend it to my followers.

Have you tried The Barbadoes Room? Do you consider it one of the best restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina?

Charleston Southern names baseball complex for Mother Emanuel shooting victim

February 6, 2018

by Charleston Daily 1 Comment

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Charleston Southern University has dedicated its baseball complex to honor a former player’s mother who was killed in the 2015 church shooting in Charleston.

The nearly $2 million complex dedicated at the school Monday is named for Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. She was one of nine people shot and killed at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in June 2015.

Her son, Chris Singleton, played for Charleston Southern and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs last year.

The Coleman-Singleton Baseball Complex includes a building, a memorial plaza and a courtyard.

The first floor of the complex has a locker room, a training room and an enrichment center to help recruiting, coaching, player performer and the fan experience.

A memorial entitled “Love is Stronger” was dedicated to the nine shooting victims and their families.

Heyward the Horse Takes Children on a Charleston Adventure in New Book

February 5, 2018

by Charleston Daily 4 Comments

Local dad writes, illustrates children’s book highlighting Holy City landmarks

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston landmarks and historic attractions are beautifully highlighted in a new children’s book written and illustrated by local designer and author Andrew Barton. “Heyward the Horse Loves Charleston, Of Course!” is the tale of Heyward M. Pinckney IV, a carriage horse in downtown Charleston.

Heyward takes visitors on a carriage ride past a variety of Charleston area landmarks and attractions, including Riley Waterfront Park, Rainbow Row, historic churches and the Charleston City Market. With his magical bow tie, Heyward is able to fly his carriage over the Holy City, pointing out the marshes, plantations and the beaches.

Local children will love seeing the landmarks they pass each day, and the book is a perfect souvenir for children who want to recall their Charleston visit during their evening storytime.

A father of two children under the age of 3, Barton has spent a lot of time reading children’s books. Combining his love of history and drawing, he decided to publish his own book focused on the city he’s called home for the last decade.

“When our children are born and raised in Charleston, they may not realize what a truly special city this is. I wanted to create a book that would be fun and imaginative while also highlighting some of the many landmarks and historic sites that are unique to the city,” Barton said.

Published by Timeless Tower Publishing LLC, “Heyward the Horse Loves Charleston, Of Course!” will be available in paperback for $10.99 and hardback for $18.99 on Amazon beginning Feb. 24 and at select Charleston area bookstores and retail outlets. Visit www.heywardthehorse.com for more details.

Join Barton for a book launch kickoff party and reading of “Heyward the Horse Loves Charleston, Of Course!” The event is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Maxtrix Kids Rooms, 816 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. in Mount Pleasant. Purchase copies of the book and enjoy a balloon artist, children’s activities and more.

About the Author
Andrew Barton is a designer, illustrator and children’s book author in Charleston, S.C. For more than a decade, Barton has created logos, illustrations and branded materials for a number of businesses and organizations, including the Cooper River Bridge Run, Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, Town of Mount Pleasant, Patriots Point, Charleston Wine + Food Festival and the South Carolina Aquarium.

Barton has a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, including graphic design and business, from the University of South Carolina Upstate. He lives in West Ashley with his wife and two young children. He enjoys history, painting and the outdoors.

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Connect with Heyward the Horse on social media:
Facebook and Instagram @HeywardtheHorse
#HeywardtheHorse
#HeywardLovesCharleston

The Month of Love: A Valentine’s Prayer – Original Poem

February 5, 2018

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Time cast a spell on you
Preserving your ageless beauty

A shadow in my past; now the light of my future

I will never forget
The feelings
The pain of our goodbye
The sound of your tears
The crash of a broken heart shattered in the doorway as I fled

Scared and alone, I looked back only to see the mistakes I had made
Lost and alone I looked to the heavens for answers

Your womb empty
Scorched by lovers past
Caution is your only course
I was left on the side of the road, like others, on the passageway to your destiny

One day
Two roads became one
An angel, familiar but distant, walked from the darkness and into the light
Glowing from the metamorphosis of a rebirth

Our eyes met
Once again safe and warm
A leery embrace
A gingerly hug
Feeling like the first time all over again

“Hello” came off the tongue as I drowned in all memories flooding my brain

Your eyes soft and gentle
Laughter blessed by your tender purity

With a gentle brush of your hair, I remembered

It was you
It was you then and now

In others, I see you
In a song, I hear you
In a sunrise, I feel you

You are my guiding spirit
My moving force
My muse
Inspired to be alone
Desired to be held

Now, in you, I see a new beginning
Filled with promise and hope

In you, I envision my dreams and realities becoming one.

Choose Life: The Implications of Suicide

February 4, 2018

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

There is no reason to go on with life.

We transition from innocence in youth to a world overrun by fear and tragedy.
We embrace the media’s attempt to exploit misery and death to numb the pain we feel for our own lives.

Throughout life, we are tossed cliche after cliche dictating how “life is hard”, “it helps us grow stronger”, “we have to suffer to find greater success” but why do we have to suffer to find happiness? After all, we have but one life and a short time period to live it. Even during that duration, we all run the risk of disease, disability, and with only a brief moment in time, the risk of instantaneous death. That is too much for any intelligent person to bear. We are cursed and blessed all at the moment of creation. We are born into the most intelligent species with intellect and emotion rolled into our developing brain.

Is this a curse because as we learn and grow, we question life, death, religion and faith in a higher power? Mortality is a wonderful and mysterious idea. It blesses us with the gift of life showering us with beauty, love, tranquility and peace but also gives the power to destroy and corrupts us with temptation, greed, gluttony and other sinful acts of emotional and physical aggression.

We find ourselves back at the center of a neutral debate.

Often when put on the brink of determining life or death, it is an action that prompts this internal debate. It can be losing a loved one, experiencing a catastrophic event, learning of an illness, or finding yourself at a low point in your life. It is then that simplicity rears its head and provides an easy way out. Whether there is an afterlife or not, it is the easy solution. For me…only.

The curse of intellect is that all of us bear the pain of the death of others while the soul less body lay at peace while we all morn. That doesn’t seem fair, so in a way, suicide is a very selfish solution.

That certainly adds another factor to this decision. Do I understand the reprecussions this will have on others who are a part of my life, or do I just not care given that I will be void of life and all the emotional pain attached to it.

In fairness to myself and others, have I looked at all the other possibilities?

Of course not, since life is an unpredictable act of chance. We are given certain pawns (money, social status, jobs, friends, family) that helps shape our decisions, but clearly an impossibility to deny the possibility of life improving as we move toward the future.

There we go, over-thinking a life altering decision. Just as I consciously talked about the human mind, I am verbally questioning the entire thought of suicide. In a jury, a decision must be unanimous, why shouldn’t be use that calculated logic toward a decision like this? That is an excellent thought, but the difference between a jury and a suicide is that I determine my future and the action I will take to achieve that end. Maybe I need to talk this through to people I trust so that all options are weighed. Clearly, anyone that cares about me will say “don’t kill yourself”. Hopefully, all will. That certainly cannot help but it does open the door of debate.

I have no intention of committing suicide, nor has the thought even breached my mind, but I like millions throughout the world suffer from depression, loneliness, sorrow, poverty, illness and feelings of isolation. The truth is, we need that in our lives. The complexity of the human mind is developed by the range of emotions that create a melting pot. It is this melting pot that creates the unconscious feelings we address every day. Whether it is our dreams, love at first site, deep sorrow for a loss, exhilaration from winning a race, the joy of seeing a loved one who was gone for a long time, or the peace you find in a sunset over the ocean blue, we need all of the collective energy of our thoughts to give us the pure euphoria that is life.

This letter is not reaching out to just those that have thought about the easy way out, but to those that may think about it in the future. In a way, this is not an attempt to talk you out of it, but to bring awareness to the completeness of such a decision. When you think about the gift of life, create a mental bag and put everything in it that is truly important to you. Include the good and bad because without bad, you wouldn’t know good. You will be surprised how heavy that bag is.

When you think there is such a burden on you that you cannot move forward, understand that the burden is everything that encompasses your life, darkness, light, loneliness, together, sadness and happiness.

Think twice….Choose Life

Elton John AIDS Foundation Grant to Fund Mobile HIV Testing and Outreach Van in the Lowcountry

February 4, 2018

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Lowcountry AIDS Services is adding a mobile HIV testing van to its array of services that support people living with HIV and AIDS while also providing prevention, free testing and education. This new initiative – aimed at reaching rural and high-needs communities – is made possible by a $50,000 grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Formed 25 years ago, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has a mission of ending the AIDS epidemic by ensuring everyone has the information and means to prevent infection, and all people living with HIV have access to high-quality medical care and treatment. In 2017, the foundation gave out almost $9.5 million to organizations throughout the Americas and the Caribbean.

The new testing van furthers that mission for the tri-county area. In 2017, LAS embarked upon the initial phase of expanded testing, outreach and HIV prevention education to rural areas of Dorchester and Berkeley counties as well as targeted high-risk communities in Charleston County.

Lowcountry AIDS Services has partnered with Walgreens to offer free HIV and hepatitis C testing at eight locations across the tri-county area on a monthly basis. Additionally, LAS has formed a partnership with the detention centers in each county to offer testing for inmates. This first phase resulted in testing more than 250 individuals and the dissemination of prevention education to more than 1,000 individuals in rural and high-needs communities. With the addition of the mobile testing van, Lowcountry AIDS Services expects to test an additional 500 people.

In 2017 Lowcountry AIDS Services provided more than 1,600 free HIV tests and discovered 20 new HIV cases. Lowcountry AIDS Services provides free HIV testing at its office in North Charleston four days a week, and while that a great service to the community, it also puts the onus on people in need to secure transportation and other obstacles to testing and prevention and services.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Elton John AIDS Foundation for giving us the opportunity to help even more people in our community,” said Bradley Childs, executive director of Lowcountry AIDS Services. “For communities with high levels of poverty and limited health resources, whose residents are unable to find transportation to the metro Charleston area for care and testing, a mobile testing van allows us to provide services directly to individuals right in their own community, therefore, increasing our presence and raising awareness in these areas.”

HIV Test The mobile testing van will be outfitted to provide a secure and confidential testing space, including a temperature-controlled environment necessary to maintain the effectiveness of the testing kits. This means Lowcountry AIDS Services can conduct community testing events on even the hottest summer day.

In addition to providing free and confidential HIV testing, the mobile testing van gives Lowcountry AIDS Services the opportunity to hand out free condoms, safer sex information and increase access to PrEP, a daily pill that can greatly reduce the risk of HIV infection.

Plus, individuals who test positive will be immediately linked to the medical case management team, which assists clients with services like prescription assistance, medication adherence counseling, public benefit assistance, housing assistance, emergency financial assistance, legal assistance, peer support groups, mental health counseling, drug addiction support and more.

Lowcountry AIDS Services expects to have the van outfitted and ready for testing throughout Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties by the end of the first quarter.

This is Romance – Simple Gestures to Keep Your Charleston Romance Strong and Fresh

February 4, 2018

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Romance comes in many different forms.
Some through small gestures and others in unexpected surprises.
It rarely takes more than a few words, a hug, a kiss or a look to reveal the truest form of romance and affection.

Perhaps because it doesn’t happen often enough, but in that moment, time stops briefly and a spiritual enlightenment fills you soul with the warm juices of contentment.

Isn’t that what life is about, contentment and love.
Knowing and experiencing those that bring you to the height of acceptance is what we live for each and every day.

We don’t need to wait for miracles or wait for something special to happen.
All we need to do is focus on those that care about us and embrace those rare moments of romance.

Picture this:

You come home after an extended trip, feeling under the weather and warn out.
You sift through the mail to find a hand written envelope from another country and inside a simple white card with these words:

“You have no idea how you still affect me.
One email from you and my heart makes a little jump.
I guess this will be forever so.
I know know I have no claims on you, but what I wouldn’t give for one more day/night with you.
Thank you for being who you are.
Talk to you soon. I mean it.
Big hug to you, wonderful man.”

This is unconditional eternal love.
Think about it.
A few words
A flower
A picnic in Hampton Park
A kiss on the cheek
A warm bath
A surprise champagne toast at Sunset in the remote part of Folly Beach or Sullivan’s Island
Sharing an ice cream cone on the Mount Pleasant pier watching boats go by
A morning jog and then kisses in an open field

It doesn’t take more than a gesture to remind someone that you love them

Toast Breaks Ground on New Restaurant Location in Nexton Community in Summerville

February 1, 2018

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Location Number Four for Toast’s Cozy, Breakfast All-Day (plus Lunch and Dinner) Where Everyone Knows Your Name Restaurant Brand

Charleston, SC – January 25, 2018 – Ground broke today for Charleston Hospitality Group’s fourth Toast! location, this one in the family-friendly Nexton community in Summerville. With locations in downtown Charleston, West Ashley, and Old Trolley Road near downtown Summerville, the newest Toast! is scheduled to open in late 2018 or early 2019.

Built from the ground up, CHG’s newest restaurant marks a departure from CEO Sam Mustafa’s usual strategy to buy a pre-existing restaurant/business structure and morph it into the concept he foresees for each space, as he did with the original Toast (formerly Diana’s Tropical Toast) at 155 Meeting Street in 2005.

“This is a rapidly growing community in an already growing, family-focused Summerville. As an immigrant, I’m keenly aware of the American dream. I envision this Toast, as all of the others, as truly a place where people from all walks-of-life feel welcome, like family, and will come and enjoy our food and hospitality and feel completely at home. I see Nexton as the perfect place for our newest Toast!,” says Mustafa.

About Toast! – Often imitated, but never duplicated, Toast is a casual, friendly neighborhood restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner classics like shrimp & grits and French toasts. There are currently three locations: Toast! 155 Meeting Street, downtown, 843.534.0043, Toast of West Ashley, 2026 Savannah Highway, 843.556.0066, and Toast of Summerville, 717 Old Trolley Road, Summerville, 843.900.4422. For more information, visit ToastofCharleston.com

About Charleston Hospitality Group (CHG) – CHG is a restaurant and entertainment group comprised of Eli’s Table, FILL Restaurant & Piano Bar, Queology, Tabbuli, Toast!, Toast of Summerville, Toast of West Ashley, HonkyTonk Saloon(s), Cove Oyster Bar & Grille, and Charleston Hospitality Catering. For more information, visit charlestonhospitalitygroup.com or call 843.822.0011
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Contact:
Holly Herrick
Charleston Hospitality Group
843.822.0011
Holly@CharlestonHospitalityGroup.com

National Geographic Rates Charleston the #11 Best Small City to Live in the United States

January 31, 2018

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

National Geographic just released their Top 30 small cities in the United States to Live. Coming in at #3 was Greenville, South Carolina and at #11, our very own Charleston, South Carolina.

Here is how they compiled their data and came up with the final list:

They partnered with Resonance Consultancy, a global destination branding advisor, to identify the top U.S. small cities based on unconventional metrics that they think lead to happiness: green spaces, galleries, coffee shops, breweries, music venues, Instagrammable moments, and more.

Next they sorted U.S. cities into three groups based on their population: 40K-100K, 100K-200K, and 200K-600K.

Resonance combined core statistics with social media data (from Yelp, Instagram, and other sources) on nightlife, culture, restaurants, and the like to determine the city leaders for each population group in categories from meatiest (lots of steakhouses and delis) to greenest (most parkland), based on per capita results.

Finally, Traveler editors added in trending cities—towns that didn’t make Resonance’s final cut this year but look as if they could in 2019.

Here are your top 25 United States Cities to Live In:

Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania
Boulder, Colorado
Greenville, South Carolina
Anchorage, Alaska
Annapolis, Maryland
New Orleans, Louisiana
Madison, Wisconsin
Reno, Nevada
Healdsburg, California
Santa Cruz, California
Charleston, South Carolina
Olympia, Washington
Charlottesville, Virginia
Spokane, Washington
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Rapid City, South Dakota
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Asheville, North Carolina
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Honolulu, Hawaii
Kansas City, Missouri
Lakeland, Florida
Newport, Rhode Island
Portland, Maine
Louisville, Kentucky

Analysis Summary of Charleston:

“Instagrammers love Charleston’s abundance of art. Works by local artists will fill the rooms and public spaces of the new Hotel Bennett, opening this summer on a chunk of prime real estate overlooking Marion Square. It’s a great crash pad for checking out Charleston’s booming arts scene, which ranks high in our survey because of a large number of schools and galleries, like the Art Institute of Charleston and Helena Fox Fine Art. The latter specializes in works by southern artists such as West Fraser, known for his muted paintings of nearby Low Country. Performing arts shine at the grand, three-year-old Gaillard Center, which hosts concerts and dance shows and serves as one of the venues for the city’s celebrated Spoleto Festival, taking place May 25 to June 10 in 2018.”

Linked to Official Article