In The Next 30 Days

A 30-Day Challenge Closer to Brighter, Shinier, & Happier.

Archive for the ‘30 Days | Get to Know Charleston’ Category

June 30th, 2012 by Anna Hartman

Lessons Learned | 101 Things to do in Charleston

I admit these 30 Days were a bit of a selfish indulgence for me. I live in a beautiful beautiful place, and any excuse I have to see more of it is a good one. The lesson learned this month is a simple one: there is so much to do in Charleston. So much. So instead of telling you all about what I’ve learned in June, I thought I’d share with you a list of things you can do in Charleston. Some I did in these 30 Days, some I just really want to do. Consider it inspiration for your future 30 Days or just a good excuse to get out of the house.

101 Things to do in Charleston

Take a carriage tour
Visit Drayton Hall
Go fishing
Admire the Angel Oak
Take a harbor cruise
Walk the Battery
Visit Charles Towne Landing
See a show at the Dock Street Theatre
Go to a Riverdogs baseball game
Buy produce at the Charleston Farmer’s Market
Learn about the Civil War at Fort Sumter
Take the kids to the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry
Go shopping on King Street
Pick strawberries at Boone Hall Plantation
Walk Chalmers Street
Take pictures of Rainbow Row
Visit the Charleston City Market
Have a dinner picnic
Play in the fountains at Waterfront Park
Look for alligators in the Audubon Swamp
See the wildlife at the South Carolina Aquarium
Visit the Charles Pinkney National Historic Site
Listen to bluegrass on the deck at the Pour House
Go antiquing
Go to Summerville’s Azalea Park
Take a pirate tour
See the Heyward-Washington House
Feed the ducks in Hampton Park
Walk through Francis Beidler Forest
Play a round of golf
Kayak around Kiawah
Take a sailing lesson
Eat
Watch the sunset on Shem Creek
Tour the Joseph Manigault House
Play volleyball on Isle of Palms
Take a ghost tour
See the Butterfly House at Cypress Gardens
Climb the Climbing Wall at James Island County Park
Look for sharks’ teeth at Melton Peter Demetre Park
Take an aerial tour of the Peninsula
See a concert at Circular Congregational Church
Charter a schooner
See the Aiken-Rhett House
Take a culinary tour
Get lost
Get a massage at the Spa at Charleston Place
Surf on Folly
Watch a sea turtle being released into the wild
Go crabbing
Walk the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge
See the USS Yorktown
Watch sunrise from White Point Gardens
Go to the Charleston Museum
Take in a Theater 99 show
Buy a sweetgrass basket
Root for the Charleston Battery
Visit the Nathaniel Russell House
Admire the birds at the Center for Birds of Prey
Play at Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
Check out the Karpeles Manuscript Museum
Take an eco-tour
Taste the wine at Irvin-House Vineyard
Pet the goats at Magnolia Plantation
Watch horse competitions at Mullet Hall
Walk the Gateway Walk
See the American Military Museum
Watch a Citadel parade
Visit the Edmonston-Alston House
Cheer on the South Carolina Sting Rays
Tour Middleton Place
Enjoy Piccolo Spoleto
Visit the Powder Magazine
Walk to the end of the Folly Beach Fishing Pier
Visit the Avery Research Center
Swing at Waterfront Park
Visit the Charleston Tea Plantation
Wander through the historic district
See the Thomas Elfe House and Garden
Visit Fort Moultrie
Eat pralines on Market Street
Take a Jewish history tour
Visit an art gallery
Go to the Edisto Island Serpentarium
Walk the boardwalk at Shem Creek Park
Take a pub tour
Enjoy the Cistern at the College of Charleston
Make rubbings at Magnolia Cemetery
Enjoy Spoleto Festival USA
Do an art walk
Admire the art at the Gibbes
See the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
Take the water ferry
See the Hunley
Take a high-speed boat tour
Stand-up paddleboard through the marshes
Go to the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center
See the Confederate Museum
Visit the Philips Simmons Foundation
See the Old Slave Mart Museum
Boat to Morris Island Lighthouse

Tags: what i've learned
Posted in 30 Days | Get to Know Charleston | 6 Comments »

June 29th, 2012 by Anna Hartman

Friday DIY | Lowcountry Boil

Yes. I can make some amazingly delicious dishes that are considered Charleston specialties. (Shrimp and Grits, anyone?) But often times they’re complicated and take a little more kitchen time than I have. But Lowcountry Boil (pronounced “boul” down here) is a grand tradition for the lowland and coastal areas of South Carolina because all the ingredients are so easy to come by and it’s amazingly simple. This is a one-pot, get-your-hands-dirty kind of dinner that’s just as perfect for a party as it is for a Wednesday night. And the no-frills ingredients means everyone will dig right in.

Here’s what you’ll need.

Fill your biggest pot with water and set it to boil on the stove. Add crab boil to taste. If you like it spicier, then by all means, be liberal with your Old Bay. While waiting for the water to boil, chop the red potatoes into quarters and the sausage into bite-sized pieces. I used andouille sausage in this recipe, but if that’s not available, any smoked sausage (think kielbasa) will work. Also, husk your corn, and break it in half. Don’t bother peeling your shrimp, it’s not necessary. Lowcountry Boil makes dinner a verb, and peeling shrimp is part of that action.

When the water is at a rolling boil, put the potatoes in. Let them boil for about 15 minutes. Next add the sausage. Wait about 5 minutes. Now add the corn, and about 5 minutes later add the shrimp. These will cook quickly, so watch them closely. When they’re bright pink, everything is done. It takes about 2 minutes. Drain the water.

Often, Lowcountry Boil is poured on newspaper over a picnic table, and it’s eaten without plates or silverware. For a party, this is perfect because friends gather around and eat while they socialize. Everyone is relaxed, comfortable, and manners aren’t given a second thought. For the dinner table, though, I put our boil on a tray in the middle of the table with a basket of crusty bread and some cocktail sauce. We did use plates and forks, but I put out paper towels for napkins.

Perfection.

Tags: recipe, shrimp, vegetables
Posted in 30 Days | Get to Know Charleston, DIY and Recipes | No Comments »

June 28th, 2012 by Anna Hartman

Weekly Photograph | Half

Okay. This is the third time I’ve written this post. But inspiration struck this morning and I felt I had to follow it.

This week’s Focus 52 photography prompt is Half, spurred by the fact that this is the 26th week of the year. So the year is half way through, and I am taking (or trying to take) pictures of halves. But the problem is that I didn’t know what to photograph. I fought my camera to take self portraits in profile, but I’m going to have to keep working on my camera/self relationship. I just can’t seem to find the balance between super close and super far away. And then there’s the issue of my self-consciousness that seems to mar each shot. I tried to shoot photos of the kids and crop them half, but those weren’t totally successful. And I do have one red and one green cherry tomato growing on the vine, but those shots were boring.

But the shot above of half of my half & half carton, half in light and half in dark with the corner half way through the image is the definition of this week’s prompt, I think. And this proves, that I can over think these photo suggestions until I’m dizzy, but sometimes the most obvious answer is the best. Of course.

I also took this half-sky-half-land shot from the Charleston Battery on Sunday (admittedly before I knew what the prompt was). The sky and clouds were beyond amazing. The leading line of the seawall barrier leading off into the distance is really nice and provides a stark contrast to the unorganized puffy white clouds.