Choose Charleston

Halloween in Charleston, is anyone ready yet?  Just wanted to open up a place where you local guys can share some of your more fun things about having Halloween in Charleston.  I will share some safety tips here in a few days in another post so keep coming back for that but in the meanwhile, shall we discuss the “FUN STUFF”?

What neighborhoods are the best for the kids to be safe in and get loads of candy?

What are you or your kids dressing up as?

Do you know of any clubs having a good Halloween party?

Share your experiences, tips, and stories here.

P.S.- Check out the comments section because I am sure we will get ton of laughs!

Now that the hot, dry winds of summer are settling back a bit, the October scares are starting to settle into place.

Creative Spark Center for the Arts, the National Park Service at Fort Moultrie, and Poe’s Tavern are working hand in claw to produce a creepy thrill in the catacombs this Halloween season. Poe: Back from the Grave will feature live actors from PURE Theatre and Cabaret Kiki. Saturday, October 13. 7, 7:30, 8, and 8:30 PM. $25. For more information, call Creative Spark (843) 881-3780.

And don’t forget the ghosts of Charleston proper.

 Charleston Lore & Legends Ghost Theatre is debuting a brand new show for the season. Check them out one block south of the Market, at 161 Church Street, Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 10 PM, and Sunday, 12 PM to 8 PM, if you dare. Shows every hour and a half. Adults $9, Children 4-12, $6, and children 3 and under, Free. For more information, call (843) 937-0916.

It’s the big two-double-oh for the City Market, one of the top destinations in town for tourists.

To say that Market Street has a storied past is an understatement.

Longtime Charlestonians recall the days when wandering into the Market was a rather dicey proposition. When the chain supermarkets first hit the area, the former go-to place for fresh food withered and went wild with weeds, so to speak. Lots of flies and buzzards circling in the skies are some of the visuals with which oral historians pepper their tales of those days.

Luckily, King Joe and like-minded preservationists were coming into power back then. The Market did an about face in step with the rest of the slightly North of Broad Street area.

Today, it is vibrant and bustling with activity. Everything from artisan sweetgrass baskets to art prints, kitschy t-shirts, candy, and keepsakes are sold in the Market these days.

Market Street is also a good jumping-off point for just about anything else you might choose to do while touring the peninsula.

Wild Wing Cafe and Tristan are just two of the many eateries on Market Street. Charleston Legends and Lore Ghost Theatre is a short walk down Church Street from the Market. The Shops at Charleston Place are just across Meeting Street, FIG and Jestine’s Kitchen are within walking distance, as is King Street shopping.

I first met Trey and Traci Smith a couple of years ago while covering the autumn Halloween scene for Charleston City Paper. Trey and Traci know how to scare up a good show. They ought to - for the past sixteen years, they have masterminded frightfully good carnivals, haunted houses, and hayrides, both in Nashville and the South Carolina Lowcountry.

So when I heard that they were opening a brand new ghost show downtown, I made it a point to catch a preview (those familiar with my blog Wicked Winter know my penchant for ghost stories, legends, and myths).

People can now catch Trey and Traci’s eerie twists on local lore and legend all year long. No more need to wait until October to discover what chills and thrills they’ve been brewing. Charleston Legends & Lore Ghost Theater (161 Church Street, across from Tommy Condon’s Restaurant) features shows on the hour and half hour Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon to 8 p.m.

The show itself is 22 minutes of harrowing history, told by a series of ghosts. A young boy who succumbed to fever soon after arriving in Charles Towne sets the stage, revealing details about the earliest days of Lowcountry colonization even as his revenant rattles about across the stage and staircase.

An early patriot executed for defying the British, a confederate soldier from the Time of Northern Aggression, Blackbeard the Pirate, a kindly lady speaking Gullah, and an ominous boo-hag all make their lingering presences known to the audience.

It’s actually a pretty exciting way to learn a few facts about the wicked, wanton history of Charleston from the early (pre-Riley) days of pirates, plagues, and peril.

The show is for all ages. Younger kids might get a bit weirded out by some of the objects moving about on the stage (Trey is very, very good at his craft) but the scariest stuff has been held in reserve.

But don’t fret, fright fans: Trey has plans for the scariest stuff later on, closer to Halloween.