Charleston Real Estate Blog

Recently I had the pleasure of seeing Lake Moultrie up close and in person for the very first time when I went to take pictures of a new listing of ours in Historic Pinopolis. I was blown away not only by the sheer size of the lake but by its natural beauty so thought I would take this opportunity to highlight this beautiful area with its miles of shoreline, secluded coves, wilderness, camping grounds, parks and homes.

History of the Santee Cooper Lakes

Consisting of two lakes Marion (110,600 acres) and Moultrie (60,400 acres) the Santee Cooper Lake System (commonly known as “Santee Cooper”) was created from 1939 to 1942 to supply electric power but have also served as magnets to draw new industries to South Carolina.

Damming the Santee River, one of the longest on the eastern seaboard, required considerable engineering expertise.

For an in-depth history and challenges this project had to overcame to become a reality please visit the Santee Cooper website.

Both Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion offer countless opportunities for the adventurous spirit. Bring your speedboat and skis, canoe, jet-ski, or kayak. Enjoy the lake at your own pace. Or rent a kayak, canoe or low-power boat when you arrive. You can camp at any of the 29 campgrounds or on a pristine island, take a tour boat or guided fishing trip, canoe the backwater swamps or hike trails through the state parks. There is also a myriad of wildlife species that inhabit the varied landscape of Santee such as the threatened bald eagle, and occasionally the endangered peregrine falcon. Trails are open for wildlife observation, photography and hiking. The Visitors Center contains a number of displays describing refuge wildlife and habitats and provides an excellent opportunity for visitors to become acquainted with the refuge before venturing out. This is highly recommended, especially for the first time visitor.

For the boat enthusiast you can travel from Lake Marion through the Diversion Canal to Lake Moultrie. At the end of Lake Moultrie lies the 75-foot high Pinopolis Lock, which lowers boaters down to the Tailrace Canal which takes you to the Cooper River and on to Charleston. The trip from the confluence of the Congaree and Wateree Rivers to Charleston Harbor is approximately 162 miles.

For more information please visit the Santee Cooper Country Visitors Information website where you will find everything you need to plan your visit.

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Charleston goes “green” with the Charleston Green Fair, the first sustainable event of this size (with an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 attendees) in South Carolina. Playing home to this impressive event, taking place on September 28 from 11am until 6pm is Charleston’s own downtown oasis Marion Square.

Learn about the latest green technologies with speakers and demonstrations on topics such as “Energy 101,” “Green Building Roundtable,” “Making Your Own Cleaning Products,” cooking with local food and much more. Food vendors include The Glass Onion, Monza, Aluette, Good Food Catering, Home Team BBQ, and Taco Boy. Musical acts include The V-Tones, Dangermuffin, Green Levels, Sean Waterman & Jason Hayes, and Sol Driven Train. Amble through the beer and wine garden, where you can purchase local and organic beer and wines, with proceeds benefiting Lowcountry Earthforce.

From the sugar cane plates that hold locally grown food to composting stations and recycling bins where trash is typically tossed, every element of the fair illustrates how we can live greener.

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On Friday, February 29th from 4-6:00 pm just follow your nose to Blue Bicycle Books located at 420 King Street in Downtown Charleston where authors Dan Huntley and Lisa Grace Lednicer will be signing copies of their book, Extreme Barbecue: Smokin’ Rigs and Real Good Recipes–and cook!

The authors will also talk barbecue and you’ll be able to sample some yummy babyback ribs and a pork sausage and cornflake-jalepeno concoction called “armadillo eggs” hot off the sidewalk hibachi.

Inspired by the heavenly taste of barbecue, and with your new cookbook in hand, you may want to finish the day off at The Trusted Palate at 563 King Street, where you can sit back and enjoy superb wine, and sample the varied array of cheeses (goat Bijou, Saint Andre) and meats (rabbit-ginger, wild boar, smoked trout), combined with eclectic accompaniments such as honey comb, sweet white garlic, and green abruzzo olives for a “sushi style” create-your-own appetizer plate. Don’t fear the extremely knowledgeable proprietors will be more than happy to help you select the perfect wine to complement any of your choices. The setting is relaxed but cool with cushy leather couches, big wooden tables and a comfortable bar.

Bon Appetit!

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I’ve said this many times before but Charleston is a foodies feast come true and the awards just keep coming. Four well-deserved Charleston area restaurants have received the coveted Mobil Travel Guide’s Four-Star award and were the only South Carolina properties on the exclusive list of 149 restaurants in the United States and Canada to receive the distinction.

Mobil awarded four stars to the Charleston Grill, Peninsula Grill, Circa 1886, and The Ocean Room at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island.

Mobil Star ratings are given annually and require restaurants to meet more than 250 criteria.

For a complete list of Mobil’s Four and Five-Star restaurants and hotels, click here.

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Pumping new life into an old industrial manufacturing plant located in the heart of the Park Circle and East Montague’s commercial area of North Charleston, the North Charleston City Council has formally approved the Development Agreement and Planned Development District Zoning plans for Garco Park, a forty-acre mixed-use development.

Garco Park will include neighborhood retail, residential loft condominiums, commercial offices, a grocery store and light industrial facilities oriented around a pedestrian streetscape similar to the recently revitalized East Montague retail corridor.

The project is anticipated to include over 350,000 square feet of new development and create hundreds of jobs for this area of North Charleston.

“We are pleased to have the support of the City of North Charleston as well as the Park Circle community as we undertake this significant project,” said Kent Johnson, Vice President of Development for The Beach Company. “This former industrial plant has always been an important part of the local economy, and these public approvals will allow us to provide a new economic engine for the Park Circle area.”

Demolition activities and new infrastructure construction will take place over the next twelve months. This is good news indeed as we continue to see a major renaissance happen in this flourishing community.

For a little more history on the exciting revitalization taking place in Park Circle you can check out this Blog I wrote last year.

Happy reading!

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While January brings wintery weather to much of the U.S, it also gets people thinking about the best destinations to escape the freeze. This month, the Insiders at Orbitz have looked to locations south, west and overseas to discover the fastest growing winter beach destinations and insider picks in its January 2008 Orbitz Insider Index.

I am proud to say that our very own Charleston, SC brings a historic beach destination to the list ranking as the sixth fastest growing winter beach destination in the U.S. It’s one of the many things I fell in love with when I first came here in 1997. Even to this day as I reach the summit on the IOP, and see the majestic Atlantic Ocean beckoning all my worries seem a little less important.

Top 10 Fastest Growing Domestic Winter Beach Destinations

1. Maui, HI
2. Daytona Beach, FL
3. Kailua-Kona (Big Island), HI
4. Key West, FL
5. San Diego, CA
6. Charleston, SC
7. Fort Lauderdale/Miama, FL
8. Sarasota, FL
9. Santa Monica, CA
10. Fort Myers, FL

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Feed your inner artist this weekend at Art on the Run, a workshop that incorporates painting, drawing, collage and journaling with music and relaxation to inspire and refresh.

C'mon down to the River and soak up the beautiful views of the Charleston Harbor.

The course is designed for busy professionals, parents, writers, artists, performers as well as anyone else suffering from a block.

The class is from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday at the Ship Shapes Maritime Arts Center at the Aquarium Wharf, located at the foot of Calhoun Street on the Cooper River. No art experience is required and materials are included with the $50 class fee.

Freelance writer, publicist and painter Diane Scher will lead the class. To register, call Scher at 843-324-0900 or 843-324-8792.

Re-energize, and re-create!

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The Cosmic Dog was dubbed “the best hot dogs I've ever had” by The Food Network’s Alton Brown, and recently garnered a win in Travelocity and IgoUgo’s Local Secrets, Big Finds® poll as one of the top local favorites in South Carolina. It is no wonder then that President Bill Clinton did more than a little politicking during his latest visit to the Charleston area. On his way to a speaking engagement in Georgetown, he made an impromptu stop at Jack’s Cosmic Dogs in Mount Pleasant.

Jack Hurley, The Big Dog and owner of the beloved eatery, said he was in the back of his restaurant paying bills when he was approached by a Secret Service agent asking if it would be all right if Bill Clinton and his entourage of 25 stopped in for lunch in about 20 minutes.

“At first they were going to take the food to go, but President Clinton looked around and said, ‘Let’s eat here!’” said Hurley.

His order: A Chile dog with sweet-potato mustard and Jack’s fresh-cut fries.

Family friendly with retro style, you enter a 50’s twilight zone where the decor, service, food, and prices all reflect a simpler yet happier time.

You’ll also feel like you’ve hit the hot dog trifecta. A great dog, fresh cut fries, and an exceptional root beer float. I usually go for the “Astro Dog” – Jack speak for a dog with zippy onion relish and spicy mustard. There are a bunch more whimsical dogs on the menu like the namesake “Cosmic Dog” with blue cheese slaw and sweet potato mustard.

Retro hot-doggy fun and a Galaga machine to boot! You can’t get much better than that.

2805 N. Highway 17
Mount Pleasant SC
(843) 884-7677

Open Daily 11 AM - 8 PM

(Photos courtesy of Jack’s Cosmic Dog)

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I started out just like all the other thousands of visitors every year that flock to Charleston, SC. They come to experience a place where history and tradition are a part of everyday life. Where the past and present seem inexplicably fused together. With its miles of beautiful beaches, live oaks draped with Spanish moss, expansive marshes and historic architecture, you can’t help but feel magically transported to another era. Like so many before me I feel in love with this place, and made it my home.

Although steeped in tradition, Charleston still manages a modern flare and the Upper King Design District is a great example of that.

An area in transition, it is quickly becoming the design center of Charleston with wonderful shops such as Waterworks, Dwell, Luan and Circa Lighting just to name a few. It is no wonder then that Time Out New York, a street-smart guide to New York news & newsmakers, recently highlighted the area in their Out There column by Alia Akkam. One of my new favorites that didn’t make it onto Alia’s list is the Trusted Palette Wine Bar & Restaurant. They offer a wonderful selection of non-traditional wines, a broad range of light dishes that beautifully accompany the wine selection, and an absolutely delicious assortment of what they call a “Sushi-Style” menu of amazing meats, cheeses, and other unique items that make up their signature Charcuterie Plate. We ended up ordering one of each and all I can say is - Yum!

As you head north of Calhoun to the Cannonbourough/Elliotborough area, college students rent Charleston single-houses along side neighbors who have been there over 50 years. Once a predominantly working-class neighborhood, the times, as legendary folksinger Bob Dylan proclaimed, are a-changin’. Sounds of nail guns and saws are heard on every corner, and trendy restaurants, galleries and shops are sprinkled among family businesses, corner stores, and hip neighborhood bars. Entrepreneurs are now snapping up properties that were once abandoned and there is increased demand for new construction such as the Midtown and Morris Square developments. Socially and culturally diverse, it’s considered by young professionals, artists and students as one of the new chic places to live. It is also home to one of my all time favorite places to go for Breakfast - The Hominy Grill.

Opening ten years ago it quickly established itself as a beloved local favorite and has gained national recognition and rightly so. Five Loaves Café and Lana, have followed suit.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little taste of what makes the Charleston area a favorite of world travelers and local residents alike. I look forward to your checking back often as I share with you all the latest happenings in and around town. I’d also love to hear from you on what are some of your favorite places in and around Charleston.

Cheers!

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