If you are visiting Dewees Island during the month of September, there are two great opportunities to explore Charleston coming up: Restaurant Week and Museum Mile. The first is Restaurant Week. According to the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association’s website
The event, executed by the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association, Inc (GCRA), is one of the most highly anticipated culinary events in the Charleston area. It is an opportunity to enjoy the world-renowned cuisine of the Lowcountry as participating restaurants offer prix fixe menus consisting of three items for one price. 3 items for $20, $30 or $40.
This is a great way to try out a new restaurant for a fixed price menu. Warning: make a reservation. Restaurants offer a dinner of an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert for one of three price levels. Among those offering 3 for $20 are my favorites Al Di La (Italian), Basil (Thai), and Saffron, (Middle Eastern), as well as a few with Dewees ties: P.F. Changs delivered on Tuesdays to the ferry dock, and island friend (and POA Oyster Roast caterer) Brett Yearout’s Noisy Oyster. Brett is also behind Big Billy’s Burgers, which is going a step further and offering 3 for $20 for two people. For a full list (and most of these places are great), check out the GCRA website.
The next level is 3 for $30. The don’t miss ones on this list include Rue De Jean, (stop at Paolo’s Gelato right next door, but remember to bring cash because they don’t take plastic.) Fulton Five (Italian) and La Fourchette (French) are well worth the trip downtown. I’ve been dying to try The Grocery and Sermet’s, so this is my chance. In Mount Pleasant, Red Drum and the Old Village Post House are both great picks, and on IOP, both Long Island Cafe (get the salmon BLT) and Morgan Creek Grill are on the list.
Finally, the 3 for $40 list: Circa 1886 is at the Wentworth Mansion, (and be sure to go up into the cupola for one of the most romantic views of Charleston.) Oak Steakhouse is also on the list, and we can’t forget my favorite Hank’s (click here to read about chef Frank McMahon’s dinner on Dewees). So there are lots of old favorites and new places to try.
And then, the weekend of September 20-22 is Museum Mile Weekend. This allows you to buy one adult ticket for $25 and get admission to all the cultural attractions along that route.
The cultural sites along Charleston’s Museum Mile have come together for the 5th annual Museum Mile Weekend on September 20-22, 2013. A single pass allows visitors complimentary admission to thirteen sites along and around Meeting Street in historic downtown Charleston over the course of the three-day weekend. Many of the cultural institutions will also offer special programs during Museum Mile Weekend. The Weekend Pass is only $25 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. If purchased separately, adult admission for the participating sites would cost over $100 for adults and more than $50 for children.
Some of the museums and sites featured include: The Charleston Museum (America’s first museum), The Children’s Museum, The Gibbes Museum of Art, The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon (learn about pirate history), the Old Slave Mart Museum, and several historic houses. Some of these sites will have special events: The Powder Magazine will have Musket drilling and cartridge rolling for kids on Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Live musket firing demonstration will be offered Saturday at 12 noon. At The Charleston Museum, on Friday, a series of curator-led collection tours are offered: 11:00 a.m. Charleston during the Civil War, 2:00 p.m. Charleston Silver. Children’s crafts and scavenger hunt occur Saturday 1:00-3:00 p.m. And the Nathaniel Russell House invites children to enjoy a scavenger hunt and family-focused guided tours throughout the weekend. The scavenger hunt will include “clues” related to the museum’s exhibit, The Russell Family and the Enslaved, which emphasizes the African-American experience at the Nathaniel Russell House and features revealing period artifacts.