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Things To DoDowntownEditor's Pick
USS Yorktown Ghost Tour
Why we picked it
“Nighttime ghost tour aboard the decommissioned WWII carrier docked across the harbor in Mount Pleasant.”
4.9Beloved1,593 ratings
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“Nighttime ghost tour aboard the decommissioned WWII carrier docked across the harbor in Mount Pleasant.”
4.9Beloved1,593 ratings
Threaded through this week's Monday Briefing and Social Pulse — the places Charleston is actually moving toward.
Featuring extensive floral displays, this park also offers a baseball diamond, playground & trail.
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Piccolo Spoleto closes its 2026 season with a Women in Rock finale in Hampton Park, a new farmers market debuts there Wednesday, and aspireTV brings Charleston's restaurant scene to a national audience.
Piccolo Spoleto wrapped its 2026 run on June 6 with a Women in Rock concert in Hampton Park, capping a festival season that included Scottish Ballet's North American premiere of 'Mary, Queen of Scots,' a world-premiere review of Denis O'Hare's 'George and George,' and Ken Burns filling two venues with his American Revolution documentary. Elsewhere, the Spoleto Orchestra honored the late chamber music director Geoff Nuttall, and Ayodele Casel's tap show 'The Remix' drew strong notices through the week.
Hampton Park itself becomes a weekly destination starting Wednesday, June 10, when a four-week farmers market pilot runs 3:30–7 p.m. Post & Courier food editor picks for June include Vern's and Little Jack's Tavern — worth bookmarking if you haven't been recently. And if you've been curious about Annie Mae's Bakeshop on St. Philip Street, the City Paper's profile this week makes a reasonable case for the carrot cake.
The festival's final event on June 6 was a concert in Hampton Park celebrating female songwriters and musicians, capping a 2026 season that festival organizers framed as both a community celebration and an artistic statement for Charleston's 250th year.
Why it matters · If you missed it, the full Piccolo Spoleto season recap is worth reading — the scope of 2026's programming was notably ambitious.
A new farmers market opens Wednesday, June 10, in Hampton Park, running 3:30–7 p.m. each Wednesday through July in what organizers describe as a test of the space as a community gathering spot.
Why it matters · Show up Wednesday afternoon — if the pilot draws a crowd, it becomes a fixture. Early attendance matters for markets like this.
Violinist Livia Sohn, widow of former Spoleto chamber music director Geoff Nuttall — who died at 56 — performed with the festival this season in tribute. The Bank of America Chamber Music series, integral to Spoleto since its founding year, continued its run at Dock Street Theatre.
Why it matters · Nuttall shaped the chamber music program for years; his absence is felt and the tribute is worth knowing about before the festival's final curtain falls.
Host G. Garvin tours Charleston and North Charleston eateries — including Ma'am Saab on Meeting Street and King BBQ — for aspireTV's 'City Eats: Charleston,' which begins airing this month.
Why it matters · Worth watching if you want a curated tour of the current restaurant landscape, and worth visiting King BBQ before out-of-towners take the cue.
The paper's food editor spotlights Vern's and Little Jack's Tavern among five Charleston-area picks for the month, describing the range from low-cost classics to nationally recognized dining rooms.
Why it matters · Vern's in particular books out quickly — if you've been putting it off, this is the nudge to make a reservation now.
The City Paper turned its lens on Annie Mae's Bakeshop at 185 St. Philip Street this week, highlighting a viral chicken salad sandwich and what the writer calls a 'divine carrot cake.'
Why it matters · A neighborhood bakery worth a detour — the St. Philip Street address puts it within easy reach of anyone already downtown for festival week.
After months of vacancy, the former Fuel Cantina restaurant and its parking lot have cleared a zoning hurdle — the Charleston board approved a request to rezone the property to accommodate six new residential units.
Why it matters · One less empty restaurant shell on the block; watch for the development timeline if you're tracking neighborhood density debates.
Downtown's dessert bars and Vivian Howard's biscuit counter compete for the weekend crowd, while West Ashley's wing-and-margarita circuit holds its own and Isle of Palms kitchens remind everyone summer resort season is fully underway.
The 12-layer Ultimate Coconut Cake at Benne's by Peninsula Grill has become a destination order — people are finishing dinner elsewhere and walking over specifically for a slice, citing Oprah's endorsement unprompted. The Coconut Cake Martini is now treated as a near-mandatory pairing, and the Chocolate Ganache Layer Cake is pulling second orders from anyone not on the coconut train. Weekend bar waits are accepted as part of the deal. Meanwhile, Bakehouse Charleston is running a parallel dessert conversation downtown around its salted caramel brownie and a pumpkin s'mores bar with a Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively co-sign that customers bring up without being asked.
The country ham, apple preserves, and white cheddar biscuit at Handy and Hot is the specific order people name when they tell others to go, but the potlicker stew with soft-boiled egg and tomato relish is what's earning the most surprised praise from anyone who wanders past the pastry case. The grab-and-go format gets consistent love; the price point gets flagged alongside it. Howard's name is what drives the first visit — the hand pies are what drive the second.
Stones Throw Tavern's $0.50 Monday wing night — backed by a homemade blue cheese dressing that gets described as 'garlicky and divine' — has locked in a West Ashley regular crowd that treats it as a standing weekly appointment. The BLT and loaded fries are the secondary orders; the heavy pours are the reason people stay. Across the neighborhood, Agaves Cantina West Ashley is running its own loyalty loop: one regular reports eating there eight out of ten times they go out, with the Quesadilla Jaliscos and original-mix margarita as the standing order. Service slows during peak hours — both spots are worth timing.
Coastal Crust at Wild Dunes is getting called out by name for its fig and prosciutto pizza — finished with bleu cheese and hot honey — and the meatball appetizer is earning 'best I've ever had' on its own. The insider tip circulating: order your pie well done to get the char the wood-fired oven is built for. Over at Hudson's Market, the Red Apron chef-curated dinner option keeps surprising people who assumed it was strictly a grab-and-go, while the breakfast sandwich and quiche crowd has already established its morning routine. Resort pricing is accepted as a given at both spots.
