For Immediate Release, January 2013
What's New in the Charleston, S.C. Area: Winter 2013
WHAT’S NEW IN THE CHARLESTON, S.C. AREA: WINTER 2013Charleston, S.C., named Condé Nast Traveler 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards Top U.S. City, is known for rich history, well-preserved architecture, coastal location, celebrated restaurant community and mannerly people. While indeed a veritable living museum, the Charleston area is also a bustling epicenter of hospitality as illustrated by the following news.
I. New Accolades
II. New Air Service
III. New Hotels
IV. New Restaurants
V. New Retail and Specialty Event Spaces
VI. New Specialty Products and Cookbooks
I. NEW ACCOLADES
#1 U.S. City and Top World Destination
Condé Nast Traveler 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards
#1 Happiest Seaside Town (Kiawah Island in Charleston, S.C.
Coastal Living
#2 Top 10 Downtowns
Livability.com
#3 Best Weekend Getaway
U.S. News & World Report
#4 Top City in the U.S. and Canada
Travel + Leisure 2012 World’s Best Awards
Top 10 Great Street (Broad Street in Charleston, S.C.)
American Planning Association
The renovation of the Charleston City Market won Society of American Travel Writers 2012 Phoenix Award for its conservation, preservation, beautification, and environmental accomplishments related to travel.
II. NEW AIR SERVICE
JetBlue launches service to Charleston International Airport (CHS) with twice daily nonstop service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and a daily flight from Boston’s Logan (BOS). Flights start February 28, 2013. Tickets are now on sale via jetblue.com/new.
III. NEW HOTELS
Zero George Street, a European-style boutique hotel located in the Ansonborough neighborhood, is housed in five fully restored circa-1804 residential buildings surrounded by landscaped courtyards. The hotel offers eighteen guest suites and studios with heart pine floors, high ceilings, private piazzas, marble and tile showers, luxury residential furnishings and custom designed armoires. Zero George Street is opening its doors with several packages and opportunities to experience Charleston, including private cooking classes, sunset harbor cruise aboard a yacht, sailing school, art and architecture tours, and backstage tours during Spoleto Festival USA. Weekday rates from $169/night; weekend rates from $269/night.
0 George Street, zerogeorge.com
Holiday Inn Express Charleston Ashley River, the 153-room hotel at 146 Lockwood Boulevard (previously the BEST WESTERN Plus Charleston Downtown), is nearing completion of a multi-million dollar conversion that includes significant enhancements in all aspects of the property. It is scheduled to open January 2013.
146 Lockwood Drive, charlestonhiexpress.com
IV. NEW RESTAURANTS
The Ordinary is the much-anticipated second restaurant from James Beard Foundation Best Chef Award-winner Mike Lata, who opened FIG (Food Is Good) in 2001. Billed as a classic oyster and seafood hall, The Ordinary is housed in former bank that was built in the 1920s with 22-foot ceilings and 16-foot windows. The bank’s vault door is on display behind the raw bar. Menu highlights include smoked trout pate with brown bread, Black Roux gumbo with white shrimp, steamed Capers clams, and triggerfish schnitzel in brown butter vinaigrette.
544 King Street, eatattheordinary.com
Stars Grill Room & Rooftop Bar earned its name thanks to the view from the building’s rooftop-turned-full-service bar. The first floor kitchen features custom designed live fire grill and rotisserie for Chef Nate Thurston’s Shore & Stream and Farm & Field menu, highlights of which include wood-grilled blue crab soup, lobster and grits, and truffle-chicken pot pie.
495 King Street, starsrestaurant.com
A jar of housemade pickled eggs sits on the bar at Proof, a new cocktail lounge on upper King Street that offers a range of sophisticated specialty cocktails and small plates such as boiled peanut hummus and duck rillettes.
437 King Street, (843) 793-1422
Sweet CeCe’s, the pastel painted frozen yogurt bar filled towering canisters of colorful toppings, is located on City Market and know for flavors such as East Bay Vanilla and Charleston Chocolate.
99 South Market, sweetceces.com
The Alley is a 16,870-square foot reclaimed warehouse that features eight lanes of retro bowling, a 40-foot bar made from recycled bowling lane wood, a 150-seat restaurant, and a 1,900-square foot mezzanine that is available for private events. Home Team Barbecue prepares food onsite and menu highlights include oyster po’ boy, braised pork belly, and slow roasted green chili chicken.
131 Columbus Street, thealleycharleston.com
V. NEW RETAIL & SPECIALTY EVENT SPACES
The Upstairs Drawing Room at Croghan’s Jewel Box is the latest chapter in the story of Charleston’s oldest family-owned jewelry store, which is currently managed by the granddaughters of founder William Joseph Croghan. For more than 100 years, the 18th century Charleston single house located on King Street has been the place for locals to purchase fine jewelry and gifts. The Upstairs Drawing Room is appointed with family heirlooms and available for private events.
308 King Street, croghansjewelbox.com
Duvall Catering and Event Design recently relocated to a new building and opened a commercial demonstration kitchen that serves as a local food incubator serving food trucks, bakers and food entrepreneurs. The venue is also available for private events.
2816 Azalea Drive, duvallevents.com
James is a slender storefront stocked with accessories designed to pair with apparel from its companion store Hampden Clothing, which has been featured in Vogue.
312 1/2 King Street
Tease, Charleston’s first blow-dry bar, offers six styles with no appointment necessary. All styles are $35.
430 King Street, teasedrybar.com
Colonial Candle recently opened a large shop inside Charleston Place, the Orient Express Hotel located in the center of historic downtown. The specialty candle shop features several Charleston-inspired scents including, Rainbow Row, Cobblestone Walk, Benne Wafer, Battery Park, Yellow Jasmine and Sweetgrass Basket.
120 Market Street, colonialcandle.com
Other new retail spaces on King Street, named one of America’s Best Shopping Streets according to U.S. News and World Report, include Anthroplogie (260 King Street), Calypso St. Barth (234 King Street), Kate Spade (236 King Street), Goorin Bros. Hats (377B King Street), LuluLemon (279 King Street), Magnifilous Toy Emporium (525 King Street), Sperry Top-Sider (238 King Street), and Sneaker (237 King Street).
VI. NEW SPECIALTY PRODUCTS & COOKBOOKS
Palmetto Honey, produced by the Savannah Bee Company, makes for a great addition to a glass of sweet tea or drizzled across a buttermilk biscuit.
savannahbeecompany.com
The Glass Onion restaurant, as seen in Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Southern Living, and Esquire, among other national publications, recently launched two packaged food products—Thunder, a red pepper relish, and Belle’s Country Links, sausage made with all natural, locally pork.
ilovetheglassonion.com
Chocolatier Johnny Battles is part mad scientist, part sugar fiend, and covered in colorful tattoos. Battles founded Sweeteeth Chocolate in 2008 and recently began offering jars of the salted caramel sauce that makes his sea salt caramel chocolate bar so popular.
sweeteethchocolate.com
Callie’s Biscuits, the made-by-hand mail order biscuits that are baked daily and shipped overnight, has expanded its product line to include Carrie’s Cocktail Pecans, Peach Basil Jam and Callie’s Carolina Honey.
calliesbiscuts.com
Big T Coastal Provisions Crab Dip, based on a family recipe, incorporates 100% real wild caught crabmeat with signature spices, cream and cheddar cheeses. Founder Tony Blanchard is the former owner of a local seafood market and clam farm.
bigtcoastalprovisions.com
Sociale Mocktail recently debuted its line of nonalcoholic mocktails with four flavors: mojito, lavender martini, cosmopolitan and margarita.
socialemocktails.com
Holy City Brewing, founded by four men dedicated to craft beer, won a gold medal for its new Pluff Mud Porter at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival. The brewery features a tasting room.
holycitybrewing.com
Peninsula Grill: Served with Style shares the story of how South Carolina’s sole Relais & Châteaux hotel, Planters Inn, and restaurant, Peninsula Grill, catapulted onto the national dining scene with accolades from Esquire, Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, and Food & Wine, among others. The 256-page cookbook (released mid December 2012) features Peter Frank Edwards’ photography and scores of never-before-revealed recipes, including The Ultimate Coconut Cake, which turned into a booming mail order business.
peninsulagrill.com
The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen (Clarkson Potter, February 2013) brings the vibrant food culture of the great Southern city to life, giving readers insider access to the best recipes and stories Charleston has to offer.
mattleeandtedlee.com
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The mission of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is to unify and lead the local travel industry in marketing the Charleston area as an individual, meeting, incentive and group destination to both the domestic and international markets. For more information, visit explorecharleston.com.
@ExploreChs
Journalists interested in more information and editorial images may contact the Charleston CVB media department via [email protected].
