Pre-Convention Activities

Charleston offers so many fabulous opportunities for visitors, that it is somewhat tough to narrow the options. There’s scads of stuff to do to help make an extra-special trip. Registration details for these all these activities will be posted as available and it is up to you to make your reservations with the various vendors.

For starters, we have the Charleston Cooks! Taste of the Lowcountry class. (From the online catalog:

What makes Lowcountry cuisine the cornerstone of our coastal South Carolina heritage? Learn the answer at Taste of the Lowcountry! This fun demonstration class is a great way to learn more about the cornerstone of Lowcountry cuisine, while enjoying generous tastings of regionally based recipes and sipping a glass of wine. Come enjoy the tastes, the history and the entertainment. Menu changes daily based on what is available seasonally at market.

You can read more about the class in an article it here. Sign up at the Charleston Cooks! website after March 31. If you want to sign up sooner you can call them at 843-722-1212 or email Tracy at TTrombino AT mavericksouthernkitchens dot com. Class is offered every day at 3 pm. (We’re told no one goes away from this class hungry!� Plenty of samples to taste!)

On Friday, April 20, local artist Mary Whyte, who is also a BookCrossing Book Plate artist, will be hosting an afternoon tea for some early birds at her gallery in historic downtown Charleston. There is no cost for this event, but space is limited. Sign up by emailing (charlestonbookcrossers AT gmail dot com) or by sending a private message via BookCrossing with your name and BookCrossing name.

Then there are four tours offered Thursday through Sunday by stellar tour guide Joye Hanna. She’ll keep you smiling as she shows you the town. These four book related tours were created especially for BookCrossers and Joye will offer each one at least once a day. For schedules, registration information and prices, click on over to BookCrossing Tours at Joye’s site. Her email is jawee AT comcast dot net. (She forgot to put it on the page for the BookCrossing tours– whoops!) And yes, Joye is an licensed tour guide for the city.

  • Literary History Walking Tour: The pages of history written through the years can never be more vivid than when you see through your own eyes the stately homes, cobblestone streets or tiny shops. Enjoy a brisk walking tour of Historic Charleston winding down scenic lanes or alleyways. Compare the descriptive narratives of famous or obscure writers to the smells, sounds and decor of the city. Relive the sorrows or successes, the proud or the unjust days of those that came before us.
  • Romance/Mystery Walking Tour: What novel scandalized the gentlemen of Charleston of the 19th century? Why won�t our dead stay down? What sunk our state of the art battle weapon during �that� war? Whose shirt is torn asunder in the latest epic of love in Charleston? These questions are answered during our two hour walk through beautiful residential and commercial byways of Historic Charleston.
  • Books to Film Driving Tour: The Citadel; detention camp or pristine halls of learning? The Patriot; Hero or hellion? Cold Mountain; truth or trash? Is� shag� a dirty word? Decide for yourself as we wind our way through the oak draped streets or along the beaches of Historic Charleston that were the subjects of popular books. A three hour tour reveals why the diverse areas that are Charleston, Mt Pleasant, Sullivan�s Island and Isle of Palms are the backdrops for so many books.
  • We have it here� Driving Tour: Put on your walking shoes for this driving tour because we will be making several stops as we visit sites that otherwise would not be accessible to the group. See for yourself manuscripts that were thought lost to time. See how the love of words have kept history alive in Historic Charleston. A collective groan will inevitably be heard by the group because 3 hours will not be enough time to consume the vast buffet of written words revealed.

We’ve just received word that Palmetto Carriage Tours and Bulldog Walking Tours will each be offering discounts to BookCrossers. Coupons will be available in your goodie bags (and with bookczuk if you are coming in early and want to take the tours prior to registration.) We owe this generous offer to Mark R Jones, author of Wicked Charleston and recent guest on Michael Feldman’s Whad’ya Know radio show on American Public Radio.

Updated February 22, 2007