Piccolo Spoleto Festival - Charleston 17 Day Arts and Music Extravaganza

NAMED "AMERICA'S MOST CHARMING CITY" - 2015 Travel & Leisure

America's favorite city is about to take center stage once again. Boomer's who enjoy attending live performances of opera, jazz, and theatre and viewing art, crafts, and photography in a historic setting will find the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston priceless. The Piccolo Spoleto Festival occurs in tandem with its parent, Charleston's Spoleto Festival USA. This year's event starts May 22 and runs through June 7. The Piccolo version of Spoleto was conceived by and is produced by Charleston's Office of Cultural Affairs and a group of dedicated volunteers. Community support for the Arts is one facet of what makes Charleston one of the top places to live in South Carolina. 

Piccolo Spoleto features local and primarily Southeastern based artists, musicians, thespians, poets and even a sand castle designer. Many fun and free or nearly free events are scheduled, events are produced by category including:

• Visual Arts 
• Theatre & Dance
• Children & Family
• Literary & Ideas

Kids of all ages can enjoy anything from a patriotic concert on Memorial Day, Plays, Happy Hour with a Published Author, Juried Art Exhibitions, Sandcastle Building to a Barbeque Blues Cruise through Charleston Harbour. Mainstream and slightly out of the mainstream theatrical performances are presented along with poetry readings and the symphony orchestra. 

Charlestonians have enjoyed this event since 1979 when then mayor, Joseph P. Riley, Jr. decided local and up and coming artists needed a venue for their work alongside the internationally acclaimed artists performing at Spoleto USA.

Founded in 1760, Charleston is one of the oldest cities in the United States.  Considered the jewel of the Lowcountry, it is situated at the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers on the coast of South Carolina. The entire area is considered the Lowcountry, characterized by avenues of ancient Live Oaks dripping with Spanish Moss, underplanted with banks of Indica Azaleas leading to historic plantation houses. Marshes and sparkling waters thread through the landscape, providing homes for teeming wildlife, 

The bountiful wildlife and mild climate conducive to growing almost anything has fueled a thriving culinary scene. Farm to table restaurants utilizing local produce and seafood are bountiful in the city and surrounding areas. 

Just over the bridges from Charleston lie the beaches of several barrier islands. The beach towns range from historical 'Shabby Chic' Pawley's Island, home of the famous hammocks to the newer golf oriented gated communities of Seabrook Island and Kiawah Island. To the north, Daniel Island and Sullivans Island are also among the top places to live in South Carolina. In the suburbs, new master planned communities are unfolding providing more affordable low cost retirement options.

The inhabitants of this city have a great deal of pride in their history and have made every effort to preserve their historic houses, gardens and urban landscape. They embrace their responsibility as stewards of the architecture, land and sea. Art and culture are a vital part of life in this historic outpost of Southern genteelity. 

As a result of this civic pride many tours of historic homes and gardens are available and free cultural events are frequently held. In the spring and summer, many low cost concerts and dance parties are held outside. Beach music is a frequent theme and shagging (the dancing kind) is a popular activity. There is always something going on in the Holy City. Museums, festivals, concerts from rock and roll to opera, theatre, lectures, poetry readings, sports, culinary events and fashion shows are all happening year round. 

The best places to live in Charleston can be anywhere in the area depending on what appeals to your taste and pocketbook. Locals refer to Charleston either as  East of the Cooper or West of the Ashley. These are two rivers that frame downtown Charleston, and the harbor is still one of the largest cargo seaports on the East Coast. The Isle of Palms Marina and St. Johns Yacht Harbor are deepwater marinas off the Intracoastal Waterway and cater to the Charleston boating community. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride when you arrive to learn about history and the good life living in Charleston. If you’re seaching for the best neighborhoods in Charleston SC, here's where to find the most popular coastal retirement communities:

• EAST OF THE COOPER - Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms and Daniel Islands are the neighborhoods north of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, one of America’s tallest skyscraper bridges.. Age-old Mount Pleasant is quickly becoming one of the most desirable areas to live East of the Cooper. Home prices in Mount Pleasant average $270k. Homes on the Isle of Palms average $720k.
• WEST OF THE ASHLEY - Folly Beach, Johns-, James-, Seabrook-, and Kiawah Islands,  are the most popular islands south of downtown Charleston. Celebrities and scratch golfers call Kiawah Island home. The Ashley River,a popular sailing river with meandering waterways, leads in all directions. West of the Ashley home prices average $210k. Seabrook Island homes average $400k. Folly Beach homes average $530k. Kiawah Island homes average $940k. 
• THE PENINSULA - Known for the French Quarter, this is in the heart of downtown Charleston. Cobblestone streets and preserved Colonial homes here define Charleston. Terrific restaurants, outdoor cafes, live entertainment, and art galleries are all within walking distance of the historic homes. Homes can easily exceed $1 million along this French Quarter.
• NORTH CHARLESTON - Locals refer to the area as Flowertown because of the millions of azaleas and camellias that bloom in the spring. Many neighborhoods can be accessed without crossing over waterway bridges, and the area is in close proximity to the Charleston International Airport. This Low Country real estate averages $120k.

The best places to live in Charleston feature Colonial, Queen Anne, Georgian, and Greek Revival architecture.  

A low cost retirement can be achieved in the Charleston area by locating a bit further away from the downtown area and utilizing the free and low cost cultural events, checking out the recreational offerings of the Rivers and Barrier Islands and using the public parks The mild climate lends itself to lower costs in maintenance and heating. If gardening is an interest, food crops can be grown nearly year round. 

The Charleston area can also be a great staging area to take day trips to visit the rest of the Palmetto State, South Carolina. Greenville is nearby and a great place to visit and walk along Falls Park on Reedy Creek.  If College Football is a consuming interest, Clemson is home to the Clemson Tigers, a force in the Atlantic Coast Conference for years. The Blue Ridge Mountains are located in the Western part of the state and is an easy driving distance on a summer day.

The Piccolo Spoleto Festival is the perfect time to get to know Charleston and the rich culture found here. If you're searching for the top places to live in South Carolina, ask for our free Charleston relocation information to help you get to know this large metropolitan city.