World Country Guide

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Food & Drink
Charleston boasts a number of fine seafood restaurants, where specialities include shrimp with grits and Charleston She-Crab Soup. There are more than 1700 restaurants on the Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach, offering every type of food imaginable. The legal age for drinking is 21. Alcohol cannot be served after midnight on Saturday and all day Sunday, except in establishments with special permits in Charleston, Columbia, Edisto Beach, Hilton Head, the Myrtle Beach area and Santee.

Theatre & Concerts
Alabama Theater and Caroline Opry in Myrtle Beach are popular venues for country music acts. Nearby, Broadway at the Beach offers 12 theatres with famous stars and a wide array of entertainment.

Nightlife
The liveliest spot in South Carolina is Myrtle Beach, where the nightclubs are open for business every night of the week. Choices range from country music venues to high-energy dance clubs. In Charleston, fun-seekers should head for the trendy new Terrace at Merion Square or the eclectic Tristan in the city’s French Quarter. There is now also the massive Mall of South Carolina in Myrtle Beach.

Shopping
Popular places to shop for bargains include the Waccamaw Outlet Park, the Factory Outlet Shops, the variety of shops at Barefoot Landing and numerous golf and sporting goods shops. A popular purchase is the Pawley’s Island hammock, which visitors can watch being made at the Hammock Shop on Pawley’s Island. Myrtle Beach also offers good shopping opportunities at the new Tanger Outlet Center.

Sport
There are over 335 golf courses statewide, and the Low Country offers more than 100 championship courses, several of which are frequented by renowned master players – the recently renovated Kiawah Island Resort is ranked as one of the top courses in the USA. Tennis is another big outdoor attraction, while cycling is well catered for with the creation of a network of cycle paths in Litchfield Beach and Pawley’s Island; expansions to the network are planned for the future. Other activities include watersports, hiking and fishing. Hiking and biking are both possible on the Palmetto Trail, which opened after almost 10 years in the planning. The trail runs through Santee Cooper County from the coast to Manchester Forest in Sumter County.

Special Events
The following is a selection of special events occurring in South Carolina in 2005:
Feb 11-20 Budweiser Lowcountry Blues Bash, Charleston. Mar 12 Hilton Head Island Shamrock Run, Hilton Head. Mar 17-19 Patchwork Tales Storytelling Festival, Rock Hill. Mar 26 Aiken Spring Steeplechase, Aiken Spring; Ebony Festival, Argent Square. Apr 1-3 Spring Festival, Cheraw. Apr 2 Peach Blossom Festival, Johnston. May 27-29 Iris Festival, Sumter. May 27-Jun 12 Spoleto Festival USA (performing arts festival), Charleston. Jun 18 Art in the Park, Myrtle Beach. Jul 15-17 Pageland Watermelon Festival, Pageland. Aug 6 Little Mountain Reunion. Sep 17 Harvest Hoe-Down Festival, Aynor. Sep 23-Oct 3 Gastor Fest, Olanta. Sep 24 Fire Fest, Camden. Oct 6-16 South Carolina State Fair, Columbia. Nov 5 Catfish Festival, Society Hill. Nov 5-6 Revolutionary War Field Days, Camden. Nov 26 Chitlin' Strut, Salley. Dec 2-4 Christmas in the Village, Pendleton. Dec 4 Christmas Parade, Simpsonville.