Heart eyes for days ❤️

Last-minute local ideas for Valentine’s Day

Our city is teeming with romantic potential. | Photo via @charlestonspired

There’s no dodging Cupid’s arrow — Valentine’s Day is here. Whether you’re celebrating your friendships or sugaring up your sweetheart, we’ve got last-minute Valentine’s Day ideas that will have you loving love.

🌵 Get fantastical with botanicals

If you’re quick, you might have your pick of bouquets using Floom, an online marketplace that partners with florists that deliver locally.

Or, get creative and nab a potted plant from these plant spots. Nothing says forever like a hardy succulent.

Meeting Green, 1455 Meeting Street Rd., Charleston
Roots and Shoots, 1108 Wappoo Rd., Charleston
Hyams Garden Center, 870 Folly Rd., Charleston
Abide A While, 1460 Hwy. 17 N., Mt. Pleasant
PlantHouse Charleston, 832 Coleman Blvd., Mt. Pleasant
Brownswood, 1290 Brownswood Rd., Johns Island

🥂 Keep spirits up

If you didn’t score reservations, don’t overthink… grab a drink. The following spots have weekday happy hours:

Harold’s Cabin | Tuesday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. | Take a buck off house draft beer or enjoy a $2 Miller High Life and a $10 cheese board.
Edmund’s Oast | Weekdays, 3-5 p.m. | Drop by for the “Sad Times Happy Hour” including half-off frozen drinks and house beer drafts, as well as bites like the Korean Chicken Dunkaroo.
The Alley | Weekdays, 4-7 p.m. | Bowling date, anyone? Score $3 domestic beer and house wine while bowling or playing a game of Skee-Ball.

For more options, check out our happy hour guide.

🌟 Go stargazing

It doesn’t get much more idyllic than bundling up and looking at the stars. Grab some blankets (and maybe a hot drink) and head to one of these spots away from man-made light to take in the sky.

Sullivan’s Island Beach | Station 18 Street, Sullivan’s Island
Pitt Street Bridge | Pitt Street, Mt. Pleasant
Brittlebank Park | 185 Lockwood Dr., Charleston

Click here to have your event featured.

Monday, Feb. 13

Taino x Island Provisions | Monday, Feb. 13 | 5-9 p.m. | Island Provisions, 221 St. Philip St., Charleston | Free | Swing by this neighborhood market to enjoy bites and island-inspired drinks with Dominican comfort food pop-up Taino.

Tuesday, Feb. 14

Valentine Paint Pottery & Sip with Goats | Tuesday, Feb. 14 | 5-6:30 p.m. | Flowertown Charm Farm, 255 Stallsville Rd., Summerville | $45 | Sip on champagne and paint a pottery mug outside at this urban farm surrounded by goats — BYOB.
Choose Your Own Operadventure: Lovers’ Edition | Tuesday, Feb. 14 | 6 p.m. | Charleston Library Society, 164 King St., Charleston | $25-$35 | Guests will have the chance to choose the plot of this 60-minute interactive opera — complimentary champagne and chocolates will be offered.

Wednesday, Feb. 15

Restorative Yoga | Wednesday, Feb. 15 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | CornerCopia James Island, 1230 Camp Rd., Charleston | $20 | Spend an hour moving slowly and intentionally through deep stretching, breath work, and heart work with local yoga teacher Alex Clark — all levels are welcome.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

“Our Own Work, Our Own Way” at the Columbia Museum of Art

Try This: “Our Own Work, Our Own Way” at the Columbia Museum of Art

Presented by a CHStoday partner

See how you can Try This exhibition for yourself at the Columbia Museum of Art. | Photo by COLAtoday team

Hey CHS, Sam here. 👋 Recently, I had the opportunity to browse the new exhibition “Our Own Work, Our Own Way: Ascendant Women Artists in the Johnson Collection” at the Columbia Museum of Art. Here’s how you can try this for yourself and what you won’t want to miss when you visit.

What we tried:

I was able to experience the opening day of “Our Own Work, Our Own Way: Ascendant Women Artists in the Johnson Collection,” an exhibition highlighting works of art from 42 women artists of the 20th century who had connections to the South, including artists from Columbia. These women often faced forms of sexism, racism, or both, and the exhibition celebrates and champions their achievements and art.*

WHAT NOT TO MISS

Weather

66º | Sunny | 7% chance of rain

Sunrise + sunset

Rise: 7:05 a.m.
Set: 6:03 p.m.

Tide

Low: 5:20 a.m. + 5:29 p.m.
High: 12:43 a.m. + 12:53 p.m.

Coming Soon

A new Coconut Joe’s Beach Grill is headed to the corner of Center Street and West Ashley Avenue on Folly Beach — currently St. James Gate. Potential plans for the ~8,000-sqft spot include the addition of a second outdoor level and a game room. 🍹 (The Post and Courier)
Spread Bagelry, a Philadelphia-based bagel shop, may open two new shops in the Lowcountry. Locations include the ground floor of Hoffler Place on King Street with an opening date planned by midsummer and the Oyster Park development in Mount Pleasant slated to open in April. 🥯 (The Post and Courier)

Development

A $21 million road project working to alleviate traffic congestion in Summerville is in the works, expected to widen Maple Street and add turn lanes, a traffic signal, and a new alignment along the roadway. Construction is set to begin in April or May with target completion by spring 2025. 🚧 (The Post and Courier)

Community

Berkeley County is set to host a community fair on Thursday, Feb. 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Berkeley County Administration Building for nonprofits and other organizations to learn about the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and funding guidelines. Sign up. (WCSC)

State

On Friday, the state launched SC Powers EV, a website highlighting the electric vehicle industry across South Carolina. The website’s purpose is said to “recruit potential electric vehicle companies to establish or grow EV operations in South Carolina.” Take a look. (WCSC)

Number

65,000+. That’s the approximate number of trips that 30,000 Lime bike share users have made since the program was introduced. DYK that Charleston is the company’s first SC location? Officials are discussing expanding the program to other locations, including James and Daniel islands. 🚲 (WCSC)

Feel Good

On Wednesday, the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Care Center team released nine rehabilitated juvenile Kemp’s ridleys and green sea turtles into the ocean during the first sea turtle release of 2023. Learn more about the effort. 🐢 (WCBD)

Shop

Lowes Foods To Go has dropped its annual subscription cost to $49, and its new app is designed to offer shoppers a simplified and enhanced experience. Bonus: Try it for free with promo code FREESHOP at checkout.*

Seasonal

Valentine’s Day may be tomorrow, but it’s not too late to order that special someone a bouquet of fresh flowers. Don’t have time to cross reference all of the florists in town? Enter: Floom, an online marketplace that partners with talented florists that deliver locally. Shop Valentine’s Day arrangements. 💐 *

Correction

On Friday, we let you know Costa is a coastal Italian restaurant and bar coming to The Jasper downtown this summer. The menu will draw inspiration from regional dishes found along the the Italian coast, as opposed to Mediterranean fare as originally reported.

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Culture

Your answers to “Would You Rather”

We loved seeing your answers to this game. | Photo by @jonpuckett

Last month, we invited you to participate in a game of “Would You Rather,” Charleston-style. Thanks to everyone who played — here’s how the numbers shook out.

1. Though you couldn’t go wrong with either, 57% said they’d prefer to have unlimited Co-Op frosé (sorry, Home Team tots.)

2. 76% shared they’d rather start their weekend on Sullivan’s, instead of at the Charleston Farmers Market.

3. When it came to Darius Rucker vs. “Southern Charm,” 85% preferred to hang with the singer-songwriter for two hours.

4. As for ping pong vs. Charleston Nasty Biscuits, the latter took it away in true Southern fashion with a 76% majority.

5. The hype is real: 59% of readers said they’d prefer to star in an episode of “Outer Banks” vs. an appearance in “The Righteous Gemstones.”

6. Skyline views surpassed live music with a 70% majority.

7. Finally, 64% of you said you’d prefer a beachfront cottage over a historic home.

PLAY THE GAME

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Alexandra.

Editor’s pick: Calling all tequila connoisseurs. National Margarita Day is just around the corner on Wednesday, Feb. 22 and I’m here to give you the scoop: Mex 1 Coastal Cantina will be serving $5 Mex 1 Margaritas all day.

The drink features Lunazul Reposado tequila and Mex 1 mix and I can confirm it’s 10/10. Head to any of the locations, including my personal favorite on Sullivan’s Island, to celebrate the holiday in style. Cheers, Holy City.

Missed Friday’s newsletter? Learn about the proposed plans for Union Pier, here.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Alexandra Garian, Tatum Jacaruso, Erin McPherson, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Stephanie Zapiecki | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

ADVERTISE | SHOP | CAREERS | ETHICS

Did a friend forward this free newsletter to you?