Festivals

• Charleston Greek Festival | Friday, May 10-Sunday, May 12| Times vary | Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, 30 Race St., Charleston
  
  
  Get ready to celebrate Greek culture and eat moussaka, gyros, and baklava. You’ll also explore vendors and enjoy live music and performances at this festival.
  
  General admission tickets are $5, seniors and students tickets are $3, and Veterans and children 12 and younger are free.
• Spoleto Festival USA | Friday, May 24 -Sunday, June 9 | Times vary | Locations vary
  For 17 days and nights, opera, theater, dance, and musical performances will take place in historic theaters, churches, and outdoor spaces.
  Tickets start at $25, and all sales are final.
  

Only in the Lowcountry

• Sweet Tea Trail | Dates, times, and locations vary
  Did you know that Summerville is the official birthplace of sweet tea? Follow along this “trail” with dozens of stops to support local businesses.
• Sea Turtle Care Center | Seven days a week | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston
  The South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center cares for sick and injured sea turtles, and the day-to-day operations are in full view. Visit interactive stations about the causes of sea turtle stranding, see current sea turtle patients, and learn the unique stories of each patient.
  Tickets start at $30.
• Take an oyster farm tour | Times and dates vary | Lowcountry Oyster Company, 15833 Bennetts Point Rd., Green Pond
  The perfect off-the-beaten-path tour will give you a true taste of the Lowcountry and offer guests a glimpse into the oyster’s journey from tide to table. You’ll see, smell, touch, and taste oysters.
  Tickets start at $150.

• Seafood Gnocchi Cooking Class | Tuesday, April 30 | 5-7 p.m. | Indigo Reef Brewing Company, 2079 Wambaw Creek Rd., Unit 1, Charleston | $55-$99 | Learn how to craft a flavorful seafood dish in this cooking class.
• Tuesday Tasting | Tuesday, April 30 | 6-8 p.m. | Accent on Wine Point Hope, 112 Renaissance Ln., Ste. 110, Charleston | $14 | Try something new or stick to your favorites + choose four wines to sample for a discounted price.

• Local Love Candle Making Party | Wednesday, May 1 | 6-8 p.m. | Local Love, 1238 Camp Rd., Charleston | $40 | Join this cozy and creative private candle-making class.
• Palette Knife Painting Workshop | Wednesday, May 1 | 6-8:30 p.m. | Rabbit Hole Studios, 1124 Lango Ave., Charleston | $550 | Learn the art of impasto painting in this four-week class.

• North Charleston Farmers Market | Thursday, May 2 | 3-7 p.m. | Park Circle Pavilion, 4800 Park Cir., North Charleston | Free | Head to Park Circle for the North Charleston Farmers Market’s opening day of the season
• Spring Acoustic Guitar Series | Thursday, May 2 | 5-7 p.m. | Daniel Island Waterfront Park, 1 River Landing Dr., Daniel Island | Enjoy live music at Waterfront Park, and feel free to bring a chair or blanket and a picnic.
• Music Bingo | Thursday, May 2 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Indigo Reef Brewing Company, 2079 Wambaw Crk., Charleston | Free | Beats, brews, and bingo — join the free-to-play game and win some free beer.

• Season of Spritz | Friday, May 3 | 1-6 p.m. | The Charleston Place, 205 Meeting St., Charleston | Free | Enjoy a refreshing spring cocktail special with citrus or floral infusions.

Stoney Craftsmanship Award

• Joe Faust’s mastery of traditional plaster and stucco work has revived properties, including 48 South Battery, 55 Society St., and 54 Tradd St.

Whitelaw Founders Award

• Old City Jail, 21 Magazine St.: This three-story Romanesque Revival structure is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Kevin Eberle: Charleston law professor + historian who rehabilitated a threatened 19th-century freedman’s cottage.
• Taveau Church (Preservation SC): A rare surviving rural, framed antebellum church constructed in 1835.

Joseph H. (Peter) McGee Advocacy Award

• Beefield Community: This African American settlement community, circa 1865, has gained historic district status thanks to neighborhood association president George Richardson’s efforts.
• Martha Zierden: A retired archaeologist who has changed the way historians and archaeologists understand Charleston’s material culture.

• Ready to get sippin’? During the month of May, Bodega will team up with several local coffee shops to host the inaugural Spring Coffee Crawl. Check out the participating businesses and their featured drinks. (Holy City Sinner)

• Thursdays are the new Fridays. Well, at least to get wood-fired pizza from Sorelle. Beginning Thursday, May 2, and each Thursday after, enjoy fresh and delicious pizza from 9 p.m. until supplies last.

• One of the area’s oldest businesses, Mount Pleasant Seafood, is recovering after a fire damaged its Shem Creek building on Saturday, April 27. Officials believe the flames started after an electrical issue. This fourth-generation family business has been locally owned and operated for 75 years. (The Post and Courier)

• Rubber ducky… you can be number one. The 18th annual Charleston Charity Duck Race returns Saturday, May 4, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ~30,000 rubber ducks are expected to compete at Guggenheim Terrace on Daniel Island. You can adopt a duck for $10, and a $10,000 prize will be awarded to the winner. (WCIV)

• Treat your mom or the mother figure in your life to a Mother’s Day Tea and Pop Up Shop Curated by FOUND at the Thoroughbred Club. The event will run from Thursday, May 9 through Sunday, May 12. Tickets are $70 per person and include a welcome cocktail and the Afternoon Tea menu. Reservations are required.

• Wounded Nature - Working Veterans is working to make Lowcountry waters safer and cleaner by adding mooring balls to waterways. These balls are like buoys attached to a large, heavy concrete slab that can hold two 40-foot boats and can help during storm season when lost boats need stabilization until authorities can find the owner. (WCSC)

• A historic Charleston home will be featured in “America: The Land We Live In,” a PBS docuseries. The show celebrates the history and beauty of historic spots that were featured in one of the nation’s earliest travel guides. There will be a premiere party at the home this Sunday, May 5. (WCBD)

• Charleston Southern University student Allie Dombkowski will represent SC at the annual National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Collegiate Leadership Advocacy Summit. Dombkowski is a junior studying music education. During this multiday event, attendees will meet with congressional representatives and staffers.

• Try bird-watching for a nature-fix — an activity that can be done anytime or anywhere. Experts at South Carolina’s Audubon chapter share how to get started.*

• 8.3 billion. That’s how much money has been appropriated by the General Assembly to benefit education in South Carolina since the Lottery began in 2002. Learn exactly where that money goes.*