The Best Friend Train Museum (conveniently situated between the downtown visitor center and the children’s museum), will host The Charleston Santa each weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas. | Photo provided by Explore Charleston
Beginning Friday, Nov. 28, the Best Friend Train Museum will welcome Santa’s return, inviting children to meet the jolly old elf each weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Guests will receive a free commemorative photo while learning about Charleston’s historic Best Friend of Charleston train. The event also offers families the chance to make a meaningful impact by helping fill the train with new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. The Children’s Museum will host a holiday pop-up toy store onsite, making it easy for everyone to contribute.
The Charleston Santa is set to welcome families on:
Nov. 28 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Nov. 29-30 (10 a.m.to 4 p.m.)
Dec. 6-7, Dec. 13-14, and Dec. 20-21 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Rev up your engines: Discover the ultimate family experience
Presented by The Ultimate Driving Museum
Funds from admission go to support the initiatives of the BMW CCA Foundation, Saving Lives, Saving History. | Photo provided by The Ultimate Driving Museum
Looking for some non-traditional holiday entertainment? Enter: The Ultimate Driving Museum in Greenville, SC.
Current exhibit “The ALPINA: 60 Years of Excellence” will give the whole family something to enjoy together — automotive enthusiasts or not. (Engineering? Design? History? There’s something for everyone to appreciate.)
Now through January 17, 2026, you can see 25 unique vehicles on display, including rare, vintage, and race cars, some boasting the status of being the only one of their kind in the country. Speaking of which, this is the only ALPINA exhibit ever produced.
Did you know? Each exhibit produced by The Ultimate Driving Museum runs from mid-May through mid-January, featuring a different theme unique to the BMW brand and the automotive community as a whole. Looking ahead, the 2026 exhibit will display a variety of M3s from race to road in “BMW M3: 40 Years of Evolution.”
Pro tip: Discounted admission is available online when you enter code VIPVisit2025 at checkout.
Annie Mae’s Bakeshop will open its first brick-and-mortar cafe in December. After years of supplying restaurants with fresh breads and desserts, the team is giving locals a dedicated spot in downtown Charleston for house-made treats, hand-blended teas, and more. (Post and Courier)
Traffic
Expect extra eyes on the road this week. With a record number of Americans traveling for Thanksgiving, South Carolina will increase highway patrols from 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26 through midnight on Saturday, Nov. 30. And don’t forget — the state’s new hands-free law is now in effect. (WCBD)
Seasonal
Oh, what fun. The Charleston Museum has unveiled its holiday programming for December, featuring hands-on workshops, winter-themed exhibitions, and the return of beloved annual installations. Save your spot at an upcoming event.
Real Estate
For locals thinking of listing, keep this on your radar: New industry predictions from HomeLight place Charleston at No. 8 among the 25 hottest housing markets for sellers in 2026. Stay up to speed with these recent real estate reads.
Time to break out your calendar — a slew of holiday parades and seasonal festivals are headed to Charleston next month. Explore this list of 12 upcoming events, plus everything you’ll need to know before you go. (WCBD)
Finance
How much should we really be saving for retirement in today’s economic climate? Use Capital City Financial’s free retirement calculator to see where you stand.*
Athleta’s full site is 30% off for Black Friday, happening right now through Saturday, November 29. From sunrise workouts to Sunday strolls, these are the pieces you’ll reach for on repeat. Grab 30% off today.*
Editor’s Pick
Don’t worry, spots are still available for this year’s Turkey Day Run. | Photo by @turkeydayrun
T-minus two days until Thanksgiving — are you ready? Keep these in mind as you check off your to-do list this week:
Closed on Thanksgiving:
City and county offices
Rec centers, the Municipal Golf Course, gymnasiums, Maybank Tennis Center, Peggy Bohne Tennis Center, MLK Pool
Travel: Get ready for traffic — today and Wednesday are expected to be the busiest travel days.
Turkey Trot: Spots are still available for the Turkey Day Run.
Thanksgiving takeout: It’s your last chance to pre-order dishes for pickup from local restaurants.
Small Business Saturday: Make plans to support local shop owners — more from us on this later this week.
The Buy
Amazon’s Black Friday Week sale features thousands of deals. Don’t spend hours sorting through them — we already did that for you. Here are three you can’t miss:
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
Looking forward to the Palmetto Bowl this weekend? Of course you are. Before Saturday’s kick-off, take a trip down memory lane with this collection of the best Clemson-Carolina rivalry shenanigans over the years.
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