Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Labor Day Weekend in coastal Georgia

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Labor Day is always a big deal in coastal Georgia with lots of fun things to do on the coast with festivals and events.Savannah is always a great city to visit. When the weather is hot and humid you feel transported back to the “good old days” when women wore long skirts, men hats and everyone traveled by horse carriage. At least that’s what it seems like when you watch movies. Speaking of which, Savannah has been the backdrop to many Hollywood films. There are even tours focusing on the movie history of the old city. Savannah is a great city for a walking. Just take your time and enjoy the beautiful architecture and the many squares and gardens. Besides the Riverfront, we always enjoy visiting the City Market. Lots of places to eat or just hang out, and lots of people to watch. The most popular event for Labor Day is probably the beer festival, Savannah Craft Brew Fest.

 

Savannah Craft Brew Fest

 

Savannah Craft Brew Fest

This event has grown over the years and has become one of the most popular fall events in Savannah. At Savannah Craft Brew Fest you get the opportunity to try 130 different kinds of beer, and lots more. Rub elbows with beer enthusiasts from all over the Southeast, and talk to brewers from all over the country. This event takes place August 26 – September 2, 2012.

Get the details on our special events page for Savannah Craft Brew Fest.

 

Labor Day Beach Bash — Tybee Island

Labor Day is traditionally the time of year when we should say goodbye to Summer and hello to Fall. That seems a bit too early for us here on the coast, we still have plenty of beach weather ahead. In any case, if you are determined to spend as much time on the beach as possible this weekend — head to Tybee Island. Tybee is located a short 20 minute drive outside Savannah. It’s actually a pretty cool drive too. You travel across the vast marshland before you reach the island itself. 

The Labor Day Beach Bash takes place on September 3, 2012. You can get more details about the event on our page for Labor Day Beach Bash — Tybee Island, GA.

 

 

 

Kingsland Catfish Festival 

South of Savannah and just north of Jacksonville on the other side of the border is where Kingsland, GA, is located. If you live in Jacksonville, this is a perfect day trip. You can even visit the small historic city of St. Marys first, take a stroll in the park or relax at the waterfront. From St. Marys you can take the boat over to Cumberland Island, but call first, this boat can be booked during big weekends. Kingsland CVB can answer all your questions about the area.

Just call them at 1-800-433-0225 or visit visitkingsland.com

This is the biggest festival in Camden County, attracting about 65,000 people over the weekend. The festival takes place in downtown Kingsland September 3 – 5, 2011, and includes a parade, entertainment, arts and crafts, food vendors and much more. The biggest attraction is the fried catfish dinner. Get all the details here.

 

Here is our video from the event.

 

 

St Simons Food & Spirit Festival – Saint Simons Island, Georgia

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The inaugural Saint Simons Food & Spirits Festival, to benefit Hospice of the Golden Isles, will be held September 21 through 23 on Saint Simons Island, GA. This festival is the first of its kind in the area and will be headlined by James Beard award-winning television personality, cookbook author and grand dame of Southern cooking, Nathalie Dupree and her co-author, Cynthia Graubart.

Additional culinary luminaries scheduled to participate include Ford Fry, chef and restaurateur of Atlanta restaurants no. 246, JCT. Kitchen and The Optimist; Libbie Summers, lifestyle expert, blogger at Salted and Styled and author of The Whole Hog Cookbook; and Saint Simons’ own beekeeper, Ted Dennard, founder of Savannah Bee Company.

Event highlights include:

· First Bite kick-off reception on Thursday, Sept. 20 in the courtyard of Halyards Restaurant.

· Friday Night Festival Feast hosted by Sea Island. Executive chef Jonathan Jerusalmy and guest chef Ford Fry will present a five-course dinner featuring local foods, specialty cocktails and fine wines.

· Saturday festivities at Gascoigne Bluff include The Market, which features a farm stand, retailers and a juried arts and crafts show, free to the public.

· Southern Specialties Cooking Class, presented by Elegant Island Living and led by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart, held in the Harbour Room at Coastal Kitchen.

· Local Flavors Tasting Tent featuring 25 local chefs and restaurants, craft beers, artisan spirits and fine wines.

· VIP Riverside Sporting Club will televise SEC football and guests will enjoy food from Frederica, Little Saint Simons and Sea Island as well as libations from the mixologists at the King & Prince. In this venue, festivalgoers will also have the opportunity to interact one-on-one with festival talent.

· Culinary Creations Demo Tent featuring Ted Dennard, Libbie Summers, Ford Fry, Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart.

· Lowcountry Concert with bluegrass and rock-n-roll from the Mosier Brothers and the eclectic, soulful sounds of Mudcat. Local restaurants will sell coastal favorites and during the concert, football viewing will continue and VIPs will enjoy pub grub in the Riverside Sporting Club.

· SPIRITual Sunday Brunch at Halyards. Chef and owner Dave Snyder and his team will serve a multi-course meal featuring recipes from invited culinary talent, who will be seated among the guests.

day at the beach

Fun things to do for Labor Day Weekend in South Carolina

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For us here in the south, the warm weather will linger well after Labor Day weekend, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to turn down an opportunity for a party.  Especially if the party involves lots of fun for the whole family – and going to the beach.  This weekend there are lots of festivals to choose from in the low country involving the beach, live music and also good food.

 

 

Low Country Jazz

Jazz has always held a special place in our hearts here on the coast. The Low Country Jazz Festival on August 31 – September 3, 2012, is quickly becoming a highly anticipated event in the Carolinas attracting festival attendees from North, South Carolina and abroad. More details on our special events page for the Low Country Jazz Festival.

 

 

 

Lowcountry Wine and Beer Festival

On Sunday, September 2, 2012, from 4.00 pm to 7.30 pm you can sample more than wines from around the globe, as well as craft beers. There is also a Lowcountry buffet from Hege’s Restaurant on the Village Green at Freshfield Village.All proceeds will support Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, which provides free medical care to those in need on Johns, James and Wadmalaw islands. Tickets $35 in advance, $40 at the gate.
 
Freshfields Village, 149 Village Green Lane John’s Island, SC 29455.
Call 843.768.6491   or visit www.Freshfieldsvillage.com for more information.

Beach, Boogie and BBQ – Myrtle Beach, SC

Myrtle Beach always celebrates the end of the summer season with a big party combining three of our favorite pastimes – Beach fun, music and good food!
 
 
 
 

Going to the Ritz in Brunswick

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Sometimes when the weather is really hot and humid, it does seem like a wonderful idea to go inside and cool off. The Ritz in downtown Brunswick is one of those old movie theatres that have been restored and brought back to life. Here you can experience movie watching the way it used to be in the good old days. In the Summer, the Ritz brings back some of the most beloved classic movies to the silverscreen with the Summer Movie Classic Series.

Poodle Skirts, Brylcreem and Sing-Alongs

First on the agenda is the clasic movie musical Grease from 1978. Come early, and feel free to break out the poodle skirts and Brylcreem for a fun night downtown when the movie series kicks off for its sixth season on Thursday, July 12, 2012. Cartoons and other shorts begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a costume contest for all ages. The feature begins at 7:00 with the lyrics to all the songs projected right on the screen.

“This is the third year we’ve started the Summer Classics with a sing-along show, and our
audiences always love it,” says Rob Nixon, who coordinates film programming at the Ritz for
Golden Isles Arts and Humanities. “Kids and adults come in costume and really become part of
the musical cast. We think this year is going to be the best sing-along yet since Grease is one of
our most requested movies ever.”

Prizes for the Grease costume contest, which will be awarded in age levels, have been donated
by Glynn Crisis Center (a “Taste of Glynn” cookbook), artist Ian Kaszans, and Color Me Happy.
In addition, door prizes will be given out at the remaining four movies in the series, provided by
such local merchants as Clover Skin Studio, Fox’s Pizza Den Downtown, Glynn Chiropractic,
Hattie’s Books, Stitch in Time monogram shop, and Ned Cash Jewelers.

Dinner and a Movie

Following the Grease Sing-Along on July 12, Golden Isles Arts and Humanities will screen the
terrifying blockbuster Jaws on Thursday, July 19, at 7:00 p.m.; the Spencer Tracy-Katharine
Hepburn comedy Adam’s Rib on Thursday, July 26, at 7:00; the perfect election-year movie, Mr.
Smith Goes to Washington on Thursday, August 2, at 7:00; and a matinee of the much-requested
classic The Music Man on Sunday, August 5, at 3:00 p.m.

Every Thursday evening of the series, the public is invited to make a night of it downtown with
food and drink specials in the neighborhood:

Fox’s Pizza Den at 1429 Newcastle St., one block from the Ritz, is offering a great “Dinner and a Movie” special with its new expanded menu. Buy your ticket at the Ritz box office beginning at 5:00 p.m. on show night and take it to Fox’s for 10% offyour bill and priority dining to get you back in time for the movie. On the way back to the theater, stop in at Achin’ 4 Bakin’ across the street from the Ritz and pick up special theme cupcakes for movie snacks. As usual, Angie Aimar and James Laurens ofColdwell Banker Platinum Partners will be serving up piping hot popcorn in the theater lobby (first come, first served).Ticket holders can also show their tickets at Tipsy McSway’s, 1414 Newcastle, for a free draft beer after the show.

“We’re excited to partner with these great local businesses to make Downtown Brunswick the
place to be for a complete, entertaining night out,” Nixon says. “We’re very lucky to have a
historic neighborhood that’s still so vibrant and full of fun places the whole community can
enjoy. And with the terrific line-up we have for this year’s Summer Classics, we look forward
to bringing a lot of people Downtown, not only on Thursday evenings but for the special Music
Man matinee.”

Admission to each show in the Summer Classic Movies series is still only $5 for all ages. The
box office opens at 5:00 p.m. on Thursdays and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 5. Cartoons,
previews, and short subjects begin about 30 minutes before show time. For more information,
please visit goldenislesarts.org or call 912-262-6934.

 

SUMMER CLASSIC MOVIES AT THE RITZ SERIES FOR 2012

Thursday, July 12, 7:00 p.m. – Grease Sing-Along (1978)
It’s the one that you want! The most successful movie musical of all time and one of the most
requested by Ritz film patrons will put a spring in your step and bring a song to your lips. John
Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Stockard Channing bring back the 1950s—and so can our
audiences with lyrics printed right on the big screen for you to sing along. Come in costume and
compete for prizes!

Thursday, July 19, 7:00 p.m. – Jaws (1975)
We’re gonna need a bigger boat! The terrifying blockbuster that redefined summer movies and
put a chill into the ocean comes to the big screen just in time for beach season. Richard Dreyfus,
Roy Scheider, and a shark named Bruce star in this Oscar winner for editing, sound, and that
unforgettably frightening music score.

Thursday, July 26, 7:00 p.m. – Adam’s Rib (1949)
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn were one of the most popular screen teams of all time,
and in this, the sixth of their nine films together, they’re at the top of their form as a married
pair of lawyers squaring off on opposite sides in the trial of a woman accused of shooting her
husband. The delightfully witty Oscar-nominated screenplay gives them plenty of chances to
spar in this hilarious battle-of-the-sexes comedy classic.

Thursday, August 2, 7:00 p.m. – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
No matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, you’ll love this Oscar winner (Best
Writing) all about an idealistic young man who finds himself in Congress and up to his ears in
political corruption. James Stewart gives a powerful and likable performance as a naïve but
passionate Everyman who takes on the system and wins the heart of cynical reporter Jean Arthur.

Sunday, August 5, 3:00 p.m. – The Music Man (1962)
We got trouble right here in River City! The Tony Award-winning play that became a hit movie
musical is here at the Ritz to entertain and enchant you with such memorable songs as “Good
Night, My Someone,” “Til There Was You,” and, of course, “76 Trombones.” Robert Preston
is all smooth-talking charm as the traveling con man who reforms under the spell of librarian
Shirley Jones and small-town life in early 20th century America.

Waterparks in Charleston, SC

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Adding on to the park’s two additional extra value days – Military Mondays and Two For Tuesdays – Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark is now introducing Tropical Thursdays to the mix of the waterpark’s discounted admission days. With the slogan that “it’s 3 o’clock somewhere,” the waterpark will now offer its after 3:00 p.m. reduced rates all day every Thursday.

Regularly, attendees who enter Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark after 3:00 p.m. on weekdays receive a discounted rate of $10.99 per person ($9 off the general admission price for adults). Now, park-goers can enjoy the after 3:00 p.m. pricing all day on Thursdays. On this new value day dubbed “Tropical Thursdays,” the water park will also undergo a tropical transformation as island-style music fills the air, staff wear Hawaiian attire, and the park’s food and drink also go tropical. The Calypso Kitchen will serve island and Caribbean-style foods, with a rotating menu featuring items such as sweet potato fries, Mojo burgers, Hawaiian pizza, Cuban sandwiches and jerk chicken wraps. Park-goers will also be able to purchase a variety of fruity, non-alcoholic drinks.

Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark is located in North Charleston at Wannamaker County Park. The largest water-park in the Charleston area, Whirlin’ Waters features unique activities for all ages – from curious little ones to thrill-seeking adults. Young children enjoy hours of fun at Otter Bay, a kiddie pool area with a six-lane racer slide, and Lily Pad Lagoon, a toddler play section with a shallow pool and spray geysers. The Big Splash Tree House is great for all ages and features racer slides, sprays, tons of interactive play elements and a giant bucket that dumps 1,000 gallons of water. Adults and kids can unwind while drifting down Rollin’ River, a lazy river hosting 870 feet of relaxation. The Big Kahuna wave pool is a family favorite with 27,000 square feet of wave action. Looking for thrills? The slides of Riptide Run and the Tubular Twister are guaranteed to provide a rush of excitement.

Whirlin’ Waters also offers a full range of amenities including concessions, lockers for securing items, lounge chairs, showers and restrooms. Plus, the park is staffed with trained lifeguards to provide a safe experience.

Tropical Thursday’s discounted admission prices are valid every Thursday throughout the park’s hours of operation, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Whirlin’ Waters is open every day now through August 18, and then on weekends only through Labor Day.

The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission also offers two other area waterparks – Splash Island at Palmetto Islands County Park in Mount Pleasant, and Splash Zone at James Island County Park. Tropical Thursdays are offered at Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark only. Special days at all three county waterparks include Military Mondays, during which all active duty, retirees, and their dependents receive discounted admission on Mondays with a valid Military ID (one discount per ID), and Two for Tuesdays, featuring buy one, get one free admission of equal or lesser value on Tuesdays. Waterpark season passes are also available for purchase. For details on waterpark passes and the extra value days at the waterparks, visit www.splashparks.com or call 843-795-4386.