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楼凤天堂

 

#ELATE2025 Local Guide

Welcome to Charleston! This beautiful, coastal, southern city has a rich historical legacy. Charleston is nicknamed 鈥渉oly city鈥� given the signature church steeple skyline.

We acknowledge the Indigenous people ancestral stewards of these lands: Modern Cusabo people include the Edisto Natchez-Kusso, descendants of the Kusso family, and the Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians, descendants of the Edisto and Etiwan.听To learn more visit:

We also recognize the debt owed to the lives and labor of the enslaved Africans and their descendants, originally forced across the oceans to Charleston, the epicenter of the nation鈥檚 Atlantic slave trade. Their labor created the wealth of Charleston, the Lowcountry and South Carolina, enabling the planter elite鈥檚 opulent lifestyles. To learn more about African retained culture for generations visit: 听

Conference Events Overview听

  • Thursday July 10, 5:00鈥�7:00 p.m.: Opening Reception at
    • Exhibitions on display (April 11鈥揓uly 26)听
      • 鈥擝orn in We: African Descendants of the Atlantic World听
      • 鈥攈补耻苍迟尘别
  • Friday July 11, 6:00鈥�7:30 p.m.: Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color and Charleston County School District reception at the
  • Saturday July 12, 7:00鈥�9:00 p.m.: Reception at the

Nearby restaurants

  • : Relaxed eatery offering sandwiches, salads, and cocktails, including vegetarian options | 23 Ann St, Charleston, SC 29403
  • : Sophisticated southern cooking Lowcountry style | 412 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
  • : Vast seafood spot and deli spread over most of a city block in buildings that date back to the 1890’s | 215 Meeting Street
  • Charleston, SC 29401听
  • : Stylish spot with vintage appeal for creative seafood dishes, fry baskets, and raw oysters | 513 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
  • : Classy throwback diner for Greek dishes and meze to share, plus Mediterranean Sunday brunch | 114 St Philip St A, Charleston, SC 29403
  • : Rustic-chic Modern American restaurant with creative cocktails and a Jazz Age theme | 547 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
  • : Modern Southern and Lowcountry cuisine served in an airy, 18th-century warehouse | 192 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401
  • : Traditional Southern cooking served in a Victorian townhouse with porches and a massive wine cellar | 72 Queen St, Charleston, SC 29401
  • : Stylish bistro with outdoor seating, gourmet mains, and sharing plates, plus cocktails and wine | 68 Wentworth Street, Charleston
  • : Upscale street tacos, sides, and drinks | 304 King St, Charleston, SC 29401

Black owned restaurants (Downtown)听

  • : African Inspired Cuisine | 8 Line St. #D, Charleston, SC 29403听
  • : Soul food restaurant | 16 Blake St. Charleston, SC 29403听
  • : Whole Hog South Carolina Style BBQ (2018 James Beard Award Winner) | 1101 King St. Charleston, SC 29403听

Black owned restaurants (North Charleston)听

  • : Brunch and soul food restaurant | 5623 Rivers Ave, North Charleston, SC 29406
  • :听 Southern food restaurant | 3760 Ashley Phosphate Road, North Charleston, SC 29418
  • : Lowcountry and Gullah Cuisine | Charleston International Airport (for those flying in/out), 5500 International Blvd, North Charleston, SC 29418听听

Historical sites that might be of interest

  • : Fort Sumter is located in the middle of Charleston Harbor and is only accessible by ferry rides through Fort Sumter Tours.
  • : Visit Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island to experience 171 years of seacoast defense from 1776 to 1947.
  • : Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site sits on a marshy point, located off the Ashley River, where a group of English settlers landed in 1670 and established what would become the birthplace of South Carolina. Charles Towne Landing introduces visitors to the earliest colonial history of Charleston.
  • : This stretch of 13 pastel-colored Georgian row houses along East Bay Street is one of Charleston’s most photographed landmarks.
  • : Born into slavery, Robert Smalls freed himself, his crew, and their families on May 13, 1862, by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, the CSS Planter, in the Charleston harbor.
  • : The c. 1789 Charleston double house at 321 E. Bay was the childhood home of renowned abolitionists and women鈥檚 rights activists Sarah (1792-1873) and Angelina (1805-1879) Grimk茅.
  • : Denmark Vesey (1767-1822) was a free Black community leader accused and convicted of plotting an enslaved insurrection in Charleston in 1822. The monument to Denmark Vesey in Hampton Park was dedicated in 2014.
  • : Completed in 1771, the Old Exchange Building is a Charleston landmark and the site of some of the most important events in South Carolina history. Over the last two and a half centuries, the building has been a commercial exchange, custom house, post office, city hall, military headquarters, and museum.
  • : The Angel Oak Park is located on Johns Island. It is considered to be the largest Live Oak Tree east of the Mississippi estimated to be 300 to 400 years old.

Museums and Local Tour Guides听

  • : History comes alive at IAAM which tells the unvarnished stories of the African American experience across generations, the trauma and triumph that gave rise to a resilient people.听Tickets range: $22.50 (adults), $0 (child under 6), $10.50 (youth 6-16), $14.50 (seniors 62+ & military w/ID)
  • : Celebrating 25 years of connecting people with water, wildlife and wild places! , but prices may increase as the date approaches so buy your tickets early to enjoy the lowest price.听
  • : A Charleston-born Gullah storyteller who is a certified interpretative guide and team member with tours.
  • : A multi-talented writer, historian, educator, and licensed tour guide who facilitates a Lost Stories of Black Charleston tour.听
  • : Sites and Insights Tours, Inc. owner and operator who is a certified tour guide, lecturer, author, and community historian with 34-year experiences as a Licensed Tour Guide. Al is active member of Ebenezer A.M.E. Church and life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity life member.
  • : A licensed tour guide for the City of Charleston who owns and operates Gullah Tours. He is the author of one of The History Press best seller,听A Gullah to Guide Charleston. Mr. Brown is a retired Band Director from the Charleston County School District who was featured in the May 1993 issue of the听Charleston Magazine,听in the February 1995 edition of听Southern Living Magazine,听The January 1996 edition of Readers Digest, in Charles Kuralt鈥檚 bestseller,听America, Bert Wolf television special of Charleston, and Southern Living Presents on Turner South Television Network.听
  • : A Gullah Geechee native from North Charleston, SC and descendant of a Tikar woman from Cameroon who was enslaved in Charleston. Book a cultural tour through Airbnb experience at Riverfront Park to uncover the hidden legacy of Gullah Geechee people including: 1) observe plantation, 2) challenge erasure, 3) trace journey, and 4) toss rice into river.听
  • Eleanor Cooper Brown: An exceptional tour guide of Mepkin Abbey who explores the site鈥檚 deep African heritage including burial grounds, rice fields as well as its history as a Catholic monastery. She the author of .听听
  • : Erica is the founder of the and at-large board member with the 楼凤天堂 Association for Interpretation. Since 2021, she has trained over 60 new Certified Interpretative Guides. Erica is also a former instructor with over 18 years experiences leading cultural and natural history tours across Charleston County and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.听
  • : Use Code ELATE for Discount

Baseball game听

  • : Charleston Minor League team games with the Columbia Fireflies on July 8-13 (tickets $11-$134)听

Local shops (bookstores, small businesses)听

  • (Saturdays ONLY)听

Local establishments suitable for groggy mob of 30鈥�40 academics

: Johnny Caldwell and Taneka Reaves (Black women) a dynamic duo known around the globe as the curly-haired Cocktail Bandits. The two met as freshmen at the College of Charleston while being full-time Charleston Ambassadors.听

: Black Food Truck Festival Founder. This event, founded Fall 2021, is a family-oriented event featuring the finest food trucks in the region in Charleston, SC.听 Our mission is to make an economic and social impact on the community by showcasing and investing in area Black-owned businesses.