The Digitel Charleston: Edisto offering up a plethora of events for the spring season

First up is the Edisto Eats Food Festival, on March 16 at McConkey’s Jungle Shack.  The Arts and Crafts Fair will begin at 11a.m.  The 3rd Annual Chefs Competition will be held at 2:00 p.m., followed by a community oyster roast at 4:30 p.m.  Live music will start up at noon.

In conjunction with the Edisto Eats Food Festival, the 2nd Annual Edisto Beach Road Race will get the day off to a high-energy start.   The race will commence at 8:30 a.m. and run on beach streets and along Big Bay Creek.  For registration information, visit www.edistochamber.com.

Later in March, the Edisto Art Guild Players will present four performances of “The Red Velvet Cake.” The show will run March 21 through 24. Tickets are $10.00. For more information, call 843-869-3275.

On March 30, local and talented artisans will display their creations at the Art Guild’s semi-annual Arts and Crafts Show and Sale. Scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the event will take place at the Edistonian General Store, located at 406 Highway 174 on Edisto Island.

As April flowers take bloom and adorn the greens, the Plantation Course will host the 4th Annual Lowcountry Classic High School Golf Tournament. Twenty teams of young, talented golfers from all over South Carolina will be participating in the event, scheduled for April 6 and April 7. The practice round will start after lunch on Friday, with competition beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.  The final round will be held on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Seating is available free of charge. Visit www.theplantationcoursetatedisto.com for more information.

On April 20, the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society will host an inaugural event. The Spring Tour of Homes – “History in the Making” will showcase new homes on the island.  Interested parties are encouraged to get tickets early when they go on sale late February. For additional information, visit www.edistomuseum.org.

Meanwhile, May brings the ever popular Edisto Day Bazaar. This annual event will be held on May 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Lions Club, located on Edisto Beach at 2907 Myrtle Street. The event attracts all ages and features an arts and crafts fair, white elephant sale, baked goods, and a café with a variety of culinary offerings.

That same day, May 4, participants will gather on Big Bay Creek for the 4th Annual Offshore Fishing Challenge. The captain’s meeting will be held at Dockside Restaurant May 3 at 7:30 p.m. For additional information, including information on entry fee, weigh in and guidelines, visit www.edistobeachoffshorechallenge.com.

Later in May, the Open Land Trust Legacy Live Oak Dedication and Conservation Celebration will be held. The event is scheduled for Sunday, May 19, at 3:00 p.m. at Indigo Farms.  Visit www.edisto.org, or call 843-869-7820 for more information.

Those longing for a taste of the local catch welcome the Edisto Beach Fire Department’s annual fish fry, to be held May 25 from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Lions Club, located at 2907 Myrtle Street, Edisto Beach.

The Edisto Island Open Land Trust will again sponsor the Tomato Open Golf Tournament. The tourney, which is scheduled for June, will be held at the Plantation Course at Edisto, located within the Wyndham Resort across from Big Bay Creek on Edisto Beach.  The festivities will kick off with a pre-tournament cocktail party and live auction. Dates will be finalized soon. For more information, visit www.theplantationcourseatedisto.com.

After a long day at play, some may be enticed by a seat indoors at the Edisto Lions Club, which will be hosting Bingo on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and games begin at 8:00 p.m.  It is recommended that visitors arrive early to get a seat. Fun for all ages, Bingo will begin on June 6 and run through August 9.  Bingo will be held at the Lions Club, located on Edisto Beach at 2907 Myrtle Street.

For those who enjoy seeing the work of local artisans, the Arts and Crafts Market, located at Big Bay Creek, will be held every Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from late spring through the early fall.

In addition to an array of scheduled events, summer brings out the crowds, including nature lovers, who flock to Botany Bay Plantation, a wildlife management area set on over 4000 acres of forest, marsh, and beach. Botany Bay Eco Tours offers a variety of eco-tours here, by foot, kayak, or boat. Visitors may also explore this pristine natural area on their own. Hours of operation are from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. during the summer months, excluding Tuesdays. For more information, call 843-869-2998 or visit www.botanybayplantation.com.

Other parts of the island are easily explored via a guided kayak excursion with Edisto Watersports & Tackle. For prices and tour times, visit www.edistowatersports.net, or call 843-869-0663.  Additionally, Island Bikes and Outfitters offers guided kayak tours of Edisto’s most secluded estuaries and beaches. More information can be found by calling 843-869-4444 or by visiting www.islandbikesandoutfitters.com.

Set in a rare, sparsely-developed corner of the world, Edisto, with its vast green spaces, ancient live oaks, wide open marsh views, and quiet, pristine beach, offers a coastal island experience uncommon today among Eastern seaboard communities. Visitors and residents alike enjoy a slower pace of life, coupled with a broad range of year-round recreational activities, all set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. This is the coastal island destination that is said to offer its own “state of mind…any time, any season.” For more information, please call the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at 843-869-3867 or 1-888-333-2781 or visit www.edistochamber.com.