The next few posts will concentrate on several of our oldest buildings in Charleston, and we will begin with the John Lining House at 106 Broad Street, on the northwest corner of King and Broad Streets. Immediately outside of the original walled city, the Lining House was constructed before 1715. We don't know how long before 1715, but we do have documentation that the dwelling existed in that year.

Sometimes, I get on Pinterests kicks. I think that I can save the blank walls of my apartment with crafty DIY’s that involve exotic materials such as le Mod Podge, la popsicle-stick, essence de wasabi tape. And more times than not, I end up with a giant ball of glue stuck to my coffee table.

That was when I decided to start looking into other options to decorate my walls.

As I perused the interwebs, I found an online art gallery called the Charleston Artist Collective.

Charleston's award-winning Charleston Food Tours is adding to its culinary tour offerings with a new option that includes a cooking demonstration and tasting.

Charleston Food Tours is partnering with the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College on "Taste of the Lowcountry." Visitors will get an exclusive look at a local culinary institution...

This week we focus on 55 King Street, built around 1762 by a German immigrant Frederick Grimke. Grimke originally built this structure as a double tenement, and it has since been converted to a single-family residence.

This colonial-style brick house was built on a large lot that Grimke purchased in the 1740s. The house would have been divided in the middle of the six windowsin front with a large grate at the bottom outside corner of each tenement.

Notice that the brick is laid in the design called "Flemish Bond," which is comprised of alternating...

This week we'll take a few steps up King Street to the Miles Brewton House at 27 King. After the high Italianate ornamentation we saw at 21 King Street in the last post, we run into the clean and harmonious lines of one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the Southeast at 27 King.

Built around 1769, the Miles Brewton House has no need of exterior ornate decoration to catch the eye of the serious tourist or the casual dog-walker. There is an air of refinement that...

Due to the great success of the Insurance "Spring Cleaning" Program, Green Law Firm is happy to announce that it has now become a permanent initiative for members of the community to take advantage of. If you haven't heard about it yet, attorney Bill Green invites you and your family members to have their home, auto, and renters insurance policies reviewed by an unofficial “Insurance Detective” on the Green Law Firm team for free. Policies will be examined to uncover mysteries and gaps in coverage that could leave people vulnerable after an accident occurs.

In the sweltering heat, the actors pretend they are freezing in the snow in Virginia. Robbin Knight plays lead in John Laurens' War, a docu-drama about one of the unsung heroes of the American Revolutionary War. The first time I saw Robbin in an acting role was in Radical Son, a play at a local theatre.

To my folks unfamiliar with Charleston or Southern culture in general, this may sound a bit odd. Shagging. Southerners love to shag. When I moved down here from Ohio, I swear every other weekend had a “Shuck and Shag” event. In my midwestern mind, all I could muster in my head as to what the heck these shindigs were was shucking corn and...the only other way I’ve heard shagging.

So, newsflash for all my fellow travelers: shagging in the South is a type of dance.

Makes more sense now, doesn’t it?

From 8 Legare Street (last week’s post), we’ll proceed south and take a left on Lamboll Street, and another left on King Street.  21 King Street is the second house on your left after the corner. Or you could just look for the largest, tallest, most ornate house within sight - that would be 21 King.

Patrick O’Donnell, the Irish contractor mentioned in last week’s post, built this house for his fiancée. O’Donnell chose the ornate Italianate style for their home, and he surely wanted everything to be as perfect as possible for her – it took him approximately twelve years to complete...

One of our favorite tour companies is without a doubt Bulldog Tours. With a variety of walking tours, from historical to culinary to haunted jail tours, Bulldog has something for everyone! The good folks at Bulldog Tours have this to say about their company: "Take a break from being a tourist and experience Charleston like a local, from a local. At Bulldog Tours, our guides offer history rich walking tours that explore the sights, sounds, flavors and enchanting ghost ..."