Golf cart rentals in Sullivans Island, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – For many, Dr. Kay Durst embodies the best in service, compassion, and achievement. She has her hands in many endeavors to help heal, uplift, and improve our communities all while continuing a family tradition of improving lives for generations of families throughout the Lowcountry.

Coming from a family of doctors, Dr. Durst is a third-generational family medicine physician who has worked in a doctor’s office since her childhood — even now, she shares a practice with her father, Dr. George Durst, on Sullivan’s Island.

“I just love helping people and healing, and I love the sciences. I am a third-generation family medicine physician, so I’ve been working in our office since I was a little kid,” she said.

Dr. Durst started out handling the charts in her father and grandfather’s Sullivan’s Island practice.

“The practice here where I work has been around for over seventy-five years. It was started by my grandfather. He was one of the first physicians in the area,” she explained.

She graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina, did her residency in Florida, and started a practice there. But Dr. Durst moved back home to make a difference in her hometown.

“It’s really family medicine for generations. We’ve seen patients that have been coming here for fifty-something years, and that’s pretty remarkable so we see grandparents, grandkids, the family,” she said.

Dr. Durst is a board-certified family medicine physician, practicing for more than twenty-four years. She is a fellow of the American Association of Family Practitioners. In 2022, Durst was elected as president of the Charleston County Medical Society, only the second female since its founding.

While juggling the demands of being a busy doctor, wife, and mother, she’s also a community leader.

Dr. Durst continues to make volunteerism a top priority, including her work with many organizations, Be Brave Buddies, March of Dimes, and efforts to help close the gap in health care disparities with Dr. Thaddeus Bell.

“I learned a lot about that through my grandfather and father when they practice and started. There were no other physicians in the area, so when Six Mile was there, they were the physicians, and you got to go into the home and really understand what’s going on with someone’s health care, and then there was no insurance, so the payback was maybe ‘I’ll make you some shrimp and grits’ or ‘here is some corn.’

Dr. Durst credits her family for giving her the heart to help. “I go back to my roots at looking at my grandfather and father, and my mom giving back to the community, and I just love helping people. I think it’s important for the community to see leaders in health care out there,” she said.

Dr. Durst is an active volunteer in local schools and supports environmental endeavors. She also serves as a mentor for medical students.

“I was in a time when I practiced, there weren’t as many women in medicine or minorities in medicine, so I’m fighting a lot for those missions to change a lot of things for the betterment of all of us,” said Dr. Durst.

While her work continues, she hopes her legacy extends beyond medicine and reflects her heart for service.

“I tried to treat others as I would like to be treated. I want them to think I gave back, more than what was given to me to help make changes, so they don’t have to go through some of the hardships I went through throughout my life,” she said. “I’m trying to do the mission, so I can gather people to keep with my different missions. I can’t do it alone.”

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Rich Colonial history and even richer food have made Charleston, South Carolina, a true American treasure. Buildings in the Holy City cannot exceed the tallest church steeple, so you’ll find a demure skyline against a backdrop of sailboats and schooners in the harbor. Visitors can meander down cobblestone streets and peek through intricate wrought-iron gates into lush secret gardens. You can even tour some of these historic homes in spring during the month-long Festival of Houses and Gardens. King Street is the premier shopping destination here, with quintessential gifts like sweetgrass baskets, hand-painted oyster shells, cheese biscuits and benne wafers. And don’t leave town without savoring low-country classics like she-crab soup, pimento cheese dip, and shrimp and grits.

The Beach Club

Bright nautical motifs and palmetto tree lamps create a cheerful charm at this 92-room, LEED-certified seaside inn situated at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina. Just across the water in Mount Pleasant, it’s a short water taxi ride from Waterfront Park’s famous pineapple fountain, and you’ll most likely spot playful dolphins along the way. After a day of exploration, lounge poolside with frosé in a private cabana or soothe weary muscles with a relaxing massage at Estuary Spa employing Naturopathica balms and oils.

For dinner, chef Cole Poolaw brings in whole flounder, grouper and trout from local fishers to whip up as ceviche, rillettes and dayboat seafood paella at signature restaurant Charleston Harbor Fish House. Post-meal, wrap yourself in a seersucker robe and snack on benne wafers before rolling into bed, or enjoy fire pit s’mores and a nightcap on your balcony overlooking the harbor and Charleston’s twinkling skyline.

Sullivan’s Fish Camp

Seasonal low-country seafood is the specialty here, and fresh fish and cold beer make the perfect casual combo for a fun night out. The dining room feels like stepping into the cabin of a 1970s sailboat with lacquered wood, bright yellow checkered linoleum tile and vintage sailing knick-knacks throughout. This beloved family-run institution on nearby Sullivan’s Island first opened in 1988; a recent renovation under new ownership preserves the neighborhood landmark’s nostalgia with a modern touch of whimsy.

Begin with a seafood tower to share and golden tilefish crudo with buttermilk leche de tigre and peanut chili crisp. Then dig into fried seafood baskets and heaping bowls of gumbo loaded with Tarvin shrimp, clams, okra and dayboat fish over Carolina Gold rice cooked in lobster broth. Kids will clamor over soft serve with rainbow sprinkles for dessert, while adults can opt for a final fruity frozen rum cocktail.

Zero George Cooking School

Every weekend, one of Charleston’s best chefs leads intimate cooking classes for up to eight guests in a beautifully appointed professional kitchen that will inspire renovations back home. Zero George Executive Chef Vinson Petrillo offers cooking tips while walking you through a three-course menu based on dishes from his current tasting menu, like lightly grilled halibut with corn and black truffle or Hunter Cattle Co. beef with taleggio and beets. His goal? To show guests how to translate restaurant techniques to home cooking.

The classes are purely demonstrative, not interactive, so you’ll just sit back, drink wine and savor the delectable fare. Questions are of course welcome, and private cooking classes are available upon request. Guests are sent home with signed menus and recipe booklets so that ambitious cooks can recreate their meals while dreaming of the Hestan cooking suite and Le Creuset pots and pans.

Croghan’s Jewel Box

Whether you’re looking for a unique engagement ring, costume brooch or Victorian charm to remember your time here, Croghan’s Jewel Box is a veritable treasure chest of priceless wonders. The oldest family-owned jewelry store in town has been in business for more than 100 years and today boasts an incredible collection of antique estate jewelry sourced locally as well as from England and Italy.

At Croghan’s, these literal hidden gems are rescued from dusty obscurity and restored to full gleaming glory. From circa-1900 French Victorian bracelets and Edwardian-style diamond crosses to Tiffany gold collars and art deco sapphire bangles, these one-of-a-kind baubles are just begging to be tried on from their velvet pedestals. The uniquely Charleston gold bug collection references an Edgar Allan Poe poem, giving cockroaches a gilded spin with charm bracelets, stud earrings and cufflinks.

FIG

One of the most coveted reservations in the Holy City, FIG was once just a humble corner bistro that’s blossomed into a top U.S. culinary destination, garnering three James Beard Awards and countless other accolades. Chef/owner Mike Lata and Executive Chef Jason Stanhope serve honest, local ingredients with Southern flair. Signature dishes include chicken liver pâté, ricotta gnocchi alla bolognese, porchetta tonnato, and low-country bourride: a seafood stew with white shrimp, mussels, butter beans and Carolina Gold rice.

Service is stellar in the chic and modern dining room, as is the acclaimed wine program, which focuses on small family wineries who put as much love and care into their vinos as the chefs put into the food at FIG. Reservations are taken a month in advance and can go quickly, but the lively bar is first come, first served.

College of Charleston Sailing Lessons

The College of Charleston varsity sailing team trains right at the harbor marina, and visitors can learn to sail from these champs. After completing a basic keelboat course, you’ll be prepared to skipper a J/22 keelboat, mastering the art of steering, tacking, jibing, and tying bowlines and clove hitches. A private beginner lesson takes just a couple hours, with a little classroom prep before donning a life jacket and heading out on the water. The vocabulary and whiteboard diagrams might seem daunting, but you’ll learn quickly with hands-on instruction from the skipper.

Weeklong youth spring and summer camps are available, including a STEM camp for teens that focuses on the math, science and engineering behind sailing. And if you just want to charter a sailboat for a leisurely sunset cruise around Charleston Harbor? That can be arranged, too.

Southern Living’s 7th annual “South’s Best” results are in for 2023. As for cities and small towns, several South Carolina locales were featured.

The results recognize the favorite Southern travel destinations and experiences of the magazine’s readers.

In this year’s South’s Best Awards, results revealed the top 50 Southern small towns, best cities, hotels, state parks, and BBQ joints from a survey conducted toward the end of last year.

The “South’s Best” winners will appear in the April issue of Southern Living, which will also feature the magazine’s first celebrity cover for the South’s Best issue with NBC TODAY co-anchor Hoda Kotb.

“In a year when more people than ever are traveling and moving to the South, we wanted to put a spotlight on small towns in this year’s South’s Best Awards,” said Sid Evans, Editor in Chief of Southern Living. “These are the hidden gems our readers picked for their character, charm, and unmistakable Southernness. We’re also thrilled to have Hoda Kotb sharing her longtime connection to New Orleans as a cover story. This whole issue is about the places we love, and in Hoda’s case, the city clearly loves her back.”

As for the winners of the South’s best small towns and cities, six South Carolina destinations not only made the lists, but were also highly ranked.

A total of 50 small towns were included in Southern Living’s “Best Small Towns In The South 2023” selections. Below are the small towns within the Palmetto State, as well as their rankings, that were highlighted in the list.

Aside from South Carolina’s small towns, two cities within the state also made the magazine’s ranking for the “South’s Best Cities 2023” list. These include:

Ranking in first place overall out of 20 total cities in the South, Charleston was selected for its overall livability and beauty.

“Almost everyone who visits Charleston these days is tempted to unpack their bags and move right in,” detailed Southern Living magazine in the “South’s Best Cities” category about Charleston.

“That’s because of the wonderfully walkable downtown, picturesque sidewalks, and distinctive architecture studded with Charleston single houses. We could go on: the vibrant culinary scene, the fantastic shops and boutiques, the coastal breezes blowing in over the Battery–it’s no shock that The Holy City stays at the top of this list year after year,” the magazine continued.

The results of the awards were solely picked by the magazine’s readers. To determine the winners, a survey was developed by the editors of Southern Living and was posted online for a given time period towards the end of last year. Readers were then invited to participate through several different platforms, sites and newsletters.

This story was originally published March 9, 2023, 8:00 AM.

FOLLY BEACH — Trained weather spotters saw waterspouts near the shores of Folly Beach and Sullivan’s Island early Aug. 7.

The National Weather Service’s Charleston office issued a marine warning around 9:30 a.m., reporting a water cyclone was driving west. One was also spotted about 20 minutes later near the entrance to the Charleston Harbor.

Waterspouts — weak funnel clouds that form over a body of water — become tornados if they touch land, said meteorologist Brittany MacNamara.

Several people shared photos and videos on social media of a cylinder-like mass shooting out from underneath a clump of dark storm clouds.

Waterspouts are typically shorter lived, lasting only a few seconds up to 30 minutes, MacNamara said. The waterspouts reported near Folly Beach and Sullivan’s Island had dissipated by about 10:30 a.m. The Weather Service didn’t receive any confirmation the cyclones had moved on land, and no tornado warning was issued, the meteorologist said.

The storm system that produced the waterspouts continued traveling down South Carolina’s coast. It was near Kiawah Island around 10:45 a.m., she said.

Waterspouts are difficult to forecast, MacNamara said. They mostly form under calmer conditions and when different air masses meet, forming a boundary. Light wind and rain showers are usually associated with the funnel clouds.

Waterspouts pose the most threat to boaters — they’re not something you want to be near, MacNamara said. If they move on shore, waterspouts could harm beachgoers. Though they’re not normally as strong as a tornado, the cyclones could toss around light objects like lawn furniture or cause minor tree damage.

MYRTLE BEACH — Many residents in Market Common, Myrtle Beach’s popular residential area, should boil their water for at least one minute before using it, following a water main break.

The 12-inch line break occurred late March 15 on Howard Avenue. Although water was restored by 3 a.m. March 16, Myrtle Beach officials said a 24-hour precautionary boil water advisory has been issued due to the water being open during the break and subsequent repair.

“This notice will remain in effect until a bacteriological test shows that the water is safe to drink,” the city said in a statement March 16, adding that these tests take about 24 hours to complete.

The advisory affects the following Market Common streets:

Suncrest Drive, Silver Spring Lane, Birtchwood Circle, Windrose Way, Cresswind Blvd., Willow Cress Lane, Maple Cress Way, Laurel Cross Drive, McCord Street, Oxford Street, Cart Lane, Bluff Drive, Orchard Drive, Francis Court, Howard Parkway, Airpark Drive, Brewster Drive, Putnam Drive, Barrister Lane, Edgewood Drive and Claremont Court.

Residents should boil their water before using it for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes. Bottled water can also be used as an alternative, city officials said.

For any questions, call Myrtle Beach’s Water Division at 843-918-2004.

This water main break in Myrtle Beach came the same day that a water tank at the Port of Georgetown leaked 2.5 million gallons, leading to a 24-hour boil water advisory for all city residents. The leak was being repaired the morning of March 15, city officials said.

City Mayor Carol Jayroe said March 15 the city’s water would be tested over the next 48 hours to detect possible contamination. She also said an “obsolete” 23-year-old panel at the city’s water department that might have detected the leak failed, and a repairman from North Carolina is traveling to fix it.

The Town of Sullivan’s Island and Fort Moultrie are hosting Carolina Day events to commemorate the Battle of Sullivan’s Island that took place on June 28, 1776.

The Town of Sullivan’s Island, along with Battery Gadsden Cultural Center, is hosting a morning event on June 25 to honor the historic Revolutionary War battle.

Even though the entire conflict took place on the island and was one of the first great American victories of the Revolutionary War, little had been done on Sullivan’s Island to mark the event until 2019 when the town, along with Battery Gadsden Cultural Center, began to reestablish a commemoration to complement activities in downtown Charleston organized by the Palmetto Society. Since then the Sullivan’s Island event has grown steadily.

Carolina Day festivities on Sullivan’s Island will take place on the plaza in front of Town Hall on at 9 a.m. Activities will include raising of the Moultrie flag, a proclamation by Mayor Patrick O’Neil, participation by the Daughters of the American Revolution and a special speaker on the history of the battle.

An extra special treat will be the firing of a musket salute by members of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment, Col. Moultrie’s own unit. Invocation and benediction will be by Rev. Daniel Massie. Refreshments including doughnuts, coffee and orange juice will be served.

Everyone, including students of all ages, islanders both old and new, visitors and anyone interested in learning more about the first significant event in Sullivan’s Island history are encouraged to attend the ceremony on June 25.

Additionally, Fort Moultrie will celebrate the 246th anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island with events on June 25 and 26.

At Fort Moultrie from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be living history soldiers in period uniforms, musket and cannon drills and firing demonstrations.

Visitors of all ages have the chance to experience the American Revolution through the life of a soldier at Fort Moultrie. The park entrance fee has been waived June 25.

Cannon demonstrations will be on Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Musket demonstrations will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m.

Patriots and Loyalists will be represented with the 2nd South Carolina Regiment and 33rd Regiment of Foot.

Fort Moultrie is located at 1214 Middle Street on Sullivan’s Island. The park represents the history of static seacoast defense in the United States, from the American Revolution to the end of World War II.

For more information call 843-883-3123 or visit www.nps.gov/fosu.