Some of tennis’s brightest female stars will descend upon Charleston starting this weekend. The 41^st annual Family Circle Cup gets underway March 30^th and lasts through April 7^th at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island.  The nine-day event, which has become a Lowcountry favorite, welcomes defending champion Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki, among others.

Established in 1973, the Family Circle Cup was held on Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island until 2000 (with the exception of 1975 and 1976 when it was played on Amelia Island, Florida). The tournament moved to Charleston in 2001 and has grown every year since. It is now classified as a premier tournament on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour. Over the years, the Family Circle Cup has hosted some of the best and brightest in the sport, including Steffi Graff, Billie Jean King, Jennifer Capriati and Martina Navártilová.

Nestled along the banks of the Wando River, the Family Circle Magazine Stadium’s state-of the-art facilities highlight the natural beauty of the Lowcountry landscape. The Tennis Center combines 17 championship-level courts within the 32-acre park that surrounds the 10,200-seat Family Circle Magazine Stadium. See our concierge for directions.

If you are planning on attending some of this year’s matches, we’ve put together a list of our favorite events and some tips to make it through the week!

Concierge Tip: Be sure to wear sunscreen and a hat. The weather should warm up by next week.

Family Weekend kicks off tomorrow with two fun-filled days of balloon artists, craft stations, jump castles and ends with an Easter egg hunt on the Grand Lawn on Sunday afternoon.

Concierge Tip: Wear pink on April 4^th and $1 will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Lowcountry chapter.

Plan to make a day out of it. Food options are plentiful including a nightly happy hour with live music by local favorites, including our own Calvin Taylor, who regularly plays in the Thoroughbred Club. Local vendors will also be selling wares along with Family Circle Cup merchandise.

Concierge Tip: Saturday’s semifinal schedule has been altered due to the Bride Run. The first semifinal match will start later, at 1pm, and there will be no Saturday night exhibition games this year.

The street party is sure to be a blast! Join thousands of runners and fans for the official Bridge Run after party on Saturday, April 6^th from 10am to 1pm. Enjoy an afternoon of live music, food, drinks and fun.

Concierge Tip: Get your tickets early! The finals usually sell out.

Did you know? The United States Tennis Association (USTA) named Charleston “America’s Best Tennis Town.” See you on the courts!

This year, Charleston Place Hotel is sharing some of our favorite holiday traditions. We polled our employees to find out their favorite holiday happenings in the Charleston area. With a variety of events taking place, the holidays are the perfect time to get back to Charleston.

Charleston Place Hotel
For the entire month of December, the lobby of the Charleston Place Hotel comes alive with lavish seasonal decorations. Enjoy the stunning tree and train display, evoking the beauty, lights and magic that surround the entire holiday season.

Marion Square
Marion Square is a buzz during the holidays with a variety of seasonal events. Visit the Holiday Farmers Market, open each Saturday from December 5th-20th, where one can find brightly colored tents with vendors that offer everything needed to deck the halls for the holidays and fill the pantry with baked delights. Marion Square is also home to the magnificent 60-foot Tree of Lights, the official City of Charleston Christmas Tree. Join Mayor Riley and Santa Claus at the City of Charleston Tree Lighting Ceremony, December 2nd, 4:30-6:00pm.

Festival of Wreaths
A great opportunity to view the magnificent Charleston Place decorations while enjoying savory hors d’oeuvres, bubbly champagne and live holiday music and bidding on wreaths made by local artists.  All proceeds will benefit the MUSC Children’s Hospital. Thursday, December 13th 6:00pm-9:00pm in The Palmetto Cafe.

Yuletide in Charleston
Experience the feasts, festivities and local traditions of Christmas’ past. At the Historic Charleston Foundation’s two museum houses, Yuletide in Charleston will take you on a journey through Christmas’ past, from the Federal to Antebellum era. Learn how the families and enslaved African Americans at the Nathaniel Russell (c. 1808) and Aiken-Rhett (c. 1820) Houses celebrated the holiday season. This exhibition will be on view from November 23rd through January 6th.

King Street Shop Walk
This is a great way to turn a potentially hectic task into a fun outing. Sip hot chocolate and sample complimentary appetizers while walking down beautifully decorated King Street and receiving savings from local retailers. Friday, December 7th. Check in begins at 5:00pm.

Charleston Boat Parade
The parade begins along Mt. Pleasant at 5:30pm on Saturday, December 1st. Viewing from the peninsula begins at 6:30pm; fireworks begin at approximately 6:45pm

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Holiday Decorations at the Joseph Manigault House
Every year, the Garden Club of Charleston decorates the Joseph Manigault House for the holidays. Visit December 8th-31st and see their creative arrangements, using only live plant materials that would have been available in the Lowcountry during the 19th century.

Chanukah in the Square
A festive party for everyone featuring music, dancing, lighting of the nine-foot Menorah by Charleston’s Holocaust survivors, crafts and many treats including latkes and other traditional Chanukah foods. Sunday, December 9th, 4:00-6:00pm in Marion Square.

Annual Spirituals Concert at Drayton Hall
On Saturday and Sunday, December 8th and 9th, Drayton Hall presents African-American spiritual music with three concerts by Ann Caldwell and The Magnolia Singers. These concerts are a rare opportunity to gather in the atmospheric-raised English basement of Drayton Hall to hear music that could have been heard centuries ago in the surrounding fields and praise houses.

Located just eight miles from downtown Charleston is one of America’s oldest working plantations. On the National Register of Historic Places, Boone Hall Plantation is famous for its three-quarter mile lined avenue of oaks dating back to 1743. The 90 live oaks create an enchanting canopy leading to the plantation’s main building. Bordering the avenue of oaks are nine original slave cabins, which housed servants and skilled craftsmen. This cluster of cabins, known as Slave Street, is one of the few remaining intact in the Southeast and the only brick slave street in the U.S. Touted as “America’s Most Photographed Plantation,” Boone Hall was established in 1681 by Major John Boone and is located just north of Charleston in Mount Pleasant, SC. The present Colonial Revival-style house dates back to 1935, and combined with the lawns and gardens, provides the perfect stage for many popular seasonal events.

During the month of October, Boone Hall Farm hosts its annual Pumpkin Patch. After finding the perfect pumpkin, try to make your way through the 8-acre corn maze for some great, family fun. It is open from 9am until 6pm Monday through Saturday and from 12pm to 6pm on Sunday.

Also, there are plenty of thrills to go around during Boone Hall’s Fright Nights. Featuring four frightening attractions, Fright Nights promises to continue its tradition of Halloween horrors. Attractions include the Asylum, Chaos and Quarantine “The Outbreak”, the Terror Trail Haunted Hayride and Little Amy’s Nightmare in 3D. The fun continues through the end of October.

This year commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Secessionville. November 10th and 11th Boone Hall will host its annual Re-enactment of this famous battle. This will be a fun and educational experience for families to experience the lifestyle of the antebellum era at Boone Hall.

On Sunday, December 2nd from 1pm to 5pm, Boone Hall will be hosting “Wine Under the Oaks”. At this casual and elegant affair, food samples will be provided by a diverse group of some of the Lowcountry’s finest restaurants. The event will also provide the opportunity for holiday shopping with retail vendors offering a unique selection of gift ideas. The Plantation will be decorated in holiday décor, and it is the perfect way to kick-off the holiday season.