Award-Winning Charleston Restaurant and Hotel Mark 2011 with Seasonal Events and Special Packages

CHARLESTON, SC – January 1, 2011 – Charleston’s beloved Wentworth Mansion®, an AAA Five-Diamond luxury hotel, and adjacent Circa 1886, an AAA Four-Diamond, Forbes Four Star restaurant, unveil a full calendar of seasonal events and special travel packages for 2011. The calendar is subject to change throughout the year, so please call ahead to confirm details. Below is a list of events and packages on tap for the coming year. For more information on any of the calendar listings, to obtain photography or speak with a representative from Wentworth Mansion or Circa 1886, call (888) INN-1886.
 
January

Charleston Restaurant Week

Circa 1886 is one of several restaurants around the state participating in Restaurant Week, Jan. 14-23, 2011. An initiative of the Hospitality Association of South Carolina, the goal is to showcase the thriving culinary scene in the Lowcountry. Throughout the week, Circa 1886 will offer three signature courses for $30. The Circa 1886 Restaurant Week menu can be viewed online at www.circa1886.com.
 
Locals Only Rate

January 2—February 9

Valid throughout the month of January, residents of Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties are invited to enjoy discounted locals only rates at the Wentworth Mansion. Specials include $199 rates for Sunday through Thursday; and two nights for the price of one at $470 on Friday and Saturday. Can’t get away for two nights? Locals are invited to stay one night (Friday or Saturday) for $279.
 
February

Valentine’s Day Dinner

February 14, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Circa 1886 is continually lauded as one of the most romantic spots in Charleston, and Valentine’s Day dinner here is a tradition for many. Diners can enjoy a special five-course dinner for $100 per person, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity. The prix fixe dinner is available during two seatings, at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

 

Sweetheart Package

February 1-28

Engagements, marriage ceremonies and honeymoons frequently take place at the Wentworth Mansion, and in honor of this the hotel is offering a special romance package for two throughout the month of February. The package includes a one-night stay, a dozen red roses, a candlelight turndown and three-course dinner for two at Circa 1886. The rate for every night in February except February 14 is $495, which includes tax and gratuity for dinner, but excludes beverages and room tax. The rate for Valentine’s Day (Monday, February 14) is $595. Minimum night stay may apply.
 
March

BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival

March 3-6

Executive Chef Marc Collins and Circa 1886 will take center stage during the sixth annual BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival, a four-day celebration of food, wine and all things Charleston. Chef Collins, who co-founded the festival in 2006, will be part of a chef cooking competition during the event, as well as hosting Joseph Lenn, executive chef of Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN, during a special dinner on Friday, March 4. Additionally, Ken Wright of Ken Wright Cellars in Oregon, will be on hand to share his wine expertise. For more information and tickets, visit www.charlestonwineandfood.com.

 

April

7th Annual Historic Charleston Foundation Wine Tastings

March 30 and April 6 | 5 p.m.

During the Historic Charleston Foundation’s popular Festival of Houses and Gardens (March 18 through April 17) where guests can tour many of city’s historic private homes and gardens, Circa 1886 will host two wine and hors d’oeuvres tastings to benefit the organization. Tickets, available for $45 per person, per event, are available through the Historic Charleston Foundation at 843-723-1623 or www.historiccharleston.org.

 

May/June

Spoleto Festival USA Pre-and Post-Theater Dinners

May 27 – June 12, 5-10 p.m.

Spoleto Festival USA is one of the most recognized and acclaimed art festivals in the world, drawing thousands of visitors to Charleston each spring. The festival supports new and innovative works while enhancing public appreciation of the arts – from dance and music to theater and jazz. To accommodate those attending Spoleto Festival USA, Circa 1886 will serve dinner by opening Sunday (May 29) and will open a half-hour earlier at 5 p.m. and close a half hour later throughout the Festival.

 

Louie’s Kids Big Chef / Little Chef

June 16
Circa 1886 Chef Marc Collins joins other top local chefs in the third annual Big Chef/Little Chef, a culinary fundraiser for local non-profit Louie’s Kids. During this one-of-a-kind gastronomic evening, guests are invited to taste culinary creations courtesy of the big chefs and their little counterparts, all of whom are Louie’s Kids participants. Proceeds benefit Louie’s Kids programs fighting childhood obesity. For more info on Louie’s Kids, visit www.louieskids.org.

 
July

6th Annual Sizzling Southern Celebration

Monday, July 4, 7:30 p.m.

Join Wentworth Mansion and Circa 1886 in celebrating Independence Day in true southern fashion with libations and delicacies hot off the grill, all accompanied by a live jazz soloist. Afterward, guests head to the Mansion’s cupola with panoramic views of the city to watch Charleston’s fireworks display. The cost is $70 per person, including a glass of champagne, but excluding tax, gratuity and additional beverages.

Wentworth Mansion® is also offering a package for those who want to stay overnight, including a one-night stay for $499 per couple, excluding tax. The package includes the Sizzling Southern Celebration for two, as well as tax and gratuity, but not beverages for dinner.

 

August

Date ‘Over’ Night

August 1-30

During the month of August, locals have a chance to celebrate romance all month. Residents of Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties can take advantage of this special date “over” night package at the Wentworth Mansion. The package includes a three-course dinner for two at Circa 1886, as well as one night in a mansion room with a candlelight turndown. The cost of the package is $299. Dinner is not available on Sundays.

 

2nd Annual Louie’s Kids Guest Chef Benefit Dinner

August 18, 6:30 p.m.

At this popular fundraising event, Chef Marc Collins of Circa 1886 will work with a lineup of renowned local and visiting chefs to plan a five-course dinner with wine pairings to raise money for local nonprofit Louie’s Kids.

 

September

Charleston Restaurant Week

Circa 1886 is one of several restaurants around the state participating in September Restaurant Week. An initiative of the Hospitality Association of South Carolina, the goal is to showcase the thriving culinary scene in the Lowcountry. Throughout the week, Circa 1886 will offer three signature courses for $30. The Circa 1886 Restaurant Week menu can be viewed online at www.circa1886.com.

 
December

26th Annual Progressive Dinner, 5:30 p.m.

December 1-3, 5-10, 12-13, 15-17, 19-23

A much-beloved holiday tradition is back this December. For the 26th year in a row, Circa 1886 restaurant and Charming Inns will play host to the “Charleston Holiday Progressive Dinner,” a festive evening where diners journey by carriage to three different locations. Guests are invited to start the evening with hors d’oeuvres at Historic Kings Courtyard Inn at 198 King Street, travel to Circa 1886 restaurant at 149 Wentworth Street for a three course dinner, and wind down at Historic John Rutledge House Inn at 116 Broad Street for coffee and dessert. Hors d’oeuvres start at 5:30 p.m. and the evening wraps up at 8:30 p.m. A carriage will transport guests from one location to the next. The cost is $95.00 per person, excluding beverages.

 

The Progressive Dinner Package, offered by the John Rutledge House Inn, includes accommodations for two, the Progressive Dinner (excluding room tax and beverages), a rickshaw ride to Kings Courtyard Inn and a Junior League Party Receipts Cookbook. Cost starts at $389 per night.

 

10th Annual Dickens Dinner

December 14, 6:30 p.m.

Circa 1886 travels back in time this holiday season to retell a classic Christmas story. At the 10th annual “Dickens Dinner,” storyteller Tim Lowry will take guests to Victorian England for a lively retelling of English novelist Charles Dickens’ beloved novella, A Christmas Carol. The performance is accompanied by a four-course dinner inspired by the novel, prepared by Chef Marc Collins. Cost is $70.00 per person plus gratuity, tax, and beverages.

 

To complement the dinner, Wentworth Mansion® will offer a special Christmas Carol package for two guests for $449, including the Dickens Dinner (which excludes room tax and beverages) and one night’s accommodation.

 

December 31, 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Circa 1886 restaurant celebrates the arrival of 2012 with a festive five-course New Year’s Eve dinner on December 31, and Chef Marc Collins is pulling out all the stops to make this unforgettable night.  There will be two seatings for the New Year’s Eve dinner, one at 6:30 p.m. and the second at 9:30 p.m.  Cost is $100.00 per person excluding gratuity and tax, and cost includes a complimentary glass of champagne. Other beverages are not included in the cost.

 

Wentworth Mansion is also offering a special two-night package, starting at $1,050 (room tax and additional beverages not included), to coincide with the dinner for visitors who want to continue the celebration into the night. It includes dinner for two at Circa 1886 on any night besides Sunday, two commemorative etched champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne.

 

About Wentworth Mansion®

Wentworth Mansion®, located in the heart of historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, is a 21-room, AAA Five-Diamond luxury hotel that offers guests a true taste of Southern hospitality in an unsurpassed setting.  Built in 1886, the Wentworth Mansion® is the former home of a wealthy cotton merchant. Current owners Richard Widman and Linn Lesesne carefully restored the building in 1998, converting it into a luxurious hotel that maintains many of the original and distinctive architectural features. Each room and suite features gas-lit fireplaces with original marble mantels, king-size sleigh beds with European linens, inlaid design floors, whirlpool tubs and double glass-walled, walk-in showers. In the evening, guests may gather for a complimentary wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres in the parlor, or they may enjoy watching the sunset from the hotel’s rooftop cupola, a special spot a 360-degree vista of the historic city and harbor. For fine, innovative Southern cuisine, guests may walk across the lawn for dinner at Circa 1886. The hotel also features The Spa at Wentworth Mansion®, housed in the Mansion’s former stables, which were restored to combine the original elements of the building with more modern features for a one-of-a-kind ambiance. For more information about the Wentworth Mansion®, visit www.wentworthmansion.com or call (888) INN-1886.

 

About Circa 1886

Set inside the historic carriage house for the award-winning Wentworth Mansion® hotel at 149 Wentworth St. in Charleston, S.C., Circa 1886 is a AAA Four-Diamond, Forbes Four Star restaurant offering traditional southern cuisine with a modern twist in a sophisticated, historic setting. Executive Chef Marc Collins, co-founder of the highly successful BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival®, puts his own forward-thinking spin on classic southern dishes. Circa 1886 has received numerous accolades, including the DiRoNA award for fine dining in North America, as well as the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The restaurant is open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.circa1886.com or call (843) 853-7828.

 

About Charming Inns

Charming Inns® is a family of four elegant and historic bed and breakfast inns all located within the heart of downtown Charleston. The properties, which include the AAA Five Diamond Wentworth Mansion®, the AAA Four Diamond John Rutledge House Inn, the Kings Courtyard Inn and the Fulton Lane Inn, have received numerous national accolades, including three as members of Historic Hotels of America and one as a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. In addition, Charming Inns owns and operates Mobil Four Star, AAA Four Diamond Circa 1886 restaurant located on the grounds of the Wentworth Mansion. For more information, visit www.CharmingInns.com.