Known for its food, natural beauty, climate, and historical charm, approximately 30 million visitors from all over the world come to South Carolina each year, according to the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Part of the reason people come here is because of SC’s many food festivals each year, celebrating such regional favorites as pulled pork barbecue, buttery grits, peanuts, and local seafood (including local shrimp, oysters, crabs, catfish, and clams), as well as fresh peaches, watermelons, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and okra.

Some food events that take place annually in or near the Charleston, SC Area include:

The Lowcountry Oyster Festival
65,000 pounds of oysters!

The Charleston Food & Wine Festival
Raises money for a variety of charitable organizations including scholarships to the Culinary Institute of Charleston, College of Charleston and the Art Institute of Charleston.

You can find out more about other culinary festivals and events happening in South Carolina here.

SmarterTravel.Com has a nice list of some of the best food festivals in North America here.

Also, FoodReference.Com has a list of hundreds of food festivals which take place throughout the world.

Want to enjoy festival style cooking at home? The Food Network has over 100 recipes from popular food festivals.

Looking for food festivals featuring such bizarre foods as waxworms, turkey testicles, and roadkill? ForbesTraveler.Com has a disturbing list of unusual food events here.

--Doug

www.huggingthecoast.com