The City Where You'll Find Ghost Stories, Gullah Rhythms, and the "Carnegie Hall of the South"

In this special four-part series, join Unpacked host Aislyn Greene as she travels to Charleston, South Carolina, to unpack the city's deeper currents.

For the series finale: Charleston's performing arts scene is nothing short of extraordinary. Aislyn explores the city's world-class venues—from America's first dedicated theater to a stunning apricot-colored concert hall—and meets the people bringing opera, dance, jazz, and theater to life in the Lowcountry.

In This Episode You'll Learn

The remarkable 300-year history of the Dock Street Theater, where ghost stories and contemporary artists meet

How the Spoleto Festival USA became an international arts destination that draws everyone from Yo-Yo Ma to Patti Smith

Why the Gaillard Center is "the Carnegie Hall" of the South —and how it commissions new works that celebrate Lowcountry stories and landscapes

Don't Miss These Moments

[02:00] Inside the Dock Street Theater's drawing room

[06:00] The record for most light bulbs blown during a single performance

[11:00] Spoleto's general director on why 125 concerts in 17 days creates festival magic

[13:00] The two ghosts said to haunt Dock Street Theater

[18:00] Aislyn visits Cistern Yard at the College of Charleston—one of the most beautiful outdoor venues in the city

[21:00] How the Gaillard Center transformed from a brutalist municipal auditorium into a world-class performance hall

[24:00] The moment Audra McDonald turned off her microphone and brought the house to tears

*Time stamps are estimated and may change due to programmatic advertising.

Featured in This Episode

Venues

Dock Street Theater

⁠Gaillard Center⁠

Festivals & Organizations

Spoleto Festival USA

Piccolo Spoleto

Charleston Stage (Dock Street's resident theater company)

Chamber Music Charleston

MOJA Arts Festival

Charleston Literary Festival

Performers

The Gullah Collective

Step Afrika!

Complexions Contemporary Ballet (upcoming)

Resources

Plan your Charleston arts trip using our guides on afar.com

Catch Up on the Series

Missed any episodes? Here's the full Charleston series:

Episode 1: To Understand the Soul of This Southern City, Head for the Water

Episode 2: Charleston Serves Up More Than 300 Years of Flavor—and Every Bite Tells a Story

Episode 3: The Artisans Keeping the Soul of Charleston's King Street Alive

Episode 4: Opera, Punk Rock, and a 300-Year-Old Ghost: One City's Arts Scene

Stay Connected

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode.

Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices