Folly Beach has many venues who offer a great variety of live music and food. St. James Gate, located on Center Street in the old Shrimp Companys building in front of the Tides Hotel, is proving to be one of the largest and most up-and-coming venues on the island. The Irish Pubs Garden is a lovely spot for bands to entertain guests downstairs as they eat, but the real fun begins upstairs in the Green Room, where the owners anticipate growing with larger and more well-known bands being added to upcoming lineups.
Surfers Healing, a nonprofit focused on working with children who have autism, hosted an event at the Green Room on August 8th. The benefit raised funds and collected volunteer sign-ups for the summer camp coming up on August 20th. The project is best stated in their mission statement, “Surfers Healing is the original surf camp for children with autism, and we’ve been serving the community since 1996. Yet what we offer isn’t a ‘cure’, or even ‘traditional’ therapy. It’s a completely different sensation and environment for our participants. We give individuals a chance to encounter the waves, to challenge themselves, to try something new.”
Whiskey Diablo, a popular band in Charleston, raised the Green Rooms roof that evening, as attendees danced and sang to jazzy swing hits. The additions the new owners have made to upstairs include new insulation, improved staging, a fully stocked bar, and natural wooden seating peppering the dance floor. The acoustics during Whiskey Diablos set were exceptional, and they took full advantage jamming through track after track of pumped up guitar riffs.
The food at St. James Gate is as youd expect, with several choices of traditional Irish fare. For the most part, the menu consists of mostly American options, with burgers, fish tacos, and seafood platters being the highlights. Some Charleston favorites are also listed – She Crab Soup and Shrimp and Grits. The restaurant is extremely family friendly, and as long as a parent is with them, children can enjoy music both upstairs in the Green Room as well as in the Garden area.
