After the hubbub of summer winds down, take a moment—or maybe twelve days—to relax and absorb a bit of culture at the Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art. Started by Dr. Lee Minton in 1991 with a single musical performance, the festival continues to grow and will delve into visual arts this year with film screenings, an artist’s retrospective, sidewalk art event, and gallery crawl.

If the silver screen is your speed, check out independent flicks—opening with Dear Lemon Lima—in addition to The Curious Mister Catesby, following the creatures documented in exquisite prints by English naturalist Mark Catesby. The World of Julia Peterkin: Cheating the Stillness explores this Pulitzer Prize–winning author’s life as a Southern plantation mistress and also a chronicler of African-American rural life.

Absorb more traditional visual art at an exhibition remembering Georgetown resident and artist Kathy Metts. The display will include twenty paintings, all on loan from private collections. What’s more, funds raised during the event will assist the newly formed Kathryn B. Metts Visual Arts Scholarship.

Also on tap is a gallery crawl to five spots from Murrells Inlet to Pawleys Island, and thirty local artists, amateurs, and students let their creative lights shine at Chalk Under the Oaks.

Weekends heat up with musical performances by headliner Steve March Tormé, son of legendary jazz vocalist Mel Tormé, stride jazz pianist Judy Carmichael, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, and more.

So pack up the family, head to an idyllic setting, and plan for a fortnight of art, music, film, and more at this standout festival.

Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art
September 21-October 3
Performances and screenings, Free-$35; wine gala fundraiser, $85-$100.
(843) 626-8911, www.pawleysmusic.com