Hi y’all,
I’m sad to say that this is this last post I’ll be doing about the Lowcountry. But I am hoping that the publisher will let me stop in and post a bit every now and again. By now, I think of us as friends (and as you know, I hate to lose touch with my friends).
The last little corner of the Lowcountry is the Beaufort Area. Here’s what I can tell you:
Beaufort county encompasses 587 square miles of land mass, and extends 30 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes hundreds of small islands and sixty-seven major islands, including Port Royal, St. Helena, and Hilton Head Island. I don’t get this way very often but it is a lovely corner of South Carolina. I know the leading industries are seafood, lumber milling, USC-Beaufort, Parris Island USMC base, and tourism. You should remember that many of the island’s are connected by bridges and causeways. Some of the bridges have to be raised to accommodate Intracoastal Waterway traffic, so visitors need to accept this inconvenience as being another facet of island life. Take the time to switch gears from ‘mainland’ to ‘island’ time.
The “must see” attractions in Beaufort include the Historic District, Beaufort Museum, John Mark Verdier House Museum, and Old Sheldon Church ruins. You may want to time your visit with one of the many festivals held here, including Gullah Festival (May), Water Festival (July), Shrimp Festival (October), and Penn Center Heritage Days Celebration (November).
Did you know…
Beaufort is the second-oldest city in South Carolina.
Beaufort was the first town in South Carolina to fall into Union hands (troops arrived less than six months after the opening shot of the war was fired at Fort Sumter, Charleston. More than 14,000 Civil War soldiers (both Union and Confederate) were buried in Beaufort National Cemetery. A strong military presence remains due to nearby Parris Island Marine Corps base.
Beaufort has more antebellum homes than Charleston and Savannah combined!
Lots of movies have been filmed here, such as The Prince of Tides and Forrest Gump.
Hunting Island State Park is the most popular park in South Carolina (and is less than twenty minutes from Beaufort). It draws more than one million visitors a year!
Beaufort Shrimp Festival
FYI: Beaufort is 47 miles south of Charleston and 45 miles north of Savannah, Georgia
Lodging…there are several exceptional places to stay in Beaufort, as well as lodging along the highway or on adjacent islands:
Rhett House Inn, City Loft Hotel, Beaufort Inn, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Resort, Comfort Suites Beaufort, Best Western Sea Island Inn Beaufort, Hilton Garden Inn Beaufort, Hampton Inn Beaufort, and Atlantic Inn.
Restaurants…lots to choose from including The Bistro at Beaufort Inn, Bricks on Bondary, Saltus River Grill (ask for the fried lobster tails), Q on Bay, Lady’s Island Dockside, Foolish Frog, Plums, Breakwater, Boondocks, Bluffton Oyster Company, Back Porch Grill, and 11th Street Dockside Restaurant. I’d also like to give a shout out for Kooky Mooky’s (best milkshakes), CraveCupCake Boutique, Magnolia Bakery Cafe, Bruster’s Ice Cream, and Lowcountry Produce Market and Cafe.
Bay Street
If you’re able, buy fresh seafood and take it home to create a memorable meal:
LOWCOUNTRY BOIL (also known as Beaufort Boil or Frogmore Stew)
*serves 30 (great for parties)
10 pounds of smoked beef sausage in long links
2 small boxes of seafood seasoning
2 dozen ears shucked, cleaned corn
1/2 bushel crabs
15 pounds shrimp (deveined and headed)
Fill 20-gallon pot half full of water. Cut sausages into one-inch sections. Bring water to boil. Put sausage and seasoning bags in water and boil for ten minutes or so. Put corn in pot and bring to boil. Add crab (whole or picked) and bring to boil. Add shimmp and once boils, pour off water.
This isn’t the recipe the CGFs use but when in Rome… this is what I found on the Beaufort Public Library website. Reportedly, Lowcountry Boil was conceived by Richard Gay of Gay Seafood Company. While on National Guard duty in Beaufort, he was preparing a cookout of leftovers for his fellow guardsmen. He brought the recipe home with him and it was a hit. According to Gay, the Steamer Restaurant on Lady’s Island was the first restaurant to serve this dish (more than 25 years ago).
I hope you found this information helpful. Come see me if you want to know more!
Lydia
A great publication dedicated to all things lowcountry is the Lowcountry Companion. www.lowcountrycompanion.com
Great sources for tourism information include: www.tripadvisor.com, www.beaufortsc.org, www.hiltonheadisland.org and www.discoversouthcarolina.com
Recommended reading:
