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:

Hey y’all,

Did you get a chance to visit Georgetown yet? Even though it is my favorite part of the South Carolina Lowcountry, I did promise to share some information about Charleston (even though it gets more than its fair share of tourists and media interest).

This was considered the “big city” when I was growing up. We used to go into Charleston to go shopping for school clothes or for special occasions. It is nearly twice the size of Georgetown. Charleston is actually a peninsula where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers meet to form the Atlantic Ocean–or so Charlestonians half-jokingly claim. It dates back to 1670 when it was originally named Charles Town, in honor of King Charles II. There are 2,800 historically significant buildings. The intersection of Broad and Meeting Streets is called the “Four Corners of the Law” because every legal requirement can be done at this junction. On one corner is St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, where couples may get married; the next corner is the Charleston County Court House, where couples may pay taxes on their new home; the next corner is City Hall, where couples may file for divorce; and across the street on the fourth corner is the post office, where newly married or divorced couples can file change of address forms!

Charleston is also known as the “City of Firsts” because so many ‘first’ things have happened here. The first shot of Civil War was fired in Charleston Harbor at Fort Sumter. Charleston boasts the world’s first successful submarine attack during the Civil War. Charleston had the country’s first golf course, first railway mail service, first prescription drug store, first passenger train, first public museum, first public theatre, first music store, and much more.

Today, it is the second largest city in the state and the seventh largest cargo port in the United States. But its main claim to fame is tourism. More than ten million tourists flock to this charming city every year. Some of their favorite things to see and do include: The Battery, Rainbow Row, Aiken-Rhett House, Charleston Museum, Charles Town Landing State Historic Site, Fort Sumter, Patriots Point, SC Aquarium, and the Old Exchange Building and Provost Dungeon.

Visitors can explore the city in a variety of ways, such as historic walks, pirate walks ghost walks, carriage tours, trolley tours, and harbor cruises. A few other points of interest in the greater Charleston area include Folly Beach, Kiawah Island and Angel Oak, Sullivans Island (Fort Moultrie and Sullivans Island Lighthouse), Edisto Island and Edisto Beach State Park, Charleston Tea Plantation, and Isle of Palms. See what I mean about so much to see and do?

I recommend contacting the tourism board for the names and contact info for tour companies and outfitters, as well as a comprehensive list of accommodations, restaurants, and art galleries. I suggest you avoid summer as it is peak season so it is very congested on Highway 17 and hard to find bargains on lodging and also it is VERY hot and humid as this is the South Carolina Lowcountry, after all.

FYI: Charleston is sixty miles south of Georgetown and sixty-nine miles north of Beaufort.

Lodging…there is a wide range of options to fit any budget and type of traveler. The top hotels and inns in the city are:

French Quarter Inn, Wentworth Mansion, Planters Inn, John Rutledge House Inn, Venue, Market Pavilion Hotel, Restoration on King, Mills House, Wyndham Grand Hotel, and Charleston Place. Additionally, there are many choices on the outskirts of town and up the road in Mount Pleasant and Summerville and in the heart of the city there are some budget options, such as Holiday Inn Express Charleston, Days Inn Charleston, and Town and Country Inn & Suites.

Restaurants…endless. Some of the best chefs in America can be found in Charleston restaurants. There are restaurants to suit any budget and desired cuisine, but since I’m a Lowcountry girl, I’m not even going to talk about Mexican or Italian eateries! My picks are Lowcountry Bistro, Hominy Grill, Poogan’s Porch, 82 Queen, Jasmine Porch, Hyman’s, and Slightly North of Broad. I have left out a lot of good restaurants simply because there are so many (too many to name) but a visitor’s guide will provide detailed descriptions and let you know what awards which restaurants have won. You can also opt to buy fresh seafood in Shem Creek or at one of the local seafood markets, if you are staying in a rental house or condo. Don’t forget there are some yummy recipes in the back of my back, The Sanctuary.

Well, I think that does it for my knowledge of Charleston. Don’t forget I’ll be back soon to talk about Beaufort.

Lydia

 

A great publication dedicated to all things lowcountry is the Lowcountry Companion. www.lowcountrycompanion.com

Also, Charleston Magazine, www.charlestonmag.com

Great sources for tourism information include: www.tripadvisor.com, www.charleston.com, www.charlestoncvb.com and www.discoversouthcarolina.com

Recommended reading:

Hi y’all,

As promised, I am back to write about my favorite place, the South Carolina Lowcountry. This particular corner of the Lowcountry is my favorite since it is my hometown. If you read my story, The Sanctuary, or checked out my last post, you already know that the lowcountry is a geographical and cultural region along the South Carolina coast. Just as a reminder, this region is defined by three areas: Georgetown area, Charleston area, and Beaufort area.

Georgetown Area

I have lived here all my life and boy has it changed since I was a kid. There used to be nothing out on Winyah Bay but old fishing boats and shrimp trawlers. But nowadays sleek boats and yachts are seen more frequently than fishing boats.  Georgetown is situated on the Atlantic Ocean where the Waccamaw, Black, Sampit, and Pee Dee Rivers meet to form Winyah Bay.

Georgetown is the third oldest port in the state and is becoming one of the fastest-growing towns in South Carolina. Old warehouses have been converted into restaurants and shopping forums. Impressive housing developments are popping up at an increasing rate. The first thing that visitors from either the highway or waterway see is our Historic District. Visitors can learn more about it by taking a trolley tour or a boat tour. I think the best views are from a boat. I recommend a plantation river cruise, but there are also narrated sunset cruises around the harbor, lighthouse shelling and dolphin cruises, and a fun-filled excursion aboard a mock pirate ship. Regardless of the vessel and type of excursion, the scenic vistas remain the same–spectacular. So sit back and enjoy the cool breeze, shorebird sightings, majestic waterfront homes, and pods of dolphins. Additionally, we have lots of museums (mostly on Front Street), such as Georgetown Museum, Kaminski House Museum, SC Maritime Museum, and the Rice Museum. Two things I think are a ‘must’ are a tour of Hampton Plantation Historic Site (mentioned in my book and haunted too!) and a ghost walk. Georgetown is home to lots of ghosts!

FYI: Georgetown is thirty-six miles south of Myrtle Beach and sixty miles north of Charleston.

Lodging… the accommodations in Georgetown are quite nice and reasonably-priced, but not luxurious. I think the best options are:

Hampton Inn (420 Marina Drive, on the waterway)

Baymont Inn & Suites (120 Church Street, near marina)

Quality Inn & Suites (210 N. Church Street)

Shaw House B & B (613 Cypress Street)

Mansfield Plantation (1776 Mansfield Road)

But if you are looking for something really upscale you can go up the road to Litchfield Resort.

Restaurants…we’re pretty much a ‘down home’ group, which means we like good food but don’t like to overpay or get gussied up just to eat a meal. My picks (just head to Front Street):

River Room, Front Street Deli, Reflections Grill, Rice Paddy, Big Tuna Raw Bar , Kudzo Bakery and Sweeties Sweets, Pralines, Toffee & Homemade Ice Cream (I love their pralines!)

Well, that’s all for now. I hope you get a chance to visit Georgetown. It’s a lovely place. I’ll be back soon to talk about Charleston.

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.visitgeorge.com, and www.discoversouthcarolina.com

Recommended reading:

Hi y’all,

My name is Lydia Coble and I’ve got a story to share with you. I should confide that my life has taken an unexpected turn recently. My husband betrayed me but I didn’t realize his deception until after he died. I was, as you can imagine, devastated to discover that the one person I loved and trusted more than anyone in this world could do such a thing. If it hadn’t been for my best friends I’m not sure I could have survived. But I did and I even managed to create a new–and very different–life for myself. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I need to start at the beginning and it all began at The Sanctuary.

P.S. In addition to sharing my story with y’all, I would like to share my favorite place too: the South Carolina Lowcountry. Stay tuned for my insider’s tour of this magical place. Just click on ‘Publisher’s Post’ to read them or sign up for them to be delivered to your mailbox.

Read what reviewers are saying about this book…

 

The Sanctuary  tells the story of a few eventful months in the lives of four women who have been friends for decades. Family commitments and demanding careers caused them to drift apart for a time but an unforeseeable crisis brings them back together again. As events unfold they are forced to re-examine their lives, and question long held beliefs in the light of emerging facts. On the surface each one seems to have found fulfillment and achieved what she wanted, but all four are hiding secrets that threaten their happiness and those around them…There are numerous twists and turns in the plot and some very unexpected outcomes; the reader is as much in danger of jumping to conclusions as the characters…The book is set mainly in the author’s homeland, the South Carolina Lowcountry, and I enjoyed her descriptions of the scenery, flora and fauna that she knows so well… I recommend it…(3 out of 4 stars)       -Online Book Club

 

“I was intrigued by the opening to the book describing the Gullah and the [SC] low country. The image of the girls secretly watching the [Gullah] ceremony is absolutely marvelous. It sounds like such a lovely place. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the natural surroundings on the Carolina coast and the wildlife. The nature writing is inspired. The Sanctuary is well-written and has good story-lines…When the women are laughing over the hilarious escapades of their youth, the author creates one of those magical moments that’s even more special as Liz’s daughter has a revelation and begins to see these middle-aged women, and her mother, as they are, inside, stripped of the wrinkles and years. I think the main story and characters are marvelous…”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -Readers’ Favorite

In the tradition of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, Siddons spins a well-written and engaging tale of how true friendship must face and somehow survive tough times. Filled with rollicking vignettes, a wild road trip, well-drawn characters, and the intriguing backdrop of a South Carolina island and its mysterious Gullah residents, this entertaining novel is a worthy addition to women’s fiction.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  –US Review of Books

When Lydias husband dies, she is stunned to find out that he left her penniless, and in debt. But even worse, is the secret she must unravel with the help of her 3 childhood friends. I loved every minute of this book. When the girls went on their road trip, I enjoyed every tourist stop they did. In fact, I hit those same stops on one of my vacations. This gave my memories of it more value as I also saw it through their eyes, like being there again with them. I could feel the camaraderie of the four friends as if I were one too. It was so easy to relate to each of their personalities, no matter how different they were, and visualize each scene as I read it, whether it was Sonias secret, Julias fears, or even Lydia and Lizs arguments. I now feel that all these memories are mine too. I will be reading their continuing story for sure.                                                                                                                                         -Bookplex