The swing-span Woods Memorial Bridge, as seen from the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, is considered one of Beaufort’s notable landmarks.
File photograph
The standard massive names — Charleston, Myrtle Seaside and Hilton Head Island — didn’t make TheTravel’s record of South Carolina’s charming locations.
As a substitute, smaller locales topped the chart.
TheTravel, a web site that tells 4 million readers the place to go, eat and sleep, honed in on quaint South Carolina spots teeming with historical past, structure and nature.
Bluffton earned the No. 1 spot, toppling Anderson and Clemson. And Beaufort got here in eighth for its vibrant downtown and wealthy historical past.
The location lauded Bluffton, usually deemed “the South’s final true coastal village,” for the Could River’s magnificence and utility, and the city’s eating places and artisan outlets.
TheTravel steered a keep on the Montage Palmetto Bluff, a sprawling 20,000-acre group on the Could River. Or, conversely, a spot on the Stoney Crest Plantation Campground, a year-round campsite 10 miles from Hilton Head Island.
Within the coronary heart of the Lowcountry, Bluffton has been described as “eclectic,” because it’s filled with artists, artwork galleries, festivals and parades, in response to the city’s web site. Bluffton’s historical past dates again to its 1852 incorporation as a 1-square-mile river city, but it surely started booming and increasing in 1998. However in 2019, it grew to 54 sq. miles and now has greater than 20,000 residents.
Historical past buffs can’t miss the Heyward Home & Museum, the Garvin-Garvey Home and The Church of the Cross. Nature lovers can head to the Could River to see expansive marshes, dolphins and birds whereas taking out a ship or kayak.
The city is chock-full of eating places providing contemporary seafood and produce, and it’s nearly sure there’s some type of occasion to attend every weekend. Examine the city’s web site when heading to Bluffton to see what all it has to supply that week.
Whereas it didn’t beat out Bluffton for high title, the town of Beaufort has received quite a few awards for structure, magnificence and friendliness, being known as the nation’s Happiest Seaside City in 2013 by Coastal Residing journal.
Beaufort’s enrapture comes from its centuries-old historical past, courting again to 1500s. The state’s second-oldest metropolis, it’s situated on Port Royal Island and is considered one of solely a handful of cities that’s had its total downtown designated as a historic district by the Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation, in response to the S.C. Division of Parks, Recreation and Tourism web site.
TheTravel steered both a keep on the Beaufort Inn or the Landmark Historic District or Greatest Western Sea Island Inn, each situated within the coronary heart of the historic district.
Pastel antebellum properties dot the town’s downtown space, which is crammed with native distributors and eating places serving Southern delicacies. Guests can sit by the downtown marina close to the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park or take a carriage tour via the town.
Historical past lovers can spend the day within the historic district the place they will see the Robert Smalls Home, the Succession Home, the Lewis Reeves Sams Home the Verdier Home, amongst many different well-known properties. The Reconstruction Period Nationwide Historic Park and the Beaufort Historical past Museum are additionally must-visits.
There’s no scarcity of artwork, tradition and historical past, and there’s tons to be eaten within the metropolis of Beaufort. And naturally, this isn’t an exhaustive record the town has to supply.
This story was initially printed Could 21, 2022 1:20 PM.
