Beaufort, South Carolina

Waking up after a wonderful evening of sleeping in the air-conditioned Lolligag, we were ready to explore Beaufort. We started with breakfast at the Blackstone's Cafe which came highly recommended as THE spot for breakfast or lunch. We had done our homework and we knew that this little town had more historical sites and antebellum homes per square inch than any other location in the South. We walked the wonderfully maintained downtown area which is full of quaint shops and restaurants. Unlike other cities where the downtown areas have been “restored”, it was obvious that downtown Beaufort had been maintained through the years. This may be why so many movies have been filmed within Beaufort and why the entire downtown area has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Founded in 1711, Beaufort is the second oldest city in South Carolina, with Charleston being the oldest. It is actually located on Port Royal Island in the heart of what is known as the Carolina Seas Islands or the Carolina Lowcountry. Pronounced “byew-furt”, the citizens will be quick to correct anyone who confuses this Beaufort with the North Carolina city by the same name.

After spending the morning walking the downtown area, we took a surrey tour around town to see and learn more about the particular homes and sites.

Several of the larger antebellum homes have become Bed and Breakfast Inns but without exception all of the homes have been either maintained or restored with loving care and attention to historical detail. Like Savannah, Beaufort was spared from Sherman’s raid during the Civil War as the city was used as a major field hospital for the wounded Union Soldiers. Almost without exception, every home with more than three rooms was a hospital ward. During the height of the Union occupation, Beaufort had over twenty-three different hospital locations.

Even the churches were utilized and the graveyard headstones used as outdoor operating tables. As a result, while no graves were uncovered in Beaufort the headstones most likely do not represent who is actually buried in any given plot.



This house is referred to in Beaufort as the Trouble House. This is the location where the Confederate Succession Letter was conceived and written. From here the letter was sent to President Lincoln in Washington.



The trees of the South have become a source of fascination for me. Never have I seen such majesty and strength as the trees of the South represent – it is almost like the trees symbolize the will of the people of South in the quiet but stately way they exist. The branches of the great oak trees that grow downward and touch the ground are said to be angel kissed. Not Spanish Moss, but another type of moss that grows on these special branches is collected by the Gullah to be used for medicinal purposes as it is thought to be very powerful.

More than thirty-five movies have been filmed within the city of Beaufort. The most famous films have been Forrest Gump, Glory, The Big Chill, GI Jane and of course the films based on the Pat Conroy novels, The Great Santini, Prince of Tides, and Conrack.

All along the riverfront, swings are provided so that everyone can enjoy the cool breeze and watch the river traffic. We forgot to take a picture of the swings, so I borrowed this picture of Paul from Restless Wind’s blog. Thanks Paul and Emy!

Upon arriving back at the boat, we found two Coast Guard vessels docked next to us. One was a cutter that we had seen the day before and the other was what I think was a construction vessel with a huge crane attached. As always, the Coasties were very polite and curious about the Lolligag. They stopped by our boat with lots of questions and compliments.