Hilton Head and Beaufort SC

Warning - lots of pictures!

I had a bad experience a long time ago in Hilton Head. I used to go there for vacations a lot. The last time I was there my first marriage exploded in a messy ball of pus. I haven’t been back to Hilton Head since 1990. That is a long to time think about a particular town that way, especially when the town had nothing to do with it.

So I went into Hilton Head with a bit of trepidation. Not to worry. Hilton Head is great. My memory is whacked because of my previous experience. I am recovered now!

We stayed at Harbor Town with One September. These are nice floating docks built in  a circle basin surrounded by shops and condos. It is really pretty.

We docked next to a nice couple on an 85’ Marlow, a really big beautiful yacht. They had King Charles Spaniels with the loveliest attitudes and big wise eyes. Rusty liked them a lot.

Rusty loved this place. We got off the boat at our wall tie-up and sat with Rusty on a platform in rocking chairs while Rusty said hello to the folks passing by. 

He even ate on the deck by the rocking chairs while Kermit and I had a cocktail and listened to the musician performing at the open air restaurant across the way. 

 

We took the trolley around Sea Pine Plantation to see the pretty shops and restaurants then stopped down to the beach. It was pretty crowded. The lifeguards have a sense of humor. They don’t sit up on a platform but on beach chairs under a red umbrella with a sign that says, “Stop by for relationship advice”.

Contrary to our expectations Hilton Head was not an expensive stop for food. We had a nice dinner for about $40 dollars and the ice cream (had to have it!) was only about $4. A bargain!

We only stayed one day, just enough for me to get that bad taste out of my mouth.

Here is a neat site as we left Hilton Head: yoga on paddleboards early in the morning.

Next stop:: Beaufort SC.

That is Joy waving on Jim's Joy docked in Bluffton SC as we passed

It is not a long trip from Hilton Head to Beaufort SC, at least not as the crow flies. But as the boat travels it is pretty long. The 25 mile trip took about 3 hours. We encountered fewer flies and bugs but it was still a long complicated trip because the winding waterways and tidal action cause shoaling. It is hard to see the markers. If you make a mistake you could go aground. So Kermit worked really hard. 

We picked up Sareanna just outside Hilton Head and waved at Jim's Joy docked at Bluffton, down the river from Beaufort. We docked next to that 85' Marlow again and had a chance to talk to the owners and the captain. We are meeting such nice people!

There are two towns named Beaufort. The one in SC is pronounced with a long U: bu-fort; remember the pronunciation because it is “under” the one in NC. The NC town is pronounced bo-fort because it is “over” the one in SC. At least that is what someone told us.

However you pronounce it, Beaufort SC is adorable. It is a historic town with many buildings from the 1700s and 1800s. The town has appeared in many films including The Big Chill, Forrest Gump, The Great Santini, and several other famous movies. Forrest Gump’s home was a movie set that was dismantled and removed after the movie!

On the way to Beaufort you wind between some islands including Parris Island where they train Marines. In fact the water tower says, “we grow marines here”. The shore looks like any other place along the waterway. It doesn't reveal all the training going on a few yards up the shore. We did hear military jets taking off from the Marine Corps Air Station nearby but no other sign this was such an important Marine base. 

Dick, Kermit and Mike... waitiing

Funny story about Hollywood and Paris Island. The movie stars stay in private homes in Beaufort while they are filming. Barbra Streisand was not a popular resident while she stayed there filming. Allegedly she called the Commandant of the Marine Air Base and asked why the planes have to fly so early in the morning and make so much noise. She might not have been very polite. The Commandant released planes really early the next morning that buzzed the town and produced a couple of sonic booms shaking the buildings to the foundation. I guess they both made their positions clear! Members of our little group are big Streisand fans so it made no difference to her reputation with us.

The honeysuckle, jasmine and other flowers make this a fragrant town. Many buildings along the river have been converted into restaurants, adding to the lovely fragrance. 

Jim and Joy joined us for lunch at a wonderful panini restaurant. The pizza was really different. Great crust as you would expect but totally different flavors. Kermit had a pizza with pepperoni and sausage but the pepperoni was sliced in strips instead of circles. I think it changed the flavor a little making it more intense. I had a pizza with chicken and sundried tomatoes. The unique element was preserved lemon, tiny strips of lemon rind pickled in salt and lemon juice. 

We took a tour on a horse drawn carriage with a wonderful guide who lived in Beaufort for the last 30 years. Lots of old, historic buildings some dating back to the Revolution and many Antebellum homes. The entire town is a designated a historical site. 

Dick, Deanna, and Judy checking out the Big Chill House

The trees and gardens are amazing. These live oaks have branches that go everywhere. They call them Angel Oaks. 

An angel oak

Magnolias - check out how large they are compared
to Kermit's hand

Branches of this tree were used to hang pirates after the Revolution.

The Big Chill house

The antebellum homes in Beaufort SC are city homes. 

These wealthy planters had bigger homes on their plantations. They wanted a town home for when it was too hot to stay on the farm. Beaufort gets a nice breeze so the homes were built with lots of windows and tall ceilings to allow cool breezes to flow through the house.

The Big Chill house was built in 1853 by Edgar Fripp, called Tidalholm. It was used as a Union hospital in the Civil War. It sold recently for about $4 million! It certainly was the highlight of the tour!

We noticed and appreciated the breeze. It was really hot. I mean sweat running down your back hot. The town built a beautiful park along the river with large trees, brick walkways, and swings. We sat on the swings with Rusty and a drink before dinner.

Late in the evening of the first day a large cruise ship pulled in and tied up on the walkway completely blocking the breeze in the spot that had been so lovely the night before. The breeze is a big deal.

Swing bridge on the Beaufort River (ICW)

Dick, Deanna, Judy, and Mike on the top  of Sareanna

Mike and Kermit

We had dinner both nights on the boats, sitting on the top deck of Sareanna for the sunset one night and in One September the next. We really enjoy these people!

Next: Charleston