Beaufort, South Carolina

On the Sea Islands of South Carolina's Lowcountry, where moss-draped live oaks create cathedral-like canopies over streets of antebellum mansions, Beaufort (pronounced BEW-furt, not to be confused with its North Carolina homophone) has preserved one of the most complete collections of pre-Civil War architecture in the American South. Founded in 1711 as the second-oldest city in South Carolina, Beaufort occupies an island landscape of tidal creeks, salt marshes, and maritime forest that has been home to Native Americans, colonial planters, enslaved Africans, Union soldiers, and, more recently, a community of writers, artists, and filmmakers drawn by the town's photogenic perfection.

The historic district of Beaufort is a textbook of Southern architectural styles. Grand plantation homes with double-tiered verandas face the Beaufort River, their elevated foundations reflecting the practical need to catch cooling breezes and avoid flood tides. The John Mark Verdier House (1804) and the Tabby Manse demonstrate the distinctive tabby construction — a concrete-like mixture of oyster shells, lime, water, and sand — that characterizes Lowcountry building. Bay Street, the town's commercial spine, presents a continuous streetscape of restored 19th-century buildings now housing bookshops, galleries, and restaurants.

The culinary culture of Beaufort is inextricable from the Gullah-Geechee heritage — the living culture of West African descendants who have maintained distinctive language, foodways, and traditions in the Sea Islands for over three centuries. Lowcountry shrimp and grits, the unofficial dish of the South Carolina coast, reaches its apotheosis here — creamy stone-ground grits (from Geechie Boy Mill on nearby Edisto Island) topped with local white shrimp sautéed with andouille sausage, peppers, and a sauce built on Gullah tradition. Frogmore stew — a one-pot feast of shrimp, corn, sausage, and potatoes — is the communal celebration dish of the Sea Islands.

The surrounding landscape provides the natural counterpoint to the town's architectural refinement. The Hunting Island State Park, fifteen minutes from downtown, offers one of the finest beaches on the East Coast — a wide, uncrowded sweep of sand backed by maritime forest and a historic lighthouse. The ACE Basin, one of the largest undeveloped estuarine systems on the Atlantic coast, provides kayaking, birding, and fishing in a landscape of breathtaking ecological richness. The Penn Center on St. Helena Island, one of the first schools for freed enslaved people, preserves Gullah-Geechee cultural heritage.

Beaufort is accessible from Charleston (70 miles south on US-21), Savannah, Georgia (50 miles north), and Hilton Head Island (45 minutes east). The climate is mild year-round, with spring (March-May) and fall (September-November) offering the most comfortable temperatures. Summer brings heat, humidity, and the full glory of the Sea Islands' lush vegetation. The Beaufort International Film Festival each winter celebrates the town's connection to cinema — Pat Conroy set multiple novels here, and films including Forrest Gump and The Big Chill used Beaufort locations.