Exploring Historic Beaufort, South Carolina

On my fall trip to Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC, I rented a car and drove between the two cities, which gave me the freedom to make stops along the way. One stop I decided to make was to the town of Beaufort, SC, which lies almost halfway between the two.

I parked the car in a lot on Bay Street at the harbor marina, which was a great starting point because there were public restrooms and a little visitor center where I could grab a map. Since it was a Sunday morning, the lady at the visitor center informed me that nothing would really be opening until noon, which was fine with me because I was content to just wander the streets and take in the scenery and old houses before continuing on my way to Charleston.

My first destination was a Forrest Gump filming location – the Woods Memorial Bridge, as seen when Forrest is on his cross-country run. There is a little park at the foot of the bridge called Stephen Elliott Park which houses two historic cannons and makes for a scenic photo spot.

From there, I weaved through the streets of Beaufort, taking in all of the antebellum mansions, picture perfect examples of southern charm. Here were some of my favorites that I saw.

Lewis Reeve Sams House – 601 Bay Street – featured in the movie The Prince of Tides

“The Castle” – 411 Craven Street (Private Residence) – filming location for a scene in the Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock movie Forces of Nature

Beaufort Inn – 809 Port Republic Street

North Street Inn – 1411 North Street

Maxcy-Rhett House / “Secession House” – 1113 Craven Street – home in the mid-1800’s to Edmund Rhett (a state representative, lawyer, and senator), who along with his brother Robert Barnwell Rhett (a U.S. congressman and attorney general) hosted meetings in the house advocating for Southern secession

Rhett House Inn – 1009 Craven Street – another home of the historic Rhett family of Beaufort, from whom Margaret Mitchell drew inspiration in naming Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind

Cuthbert House – 1203 Bay Street – this house was abandoned by its owners when the Civil War came to town and thus came to be occupied by Union soldiers

Thomas Fuller House / “Tabby Manse” – 1211 Bay Street – one of the last remaining South Carolina buildings with a facade made almost entirely of tabby, a form of concrete made with oyster shells

Tabernacle Baptist Church on Craven Street is the final resting place of Robert Smalls, a Civil War hero of Beaufort. Born into slavery in Beaufort in 1839, Smalls went on to be stationed with a slave crew working on a Confederate steamship, which he managed to overtake and turn over to the Union. Smalls went on to have an extensive postwar career in the South Carolina House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and four terms in the United States House of Representatives.

The 1712 Parish Church of St. Helena is one of the oldest active churches of North America. It was used during the Union occupation of Beaufort as a makeshift hospital, with slabs from the cemetery even being used for operating tables. The cemetery, shaded by oaks and Spanish moss, houses notable locals including Colonel John Barnwell and Confederate Generals Lt. General Richard H. Anderson and Brigadier General Stephen Elliott.

There is so much to do in Beaufort that I didn’t get to do this time around – the historic district is full of restaurants and shops and you could easily make a multi-day stop out of it if your itinerary allows. Nearby Hunting Island is also supposedly great to visit for beach and wildlife scenery (and is another Forrest Gump filming location – the Vietnam scenes).

I greatly enjoyed aimlessly wandering the town of Beaufort and learning about its history, and recommend a stop here even if just for an hour or two.