login | Register

Road Trip to Beaufort, SC, Sports Fans!


Recently, we decided to take off, pretty much on a whim, and set sail for the shore. Jill and I had visited before, but it would be nice to take a leisurely drive and visit. I didn’t realize just how much that town has to offer until we took this unexpected road trip, just to get out of the Upstate for a while.

We arrived in historic downtown Beaufort about three and a half hours after leaving home. For some reason, both my wife and I had thought that the trip was going to take longer than it did. I’m glad it didn’t. It was just a very nice ride, with a lunch break in Columbia. Fish, greens and cornbread at The Lizard’s Thicket-very tasty.

Driving across one of the bridges leading into town, Jill spotted an alligator, floating out in the river, trying to look like a rock. Tricky rascals, them ‘gators.

I was as excited as a bow-weavel in a cornfield as we entered the downtown area, and began taking in the view. Old, rustic mansions and massive oak trees covered in Spanish moss sent my imagination soaring. You could almost feel the ghosts of the past- the Spaniards, the Indians and the Civil-War soldiers. While studying a book on the rich history of Beaufort, I found it interesting to note that the town was occupied by Union soldiers during the Civil War, who had seized the city and ran off all of the Southerners. The book said that Beaufort was as much Union territory as Boston.

After checking in at the Inn, we beat a hasty path out to Hunting Island, about 20 minutes away by car. The Hunting Island State Park is absolutely breathtaking. Unspoiled and awe-inspiring. As we wound our way through the dense forrest along our one-way passageway, I remarked to Jill that the scene reminded me of Jurrassic Park. I’m just glad I didn’t hear any heavy footsteps in the distance.

The beach was great, and the ocean was unseasonably warm that day, but there was an undertow that would suck your socks off. Walking along the beach that afternoon, I felt close enough to God to reach out and stroke his beard.

One of our spur-of-the-moment trips took us out to Paris Island and the U.S. Marine training base. We spent quite some time in the museum there, looking at war relics and photos of old Beaufort, from the days of the Spanish settlers through the Civil War and on up. There were sections of the museum for each war, and as you walk through from one time period to the other, the appropriate music of the day is piped in. There was even a Desert Storm display.

Best-selling author Pat Conroy set most of his novels in and around Beaufort., and just one visit will tell you why. The movie versions of his novels were even filmed there. We visited the house where his The Great Santini was filmed, the same house they used in the film The Big Chill. The Prince of Tides was filmed there, as well as Glory  and The War.

A twilight visit to The Chapel of Ease, which has stood in ruins since a fire in the mid-1800’s, proved to be a real unique experience. The Chapel was built in the late 1700’s, and stood proud for well over one hundred years. The coquina walls seem to speak to you as you wander around inside the framework of this old African American church. (Seen breifly at the beginning of The Big Chill.) The old church inspired me a few years ago to write a song about it, which appears on my Something Heavy CD.

For a real treat, come down during one of the town's two big festivals, The Water Festival or The Gullah Festival. History comes alive during the Gullah Festival.

Excellent food (at The Bank, on Bay Street and The Gulla on St. Helena’s Island), beautiful weather, rich history and a touch of Hollywood magic helped to make our 48-hour trip one of the most enjoyable we’ve ever had. If you get the urge to take in some real history, I highly recommend a trip to the low country of Beaufort, South Carolina.  But keep on the look out for  them ‘gators.

-Keep it Real. Keep it Southern.
Buffalo

related tags

Wayfaring,
South Carolina,
Coastal,
Gritz,

Related Dispatches