The first thing I do after I check into the Rhett House Inn on a two-night trip to Beaufort, South Carolina, is pull out one of the guest bikes and ride off to explore. Never mind that this particular bike’s seat is too high and its brakes are barely functional—it’s painted my favorite shade of green and has a wicker basket fixed to the front, and that feels somehow necessary for wheeling down Bay Street into what looks like an idyllic small-town painting (at least until I nearly mow someone down and decide it’s time to walk).
Beaufort is like the bigger Lowcountry destinations—Savannah and Charleston, which it’s situated right between—distilled into their best parts: Downtown is brimming with historic mansions framed by live oaks draped in Spanish moss. The main drag, Bay Street, houses cute shop after gallery after cute shop after gallery. It all backs up to the impeccable landscaping of the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park on the Beaufort River. There’s a diverse food scene, too, from fine dining to top-notch pub fare. Museums and outdoor adventuring are all within easy reach.
And twice a year, the city transforms. February brings the Beaufort International Film Festival and with it, filmmakers and enthusiasts from all over the world. And every July since 1956, the weeklong Beaufort Water Festival celebrates the Lowcountry summer life with boat races and concerts. But whether you’re visiting for one of those events or just vacationing any other time of the year, the town is the perfect laid-back weekend destination.
Below, some Beaufort (pronounced “Byoo-fort”) highlights.
STAY
With its stately pillars and rocking chair–studded porches, the Beaufort Inn is a Southern classic that has hosted guests for over a century. Choose from rooms in its Smith Wallace Mansion or the Female Benevolent House (named for the society founded in 1814 to educate and provide relief for destitute children), book a cottage, or opt for a suite overlooking a courtyard draped in twinkle lights.
If the view is a top priority, Anchorage 1770 is an elegant inn on the water with 1,500 square feet of riverfront porches and some serious history. (It’s believed to be the oldest and largest tabby structure still in active use, though the inn itself is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.) Each room offers individual charm via a four-poster bed, bay windows, or 1800s plasterwork. Bonus: You can bring your dog as part of their “Sea Dogs” program.
Resurrection ferns, Spanish moss, brick courtyard, breakfast on the porch…the Rhett House Inn, a five-minute walk from Bay Street, is picture-perfect. The main house, built circa 1820, holds ten rooms, and there are seven cottages to choose from, too, but be warned: If you stay in the fully equipped Newcastle House out back like I did, you’ll want to move in. And don’t miss the chocolate cake at tea time.
SEE AND DO
As the backdrop for the books (and ensuing movies) The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides, it’s fitting that Beaufort would pay tribute to the life and work of its beloved storyteller at the Pat Conroy Literary Center, a downtown museum that also hosts author events, writing workshops, and book fairs. If houses and design are your thing, the Beaufort Historical Association offers a historic homes tour once a year, in June, or you can explore the Point neighborhood and see its famous old residences—like the circa 1717 Thomas Hepworth House—any time.
For an education in Gullah-Geechee culture, head fifteen minutes out of Beaufort to St. Helena Island to explore Penn Center, a fifty-acre campus of twenty-five historic structures that became a National Historic Landmark in UNESCO’s Network of Places of History and Memory last year. If you’re bound for the island on a Friday, check out the open-air farmers market and its colorful spreads of local produce, and buy fresh shrimp from Gay Fish Company (they supplied the crustaceans for the shrimping scenes in Forrest Gump) or have lunch at the family-owned Shrimp Shack.
For an experience in the natural world and all the marsh views you could want, take a bike (with functioning brakes, ideally) on the Spanish Moss Trail, a nearly ten‑mile ribbon of paved path weaving north-south through the Lowcountry. Or cross the bridge over the Beaufort River and head to Hunting Island State Park; it’s got five miles of sandy shores, boardwalks, trails through maritime forest, a historic lighthouse, and several Forrest Gump filming sites. If you want to get on the water, try one of Coastal Expeditions’ tours, be it a sunset dolphin cruise or a paddle in the ACE Basin.
EAT
Whenever hunger strikes, Old Bull Tavern is good for a snack of local smoked mullet with Ritz crackers or a dinner of braised chicken and andouille sausage over rice sprinkled with almonds. But whatever meal you’re there for, cap it off with their famous butterscotch pudding.
Otherwise, Beaufort has an option to suit any occasion. For fancy, hit Saltus River Grill. For tucked away and tiny, try BlackSheep x Sabbatical. Need brunch or lunch? Go to Lowcountry Produce. Just want a sandwich? Alvin Ord’s Sandwich Shop started in Texas but is a local Beaufort go-to as well. Pastry craving? Herban Market and Cafe is your place. Need a burger? Head to Beedos. And for something new and chic, the recently opened wine and cheese bar Beaufort Wine Bar doubles as an art gallery. As the night wears on, a round of pool and cocktails at the Fillin Station or a cheeky Jell-O shot at Hemingway’s won’t lead you astray.
SHOP
A Bay Street and Bay Street–adjacent wander into any place that catches your interest is worthwhile. But I did fall in love with pretty much everything—and especially a pair of golden banana snail bookends and a dog-shaped decanter—at the delightfully curated M Home and Garden. Modern Jewelers is a classic, been-around-forever jewelry store that stocks stunning estate pieces. For women’s clothing, leave the main drag for Beverly’s Off Bay; for men’s fashion, Quartermaster is the place, plus you can have a drink there at their house bar. And NeverMore Books is always worth a browse.
Lindsey Liles joined Garden & Gun in 2020 after completing a master’s in literature in Scotland and a Fulbright grant in Brazil. The Arkansas native is G&G’s digital reporter, covering all aspects of the South, and she especially enjoys putting her biology background to use by writing about wildlife and conservation. She lives on Johns Island, South Carolina.
