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Around Beaufort...
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Beaufort is such a small place that you can really walk around and find almost anything you need and any choice of food, especially in the historic area, which includes the entire downtown. It's just minutes from I-95 and a short distance from Hilton Head Island, although you won't know what a pretty and peaceful place this is unless you make a special trip here and spend a few days and nights. It's also on the way to Fripp Island, but you'll surely miss the most charming part of the town and its views if you only pass through. The city is centuries from any big city noise or clutter. We recommend visiting here on a sunny spring day when you have finished golfing nearby and have nothing else to do except relax on a veranda with a water view. House museums of the Historic Beaufort Foundation include the Verdier house, c. 1790, at 801 Bay Street, and the George Parsons Elliott home of 1844 located at 1004 Bay Street. Call (843) 524-6334 for information about tours on varying days of the week. The Christmas season is an especially inviting time to enjoy candlelight or holiday events in the homes and area plantations. We also like it here in late September for Bubba's Beaufort Shrimp Festival, which includes marine exhibits, shrimp boats, music, family fun and unique cuisine. Call the Beaufort Chamber of Commerce at (843) 524-3163 or visit it at 1006 Bay Street for other information and to book a guided walking tour or join a horse-and-carriage ride, which will afford an excellent view of the historic district. You may also call Carolina Buggy Tours at (843) 525-1300 for reservations or group tours in carriages drawn by the beautiful Belgian and Percheron draft horses. The architecture and the history in this lovely town are unmatched. Don't limit your visit to the historic area, as much other fine dining and accommodation options are available too. The Beaufort Museum at 713 Craven Street, (843) 525-7077, provides a series of permanent and changing exhibits on the history and culture of the area. It's in the Arsenal, the oldest civic building in the Lowcountry, built in 1795 for the local militia. The Parris Island Museum is in the War Memorial Building on Parris Island just south of Beaufort. The displays here tell the story of Parris Island beginning with the French Huguenots in 1562, progressing to the Spanish and English colonists, then to the era when the Federal Navy built a yard and ending with the Marine Corps' establishment of a recruit depot. It's free and open daily. Call (843) 525-2951 for information. Hunting Island State Park is a large secluded barrier island near historic Beaufort. The historic 19th-century lighthouse offers a stunning view of the coastline and the semitropical flora and fauna. Call (843) 838-2011 for information about park and interpretive center hours, nature programs and camping where 200 sites and 15 cabins are provided for the nature lover.
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Refer to our Preface for an explanation of the pricing code. The Bank Waterfront Grill &
Bar For fun, food and spirits, visit this historic waterfront landmark, which serves more than 70 menu items including fresh local seafood, steaks, burgers, pasta and huge specialty salads. The appetizer menu, or "beginning balance," presents an extensive list ranging from jalapeño peppers to oysters on the half shell to mozzarella cheese sticks. An unusual sandwich is the salmon BLT. "Junior investors" are welcome, too, for their own size menu items. Chef specialties include Beaufort crab cakes, lobster pasta and frogmore stew. Try the "luscious liquid assets" whether you eat or not. They are items like Kahlua, bananas and cream, any exotic flavor of colada or daiquiri or "lenders" lemonade (vodka, lemonade and Sprite). It's open every day for lunch and dinner, and the waterfront deck and upstairs bar are friendly spots for evening crowds to gather. Blackstone's Groceries, Deli,
Sundries Breakfast or lunch tastes good at this deli in the middle of a grocery store of sorts in downtown Beaufort. Try the smoked salmon plate with goat cheese, capers, onion, lemons and French bread. Deli sandwiches of any meat and cheese are good on crunchy oat bread or croissant. Beer and wine are available. You'll have fun eating here for a quick meal. Boundary Street Club House The mission of the Clubhouse is to help you "escape the distractions of everyday life and relax, unwind and enjoy the company." For lunch start with a Macho Nacho or the Ball Game, which is a combination of many appetizers such as potato skins, buffalo wings and barbecue ribs with a variety of sauces. If you can continue, the house-specialty prime rib is slow-roasted and may be chosen chargrilled with garlic in sizes up to a sportsman cut of a pound. Fajitas, seafood or smothered chicken also are good main courses. Sporting combinations are available for a taste of it all. Extra innings are great desserts, and sharing is common. Lunch and dinner are served daily. Dockside Restaurant On Battery Creek, the views and atmosphere go great with the fresh local seafood and Lowcountry favorites. While waiting for your meal, overlooking the shrimp-boat docks, you might want to try the jalapeño-stuffed shrimp or sunset shrimp, sautéed in garlic butter with green peppers, onion, black olives, artichokes and tomatoes and served over linguine. A steamed seafood pot includes crab legs, shrimp, oysters and a half lobster at an incredible price. A non-seafood lover can appreciate the Southwest chicken or a pound-size charcoal-grilled New York strip sirloin. Dukes Bar-B-Q The buffet at Dukes includes 30 items with country style vegetables, various salads, barbecue pork and fried or barbecue chicken. It's open Thursday, Friday and Saturday for lunch or dinner. This is a place for family dining and for filling big eaters economically with good down-home-style cooking. Firehouse Books & Espresso Bar All day every day, this is a neat spot to enjoy a bookstore while sampling espresso, cappuccino, latte, juices or tea with sandwiches, baguettes, bagels or cheesecake. For a morning visit, light lunch, afternoon tea or just an anytime visit with a good golf book to read, it's a pleasant stop in the historic district. The Gullah House Restaurant Near Beaufort and convenient to Hilton Head golf courses, the Gullah House will teach you a language of the old days on St. Helena Island as well as fill you with delicious home-style meals and a serving of jazz and blues on Friday and Saturday nights. The West African people who originally lived on the island were isolated from the mainland to the point that they developed their own language, some of which is preserved today. For instance you might order Smutta Steak, which is a country-fried steak smothered with sliced potatoes, onions and gravy. Go for the breakfast buffet on Saturday and Sunday or lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Enjoy the folklore while you're there. Ollie's Seafood Grille & Bar A good restaurant at the marina, Ollie's features local seafood with steamed shrimp and oysters as well as fresh-cut steaks. You can also enjoy she-crab soup or frogmore stew (a combination of shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, celery and Ollie's own special seasoning), and we recommend the SunShine rice with any entree. Ollie's opens daily for lunch and dinner, and it's popular with the seafaring crowd that arrives by boat and with those who come for the view of the water.
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Refer to our Preface for an explanation of the pricing code. Cuthbert House The 10,500-square-foot house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Antiques and reproductions flavor the c. 1790 home, which John A. Cuthbert built for his bride four blocks away, then later moved in two sections to its present location. Gary and Sharon Groves have lovingly refurbished their historic bed and breakfast inn, and they will welcome you with an afternoon glass of wine and tales of the home's past lives. Parlor suites with adjoining bedrooms are luxurious; two ground-level apartment suites include two bedrooms with a king or queen bed and two twin beds, casual furnishings, full kitchens and private entrances. All six suites have private baths and outstanding views of the Beaufort waterfront. One of the parlors features a marble mantelpiece with carved names and initials left by Civil War Union soldiers. Gary's special homemade Southern breakfast varies daily from pancakes to eggs, probably some stone-ground grits brought in from Charleston, always with fresh fruit, coffee or tea and juice. We highly recommend the Cuthbert House for a golf, corporate, romantic or combination getaway trip. All modern conveniences such as telephone, fax, television and e-mail are available during your stay here. Children older than 12 are welcome. No pets and no smoking indoors, please. Rhett House Inn You'll feel at home in the relaxed but elegant atmosphere of this restored antebellum mansion a block from the Intracoastal Waterway and minutes from the historic downtown. Fresh flowers, luscious soft robes (you can buy one to take home) and English or American antiques add to the charm of 10 guest rooms individually decorated and containing queen, king or double beds, television, telephone and private bath. Three rooms also feature fireplaces, and several open onto a veranda, where the only smoking is allowed and where you may wile away an hour or two in the hammock. Afternoon tea includes linzer tortes or homemade cookies on the veranda. Great coffee, homemade muffins and healthy Southern breakfasts of fruit and pancakes await you in the dining room in the morning, or you may choose a continental breakfast served in your room. You also may request a tray of tea or coffee in the garden or on the piazza (side porch) or a picnic lunch to take out. The on-site restaurant, Caroline's on Craven, is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday with reservations. Before or after dinner relax in the parlor and choose a book, cards, backgammon game or compact disk from the library to enjoy in your room. Children older than 5 are welcome, but pets are not. Small receptions, weddings, meetings and retreats are appropriate here, as are golf outings. Golf, tennis, swimming and massages can be arranged. Bay Street Inn You'll recognize the waterfront antebellum mansion from the movie The Prince of Tides. It's on the Intracoastal Waterway in the heart of Beaufort's historic district. Eight rooms with private baths (seven with fireplaces) are filled with antiques and face the water. The library, living room and porches are inviting, and innkeepers Jeffrey and Leslee Peth will make you welcome. Formal gourmet breakfast is served in the dining room; evening fruit, chocolates and sherry top off the day. Bicycles are at your disposal for your tour of the lovely little town. The Beaufort Inn Built in 1907 by a prominent attorney and converted to a modern inn in 1930, the home has kept the history of local plantations to match the names of its 13 guest rooms while Debbie and Russell Fielden have expanded and restored the entire mansion. It's a block from the Intracoastal Waterway park in the center of the historic district. You will find the inn suitable for a luxury golf or family vacation and for a conference or a group luncheon or dinner meeting. All rooms have private baths, televisions and telephones plus individual thermostats; some have a Jacuzzi or wet bar. Children older than 8 are welcome; pets are not. A full-service bar and extensive wine list are available. The formal dining room is open to the public as well as to inn guests for dinner and breakfast. Complimentary afternoon tea is served by reservation, and a full Southern gourmet breakfast is included with accommodations. Inquire about golf or other activity packages. Fripp Island Resort Stay in an intimate villa, an oceanfront condo or an oceanfront home and enjoy the exclusive resort that has everything for you and your family for a vacation or business trip. Housing options include 300 villa and house choices. Ask for whatever size and style you like. Camp Fripp provides recreation, activities and natural adventures for children. You only need to take your family, maybe some sunscreen and insect repellent (well, okay, and maybe a few items thrown into a suitcase). You'll have such a good golf vacation that the children can be allowed to decide where to return every year. Begin your stay with the two championship golf courses, enough to make your vacation perfect. Then add 10 tennis courts, a deep-water marina, year-round restaurants, seaside pools, fitness center and jogging and biking paths, and you've got a full-scale resort. No traffic jams, no noise, no stress, no neon signs, no pollution--shall we say more? Pat Conroy, the author of The Prince of Tides and Beach Music, lives and writes on this island. Hollywood filmmakers have found perfect settings of several varieties, and so will you. Two Suns Inn Bed & Breakfast This charming inn occupies a restored 1917 Neoclassic Revival-style grand home in a nationally landmarked historic district. The gracious resident owners are Carrol and Ron Kay. Five bayview queen or king guest rooms are complete with modern private baths and a casually elegant ambiance. Handcrafted window and bed ensembles, which Carrol sells, are unique to each room. Amenities include room phones, a parlor cable TV and VCR with video library and a self-serve guest refrigerator with snacks and soft drinks. Croquet and horseshoes are available on the front lawn. Van, carriage, walking, bicycle or boat tours of the historic downtown are convenient from here. A full breakfast and daily afternoon tea and toddy hour are included. Each breakfast menu offers special entrees, fruit selection, juice and "lovin' from the oven," plus coffee from silver service and a wide tea selection. The inn is suitable for small meetings and special events.
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