jwpileggi

My husband and I will be visiting the Savannah and Charleston areas for a couple of weeks next May. Is Beaufort a good place to stop en route from one city to the other? Would you recommend staying overnight or making it a day trip? What are fun things to do there? Thanks!

RoamsAround

The Downtown area of Beaufort is a small, only a couple of blocks long with some interesting shops and a couple of restaurants. Hardly worth staying overnight - make it a Day Trip. When you travel between Savannah and Charleston, plan your trip to arrive around 11AM so you can walk around some of the shops than have lunch. After you eat you can either shop some more or drive around looking at some of the lovely Low Country homes that line the waterway. When you get a bit tired continue on to your final destination.

jwpileggi

Sounds great. Thanks!

suewoo

I recommend driving out to Hunting Island while en route. It's a State Park and gorgeous.

I also recommend you stop by the Old Sheldon Church ruins just off 17. The light through the ruins is beautiful any time of day.

dcd

Yes!!

A search here will review a very recent post on a similar topic:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...s-beaufort.cfm

Also check out Tripadvisor.

We thoroughly enjoyed a guided walking tour with Jon Sharp in the spring.

maggers

If you follow roamsaround's advice and get to Beaufort in time for lunch, here are two suggestions: Nippy's is a tiny hole in the wall on West St., 2 blocks off the main drag. Great fried shrimp, burgers, etc. Just perfect. Also, you might want to try Blackstone's, which is in the same vicinity and has good basics (breakfast at lunchtime, chicken or shrimp salad, etc.). If you are a reader, be sure and visit the two bookstores, one new and one used, on either end of main street. Enjoy this wonderful little town!

weber6560

I believe some have Beaufort SC confused with Beaufort NC. Beaufort, SC is consistently rated by Southern living as the top small waterfront town in the southeast. Site of movies such as The Big Chill, Prince of Tides, Forrrest Gump, and The Great Santini, it is a beautiful town. As it was not burned during the civil war, its historic district remains intact and includes numerous buildings and homes dating back to the 1700's. Both carriage and walking tours of the district are available as well as boat tours of the area. St Helena church was built in 1720 and its cemetary includes British soldiers killed during the Revolutionary War as well as many Civil War graves. It is open for tours with docents available for questions. Old Sheldon church is one of the earliest Greek Revival buildings in the country. Built in about 1720, it was burned by the British as it was used to store arms. It was restored and then burned by the Union during the Civil War because [you guessed it] it was used to store arms. It's stately colums and walls are today a popular site for weddings. Secession House [a private residence] was the site of the earliest plans to secede from the Union. The Verdier House is open to visitors and from its balcony Lafayette spoke to the citizens of Beaufort. The "Armory" has been restored and was the home of militias that fought in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Beaufort's Military Cemetary is one the largest in the country and a visit is very moving. The Cuthbert Inn was named "the most romantic B&B" in the country 3 years ago. The adjacent town of Port Royal is the site of Port Royal Harbor, the deepest and largest harbor south of Norfolk. Adjacent St Helena Island includes the Penn Center established in 1863 as a school for newly freed slaves and continues today. It was a favorite retreat of MLK and Andrew Young. Hunting Island State Park offers beaches, lighthouse tours, and is an exceptional example of the lush vegitation that once covered all barrier islands. The area is beautiful and laced with untold tidal rivers and creeks. [There are 273 islands in Beaufort County.]

You will find it one of the more memorable places you will visit. It is like a "mini" Charleston or Savannah but with out the downsides of the larger cities.