Beaufort Information

Beautiful Beaufort is situated in the South Carolina Lowcountry on Port Royal Island, one of the large barrier islands along the southeast Atlantic coast of the United States. Beaufort is easily accessible from Interstate Hwy. 95 or from U.S. Hwy. 17 which runs north-south between Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.

The area is steeped in history and tradition. Traces of the first inhabitants, the Archaic Indians, date back 4,000 years. Europeans made their first appearance with Spanish galleons around 1521. In the early 1500s, Spain found a Port Royal anchorage ideal for explorations. When France's Captain Jean Ribaut arrived in 1562, he wrote he could find "no faurer or fytter place" than "Porte Royall."

Beaufort, SC (29906)
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Adventurers from England, Spain and Scotland all attempted to claim the area for their crowns during the next two centuries. In the 1715 Yemassee War, Native Americans -- Yemassee and Tuscarora Indians -- also fought to regain the land. Pirates joined the fray, too.

Beaufort entered its golden era about 1800, when Sea Island cotton debuted, and many of Beaufort's mansions were built by the wealthy owners of cotton, indigo, and rice plantations. It was one of the only Southern towns occupied by Union troops, rather than destroyed during the war.

Today, reminders of the area's colorful history abound in architecture carefully preserved over the past 200 years. The entire downtown Beaufort area is designated a historic district. Architecture from many grand cultures and eras includes French, Colonial, Spanish-American, and Revolutionary origins. At least 90 significant homes, forts, churches, cemeteries, inns, and other buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Many of these historic private homes have been beautifully restored. Tours -- either walking or via horse-drawn carriage or bus - are regularly conducted by professional guides. Spring and fall events offer special opportunities for visitors to tour several private homes and gardens.

Art galleries, antique shops and modern boutiques are also found in the downtown walking area. And great restaurants can be found all over the city. Local cuisine ranges from spicy barbecue and Frogmore Stew -- a flavorful concoction of shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes and onions -- to She Crab soup and sweet potato pie. Fresh-from-the-sea ingredients are a trademark of traditional Lowcountry dining. Restaurant choices range from cafes with bayside patio tables to weathered dockside hideaways to elegant chandeliered dining rooms.

Beaufort boasts a temperate to semitropical climate with an average growing season of 293 days and an average temperature of 65 degrees. Rainfall averages about 60 inches a year. Outdoor activities of all types abound.

The Lowcountry's salt-marsh ecosystem is one of the world's most productive and unspoiled, and Beaufort is right in the middle of it. Guided boat tours allow visitors to photograph hundreds of species of birds, and guided kayak tours offer a more active role in coastal discovery, while boat rentals let adventurers explore on their own.

Fishing, sailing, shrimping and crabbing are popular activities for visitors, and residents are happy to teach newcomers. Local marinas offer rental boats and arrange charter fishing excursions.

The mild climate and beautiful seaside vistas invite visitors and residents alike to enjoy golf year-round. Golf course architects like Arnold Palmer, Tom Fazio, George Cobb, Arthur Hills and Davis Love III have discovered Beaufort and created beautiful, challenging courses golfers will long remember.

Festivals are among the things done best in the Lowcountry where a celebration is almost always underway. Locals and visitors regularly take to the streets, parks and waterways to enjoy life with the special varieties of cuisine, entertainment, crafts and activities which define the friendly communities and their customs.

Beaufort County has an excellent medical system with three major hospitals, nearly a dozen clinics, and many private practices. Beaufort has a highly respected EMS with advanced life support paramedic crews strategically stationed throughout the county for rapid response to any area with an emergency. Fire and Rescue personnel, also with EMT's and Paramedics, are stationed as to provide rapid response and assist the medical teams on all emergencies. Beaufort County has a state of the art emergency preparedness unit, disaster units, and control/dispatch systems.