The South Carolina town of Beaufort is perfect for spending an AFTERNOON enjoying the beautiful, historic, antebellum architecture.
Beaufort is the perfect South Carolina town for an afternoon trip, setting only 35 miles from Hilton Head Island, 42 miles from Savannah, Georgia, and 70 miles from Charleston, South Carolina. Come for an afternoon and you might wish you were here for a weekend!
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Fast Fact: Beaufort was a setting for several famous movies
The movies Forrest Gump, The Prince of Tides, and The Big Chill all capitalized on the gorgeous scenery that this South Carolina town provides, and a large chunk of the movies were filmed in and around the town. But if you are looking for the bench that Forrest Gump sat on, you’re not going to find it in Beaufort. The home for the bench, which was only a movie prop, is in the Savannah History Museum. Chippewa Square, the location for the famous bench in the movie, is also in Savannah.
Three Points of Interest in this South Carolina Town:
1
The annual Beaufort Water Festival is a fun-filled 10-day waterfront festival held in July. There’s all the usual festival fun of food, music, and arts and craft vendors, with added bonuses of water shows, air entertainment, and a long list of tournaments (bocce, badminton, fishing, and sometimes even bed races).
2
Who doesn’t love a relaxing Horse & Carriage ride? There are a lot of historical homes and buildings in Beaufort and I am all about getting my steps in on a self-guided walking tour (stop by the Beaufort Visitor Center for a map or you can use this one). However, if it’s hot and humid, I say a beautiful Horse & Carriage or a golf cart is the way to get it done! You may want to give this one or this one a try.
3
Tours capitalizing on the town’s historical and beautiful homes really is the draw to Beaufort, so I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there are also ghost tours, minibus tours, and a smattering of boat tours available covering a variety of topics from the movie scenes to architecture to hauntings.
FIVE Things to Know Before You Go:
- Not including festivals and events, March, April, and May are the busiest times of the year according to Beaufort’s Visitor Center. Summer is also very busy, with a large draw of day visitors from Hilton Head Island.
- September and October are not as busy as the spring and summer months and are beautiful times to book those tours!
- Along with the annual summer festival in July, the South Carolina town of Beaufort has frequent festivals, it seems like at least every other month. Beginning with the International Film Festival in February through a Holiday festival in December, you’ll want to check Beaufort’s calendar of events to see what may be going on during your trip there.
- If you are looking for an active nightlife scene, Beaufort is not the place to find it. Beaufort’s nightlife is barely there. As beautiful as the town is, if you’re also looking for an active nightlife scene, you’ll probably want to head into nearby Savannah for the night. There are a couple of establishments that stay open a bit later into the evening in Beaufort, but for the most part on a normal day, businesses don’t stay open that late.
- Without commenting on the always complicated parking for festivals, I will say that there is a lot of street parking available, so brush up on your parallel parking skills! Don’t get too excited though, it’s not all free, parking meters are in abundance. There are also a couple of lots for parking, just be aware that for both options you need to read the signage, as the length of time you are allowed to park in that spot is usually designated.
More photos from the South Carolina town of Beaufort:
