Tucked away on South Carolina’s Port Royal Island is Beaufort, South Carolina; a historic and charming, sea island town. In Beaufort, time seemed to slow as we cruised on bikes beneath the moss drenched oaks, strolled through downtown, and sipped on coffee by the river.

Andrew and I have been talking about visiting Beaufort since our trip to Savannah last September. We were told several times that it was a “smaller Savannah”, so we wanted to check it out for ourselves to see.

About 3 weeks ago we found out that Andrew was going to have 2 weeks off in between his last day with his old job and his first day with his new job. Since PTO is a treasured commodity in our house, I knew I needed to plan something ASAP during his 2 weeks off. With it being so last minute, a Friday-Monday trip was out of the question since everywhere was already booked, so we ended up booking a Sunday-Tuesday, just to get away for few days.

I took a toonnnnn of pictures and I am so excited to share some of them with you! In my typical travel diary fashion, this is going to be a long one!

Anchorage 1770 – The Ribaut Social Club

After, booking a room for us, the first thing I did was try to get reservations at Anchorage 1770’s Ribaut Social Club on the front porch. When you search “places to eat in Beaufort” the Ribaut Social Club is one of the first things to pop up, so I knew it was a must during our visit. We drove down to Beaufort Sunday morning and arrived just in time for Sunday brunch on the porch. We both started the meal with ice water and coffee. I had the Coastal Cake Benedict which was a delicious seafood patty filled with big chunks of crab and fish topped with a perfectly poached egg and creamy hollandaise sauce. On the side were green beans and potatoes. Andrew had the Cowboy Steak and Eggs and for dessert, we split the French Toast. 😋 This was our favorite food spot during the trip.

The Old Sheldon Church Ruins

After brunch, we had some time to kill before we could check-in to our hotel room. So we decided to make the trip to Yemassee, South Carolina, just 30 minutes outside of Beaufort, to see the Old Sheldon Church Ruins. The church was originally built in 1753 as Prince William’s Parish Church and is known to be the first church in America to intentionally imitate a greek temple. In 1779 it was burned down by the British during the Revolutionary War. It was rebuilt in 1826 only to be burned down again in 1865 during the Civil War.

If you come from US-21, you turn down Old Sheldon Church Road and drive beneath a canopy of moss for 2 miles and then parking is on your left and the church ruins are on your right.

The Beaufort Inn

After we got back into town from the church ruins, it was time to check-in to our hotel room. I was eyeing a few different Inns and Bed & Breakfasts when researching for our trip. I ended up booking the Beaufort Inn and am SO glad that I did. The Inn was picturesque and absolutely charming. The main (pink) building was originally built in 1897, but didn’t host its first overnight guests until 1920. The Inn now includes several cottages and courtyards and encompasses the entire block. We stayed in the Scheper House Suit which was conveniently situated on the corner of Scott and Craven and was a quick walk to Lowcountry Produce Market and City Java. The Inn considers itself a boutique hotel, not a bed & breakfast, however they did provide us with breakfast vouchers to local cafés within walking distance of the hotel.

Riding Bikes Around Beaufort

Riding bikes around a small beach town is one of my travel dreams. It sounds so simple, but neither one of us had ever done it before. When we found out that the Beaufort Inn provided bikes for its guests to check out, we just couldn’t resist. We hurried to our room, unloaded the car, and then changed into some bike-friendly attire. We biked around the town for about 2 hours. Neither one of us really navigating, just taking any turn that looked interesting. We rode up and down the neighborhood streets and saw some historic homes such as Marshlands and the Tidalholm Mansion where The Big Chill was filmed.

Hearth Wood Fired Pizza

I don’t know if you guys know this by now, but Andrew and I try pizza wherever we go. Our waitress at Anchorage 1770 told us that Hearth was the best pizza in town so we knew it was a dinner destination perfect for us. We both grabbed a beer and an individual-sized pizza. It was the perfect carb-load after our long bike ride.

Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park

After dinner, we were stuffed so we walked down to Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park and sat on a bench swing for an hour or so. It was nice to just sit by the water, chat, and unwind for the evening.

City Java & News

Monday morning we were up and out early. We decided to grab coffee from City Java. I had a really yummy raspberry and white chocolate iced latte with oat milk. We both had bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches while we sat by the window, munching on our breakfast and people watching.

Hunting Island Lighthouse & Beach

The woman who checked us into our hotel room told us that Hunting Island was the best beach to visit while in town. We had already planned on climbing the lighthouse so following 167 stairs with some beach time seemed like the perfect way to spend our morning and early afternoon on Monday. Hunting Island is a 30-minute drive from Beaufort. It was $16 to get into the park which gave you access to the trails and beach until 9 pm. If you can, definitely try to book a reservation for the lighthouse the day before. They do accept same-day reservations, but you’re at the mercy of the list of reservations that booked the day before. We arrived before the lighthouse opened at 10 am and we were able to get a reservation for 11 am. It was $2 per person to climb the lighthouse.

Construction of the Hunting Island Lighthouse began in 1859, but it was demolished during the Civil War and finally finished and lit in 1875. It was decommissioned in 1933 and now stands as a historical fixture on South Carolina’s coast. It is actually the only historic lighthouse in SC that allows people to climb to the top. There are 167 steps and at the top there is up to 40 miles of views.

After the lighthouse, we setup on the beach and enjoyed the afternoon in the sand and saltwater.

Lowcountry Produce Market & Café

I was starved after we left the beach and got back to town. So we popped into the hotel room to change out of sandy clothes and then took a quick walk over to Lowcountry Produce Market. The inside of LCP is absolutely adorable; decorated with mint green shelves, white subway tile, and an array of canned and baked goods. We tried to keep our lunch small but failed miserably. I got the Carteret Chicken Sandwich with fries and a side of their homemade ranch and Andrew got The Classic Club with fries and honey mustard.

Southern Sweets

We really wanted to try Southern Sweets while we were in town, but it closed at 5 pm on Monday so we ran over to get some after lunch at LCP. I had a waffle cone with Salted Caramel Candy and Cookie Dough. 😋

Breakwater Restaurant & Bar

After our late lunch and ice cream, we were not feeling very hungry when it was time for our dinner reservation at Breakwater. So we ordered a few drinks and hung out for a bit. Eventually, we ordered the She Crab Soup and their Charcuterie board. The Charcuterie board was massive. It was probably the most impressive charcuterie board we have ordered at a restaurant. Our waitress was wonderful and gave us some other local spots to check out on our next trip to Beaufort.

Common Ground Marketplace Café

Our last morning, we decided to use our breakfast vouchers at Common Ground after hearing rave reviews about it. I had the vegetarian quiche and an Oat Milk Matcha Latte. Andrew had a turkey panini and an Oat Milk Caramel Latte. The cafe is right on the waterfront park, so we sat outside and soaked up some last few moments by the water.

Bathe

Our last and final stop was a quick run into Bathe for some soaps, lotions, and other goodies. We had walked by it several times during our stay, but it had been closed every time. They have so many scents and different handmade products. I spent 30 minutes in there smelling everything and trying to decide what to get. I ended up getting a headache shower steamer and a bar of shampoo.

I hope you enjoyed this travel diary of Beaufort, South Carolina. If you are looking for a quaint and relaxing getaway, I definitely recommend this small sea island town.

Always,