Your Guide to Beaufort, SC

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Vacation Rental

Featured Vacation Rentals

Pelican Place - Golf cart included 704 S...

Pelican Place is located in a peaceful neighborhood near the center of Fripp Island.  Our three-bedroom, two-bath home is newer to the rental market  This gorgeously appointed, professionally-decorated home is within walking distance to the Beach...

  • Fripp Island
  • 3 Bedrooms
  • 2 Bathrooms
  • Sleeps 8
344 Capt John Fripp Villa

Summary:344 John Fripp Villa - Modern Villa with Updated Appliances and Bar - Recently Remodeled 2-Bed 2-Bath - Resort Access and Golf Cart Supplied!The Space:344 Captain John Fripp Villa is a delightful 2-story home located in the heart of Fripp...

  • Fripp Island
  • 2 Bedrooms
  • 2 Bathrooms
  • Sleeps 8
Pool, Fire Pit, Gym, Game Room, 4BR3BA -...

Appreciate comfort and convenience at this cavernous 4BR, 3BA home, just mins from Parris Island & Downtown Beaufort. Ideal for families & groups, our home is the ideal hideaway for celebrating graduations & other events, it features a entirely...

  • Beaufort
  • 4 Bedrooms
  • 3 Bathrooms
  • Sleeps 12
Fripp Island Heaven Ideally Located to E...

This rental home is really 'heaven on earth!' A secluded and private setting attractively located on Fripp Island. Not only is this home located on a phenomenal lot, the inside is unbelievable! This is not your typical beach home. 374 Yellow...

  • Fripp Island
  • 3 Bedrooms
  • 2 Bathrooms
  • Sleeps 8
125 Ocean Creek Blvd

Summary:125 Ocean Creek Blvd -Resort Access and Golf Cart Supplied!The Space:Welcome to 125 Ocean Creek! This bespoke-constructed 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath home will captivate guests with its beautiful marsh vistas. Located in a beautiful Lowcountry...

  • Fripp Island
  • 4 Bedrooms
  • 3 Bathrooms
  • Sleeps 12
Golf Cart included - 21 Davis Love

Welcome to Starfish Cottage!The open-concept living space is ideal for gatherings of family and friends. The supplied kitchen has a variety of cookware to help you prepare your seafood feast, celebrate a birthday, or just appreciate some Southern...

  • Fripp Island
  • 3 Bedrooms
  • 3 Bathrooms
  • Sleeps 7

Beaufort Tours & Activities

Fripp Island Milky Way Photography

Beaufort Photography Tours

Book online
$100.00

description: About Join us for an opportunity to photograph the Milky Way. We'll meet for a brief classroom session to discus settings and composition and then head to the beach for photography. This tour is highly weather dependent. We may...

Beaufort River Tour (3 Hrs or More)

Beaufort Dolphin Adventures

Book online
$457.55 - $683.96

duration: 3 Hours (Longer trips can be booked via phone and email) cancellation_summary: Customers will receive a full refund with 24 hours notice of cancellation. Customers will also receive a full refund or credit in case of operator cancellation...

Custom Adventure

Beaufort Boat Charters LLC

Book online
$160.00 - $960.00

description: Join us for a Lowcountry Adventure! Duration 1-6 Hours About Contact us about customizing your boating adventure to design a trip just for you! 828-279-3707 or [email protected] Options include, but are not...

Rum Runner Sunset Cruise

Fripp Island Paddle Shack

Book online
$65.00 - $75.00

duration: 1.5 Hours meeting_point: 875 Bonito Dr, Fripp Island, SC 29920 description: Join us for a sunset cruise that takes you back in time to learn about the Golden Age of Piracy and local lore while enjoying a rum tasting that would make anyone...

Afternoon Delight & Scenic Excursion

duration: 1.5 hours meeting_point: 1 Port Royal Landing Dr, Port Royal, SC 29935 group_size: 6 Passenger maximum description: Soak up the sunshine and experience the Beaufort and Port Royal on the water! Glide along the river as dolphins play in the...

TWO DAY-Reiki 3/Master Class

The Arts Port Royal

Book online
$700.00

duration: 7 hours min_age: 15 group_size: 8 accessibility: Second Floor description: Day 1, Intuitive Healing...Day 2, Learn to Teach Reiki. On Day 1, we will go further into the process of Intuitive Healing and deep listening. We will do practical...

Low Country Expressions

The Arts Port Royal

Book online
$85.00

duration: 3 hours meeting_point: The Arts Port Royal group_size: 4 description: From marshes to beaches to magnificent sunsets in expressionism style Expressionists paint not just what they see but also what they feel. It is often described as...

Sharks Teeth Hunting & Eco Tour (2 Hrs)

Beaufort Dolphin Adventures

Book online
$372.64

duration: 2 Hours cancellation_summary: Customers will receive a full refund with 24 hours notice of cancellation. Customers will also receive a full refund or credit in case of operator cancellation due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances...

Essential Oyster Tour

Lowcountry Oyster Co.

Book online
$150.00

duration: 90 Minutes description: Let's Adventure! Boat, Science, and Culinary Tour packed into one! Learn about the lifecycle of an oyster from start to finish. See one million oysters growing in our nursery followed by a boat ride through the...

Gift Card

Edisto Bike and Golf Cart Rental

description: Purchase the perfect gift: a gift card with a value of your choosing and no expiration date!

Haints and Haunts of the Sea Islands
Book online
$9.00 - $20.00

description: Come with us on a macabre journey through time in the seaside town of Beaufort. Witness the grim and twisted lore of the city’s past on a guided experience through the historic city streets. This two-hour waking tour will cover the...

Family Master LEGO Building Competition at Beach Club Greene

duration: 1 hour meeting_point: Beach Club min_age: 3 description: Get ready to unleash your creativity at our LEGO Building Competition! Whether you're a master builder or just love to build, this fun-filled challenge is perfect for anyone! Put...

Beaufort, SC

Beaufort is a historic waterfront town in South Carolina's Lowcountry, known for its antebellum architecture, moss-draped oaks, and scenic coastal views.

Founded in 1711, Beaufort is the second-oldest city in South Carolina and offers a rich blend of Southern charm and history. Visitors can stroll the walkable downtown, explore art galleries and boutiques, or take a horse-drawn carriage tour through the historic district. The nearby Sea Islands - including Hunting Island, Fripp Island, and Harbor Island - offer beautiful beaches, nature trails, and wildlife viewing, while the town itself is a favorite for boating, kayaking, and enjoying fresh local seafood.

Beaufort features a variety of lodging options, including historic inns, charming bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals with waterfront views. The area is ideal for those looking to relax and take in the culture, history, and natural beauty of the South Carolina coast. Whether you're exploring Gullah heritage, visiting the lighthouse at Hunting Island State Park, or simply enjoying a quiet evening along the river, Beaufort offers a peaceful and unforgettable Lowcountry getaway.

Beaufort is, at its heart, a small southern town with a big population, that's chock-full of historical sites, a thriving arts scene, and plentiful attractions, which are readily available for curious newcomers to explore. Smaller than its' northern South Carolina neighbor Charleston, Beaufort nonetheless has a far-reaching reputation as one of the most historically relevant and undeniably charming towns along the eastern coastline.

Beaufort SC Waterfront Park

Named by Southern Living Magazine as the "Best Small Southern Town," and featured by both American Style Magazine and the New York Times in recent praising articles, the secret about Beaufort's appeal is clearly out, but visitors can still enjoy miles of quiet waterfront, cool art scenes, or happening downtown streets at their leisure, during any time of the year. An easy day trip that combines the best of the legendary Coastal Carolinas and the modern southern scene, Beaufort, SC clearly deserves its glowing designation as one of the best big little towns in the Lowcountry.

Beaufort SC

The town of Beaufort was originally founded in 1711, as an integral part of the southernmost colony that originated with early English explorations and settlements. The initial growth of the town, (or rather the colony), was quite slow at first as the region was subject to a number of Native American attacks and threats by competing European settlers, (namely, the Spanish explorers.) After these initial growing pains, however, the city of Beaufort flourished as a shipbuilding center, die in no small part to its easy proximity to the Beaufort River, and later as an elite locale for local Lowcountry planters, who thrived in the booming Indigo and rice industries.

Beaufort SC

This affluent lifestyle would change significantly during the Civil War, when Beaufort was quickly seized and occupied after the Battle of Port Royal, one of the earliest battles of the war, which took place on November 7th, 1861. As a result of this early occupation, Beaufort attracted a large number of escaped slaves during the war, and a local Freedmen's Bureau worked with these new residents well into the Reconstruction period to provide an education and an overall preparation for full independence in the years to come.

Beaufort SC

After the war, the rich plantation era ended, but Beaufort slowly regained notoriety as a phosphate mining center. With the new mining industry, the town was slowly coming back to life until an 1893 hurricane brought the region to its knees, causing massive devastation that took Beaufort a full half-century to recover from. It wasn't until the second half of the 20th century, in fact, that visitors began to trickle into the area, and locals realized their town's inherent potential as a viable tourism destination. Today, the city is thriving with an eclectic mix of modern restaurants and galleries coupled with historic graveyards and historic sites, and visitors have ample room and centuries to explore. From the initial colonization to recent revitalization projects along key portions of the historic downtown, Beaufort, after a long recovery, is clearly a city on the rise.

Beaufort SC

The bulk of the city itself is situated on Port Royal Island, an interior island that features several local towns, (including the town of Port Royal), and which is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by St. Helena Island, Parris Island, and Hunting Island and the Hunting Island State Park. Despite these island borders, the city is essentially surrounded by water, primarily via the wide Beaufort River, which cuts through this mainland region and connects with the neighboring Atlantic Ocean. At a whopping 33.6 square miles in area, (including 6 square miles of water), the population of 12,300 residents or so in Beaufort almost seems somewhat small. In fact, the outlaying portions of the city are relatively quiet, while the downtown area has most of the action with plenty of sites and attractions for locals and visitors alike to enjoy.

Local outdoor attractions like the Beaufort National Cemetery, the Spanish Moss Trail and the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park will keep visitors smiling at the prospect of staying outdoors and enjoying the scene, while local historical attractions like the John Mark Verdier House Museum, the James Robert Verdier House, the Thomas Hepworth House, and the St. Helena's Episcopal Church add a touch of Beaufort's legacy and long history to the surroundings.

Beaufort SC

Cultural outposts, including a world of art galleries, local theater groups and the USCB Center for the Arts, keep visitors and locals alike thoroughly entertained with one of the most acclaimed arts scenes in the region, while shoppers will find plenty of classic boutiques and treasured antique stores to go around.

Beaufort SC

The dining scene in Beaufort is equally exquisite, with more than 130 restaurants to explore within this Lowcountry area. Local waterfront cafes, barbecue joints, and even southern-style gastro pubs can be found side-by-side on some of the more populated city blocks, and visitors are encouraged to sample the local seafood, (especially the shrimp and blue crabs), for an authentic taste of this coastal town.

For accommodations, the lodgings of choice for most visitors are local hotels, motels, and B&Bs, and there are approximately 20 of these accommodation options within the city limits. With chic loft hotels and antebellum mansions converted into beautiful inns, potential visitors will find a wide variety of lush accommodations that are close to the local attractions, and fit in effortlessly with the laid-back southern atmosphere. There are also a handful of vacation rentals available as well, namely small cottages and townhomes, and travelers heading to the area by sea will find an ample number of marinas to dock for a night or two and enjoy a little inland exploring.

Easily one of the most peaceful and surprisingly varied southern destinations, Beaufort is rising to fame as one of the most accommodating and interesting communities along the East Coast. A small southern city with a big personality, Beaufort is sure to keep visitors entertained and smiling with its coastal atmosphere, gorgeous landscapes, local sights, and general warm southern nature that makes out-of-town guests feel welcome and essentially right at home.

Beaufort Vacation Guides