Beaufort By Day
Here at Hilton Head Boat Charters, we are known best for our private Hilton Head Boat Tours like:
- Hilton Head Dolphin Tours
- Two-Hour Hilton Head Sunset Cruise
- Four-Hour Hilton Head Bachelorette Party Cruise
But few people know that we also have a couple of “secret”” offerings that don’t appear on our website? This article will share the first of the two “”off the books”” offerings – Historic Beaufort (pronounced B-YOU-FORT), South Carolina!
This little delight of a classic historic southern town is about an hour and fifteen minutes cruise from our Hilton Head Island docks–roughly the same time it takes us to River Street in Savannah. Each year, we probably only make two or three trips to Beaufort. Based on my last visit with the Smith family, I’m beginning to think we should make even more trips to this charming waterfront destination.
Stepping off the public docks on the Beaufort waterfront – which are free, by the way – you are only steps away from the heart of this historic place. The first thing you experience is the Henry C Chambers Waterfront Park. The Park has an extensive walking promenade, tons of green grass, comfortable benches, and stunning views of the Woods Memorial Bridge, Lady’s Island, and Port Royal.
Beaufort Festivals and Events
The Park is also a great place to experience some local festivals and events throughout the year, like the:
- MCAS Beaufort Airshow, April 22-23, 2023
- A Taste of Beaufort, May 5-6, 2023
- Original Gullah Festival, May 26-28, 2023
- Dragon Boat Beaufort, June 24, 2023
- Beaufort Water Festival, July 14-23, 2023
- Beaufort Shrimp Festival, October 6-7, 2023
Historic Beaufort
After exiting the Park – you get to the heart of downtown Beaufort – and you are immediately struck by how completely different this place is from Hilton Head Island. This is an authentic historic southern town in every sense of the word. How beautiful and distinct the architecture gets me every single time. As you walk down Bay Street, you can feel the city’s history coursing through its veins.
Bay Street has art galleries, restaurants, boutiques, and more. The last time I was there, I even found a little ice cream shop in one of the small side gallerias and sat down for a couple of scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream – such a treat!
There are also a wide variety of activity options in Beaufort, a few of our favorites are listed below:
- A Historic Horse Drawn Carriage Tour where you learn about Beaufort’s charm history and landmarks on a narrated tour of the city
- Suppose the horse-drawn carriage isn’t your thing. In that case, there’s also a History and Movie Tour of Beaufort by Golf cart where you can learn about the history of Beaufort and check out unmarked film locations from the movie Forrest Gump.
- If you are a Pat Conroy fan – there’s a Pat Conroy Beaufort Tour where you can see many places that inspired his most famous works like The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini.
- And suppose you like to have fun and add a little competition to the mix. In that case, there’s a self-guided Beaufort Scavenger Hunt where you can learn all about South Carolina’s second oldest city with an app led scavenger hunt through the city.
After experiencing Beaufort in all its splendor, one of the best parts of our “”secret”” cruise still remains.
Bay Point Island
Located just to the east of the exit of the Beaufort River and the mouth of the Port Royal Sound, you will find Bay Point Island. Bay Point Island is a 1,400-acre totally undeveloped island with a pristine and unspoiled coastline with everything you are looking for in a remote sea island. We’re talking – marshes, a maritime forest, dunes, and of course – an extensive beachline.
This island is home to shorebirds, loggerhead turtles, and more. The really cool thing about this island is that you are rarely going to find anybody on the beach because of its remote location, and you can walk for miles on the beach and see dolphins cruising by. This island is a complete slice of paradise.
From Bay Point Island back to our home base on Hilton Head is anywhere from 30 – 45 minutes, depending on the water conditions. It’s a really scenic ride back as we cruise the Port Royal Sound between Parris Island and Hilton Head Island and past Dolphin Head into Skull Creek.
So, the next time you plan your next trip to Hilton Head Island and are looking for one of those utterly memorable off-the-beaten-path experiences – like our “secret” Beaufort boat trip or a private Hilton Head Dolphin Cruise, just give us a holler.
Hilton Head Island to Beaufort by Water
