The Area

People have been coming to historic Beaufort and the South Carolina Sea Islands for hundreds of years. The city is renowned for its scenic charm and for maintaining a historic character and careful preservation of its southern antebellum architecture and lowcountry setting. The city is also known for its military establishments, being located in close proximity to Parris Island Marine base, a U.S. Naval Hospital and a Marine Corps Air Station. Its charm has attracted explorers, plantation owners, historians, poets, artists, writers, actors, movie directors, musicians, vacationers, military and a host of others.

Beaufort has been featured in the New York Times, and named "Best Small Southern Town" by Southern Living, a "Top 25 Small City Arts Destination" by American Style, and a "Top 50 Adventure Town" by National Geographic Adventure. The secret is out, something we already knew.

Beaufort's Lowcountry: Salt-water marsh and waterways make our coastal terrain unique and exceptionally scenic. Hundreds of Sea Islands surround the 300-year-old town of Beaufort that is located on Port Royal Island. It has been estimated that over 75% of our coastal area is water providing natural and breath-taking views on every turn with waterways that are pristine and flourish with life.

Over the last 300 years, many our Sea Islands have been developed with relatively low-density beginning with historic Beaufort, population 12,000, located on Port Royal Island. The town established in 1711 and the town of Port Royal just a few miles from Beaufort established in 1874. The village of Port Royal, population 10,000, was the first settlements in the new world and actually predates Jamestown by three years. Both historic Beaufort and historic Port Royal are located on Port Royal Island.

Our barrier sea islands include Fripp and Harbor Islands. Fripp and Harbor are gated resort communities and because of their white sandy beaches are ideally suited for the annual summer vacations crowds that frequent the coast during the summer.

Other sea islands to mention are St. Helena Island, Ladys Island, Port Royal Island, Cat Island, and Dataw Island, Callawassie Island and many more. The smaller islands i.e. Dataw and Cat are typical of single developments, some gated, some not. The larger islands i.e. Ladys Island, St. Helena and Port Royal are much larger areas and have multiple neighborhoods and developments, some historic and some new. Our Sea Islands provide a diverse range of choices of areas, homes and prices where buyers with our help can find exactly what is best for them.

Things to do: Most everything in our lowcountry revolves around the water, the marsh, the history and culture of the area. Whatever the activity, you can bet that it will include food, drink and a fantastic celebration. There are festivals throughout the year, many of which are held in our beautifully reconstructed waterfront park or on Paris Island Avenue in Port Royal. We have festivals to celebrate our shrimp season, our Gullah traditions, our history and homes, great food, our music and being Irish or wanting to be. The "Water Festival" is one our largest festival and our newest is the "Beaufort International Film Festival".

We boat, fish, crab, shrimp, sail, ski, surf, and go to the beach. We sit in lazy chairs on front porches. Sometimes our porches are on the side of the house similar to our Charleston neighbors and suited for prevailing breezes. In season, we stop and buy our vegetables from our neighbor's roadside stand. We golf, run, go to ballgames, worship and participate in many outdoor activities that allow us to enjoy our family and fellow neighbors.

Beaufort is a unique place, and those of us who live here are grateful it is our home!