“B” is for butterfly! Enjoy Hilton Head’s newest free family attraction at Coastal Discovery Museum

Hurray for the new butterfly exhibit at the Coastal Discovery Museum on the Honey Horn plantation. Children of all ages will be delighted to walk around jolly butterflies and see them emerge from chrysalises.
The outdoor garden is a shutterbugs and green thumbs mecca. There are so many beautiful flowers, plants and trees butterfly love to [...]

Honoring history and our brave Marines, a driving tour around Parris Island

While visiting the inspirational Parris Island military museum take advantage of the free self-guided 15 miles loop driving tour. Download the brochure ahead of time; it has a brief description of all the attractions and turn by turn driving instructions. Here are the highlights (data taken from the brochure):

Interesting things to see near the museum
Iron [...]

Beaufort’s jewel: The John Verdier House Museum by the Waterfront Par

The John Mark Verdier House Museum is one of the most revered historic homes in Beaufort and the Sea Islands. If you are into colonial architecture and Civil War history then you’re in for a treat!
The house is located on Bay Street across from the Waterfront Park playground. The museum is open Monday to Saturday [...]

Be a proud Marine at historic Parris Island Museum

Be inspired, thrilled and for ever humbled at the amazing Parris Island Museum near Beaufort, an 8,000 square feet ode to “The Few.The Proud. The Marines”.
Admission is free and the museum is open daily 10AM – 4:30PM except New Year’s, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. More info (843) 228-2951 or the website.
You’ll get a pass at [...]

Vibrant, resilient and mysterious, St. Helena Church towers historic Beaufort almost 300 years later…

Recently I visited one of the most iconic churches in Beaufort and the Lowcountry, the St. Helena Episcopal Church. Thanks to our lovely guide the free tour was a pure delight (that’s quite a feat with my young and restless 5 years old!).
St. Helena church was established in 1712 as a colonial parish of the [...]

A heart felt return to Old Sheldon Church

On my second visit to Beaufort and the “Palmetto Phoenix Church” I discovered touching stories of love, passion, freedom and despair.
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The heart-breaking loss of a child…
“I’ll weep no tears upon the grave
Where lies my darling out of sight
God has but taken what He gave
And made my child a Seraph bright
He early tastes the promised bliss
And [...]

The Province of Carolina in the 1670s, an inspiring historic tour at Charles Towne Landing

The Charles Towne Landing Visitors Center has an incredible exhibit showcasing the Carolina beginnings. Step in the shoes of white English settlers, Native Americans, or African slaves and experience first hand how life was like in the late 17th century.
• How much money can you make if you were a woman?
• What skills were most sought [...]

Wild family fun at the mysterious Audubon Swamp Garden (what to do with kids in Charleston)

The Audubon Swamp in Charleston is America’s most unique garden and wildlife preserve, a remarkable, must see family experience.
The swamp garden became famous when John J. Audubon visited 150 years ago in search of waterfowl specimens for his paintings.
Fast forward to our time, it shined again as the filming site of the movie “The [...]

Exciting Hilton Head dolphin watch cruise (what to expect and tour details, dolphin photo tips and just for kids)

The best way to sight see Hilton Head (the second largest island on the East coast) and to spot the friendly bottle-nose dolphins is to go on a cruise.
Travelling on the gorgeous Calibogue Sound you get up close views Hilton Head’s Marina and most luxurious plantations, the Cross Island Bridge, Buck, Bull and Daufuskie [...]

A photo tour of Beaufort: history, art and incredible outdoors

Chartered in 1711, Beaufort is South Carolina’s second oldest town after Charleston and its best kept travel secret…not for long!
Here are some things worth shouting about this historic yet vibrant little town recently dubbed “the Newport of the South”:
Top 50 Waterfront Adventure Towns in the nation
The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America
The Kaleidoscope [...]