All roads lead to Fort Walker? The Port Royal Battle, the Blockade, the Charleston Siege, and the first Gullah town (Hilton Head historic tour)

The Hilton Head Island history is rich and powerful, with the Civil War period as its most fascinating and nation-impacting act. We were lucky to experience it last summer, during the “Forts of Port Royal” tour provided by the Coastal Discovery Museum. Things to know before you go • The cost is $12 for adults [...]

From Charleston to Savannah with love…Favorite places to visit with my kid in the Lowcountry

Here are the most surprising places I have found during my travel adventures in South Carolina (all approved by my preschool daughter). Today I’ll go over the Lowcountry: Charleston, Edisto, Beaufort, Hilton Head and Savannah. The American LaFrance Fire Museum in North Charleston This place is FUN with capital letters! Best of all its free [...]

“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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. 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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]