Beaufort & Hunting Island State Park

A vote was taken and the consensus was that a trip to Beaufort, SC was the destination for the day.  We weren't sure what we would find there, but wanted to check it out.  It turned out to be a good move and we enjoyed the area a lot.

The Beaufort Arsenal is now the visitors  center and was the first stop of the day.  Originally constructed in 1799, the brick and tabby arsenal has participated in a number of U.S. wars. During the Revolutionary War, a volunteer company served valiantly. The artillery also saw action during the Civil War during the battle of Port Royal.

Just inside the gate, a series of Civil War era cannons stand as sentinels to the arsenal’s rich history. The two brass trophy guns on display were captured from the British in 1779 and seized by Union soldiers at the fall of Fort Walker in 1861. The museum also features informative exhibits including World War I hand grenades, Confederate sabers and a 1915 machine gun.

The Beaufort Arsenal Museum opens a fascinating window on the past, offering insight into the rich history of the Lowcountry. Historic artifacts on display represent Native American settlements, the earliest 16th-century Spanish settlement, Union occupation during the Civil War and 20th-century phosphate mining, truck farming, fishing, shrimping and oystering industries.

Construction of the Beaufort Arsenal was begun in 1795 and was completed by 1799. The building had deteriorated substantially by 1852, when the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery Company rebuilt the complex.

The Arsenal was once home to the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery, which was organized in April of 1775 and has the distinction of being the fifth oldest military unit in the United States. As part of a 1934 WPA project, the original arsenal building was renovated and enlarged.

Today, the Beaufort Arsenal Museum is open Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Wednesday and Sundays.  

Dr Henry Woodward (1st permanent settler in South Carolina)

 We picked up some literature there and drove to Hunting Island to check out the state park and campground there.  The campground hosts were very nice and said it was fine to drive around the campground and see if we could find a nice site for us.  There were a number of large sites, along with many that we could not fit into.  The interior roads had trees right next to the pavement and a few areas would be a little difficult for a 40 ft motor home.  If we had time, we would like to come back and spend a week or two in the campground.

The lighthouse and beach are a few miles down the road and that was our next stop.  When we pulled up to the pay station and found out it was $5.00 per person and then $2.00 per person to walk up the lighthouse we decided it wasn't worth it that late in the day.  A quick U turn had us heading back to Beaufort.

Along the way back to Beaufort I noticed a number of shrimp boats at a small dock and decided to check out what they had for sale.  It was an old time place and I felt very much at home there.  I don't care for sterile places with no personality.  

Shrimp boat on way out

Docks and seafood market

This poor fellow decided to snitch a few shrimps and got caught.  He was left out so others could see what could happen to them if they weren't on the straight and narrow path.

They had fresh shrimp on sale for $12.00 a pound and they were nice and large.  We hope to be able to go back with a cooler and some ice and pick up a couple pounds before we leave the area.  Grouper was $15.00 a pound and looked great.  It will also be added to the ice chest and my mouth is watering thinking about some grilled grouper.

All this good food on display made me very hungry and we headed for a local restaurant on main street in Beaufort.  Plum's looked like a nice place and had a reasonable menu so in we went.  It was a little early and we were seated quickly by a window with a river view.  Nice!  The meals were great and everyone decided it was a place we would return to in the future.

The girls decided to do some shopping with the remaining time and thought the shops were interesting.  The only purchase were some fudge and chocolates at the Chocolate Tree.  

The side streets had some great old very large homes and looked to be over 100 years old.  They were beautiful homes with huge windows, wrap around balconies and oak trees wrapped in Spanish Moss.  Quite scenic to say the least.

Major parts of Forrest Gump were filmed in the Beaufort area and also in Savannah and they seemed quite proud of the film.  The shrimp boat scene was filmed nearby the seafood market we stopped at and when we return I hope to stop by and get some pictures of the area.

We all enjoyed the day and were quite impressed with the Beaufort area.  Now we just have to get back there again before we leave here.

Judy and Herb are leaving around 6:45am Tuesday morning on their way back to Arlington, TX.  Herb packed the car Monday night and once they get their coffee fix, they will be on the road quickly.  

*** NOTE ***  Tuesday evening   They arrived in Meridian, MS for the night and are leaving early next morning for the remainder of the trip.

That was our day, how was yours?