We arrived on a calm, hot Monday intending to stay through Tuesday, however the weather reports warned of severe weather and high winds so we stayed another day and another day and right on through to the weekend. 45 mph winds and tornado warnings kept us in harbor. We cannot always stay on the Intercoastal Waterway as it weaves among the countless barrier islands, and to find a marina we must drive up one of the numerous rivers leading into these amazing towns …. I’m challenged to discover new adjectives!

Located on the Intracoastal Waterway near Marker 239, we are staying in the heart of one of South Carolina’s oldest and most beautiful cities (they all are). Within 300 yards of our boat we find restaurants, hotels, B&Bs and a variety of other shops located in a lively business district. We took a horse-drawn carriage into the historic neighborhoods winding though shady lanes under moss-strewn oaks. Stately antebellum mansions display the city’s Southern charm and grace. The Riverfront Park adjacent to the harbor meanders along the Beaufort River, with a grand vista of the marsh islands and intersecting waterways.

Beaufort is a National Historic Landmark District. Birthed 450 years ago when French explorer Jean Ribaut sailed into Port Royal sound, the second-deepest natural harbor on the East Coast. French, Spanish and English explorers struggled to colonize the area. We learned that 25% of the United States’ east coast marshland water is in Beaufort County. With hundreds of square miles of tide water and grassy marshes to explore we get out in the dinghy as often as the weather allows. It’s great fun.

Several movies were filmed here: Glory, Forest Gump, The Great Santini, Prince of  Tides.

Beaufort National Cemetery was established two years after the Civil War began. One of six national cemeteries built in 1863 for Union soldiers and sailors.