America's Untold Story is right! Santa Elena History Center has a well put together, interactive…read moreexhibit about the "lost century" between Christopher Columbus sailing the ocean blue to the founding of Jamestown in 1607. This is a MUST SEE for any history buff or tourist to the area!

From the owner: Must-see new history center that tells the earliest stories of Colonization of America in the 16th…read morecentury. Come learn and be entertained by our exhibit, programs, and docents!

Amazing experience! My husband and I got an impromptu tour from Russ who volunteers as a museum…read moreguide. Russ is very knowledgeable! He walked us through each and every stand and told us a lot of fun stories. We got to ask lots of questions and got them all answered. Best and most personalized museum experience ever!

What a cool place, walking distance from downtown and our B&B. Our docent, Tom Kelley, really knew…read morehis history of the area and was engaging throughout our tour. Learning about the town you visit is always important to us, so the tour was right up our alley. Very cool place and visitor center onsite offers loads of information about the area from things to do, places to see and great restaurants. I loved hearing about the history of Beaufort and if you want to learn something, this is definitely the place to go! It looks like a castle as you come down the street and the folks there are most welcoming. They can also schedule walking tours or golfcart tours for you for another time. Make sure you say hello to Jenny & Chris in the visitor center and tell Tom we've been talking about his tour since we got home! Thanks for a great tour!

I recently visited during the NOGs Tour of Hidden Gardens and was reminded what a lovely home this…read moreis! Truly one of my favorite homes to tour in Savannah. Wonderful history and they do a fabulous job. I also love that they are a part of the Coastal Heritage Society. I often get the annual pass to visit this home as well as other Savannah sites.

I visited this historic home after seeing a couple of the rooms featured in the movie Bride Hard…read more Once I was there to experience the well preserved beauty of the home it was easy to see why it was chosen as a film location. My tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the house and even other movies filmed there. The tour started in the basement with stories about slave workers. The tour ends in the upstairs bedroom, learning about about Alida "Harper" Fowlkes. It you are interest in historic homes, definitely check out the Harper-Fowlkes House if you are in Savannah.

Great history and tour of the Lowcountry and Beaufort in particular! We had a great time!read more

Was planning to do the two hour walking tour because the buggy service was closed due to the summer…read moreheat, but it was pouring rain and the agency made accommodations for a van tour. Kinda feel I missed out on the intimacy of the town, but still got a bunch of information. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and very passionate about the history of Beaufort and it showed. I only partook in that tour company, so I don't know how the other companies would compare, but I would recommend to my friends.

Officially the Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge and formerly known as the Lady's Island Bridge,…read morethis drawbridge carries US-21 (Business) over the Intracoastal Waterway joining downtown Beaufort with Lady's Island. It was opened in 1959 and is the second swing-bridge in this spot. Yes, it's not the more common "bascule" or "leaf" bridge that raises. The Beaufort bridge is a swing bridge which pivots to allow tall marine traffic to pass. Swing bridges are cool. It's a pretty bridge in a classical sense and it's great that it can be seen from the Sea Island Parkway as you approach from the south and you can also stop along Bay Street (best next to the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park) to view the bridge. I did not get an opportunity to see it open during my time in Beaufort. The bridge has one lane in each direction and a single protected pedestrian walkway on one side of the roadway. There is no toll to cross the bridge. It is one of two bridges that cross here in Beaufort. The other is the McTeer Bridge about four miles south and it's just a regular boring high bridge that doesn't open. The bridge was used in the movie Forrest Gump. You'll see it at the end of this scene: https://youtu.be/1XRmhoGwgVg [Review 19478 overall - 1050 in South Carolina - 448 of 2023.]

You know why I low key love writing reviews for bridges? Because they pretty much write themselves…read more If the bridge wasn't up to par, then I wouldn't be writing the review. If there's one thing I can say about this bridge is that it's STURDY. I'm no architect, but I can definitely appreciate the STURDINESS of any bridge that I cross. The STURDIER the better, is what I always say, and this bridge really holds its own. As to not come off as sarcastic I actually did some homework on the bridge and found out that is one of the most popular landmarks in Beaufort S.C. It opened on December 17th in 1959, which stands a a huge testament to its STURDINESS, and dependability. The woods Memorial Bridge, which is more commonly referred to by locals as "Woods Bridge" is named in memory of Richard V. Woods 1935-1969. He was a Highway Patrol officer who was unfortunately killed in the line of duty. The bridge was also a stnd in for a bridge that crossed the mighty Mississippi in the classic movie Forrest Gump! So not only is the bridge STURDY as all get out! It's also a movie icon, and a sex symbol when compared to most bridges.

This loosely laid out complex of buildings paints a historical picture of an island that served as…read morea cultural center for what's now called Gullah-Geechee. The immediate sights next to the parking area are a visitor center where you buy tickets and a small history museum where you hand the tickets in. The history museum included an extensive tour by a local docent, from whom I got very specific details about local history and a friendly conversation of the sort the region is known for. It's a hard experience to explain to those who are living a more conventional American life, but part of the conversation here is about preserving history, with signs in the neighborhood hinting at a legal battle to prevent the surrounding island from being bought up and developed the way that some (but not all) of the surrounding islands have been. A restored schoolhouse on the site is National Parks property, unlike most of it which seems locally owned. Tours and events are offered, but at fairly limited times. It is an interesting place to browse and does have exhibits. There are also some handy water fountains and bathrooms in this area. Otherwise, the site includes a walking tour of several buildings of historic significance, most of which were used to house groups of visitors or for some administrative purpose, but the aesthetics were interesting to look at. This isn't the most dramatic or well-developed experience, and while it seemed more visitor areas might be coming, what's there is a compelling picture of island life and a unique culture.

Penn Center was recommended as a cultural stop during our visit to Beaufort…read more We did not take a tour but overall found the experience underwhelming. Perhaps we had been spoiled by the excellent IAAM in Charleston. The art work was interesting and the history of the school somewhat but if you have limited time I'd recommend elsewhere.

Whether a visitor or a local, you MUST stop by the museum. There is so much to see and learn about…read morethe history of Port Royal. The museum staff is very informative and friendly. I encourage everyone to visit!

I absolutely love coming to this museum when I'm walking through the beautiful town of Port Royal…read more Their exhibits capture the history perfectly and I can't speak highly enough of the Docents who greet me every time!

We came here on a Friday afternoon and the history center was opened until 4 PM. Two of the…read morevolunteers there were very friendly and very knowledgeable about the history of the area. We watched a 25 minute video of the history of the fort and the war. There is a sheltered picnic area and a natural path to the beach.

The general motion of travel around here will be from Beaufort to the ocean, which is Hunting…read moreIsland State Park. However, this detour is interesting. There is a separate parking area, from which one walks to the historic fort. It certainly looks cool, and signage explains the context. There is a visitor center which was closed when I was there on a holiday, but to their credit they left the bathrooms open and it was a very nice modern facility. The fort is a prelude to a beach however; it's not the ocean beach but it is quite a nice view and the very light waves are safe for those who don't want the ocean. There are residences lining the area with signage very strictly telling visitors to keep to the beach and not go on anyone's yard. But the public area is free and is worth visiting.

Beaufort's Visitors Center is located inside the Arsenal so it is easy to find. The staff is very…read morefriendly and will help you get oriented in town and provide suggestions as to what to see depending if you are there for the afternoon, a day or longer.

Excellent, fully equipped visitors center. I would recommend stopping here first when you visit…read moreBeaufort. The location was convenient, just inside the Arsenal / adjacent to the history museum. You can easily walk from downtown or there is metered parking in front of it. The woman working at the center was knowledgeable and super friendly - exactly what you expect in the south. There were ample maps, information, restaurant menus, you name it. They had knowledge of the entire low country area, not just Beaufort town proper. They also offered some tourist book up-sells if you really like Beaufort:)

In 1910, land was purchased for a cemetery…read more Indexing for the cemetery is available here: http://jhssc.org/beth-israel-cemetery/ Read more here: http://jhssc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Beaufort-BI-Cemetery-Farbstein.pdf