We made it to Beaufort! There’s been a lot of talk about people fleeing big cities because of the pandemic and I guess this makes me a statistic. We’ve been here for about a week and our little bungalow has already made a huge difference on our quality of life. Let’s chat about this charming little town we ended up in.

Beaufort is on Port Royal Island in South Carolinas’s low country and there is so much history here. I can’t wait to go on one of the history tours but this is what I’ve learned so far. This location was the second landing of Europeans in North America about 500 years ago but the British didn’t begin their settlement until 1711. Beaufort was Union occupied during the Civil War so some of its historic architecture has been preserved, which is rare. It is surrounded by inlets from the Atlantic Ocean and marshlands.

I know that some of my readers don’t live in the United States but if you do, you know that the weather has been crazy recently. Fortunately for us, the temperatures in Beaufort have stayed mild around 50F degrees but we have been getting a lot of rain. I’m not sorry that we missed the -30 F degree days in Minnesota.

I’ve been walking my dog Audi every morning and evening and working from our Airbnb during the day. Having a backyard to let the dog out and a screened in front porch for the cat has been a huge highlight of this house. This is our cat Javi’s first experience with the outside world. So far she is not a fan of cars, loud trucks, passerby’s and everything else.

Highlight of the Week: Hunting Island State Park

This past weekend we drove 20 minutes out to the coast to Hunting Island State Park. It is South Carolina’s most popular state park and has 5 miles of beautiful beach. It was a chilly day so we weren’t exactly there to sunbathe but thankfully it didn’t rain. Audi was able to see the ocean for the first time which was a really cool moment. Plus, she didn’t try to drink it!

We hiked to the hurricane ravaged beach on the Little Hunting Island trail, it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

We also climbed to the top of the Hunting Island Lighthouse which is the only publicly accessible lighthouse in South Carolina. According to the State Park website:

The original structure was built in 1859 and rebuilt in 1875 after it was destroyed during the Civil War. A unique feature of the lighthouse is that it was constructed of interchangeable cast-iron sections so it could be dismantled should it ever need to be moved. Severe beach erosion made it necessary to relocate the lighthouse 1.3 miles inland in 1889.

Hunting Island makes for a perfect day trip from Beaufort and we’ll definitely be back.

Restaurant Roundup

It wouldn’t be a Suitcasey travel post if I don’t talk about food. I’ve eaten a metric ton of seafood this week and I have no plans of slowing down. Here are just a few of my favs so far:

• 

• 

On our way south, we stopped in Glenn’s old collegiate stomping grounds of West Virginia and he introduced me to the phenomenon that is Tudor’s Biscuit World.

On what was probably our 3rd dining-in excursion of the pandemic, we went to Saltus River Grill in Downtown Beaufort for Valentine’s Day. They were having a Valentine’s Day special and we split this giant stuffed lobster. It was divine.

Another popular spot in the area is Dockside just over the bridge on the Lady’s Island side of Beaufort. We ordered a giant bucket of steamed oysters and it was everything I’ve been dreaming of. Not pictured because we devoured it too fast. But it was a bucket of oysters, you get the picture.

The weather is supposed to start warming up over the next week and we have plans to visit some cool spots in the area as well as a trip up to Charleston to visit my friends that got married a few months ago. I hope you all are doing well and staying safe. xoxo