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Suggest a Feature →Beaufort & the South Carolina Lowcountry
Marine boot camp. And one of the most beautiful places in America.
MCRD Parris Island is where East Coast Marines are made — the boot camp that has processed over a million Marines since 1915. It sits on a tidal island in the South Carolina Lowcountry, surrounded by salt marsh, live oak, and the kind of subtropical beauty that surprises people who come expecting a utilitarian training depot.
Beaufort, SC (adjacent to Parris Island) is one of the most beautiful small cities in the South — antebellum homes, Spanish moss on every live oak, a film history (The Big Chill, Forrest Gump, and others were filmed here), and a genuine food scene anchored by Lowcountry cooking. Hilton Head Island is 40 minutes south. Charleston is 70 miles north.
Must Eat
The spots worth eating at before you PCS out.
Saltus River Grill (Beaufort)
"The best restaurant in the Lowcountry outside Charleston. On the waterfront."
Saltus River Grill on Beaufort's waterfront serves Lowcountry seafood — oysters, crab, local shrimp — with creative preparations and a view of the Beaufort River at sunset. The oyster bar is the anchor.
The outdoor deck at sunset is the finest dining setting in the Beaufort area.
Plums Restaurant (Beaufort)
"Downtown Beaufort's beloved neighborhood restaurant."
An institution in downtown Beaufort — reliable American food with Lowcountry accents, a great bar, and the kind of neighborhood restaurant that services a community well.
Outdoor
Get outside. The land around military installations is usually the best reason to be there.
ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge
"The largest undisturbed estuarine ecosystem on the East Coast."
The ACE Basin (Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Rivers) is the largest undisturbed estuarine system on the East Coast — 350,000 acres of salt marsh, tidal flats, bottomland hardwood, and barrier beach. The wildlife refuge has excellent birding and kayaking routes. Wood storks, painted buntings, and bald eagles are common.
Culture & History
Places with stories. Most military towns sit on deep history — dig in.
Beaufort Historic District
"Antebellum homes that survived Sherman because the town surrendered."
Beaufort was captured by Union forces in 1861 and never burned — its antebellum mansions (built by Sea Island cotton planters) survived the Civil War intact. The historic district is one of the finest collections of antebellum residential architecture in the South. Walking the bay front on a morning in spring is exceptional.
Family
Stuff to do with the kids. Rated by people who have brought actual children.
Hunting Island State Park
"The most visited state park in South Carolina. Wild beach. A lighthouse."
Hunting Island is a barrier island accessible by bridge (14 miles from Beaufort). The 5,000-acre park has a wild, actively eroding beach, maritime forest, salt marsh, and the Hunting Island Lighthouse (still operating, climbable). Camping available.
Day Trips
When you need to remember there's a world outside the gate.
"One of the great American cities. Squares, food, and the waterfront."
Savannah is 45 minutes south — the 22 historic squares, the River Street waterfront, Forsyth Park, and a food scene that has become nationally significant (The Grey, Cotton & Rye, The Olde Pink House).
The Gullah Geechee culture (descended from West African slaves who maintained distinctive culture on the Sea Islands) is living history in Beaufort County — seek out the storytellers, the cuisine, and the basket weavers.
Beaufort's Bay Street waterfront is the social hub. Evening walks and the Sunday market are both worth building into the routine.
Sea kayaking in the ACE Basin is one of the finest paddling experiences on the East Coast.
Hilton Head Island (40 miles) has resort infrastructure and Ocean Beach but loses the Lowcountry authenticity of Beaufort.
The Lowcountry Boil (shrimp, crab, sausage, corn, potatoes) is not just food — it's a social institution. Find one to attend.
Parris Island is a training base — the permanent party community is smaller than most. Beaufort is charming but small. Charleston and Savannah are your essential day trips.
This guide is built by people who've been stationed here. If there's a spot we got wrong or a gem we missed, tell us.