Discover the best things to do, eat, and park your RV in Beaufort, South Carolina—Lowcountry’s most charming historic waterfront town.
Overview of Beaufort, South Carolina
If Charleston is the belle of South Carolina’s ball, Beaufort (pronounced “BYOO‑fert,” not the other “Bow‑fert” up in North Carolina) is her wry, salt‑sprayed little sister who shows up barefoot and still somehow steals the spotlight. Chartered in 1711, Beaufort is the second‑oldest city in the state and home to about 13,600 people who have learned to live with year‑round humidity and an annual invasion of magazine writers looking for the “Next Great Small Town.”
Strategically parked midway between Savannah and Charleston on Port Royal Island, the town is wrapped in tidal marshes, live‑oaks weighted with Spanish moss, and enough antebellum architecture to make a drone pilot weep. Hollywood noticed, too—more than 15 movies (think Forrest Gump and The Big Chill) have rolled cameras here, giving the locals decades of polite practice in telling star‑struck visitors, “Yes, Tom Hanks really did eat shrimp right over there.” (explorebeaufortsc.com, beaufortsc.org)
Why People Visit (Besides the Obvious “It’s Gorgeous”)
- Scenery That Looks Photoshopped – Salt‑marsh sunsets do a pretty convincing Impressionist painting; no filter required. Waterfront porches come standard.
- History With Patina – From Gullah culture at St. Helena’s Penn Center—now a UNESCO‑recognized site—to 300‑year‑old churches and Civil War-era mansions, Beaufort is essentially an outdoor museum that happens to sell ice cream.
- Outdoor Therapy – Kayak the tidal creeks, bike the 10‑mile Spanish Moss Trail, or head 15 miles out to Hunting Island State Park for a lighthouse climb and your daily allowance of Atlantic breeze.
- Screen Credits – Folks arrive clutching movie‑location maps the way pilgrims once carried relics. (Yes, that white mansion really is “Tidalholm”; no, Kevin Costner doesn’t still live there.)
Five Sight‑Seeing Staples
| Spot | What Makes It Worth the Sand in Your Shoes |
|---|---|
| Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park | Porch‑style swings, broad river views, shrimp‑boat selfies, and enough festival action to keep a funnel‑cake vendor solvent. |
| Hunting Island State Park & Lighthouse | Wild beach, 130‑ft lighthouse climb, occasional raccoon photo‑bombs; South Carolina’s most‑visited state park for good reason. |
| Spanish Moss Trail | Ten miles of flat, paved bliss for biking, jogging, or pretending you’re in a Nicholas Sparks montage. |
| Penn Center (St. Helena Island) | One of the nation’s first schools for formerly enslaved people; now a cultural campus and soul‑checking history lesson. |
| Parris Island Museum | Marine‑Corps history with drill‑instructor intensity—minus the push‑ups. Free admission, priceless bragging rights. |
Top 5 Restaurants
- Saltus River Grill – Waterfront, white‑table‑cloth seafood that still lets you lick your fingers. Try the sushi, pretend it’s research. (saltusrivergrill.com)
- Breakwater Restaurant & Bar – Upscale Lowcountry plates and cocktails strong enough to make you forget the day you tried to parallel‑park an RV downtown. (breakwatersc.com)
- Old Bull Tavern – Ever‑changing gastropub menu, exposed brick, and a sheep’s‑milk ricotta that could end feuds. Reservations advised unless you enjoy ironic loitering. (oldbulltavern.com)
- Blackstone’s Café – The local breakfast club (literally—there’s a documentary) where shrimp‑and‑grits shares equal billing with life lessons from octogenarian Marines. (blackstonescafe.com, southernliving.com)
- Plums Restaurant – Casual Bay‑Street staple for fried‑green‑tomato BLTs and river views that upstage your lunch companion. (plumsrestaurant.com)
Class A–Friendly RV Resorts Within an Hour
| Resort | Drive from Downtown | Why Your Motorcoach Will Thank You |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head Island Motorcoach Resort | ~40 min south | Gated, oak‑shaded 50‑amp paradise with pickle‑ball courts and a free trolley to the beach. Class A/C/Super C only—so your rig will feel suitably superior. (hhimotorcoachresort.com, travelswithted.com) |
| Hilton Head National RV Resort (Bluffton) | ~35 min south | 97 landscaped acres, lagoon views, swim‑up bar, on‑site golf next door, and sites built for 45‑footers with egos to match. (hiltonheadrv.com) |
| Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort & Marina | ~45 min south | Waterfront pads, on‑site water‑sports, and a restaurant so close you could order oysters in your slide‑outs. (hiltonheadharbor.com) |
| Lake Jasper RV Village (Hardeeville) | ~30 min west | Lakeside pull‑throughs, kayak rentals, dog park—big‑rig friendly even if you tow something that tows something else. (covecommunities.com) |
| Point South / I‑95 KOA Holiday (Yemassee) | ~25 min north | Wine‑tastings, pizza delivery to your site, and an easy off‑and‑on I‑95 stop when “just one more episode of Dirty Jobs” turns into 2 a.m. (koa.com) |
Parting Shot
Beaufort is the kind of place where you can step out of your Prevost—though we highly recommend taking a toad into town unless parallel parking a land yacht is your idea of a vacation thrill—wander past crumbling colonial tabby ruins, kayak alongside dolphins who clearly own the place, indulge in she-crab soup rich enough to require a nap, and still make it back in time to catch a movie beneath the same live oaks that brooded behind Kevin Costner. It’s a working-town gem—equal parts grit, grace, and gratuitous Spanish moss. Honestly, it’s the kind of gig I’d happily take… just as long as someone else handles the black tank.
