Instead of treating the drive to Beaufort as something to get through before the weekend started, I decided to make a day of it. I had a little work to finish, nowhere I had to be until late afternoon and several hours to wander around Beaufort on my own before everyone arrived.

It turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip.

First Stop: Wood Brothers

Coming from Charleston, my first stop was Wood Brothers.

I’ve written an entire post about why I love stopping here on the drive between Charleston and Beaufort, but it’s especially good on a girls’ weekend travel day. Get out, stretch your legs, grab something to eat or drink and use the bathroom before getting back on Highway 17.

On the way home, the same stop works just as well if you’re driving back toward Charleston.

Wood Brothers has always been a special place for us at Coastal Expeditions—we used to meet our ACE Basin kayak trips at the old Wood Brothers—and I love seeing this iconic Lowcountry stop having another life.

From there, it was on to Beaufort.

Lunch, Coffee & a Little Work at Herban Market

Since I still had some Friday work to finish, I went straight to Herban Market when I got into town.

This was exactly what I needed: a cute coffee shop, a really good cup of coffee and avocado on sourdough with a fried egg while I finished up the last things I needed to get done before officially signing off for the weekend.

And the location is hard to beat.

You’re right across the boulevard from the water, so even sitting inside working, you can look out toward the sailboats and remind yourself that you are, in fact, already on vacation.

Once I closed my computer, I left my car where it was and started walking.

Find a Beach Read at the Pat Conroy Literary Center

One of the things I love about Beaufort is that you don’t really need a plan once you’re downtown. Just start walking.

From Herban Market, I wandered over to the Pat Conroy Literary Center and found their little lending library outside. I picked out a book that looked like the perfect easy beach read and tucked it under my arm for the weekend.

Then I kept walking.

Take the Long Way to Bay Street

I think I walked down North Street a block away from the waterfront, but honestly, the particular street doesn’t matter much. This is the part where you should wander.

The historic district in Beaufort may be one of my favorite places in the Lowcountry to walk.

The houses are beautiful, of course, but it’s the gardens I notice. They’re not overly manicured or precious. They’re lush and a little messy, with plants spilling over walls and fences in a way that makes some of the old houses look as though they are simply pushing up out of the ground.

And maybe I’m imagining it, but the Spanish moss seems heavier in Beaufort.

It hangs lower and thicker. The resurrection fern seems greener. Everything feels just a little more overgrown and humid and old.

It feels like the Lowcountry turned up a notch.

Eventually, I made my way down to Bay Street.

Spend Some Time Along the Beaufort Waterfront

One thing I would make sure to leave time for is the waterfront downtown. Bay Street is an easy place to slow down, watch the boats come and go and get a feel for the Beaufort River before continuing on with the afternoon.

The waterfront is also where the city starts to feel connected to everything beyond downtown—the rivers, islands and waterways that make this part of the Lowcountry so distinctive.

Get on the Water — Especially When It’s 100 Degrees

It was hot.

Not normal August-in-South-Carolina hot. The heat index was somewhere around 120 degrees, and by the time I reached the end of Bay Street, getting out on a boat sounded like a very good idea.

This is also where I realized how easy it would be to add a boat trip to this part of the day.

Coastal Expeditions leaves right from downtown Beaufort, near the end of Bay Street.

The waterways around Beaufort are part of what makes getting out on the water so different from simply walking around downtown, and they’re an easy way to experience more of the Lowcountry.

You can park in the city lot there, hop aboard and spend some time out on the water learning about Beaufort’s history and the surrounding Lowcountry.

On a summer afternoon, it’s also a pretty great way to escape the heat on the streets.

If I were planning this day for someone visiting Beaufort for the first time, I’d seriously consider building a boat ride into the afternoon before heading out to Harbor Island.

The Best Kind of Souvenir

Right across from the boat landing is the Anchorage 1770, a beautiful inn overlooking the Beaufort River, and just a couple of doors down I found Bay Street Treasures, an antique shop.

This is my favorite kind of shopping.

There were so many things I could have brought home, and the prices were surprisingly good. I eventually found a vintage brass door knocker shaped like a dolphin.

Now, I don’t generally consider myself a dolphin décor person.

But this was exactly how you want dolphin kitsch to be.

The brass had aged beautifully, and you could tell it had already spent years on somebody else’s house. Somehow it felt less like a dolphin souvenir and more like an old piece of the coast.

It came home with me.

Save Bay Street for the Girls

At that point, I had a choice.

I could keep going down Bay Street and start shopping, or I could save all of that for when my friends arrived.

I chose the latter.

Instead, I turned around and walked back through the historic neighborhood, where there was shade and Spanish moss and old houses to look at.

That’s another thing worth knowing about Beaufort: you don’t necessarily have to pay to park downtown. Once you’re away from the main stretch of Bay Street, there are places to park without feeding a meter, and there’s also free parking in the city lot where the Coastal Expeditions boats depart.

I made my way back toward my car, grabbed another blast of air conditioning and started the final leg of the drive.

And Then Beaufort Changes

Cross the bridge from Beaufort onto Lady’s Island and keep going toward St. Helena, and the trip changes again.

This is one of my favorite parts.

Downtown Beaufort is polished and historic and beautiful. Out here, you begin to feel more of the Sea Islands.

You see places selling fresh shrimp. Farm stands. Native plants. Little restaurants and coffee shops. Antique markets that make you want to pull over even though you absolutely do not need another thing for your house.

And the Gullah Geechee culture that has shaped these islands becomes much more present.

I stopped at an antique market on the way through and immediately found several more things I wanted. I passed a little coffee shop that I made a mental note to try on the way home, and a local restaurant that looked like exactly the kind of place where I’d want to stop for a burger.

This stretch isn’t something I’d rush through.

Leave yourself enough time to pull over when something looks interesting.

Finally, Harbor Island

By the time I made it to Harbor Island, I didn’t feel like I’d spent the day waiting for our girls’ weekend to begin.

It already had.

I’d had a great lunch, finished my work, found a book for the beach, walked through one of the prettiest historic neighborhoods in the Lowcountry, bought something completely unnecessary at an antique store and taken the slow road through St. Helena.

And I was still at the house in time to get settled before my friends arrived.

So if you’re planning a girls’ weekend on Harbor Island, Hunting Island or anywhere around Beaufort, don’t look at a 4 p.m. check-in as a reason to leave Charleston later.

Leave early.

Make the drive part of the weekend.

Because between Charleston and that 4 p.m. check-in, there’s a whole lot of Lowcountry worth exploring.

MORE TO EXPLORE

Can we take a sunset boat cruise before dinner in downtown Beaufort?
Absolutely—and it’s one of our favorite ways to spend an evening in Beaufort. Take a Coastal Expeditions sunset boat cruise from the Downtown Beaufort Marina, then walk to dinner on Bay Street. Make a reservation at Wren or Saltus River Grill (two of our favorites for a girls weekend) for afterward and you’ve got a pretty perfect Lowcountry evening: time on the water followed by cocktails and dinner downtown.

How far is Harbor Island from downtown Beaufort?
Harbor Island is about a 25 minute drive from downtown Beaufort, depending on traffic. The drive takes you across Lady’s Island and St. Helena Island, so leave extra time to explore local restaurants, farm stands, shops and other stops along the way.

Does Coastal Expeditions offer tours near Harbor Island and Hunting Island?
Yes. Coastal Expeditions offers adventures throughout the Beaufort and Sea Islands area, including boat tours from downtown Beaufort and experiences around Hunting Island, St. Helena Island and St. Phillips Island. It’s easy to add an on-the-water adventure to a Beaufort or Harbor Island weekend.