Introduction

Beaufort, South Carolina is a small historic port city on the Beaufort River, in the heart of the state's Lowcountry region. It is the seat of Beaufort County, home to roughly 13,600 residents according to the 2020 census, and sits inland from the Atlantic behind a maze of marsh and sea islands. Recent travel guides describe it as one of the best-preserved antebellum towns on the Southeastern coast, with a 304-acre downtown historic district recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

Not the Other Beaufort

Before booking anything, confirm which Beaufort you mean. There are two historic port towns of this name on the U.S. Atlantic coast, roughly 200 miles apart: this one, in South Carolina's Lowcountry, and a smaller town of the same name in Carteret County, North Carolina, near the Outer Banks. They share a namesake — Henry Somerset, the 2nd Duke of Beaufort — but not a pronunciation. According to a WCNC/NBC Charlotte report on the mix-up, and Beaufort, SC's own tourism site (which addresses the confusion directly), South Carolina's Beaufort is pronounced "BEW-fert," while North Carolina's Beaufort is pronounced "BOH-fert" — which, per the same reporting, is actually closer to how the Duke himself said his name. It's a genuinely common source of confusion when booking flights, hotels, or GPS routes, so double-check before committing to either one.

Lowcountry Geography and Gullah Geechee Culture

Beaufort sits amid tidal salt marsh, barrier islands, and moss-draped live oaks typical of the Lowcountry. The surrounding Sea Islands are also home to Gullah Geechee culture — the distinct language, foodways, and traditions of communities descended from enslaved West and Central Africans who worked the region's rice and cotton plantations. According to the National Park Service, which administers the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor established by Congress in 2006, Gullah Geechee communities preserved more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African American community in the United States. Nearby St. Helena Island's Penn Center, founded in 1862 as one of the first schools in the South for formerly enslaved people, is the most direct way to engage with that history rather than as backdrop.

Getting There

Beaufort has no scheduled commercial air service of its own. The nearest options, per airport and mapping data reviewed, are Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), roughly 50 miles and about an hour's drive away, and the smaller Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH), about 38 miles away with more limited flights. Charleston International Airport, about 75 miles north, offers more frequent flight options if you don't mind the longer drive. Beaufort is reached via US-21 and US-17 rather than directly off Interstate 95, which keeps it a deliberate detour rather than a highway pit stop.

Parris Island, Next Door

About four miles south of downtown is Parris Island, home to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, where tens of thousands of recruits train annually according to figures reported by military and tourism sources. It's a real economic and cultural presence in the area, not a footnote — recruit graduations draw large numbers of visiting family to the city several times a year, and the on-base Parris Island Museum is open to visitors, though as an active military installation, current gate access requirements should be confirmed before driving out.