A quaint little historic waterfront town in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, stuffed with historic buildings and appealing greenscapes and waterscapes, Beaufort has historic and natural ambiance aplenty but it's also sporting some new elements for the new year.
Two years ago, an enterprising couple with long Atlanta ties, Frank and Amy Lesesne, opened Beaufort's only waterfront inn, Anchorage 1770. Nicely positioned on the waterfront, the luxury property's main house has four waterfront rooms, and the front porch reputedly offers the best views of the city available. Additional rooms are in the back of the house and some have garden views. The property's cottage features two suites, one with a king bed and a gas fireplace, along with French doors leading to a private patio. The top-floor suite also has a gas fireplace, as well as a balcony. Just last autumn, the property opened its culinary offerings to the public as the Ribaut Social Club, a restaurant intended to recapture the spirit of the original Ribaut Club, an former iconic Beaufort retreat established in 1891.
Anchorage 1770, 1103 Bay St., Beaufort, 877-951-1770, anchorage1770.com
If you've been swept away into the Southern lives depicted in books (or the movies made from them) like "The Great Santini," "The Prince of Tides," "The Water is Wide," or any of the other lyrical Pat Conroy creations, you're going to want to visit the new museum/classroom/community center dedicated to the late wordsmith from Beaufort who died last year. The small museum is open on weekends, and lectures, special events and classes are being planned to begin later this year.
Pat Conroy Literary Center, 308 Charles St., Beaufort, 843-379-0725, patconroyliterarycenter.org
Beaufort County secured an easement a few years back to allow the development of 14 miles along an unused rail trail of the historic Magnolia Line Railroad, established in 1870, as a recreational greenway trail. As of December, 7 miles had been completed. The trail features 12-foot-wide paved paths for walking, running, biking, skating, fishing, and other recreational activities. Eventually, the Spanish Moss Trail will connect the City of Beaufort and the Town of Port Royal.
Spanish Moss Trail, Northern Beufort County, S.C., spanishmosstrail.com
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