Beaufort, South Carolina

 2020 put a stop to travel plans for millions of people — and Tiki.

But over this past year, Tiki has spent a lot of time thinking about his last trip and how much he enjoyed his time in Beaufort, South Carolina. He loved it so much in fact, that he is making plans to return.

The original intent of the trip was to see family, but as we all relaxed in a cute little house we found on Home Away (now VRBO) we started wondering what it would be like to live there.

We would be so close to the ocean and the beaches and best of all, within a day's drive of several cruise ports.

We only had a few days to explore the Beaufort area and made the most of the time we had. It was November so we knew we weren't going swimming, but the weather was still so nice.

We had been through South Carolina before but never for an extended stay. With Beaufort being just over 1,200 miles from home we decided to fly.

                      

We pulled in at a pretty decent time and checked out our Home-Away home for the week. You can read the reviews, look at all the pictures, even view the home on Google Earth but you never know what it is going to be like until you walk in the door.

We LOVED the Mermaid Cottage 

 They even made towel animals,
just like on the cruise ships!

After a quick trip downtown to stock up on some groceries and find the nearest liquor store, it was back to the house.

Over the next few days we started exploring. 

Downtown Beaufort streets are lined with cute little shops and if you're into the specialty stores, this would be a great place to spend the afternoon. But for us, being short on time we headed out to Hunting Island.

Marshland near downtown Beaufort

The drive into Hunting Island was beautiful with its tree-lined roads. The first evening we went out there it was late, the sun was setting and it was drizzling. It made for some really pretty pictures though. The next day when we went back the skies were clear and we could see just how gorgeous the beach was.

                                    

A Jellyfish - Even though it is dead,
I think I'll leave it alone.

 

One of the must-see sights at Hunting Island is the Lighthouse. For a pretty nominal fee, you can walk up to the top. It's not a bad climb. Even with a bad knee, I was able to make it without a problem. There are several landings along the way to stop for a moment if you need to.

The views are well worth the climb. You can get out and walk around the top for a 360 look.

The first lighthouse on Hunting Island was constructed between 1857 and 1859 for a cost of $102,000, which equals about $2 million in today's currency.

Two years after it was built, the Confederates destroyed it so the Union Army would not be able to use it against them.

In 1875 the new lighthouse was completed and put into operation and the lighthouse keeper's family lived on the property.

As we drove around and explored the area we came across Robinson Boardwalk, which also had a viewing tower where we watched the dolphins play. 

   

Before we knew it, it was time to head home, but we did take one last quick foray out to the boardwalk before jumping back on a plane to go home to Kansas - many miles from the beaches and ocean.

Time to go home