Winter Trips
Beaufort, SC, was our next stop. TripAdvisor had just put out their list of the top ten boutique hotels in the U.S., and one is located in Beaufort. It’s called the City Loft. It looks like an updated motel, which it is…walk into your room, however, and you could be in New York City. Very comfortable and stylishly decorated, and THE most comfortable bed I have ever slept in (and I have a comfortable bed here in Arlington!) In fact, the beds are so comfortable they even have a specification sheet available in the office because so many guests ask. Located on site, as well, are a small, yet very efficient, gym and a coffee shop. Beaufort is a walkable town, so you can park your car while there and stroll. I love Beaufort. Besides its architectural and landscape beauty, there is so much to do in the area. And it’s only a short drive to Savannah.
I’d driven out to the Sea Islands just across the bridge from Beaufort, but never stopped and explored. This time we did. This is the heart of Gullah country. The Gullah people are descendants of African slaves in the Lowcountry (an area I define, loosely, as stretching from around Wilmington, NC, to Jacksonville, FL, at least in terms of the landscape and flora. Most Southerners think of the Lowcountry as running from Charleston to Savannah, I’m guessing). From Lady’s Island out to exclusive Fripp Island, it is a beautiful drive. The town of Frogmore, on St. Helena Island, is just a crossroads, yet there is a fantastic Gullah art gallery called Red Piano Too. Walk right across the street and you can have an authentic Gullah meal at Gullah Grub. The shrimp gumbo plate and fish chowder were out of this world (and so were the sides). After lunch, we drove down St. Helena Island to the remains of the Chapel of Ease, covered with Spanish moss.
A little further out along the chain of islands, we stopped at Hunting Island State Park. There is a modest admittance fee to the park, and we almost didn’t go in. Thank goodness we did. We didn’t know that such a place still existed. Is this what the Southeast coast used to look like, before all the massive development? I have never seen so many native Palmetto palms growing along with live oaks and pines. It was stunning. The visitor’s center is very informative, and a drive, then walk, out to the beach is worth the trouble. Palms are everywhere, allowed to grow naturally, and nearby is a great little lighthouse. It’s not a hard climb to the top and the views are outstanding. Hunting Island State Park was the great surprise of our trip.
A great book based in the Lowcountry and the Beaufort area is A Sea Island Lady. It was written in 1939 by Francis Griswold. It’s not a short read, yet the book is true to the area and its history. I read the book before I ever visited Beaufort, and it really helped my orientation and understanding of the place, once there.
Our beloved Savannah, GA, was the next and final stop of this trip. We stayed at the Plantation Inn, right next to the Pink House restaurant on Reynold’s Square. If you’ve never been to the Pink House for a meal, it’s worth a stop.
Our very favorite hangout in Savannah is the Crystal Beer Parlor. It’s a neighborhood place with an excellent beer selection and good, hearty food. Our pal, Felicia, is often the hostess when we visit, and she gives us a warm welcome.
The weather in Savannah finally warmed up enough to pull our bikes off the bike rack and take a ride through, of all places, Bonaventure Cemetery. If you read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the Bird Girl statue on the cover used to be in Bonaventure—she was removed, for protection, after the book became famous. In the horticulture community, it’s always said that if you want to see what grows without much care in an area, visit an old cemetery, and there you’ll get lots of ideas. If that’s the case, then sago palms do well in Savannah. A favorite of ours, there were dozens, in full fruit, in the cemetery. I love to visit old, old cemeteries when traveling. The old cemeteries in Richmond, Key West, and New Orleans are excellent.
No visit to Savannah would be complete, for us, without a visit to the Mercer House Gift Shop. It’s located in the carriage house behind the main house. I’ve never left this shop empty handed. Another worthy stop is The Book Lady Bookstore on E. Liberty St. And, like Charleston, a walk through old Savannah’s streets and Forsyth Park make me want to rush back to the drawing board with new garden ideas.
What a great trip this winter.
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