Best Moving Company in Beaufort

Halloween is almost here and there are tons of events going on everywhere over the next two weekends. Whether you’re looking to get spooked, enjoy a Halloween party or just grab a few treats with a couple of tricks (with or without the kids), here’s all the haunting details you’ll need to have a spooktacular time north of the Broad River.

Trick Or Treat / Trunk Or Treat

The City of Beaufort is hosting its annual Downtown Trick or Treat event on October 21st. The event kicks off at 10am at downtown’s Henry C Chambers Waterfront Park. Enjoy games with prizes, crafts, a DJ, followed by Trick or Treating at 12:30. Bring your little ones in their Halloween costumes and have some family fun. There’s a photo booth set up for free photos, too!

The Town of Port Royal is hosting its annual Trunk Or Treat on Paris Avenue on Sunday, October 29th from 3pm to 5pm. The trunks will be lined up between 9th & 12th Streets. This is a popular event that always has lots of attendees, and is sponsored by the Lowcountry Jaycees, the Town and the Beaufort County YMCA.

The Gullah Geechee Initiative Foundation is hosting its first ever Gullah Family Trunk or Treat at Penn Center on October 29th from 4 to 8pm. Enjoy an evening of trick-or-treating for the whole family with candy, prizes, music, a photo booth, movie night, costume contests and more, with prizes including tickets to theme parks and local attractions.

Hunting Island State Park is hosting its first ever Haunted Island Halloween on Saturday, October 28th from 4pm to 7pm. Costumed kids will enjoy trick or treating through three of the park’s parking lots, a scavenger hunt, and a costume contest. Food trucks will be on hand as well.

Praise Assembly in Port Royal is hosting its annual Harvest Fest on October 29th from Noon to 2pm. Kids and adults will enjoy a Trunk or Treat, gourmet food trucks, bounce houses, obstacle courses, carnival games, and lots more. The event is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

On October 21st, the Classic Car & Truck Club of Beaufort is hosting its annual Trunk or Treat at its Halloween Cruise In. The event comes complete with a decoration contest, free food and drinks, live music and more. The event is scheduled for 4pm to 8pm at 14 John Galt Road in Beaufort.

Also, the Highway 21 Drive In is hosting a Trunk or Treat on October 21st from 4 to 7pm.

Halloween Parties/Grown-Up Fun

The Fillin’ Station on Lady’s Island is hosting its annual Halloween Costume Party on October 28th, complete with live music and prizes along with food and drink specials. (1st Place costume wins a brand new Yeti Cooler and CASH) Costumes are preferred, or at the very least wear a mask and have some fun on the expansive outdoor deck from 7pm to 11pm.

Miramare Italiano in Habersham is hosting a “Habersham Halloween Bash” at the restaurant on October 22nd starting at 6pm. The event offers live music, a costume contest, Halloween games, trivia, lip sync battles, a DJ and a Diva Drag Show. Visit this link for more information and tickets.

Other Family Fun

ShellRing Ale Works in Port Royal is hosting its 2nd annual family friendly Boo-Bash all day long on October 28th. They’re having a costume contest for dogs, kids and adults, with cash prizes, along with face painting, pumpkin painting and bouncy houses.

On Saturday, October 28th at 7pm it’s a FREE MOVIE NIGHT with the ever-popular Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort. Bring the kids, some chairs and blankets and enjoy free popcorn, drinks, and candy for the kiddos.

The pumpkin patches at Dempsey Farms on St. Helena Island and at Carteret Street UMC in downtown Beaufort are open. Have some fall fun at Dempsey’s with tractor rides, a huge field maze, and pick the perfect pumpkin and some other veggies, too.

Revolution Ballroom is hosting a Spook-tacular Halloween Dance Party on Saturday, October 28th from 7pm to 10pm. Wear your favorite costume and enjoy a frightfully fun night out with friends and all your favorite music so you can enjoy dancing, along with Tricks & Tasty Treats. Visit this link for more info.

The annual Beaufort Ghost Tours are running Friday and Saturday evenings through October 29th. Here’s the schedule and ticket info.

Bricks on Boundary is hosting a Halloween Party on October 25th from 5pm to 8pm. There’s a kids costume contest, live music, pumpkin painting, a magician and more.

Here’s what to know about visiting Beaufort, one of South Carolina’s most beautiful towns.

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Charleston may get most of the attention when it comes to South Carolina’s many cities, but the history, culture, and (of course) Southern charm that make it so special can also be found in smaller and less expensive places in the region. If you’ve ever watched “Forrest Gump” or read anything by the late author Pat Conroy, you may be familiar with Beaufort, a harbor town on Port Royal Island. Its narrow streets, oak trees, and historic district that pre-dates the Civil War are similar to those in Charleston, but Beaufort is remarkable and magical in its own right. Plus, it doesn’t draw the same crowds that tend to flock to notable Holy City hangouts like King Street, Folly Beach, and the Battery.

Before you read any further, though, you need to know how to properly pronounce the name. Not to be confused with Beaufort, North Carolina (said like “bow-fert”), the coastal town has a pronunciation more akin to “bew-fert.” Mistaking the two will immediately identify you as a tourist — and it won’t sit too well with the locals. Once you have that squared away, you can start planning your trip to Beaufort, the second-oldest city in South Carolina.

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Best Things to Do in Beaufort, South Carolina

In 1969, Beaufort became one of the few U.S. cities with an entire downtown designated as a historic district by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, so exploring the neighborhoods filled with Victorian, Greek Revival, Neoclassical, and Federal-style homes is at the top of most travelers’ lists. At Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, you’ll spot Woods Memorial Bridge, recognizable from the aforementioned Tom Hanks blockbuster. Stretching your legs is also encouraged along the Spanish Moss Trail, a 10-mile greenway that weaves by Beaufort’s marshes and through trees draped in Spanish moss. Given its waterfront location, Beaufort should also be experienced by boat; book a Dolphin & History Boat Cruise with Coastal Expeditions or an ecology tour with Beaufort Kayak Tours. Paddleboarding is another option, with rental equipment available at Higher Ground Outfitters.

Beaufort’s ties to the literary world are strong; visiting the Pat Conroy Literary Center (Beaufort was Conroy’s adopted hometown) or one of the three independent bookstores in town — NeverMore Books, McIntosh Book Shoppe, and Beaufort Books — is a must for book lovers. For those interested in local art, there’s the Gullah Art Gallery and Museum, Legacy Art Gallery, Rhett Gallery, Thibault Gallery, or Atelier Off Bay.

Many of the best things to do in Beaufort are found further outside of downtown. About 17 miles east is Hunting Island State Park, with its pristine beaches, marshes, maritime forest, saltwater lagoon, and the Hunting Island Lighthouse, which was destroyed during the Civil War and rebuilt in 1875. St. Helena Island (a 13-minute drive away) is home to Penn Center — one of the United States’ first schools for formerly enslaved individuals — as well as the family-owned Dempsey Farms, where you can pick in-season fruits and vegetables. Local produce can also be acquired on Saturdays at the nearby Port Royal Farmers Market.

The Best Things to Do in South Carolina, According to a Local

Beaufort Hotels

An overnight trip to Beaufort is best accompanied by a stay in one of the town’s upscale inns. Slow Southern mornings paired with a home-cooked breakfast can be enjoyed on the expansive wooden porch at The Rhett House Inn. Guests can also book the more modern Rhett House Inn Cottages, which sit across the street from the main building. Once a Union Army hospital, Anchorage 1770 overlooks the Beaufort River and offers a fine dining experience at the Ribaut Social Club. The Beaufort Inn first opened its doors in 1897, and the property’s modern-day chapter features several fully renovated buildings within the town’s historic district.

Where to Eat and Drink in Beaufort, South Carolina

As with most Southern cities and towns, food is a major part of the local culture. If you’re a traveler who plans their vacations around meals, you’ll want to start your day at Blackstone’s Cafe or Herban Market and Cafe. If you’re exploring Beaufort during the day and want something quick, order a fried chicken sandwich or po’boy from Lowcountry Produce Market & Cafe. Chapman’s Grocer also has grab-and-go treats, wine, and craft beer. Old Bull Tavern is a lively gastropub open only for dinner, Saltus River Grill is great for indulging in seafood, and those craving Italian should dine at Griffin Market. Gullah Grub Restaurant on St. Helena Island is one of the area’s most famous restaurants (it appeared on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations); get the shrimp gumbo.

Best Time to Visit

A South Carolina summer is hot and humid — there’s no getting around that. To explore Beaufort in the most comfortable climate, your best bet is to go in either early spring or late fall. April and October are ideal for having plenty to do (winter is far from bustling) while simultaneously avoiding the sweltering weather synonymous with the South.

Getting There

If you’re flying into Hilton Head Airport (HHH) or Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) — both are under an hour away — you’ll need to rent a car to fully experience Beaufort and its surrounding area. Charleston International Airport (CHS) is also an option, although it’ll take about 90 minutes to get to Beaufort.

Three Beaufort County food businesses were cited with “B” and “C” grades in September health inspections by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control:

Lowcountry Produce Market and Cafe, 302 Carteret St. in Beaufort, scored an 85% (B) on Sept. 20 in a routine inspection.

Issues noted by the inspector included: Person in charge does not have a food handlers certificate; food employees drinking from open cups while working on the cook line; paper towels not supplied at the kitchen hand sink; issues with proper cold food holding temperatures and the walk-in cooler unable to hold food at the required minimum temperature; walk-in cooler condenser frozen over with ice; thawed salmon with warning label to remove from package upon thawing in intact packaging; fan in kitchen with heavy accumulation of dust on; shelving in walk-in cooler with rust and organic matter build-up; light fixture in kitchen without protective shielding; and light fixture in back kitchen storage room broken.

Okatie Ale House, 25 William Pope Court in Bluffton, scored an 80% (B) on Sept. 27 in a routine inspection that was the result of a public complaint.

Issues noted by the inspector included: Outside bar hand-washing sink used as storage; prep area hand-washing sink with soiled wiping towels covering the faucet; employee washing utensils in a hand-washing sink; all kitchen hand-washing sinks and both bar hand sinks without ways to dry hands; bar soda nozzles with buildup of black organic matter; knives used to cut raw chicken washed with only water and then wiped with a dry wiping cloth before being placed on knife rack without sanitizing; issues with proper cold food holding temperatures and refrigerators in poor repair; heavy presence of flies in dish-washing area; soiled and wet wiping cloths on cutting boards and prep surfaces throughout the kitchen; and cups without handles in dressings being used as scoops.

Wayback Burgers, 4 Bluffton Road in Bluffton (inside Walmart), scored an 83% (B) on Sept. 26 in a routine inspection.

Issues noted by the inspector included: Hand-washing sink inaccessible because of several buckets in it; issues with cold-food storage temperatures and the low-boy prep cooler in poor repair; working spray bottles without labels to identify the contents; residential pesticide spray stored in the kitchen area; a container of food without a label to identify the contents; a bucket of pickles stored directly on the walk-in cooler floor; three-compartment sink without sanitizing test strips; walk-in cooler and freezer with debris and grime all over the floors; walk-in cooler storage racks with a heavy accumulation of black organic matter and dust; and ceiling vent cover with a accumulation of dust.

The following restaurant is located in Jasper County but is frequented by many Beaufort County residents because of its location near the county line. During September, DHEC inspectors conducted 22 checks of Jasper County businesses; all others were given A grades.

Rio Chico Mexican Restaurant, 468D Mark Cummings Road, Suite 107, in Hardeeville, scored a 71% (C) on Sept. 21 in a routine inspection that was the result of a public complaint.

Issues noted by the inspector included: Employee standing and eating in food prep area; access to the bar hand-washing sink blocked by large buckets and the kitchen hand-washing sink had miscellaneous items in the basin; raw chicken and raw ground beef defrosting in standing water together; beef thawing in sink basin at ambient temperature; ready-to-eat lettuce being handled in the same sink basin as raw beef; lack of chlorine in the chemical dish machine; issues with hot food and cold food holding temperatures and cooling appliances in need of repair; paint, primer and other chemicals stored with food; both back doors propped open; flies throughout the kitchen; wet, soiled wiping cloths on counters and prep tables; utensils with no handles or stored handle down in liquid salsas and sauces; and the three-compartment sink held together with duct tape and spray foam and leaking.

Inspectors hand out a grade of A, B or C, depending on the conditions found at the time. Points are docked for a variety of infractions, and restaurants have a chance to correct the problems and improve their score.

During September, DHEC recorded 206 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County. The agency publishes the results of these health inspections on its website.

Newer food grade decals include a QR code that customers can scan with their phones to see a food establishment’s latest report.

Below are the SC DHEC restaurant grades in Beaufort County from Sept. 1-30, 2023.

At the top left of the chart, there is a space to search for the name of a restaurant. Please note that this month’s inspections take up three pages. Switch to page 3 at the top right.

Beaufort County has been named the Best County to Live in South Carolina out of all 46 counties in the state, according to 24/7 Wall St., one of the most popular analytics rankings sites in the U.S.

When deciding where to live can be a big decision, one that requires a lot of research into which areas are more affordable, which are a great place to retire or which are simply a great place to call home. 24/7 Wall St. is helping in the search by analyzing data from around the country to compile a list of the best county to live in in each state, basing rankings on factors like poverty and life expectancy.

And, 24/7 Wall St. has told them all that Beaufort, SC is the place to be!

Using an index inspired by the [United Nations’ Human Development Index], 24/7 Wall St. identified the best county or county equivalent to live in in each state. Counties are ranked on a combination of three measures — average life expectancy at birth, the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree, and the poverty rate.”

According the site, the best county to live in South Carolina is right here in Beaufort County, with a poverty rate of 10,1%, compared to the state average of 14.5%, and life expectancy of 82.4 years, a few years longer than the state average of 76.8.

Additionally, the median household income is $74,199.

“Beaufort County is located in the southern part of the state along the Atlantic coast,” 24/7 Wall Street said.

“Home to the resort community of Hilton Head Island, it ranks as the best county to live in in the state. Of all 46 counties in South Carolina, Beaufort has the longest life expectancy at birth, which, at 82.4 years, is nearly six years longer than the state average. The county also ranks as best to live in in the state also because of the relative lack of serious financial hardship, with a poverty rate far lower than the state average.”

Is it really a surprise?

The accolades that Beaufort has received lately are just way too many to mention. Recently, Beaufort has been named the Healthiest County in South Carolina (for 12 straight years). Just last month, it was named one of the Most Beautiful Towns in America, and in August, Southern Living named Beaufort the #1 Best Small Town in S.C. Also, earlier in 2023, Beaufort was named on the list of Cutest Seaside Towns in the South by Town & Country Magazine.

That’s an awful lot of love.

Check out the full report at 24/7 Wall St. to see the best county to live in for each state.

2023 has been another record setting sea turtles nesting season here in the Palmetto State, with beaches all over South Carolina getting into the sea turtle fun.

2023 saw the third highest total number of sea turtle nests in a single season along beaches in South Carolina since record keeping began in the early 1980s, according to the totals from seaturtle.org.

In 2019, a whopping 8,798 loggerhead sea turtle nests were laid on state beaches, a South Carolina record. That was followed by 7,995 in 2022.

2023 produced 6,629 nests along Palmetto State beaches, the third highest total to date.

According to this year’s statistics, those nests yielded a total of over 387,000 baby sea turtles that made their way across the South Carolina sand into the Atlantic Ocean.

SCDNR oversees a network of volunteers who help staff count nests. Volunteers and staff from Hunting and Hilton Head Islands have both reported very high nest counts and beaches all over the Lowcountry and the rest of the state have reported the same.

According to SCDNR, altogether more than 1100 individuals participate in nest monitoring activities in South Carolina each year. The data collected are crucial in monitoring populations, formulating protective regulations, making management decisions, and maximizing reproduction for recovery.

As of the October 21st, Hunting Island State Park has seen a new season record of 195 nests; Fripp Island has had 118; Hilton Head Island reported 353 nests; Daufuskie Island has seen 75; Edisto Beach State Park has had 304 while Edisto town beach had 189; Pritchards Island has seen 76 nests; and Harbor Island has enjoyed 108 nests this season.

Even little Coffin Point Beach on St. Helena Island has had a near-record year with 22 nests. Smaller yet, Lands End beach on St. Helena Island even had 4 nests this year, as did Parris Island.

The 2023 season began right on time with a May 2nd nest laid on South Island, near Georgetown, SC. And it ended with the last nest reported being dug up by a momma turtle on September 4th at Edisto Town Beach.

The first hatch of the 2023 season occurred on Lighthouse Island on July 14th.

A high number of ‘day nesters,’ or female sea turtles that come ashore to nest in broad daylight instead of more typical darkness, has also been documented in 2023. The increased number of day nesters could be because of dry sand conditions, which can hinder a sea turtle’s efforts to dig a nest cavity, or harassment during night emergence, a release said.

Record-breaking years have become increasingly common across the Southeast recently, and sea turtle biologists are optimistic that the trend signals the beginning of recovery for loggerhead sea turtles, whose nests make up the vast majority of nests here in the Palmetto State. Loggerhead turtles were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1978.

State and federal law prohibits the harm of or interference with sea turtles or their nests. Harassment includes any activity that changes a sea turtle’s natural behavior, ranging from approaching nesting females to take photos to ‘assisting’ hatchlings on their path to the ocean.

“Sea turtles are wild animals,” said biologist Michelle Pate, director of SCDNR’s sea turtle program. “Let nature take its course.”

If we continue to let nature take its course….we might just keep having record years like these.

Here’s hoping.

What can you do to protect sea turtles?

Some changes in harvesting are coming to the S.C. blue crab industry as both recreational and industrial crabbers are reporting low numbers of blue crabs in our state’s waters. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is hosting 3 public meetings along the S.C. coast over the next week to discuss the dwindling numbers of blue crabs and ways they can manage the population and prevent over-harvesting.

Eliminating some harvesting spots and crab traps along South Carolina’s coastline are just some of the recommendations from the DNR’s General Assembly.

Following crabber concerns earlier this year, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources agency biologists and staff began compiling a report outlining the state’s blue crab population status, its commercial and recreational fisheries, and the results of public surveys on management options.

Fall is the season when most crabs are harvested commercially, so with that time of year approaching, DNR officials want to step in with regulations to protect the blue crab population.

Some of the proposed changes include limiting the number of crabbing licenses, setting a maximum number of crab traps permitted, and increased funding for “new, essential blue crab-focused biological, population and fishery data collection and monitoring efforts.”

Director of the Office of Fisheries Management Ben Dyer is a presenter at next week’s meeting and says that a big part of the decline in blue crab population has to do with climate change and drier weather.

“There are many factors involved, but what we have been seeing since a drought starting in 2000, is when the declining numbers started to happen. And not only are we seeing those in South Carolina, but we’re seeing them region-wide across the South Atlantic,” Dyer said. “Some of those driving factors that we have been noticing are environmental factors, so warming trends, drier trends that we’re seeing in some of the weather is potential drivers for some of those numbers.”

Here is the public meeting information:

All three meetings will begin at 6:30pm.

SCDNR says to keep an eye on their social media and on their website for more updates.

Find delicious blue crab recipes here