Low Country of South Carolina

November 7
Saturday

Very foggy driving down to the Low Country Islands south of Charleston.

It's very swampy with Spanish Moss hanging from the trees.

By the time I reached Beaufort it was sunny and beautiful.

Another of my favorite authors, Pat Conroy, lives in Beaufort, South Carolina and the town recently celebrated his 70th birthday with a big party.

B

Some of the scenes from his book Prince of Tides

which was made into a movie, were filmed in Beaufort, including this old arsenal which is now the Visitor Center. The ladies at the center found me a place for a pedi and an oil change. Not at the same place.

The Arsenal stood in as George Carlin's swanky Greenwich Village apartment in the movie.

Went across to Lady Island for my pedi and oil change and on the way back crossed over this bridge

 that Forrest Gump ran across in the movie.

Back in Beaufort, the main street was mostly shops, a notch above tourist, but still...

thought about a bike or horse drawn carriage ride thru the mansion neighborhood but opted for a walking tour so I could stop where I wanted.

Beautiful antebellum houses behind big oak trees hanging with Spanish moss.

This home from 1853 was featured in the movie 

The Big Chill.

   

The neighboring town of Bluffton

had a reputation of being

"the last true coastal town of the South" from a 1986 article.

Today it still has some of its quirkiness but every authentic building in town is now a shop for tourists. Darn.

 Spent the night in a Hilton Head Island RV Park right on the water.

                                 With its own boat dock and restaurant, it is the most expensive rv place I've stayed at $75.

In 2004 the average home price here on Hilton Head  was $800K. 

It is beautiful but even in November, very humid.

But I also had one of the best meals I've had so far at the restaurant.

It was Shrimp and Grits, a popular dish here in the South.

 Barbequed shrimp are around the edges of the plate of creamy grits with a roasted poblano pepper sauce and sausage in the center. I'm bringing home a jar of the sauce to try it at home.

Yummm!

Leaving the Low Country Islands,

 I headed for Aiken, SC. in the center of the state away from the coast.

Every retirement magazine has ads for Cedar Creek, a retirement community like the Villages with golf course and all the amenities.

The golf course was beautiful, the Club House small, and only one swimming pool and a few tennis courts.  This single family home was for sale for $350K on its half acre lot.  But it wasn't as homey as the Villages.  I saw no one driving thru, a ghost town.