Beaufort

Type: historic city, county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, in the Lowcountry region on Port Royal Island within the Sea Islands. Population (2020 census): 13,607 (2025 estimate ~15,775). Chartered in 1711, the second-oldest city in South Carolina after Charleston. Downtown historic district: 304 acres, a National Historic Landmark.

Beaufort is a Lowcountry city on Port Royal Island, part of South Carolina's Sea Islands, and the seat of Beaufort County. Chartered in 1711 and named for Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort, it is the second-oldest city in the state after Charleston, following earlier Spanish exploration of the area beginning in the 1500s. Its 304-acre downtown historic district — encompassing five distinct neighborhoods (Downtown, The Point, The Bluff, The Old Commons, and the Northwest Quadrant) — is a National Historic Landmark known for antebellum architecture. The city has also become known as a filming location for major motion pictures. Beaufort's economy and identity are closely tied to nearby military installations, including Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

Beaufort sits in Beaufort County, South Carolina, on Port Royal Island in the Sea Islands, part of the state's Lowcountry region, at approximately 32.433°N, 80.683°W.

Beaufort has a humid subtropical climate with warm winters relative to the wider region and roughly 45 inches of annual precipitation.

Given the area's humid subtropical climate with mild winters, cooler months are generally more comfortable for walking the historic district; the sources used did not give explicit peak-season recommendations.

Beaufort was chartered in 1711, following Spanish exploration of the coast beginning in the 1500s and later English colonization. It is South Carolina's second-oldest city after Charleston and is named for Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort. Its downtown historic district reflects this long settlement history and is designated a National Historic Landmark.

Walking or taking a guided tour of the 304-acre historic downtown district (including guides in period dress in some tour formats); visiting The Arsenal, a circa-1775 building used to store Civil War-era weapons and now a museum/visitor center; visiting Fort Fremont on St. Helena Island, a Spanish-American War-era fort built in 1899 whose grounds and battery are free and open to the public.

The Beaufort Historic District (Downtown, The Point, The Bluff, The Old Commons, and the Northwest Quadrant), The Arsenal museum/visitor center, and Fort Fremont on St. Helena Island.

Beaufort is reached via major routes including US 21, SC 170 (Robert Smalls Parkway), and SC 281. The city is served by regional bus service and general aviation through Beaufort County Airport; specific driving distances from larger regional airports were not confirmed in the sources used.

The Beaufort Visitor Center (in the Historic Arsenal at 713 Craven Street) is open Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Fort Fremont's grounds and battery are described as free and open to the public, though specific daily hours were not detailed in the source used.

Fort Fremont's grounds and battery are free to visit. Specific pricing for guided historic-district tours was not confirmed in the sources reviewed; consult beaufortsc.org before publishing.

Not specified in sources reviewed; guided walking tours of the historic district are described as approximately 1 mile, suggesting a duration of roughly an hour or more, though exact timing was not confirmed.

Lodging in Beaufort is concentrated in and around the historic downtown district; specific named hotels or inns were not confirmed in the sources used and are omitted to avoid fabrication.

Dining is concentrated in Beaufort's historic downtown area near the waterfront; specific restaurant names were not confirmed in the sources reviewed and are omitted to avoid fabrication.

Fort Fremont on St. Helena Island; Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island are nearby military installations that shape the region's character, though they are not general-public tourist sites.

Beaufort County Airport provides general aviation access; the city is also served by regional bus service. Larger commercial air service would come from airports outside Beaufort, but specific ones were not confirmed in the sources used.

No destination-specific safety guidance was found in the sources reviewed; general precautions for historic-district walking tours and coastal Lowcountry travel apply.

Comfortable walking shoes are sensible for touring the roughly 1-mile historic-district walk; specific packing recommendations were not published in the sources reviewed.

Starting a visit at the Beaufort Visitor Center (in the historic Arsenal building) to pick up a Visitor's Guide is a good first step for a self-guided historic-district tour, per the visitor center's own description.

Beaufort Visitor Center / "Beaufort Experts" line: (843) 525-8500. No separate emergency services number was confirmed in the sources used.

Official tourism site: beaufortsc.org (Beaufort Visitor Center, 713 Craven Street, Beaufort, SC 29902; phone (843) 525-8500).

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.