We didn't make it to Beaufort pronounced BYOO-fert" (as in "beautiful") because we were cruising by land, not by sea; and its a bit out of the way from major freeways.. I should have made the effort, though, because it is a town I would love to see. I guess that is reason to come back. I'm adding it to the blog because, had we been cruising by boat, this is an important stop on the ICW.
There are two towns named Beaufort on the ICW, this one in SC, and another in NC (pronounced BOH-Fert, as in the name Beauregard. I fell in love with the idea of a southern coastal vacation about 25 years ago when I first read books by Pat Conroy, who wrote about Beaufort SC. Since then, I've read dozens of "low country" books.
Many movies have been staged in Beaufort, including the shrimpboat scenes from Forest Gump; The Big Chill, The Great Santini (by Pat Conroy), GI Jane, Something to Talk About, The Prince of Tides (by Pat Conroy), Forces of Nature. There is even a movie tour.
Pat Conroy's books first introduced me to the Gullah culture; and it is something I would enjoy learning more about. The outer banks of the South Eastern coast is officially now designated as the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor by the Nathional Park Service. The area extends from Wilmington NC to St Augustine FL. The Gullah/Geechee are descendents of slaves who lived in very remote and isolated lands and islands. Many worked on the rice plantations, others "farmed" the sea. Even after emancipation, they continued to live on these remote islands, making their living from fishing and farming. Because they lived remotely all this time, they retained much of their African culture. They also developed their own language which is a mixture of English,Spanish,French and of course African words. We met a "Gullah"man on our tour of Savannah who taught us some phrases, but now I can't remember them! It is not really like the Creole culture you find in the swamps in Louisiana as that was chiefly French and African influence (and maybe some Osage Indian). The name Gullah is given to the residents of South Carolina, however, in Georgia, they are often referred to as Geechee. Either way, it is a fascinating segment of the melting pot which is America. We are going on a "Gullah" tour when we reach Charleston SC.
Beaufort SC
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