Things to Do in Beaufort

Nestled in the salt marshes of northern Wilmington Island, Bull River Marina is an ideal launch pad for exploring the region’s natural splendor. Experienced captains offer tours that find them steering their prow through the bottlenose-dolphin-inhabited waters off the shores of Savannah. Additionally, Bull River's captains lead crabbing and fishing charters that search the waters for everything from kingfish to sharks. The seasoned fishermen provide passengers with all the bait, tackle, and licenses they need to wrest trout and flounder from the refrigerators of submarine captains.

Though built only in 2011, the nonprofit Redux Contemporary Art Center’s new 12,000-square-foot facility stays bustling all year, hosting six to eight free exhibitions in two galleries. After taking in the artwork, visitors can attend numerous free events, such as artist talks, film screenings, panels, and concerts. More than 100 classes foster artistic inclinations throughout the year as local qualified instructors help students master disciplines such as painting, drawing, and printmaking.

Redux's galleries stay full thanks in part to its 22 private artist studios, which accommodate emerging and mid-career artists with up to 240 square feet of creative space. Twenty-four-hour studio passes grant access to Redux’s darkroom, print studio, and woodshop. To encourage a sense of community, artists can participate in quarterly critiques, attend visiting-artist lectures, and debate their studio neighbors on artistic controversies such as whether Michelangelo’s David is as good as the earlier one he sculpted from Play-Doh.

Since its founding by Marion Reid in 1969—and through its adoption by current owners Michelle and David Folden—Stono River Riding Academy has helped riders connect with temperate steeds and with their natural surroundings on 360 acres of trees and pastures. During classes and leisurely rides, trainers lead mounted explorers through the labyrinthine passageways of Johns Island, passing beneath billowing drapes of Spanish moss and escaping the cacophony of urban areas. Stono River’s staff always keeps safety in mind, ensuring that pupils wear proper equipment and familiarize themselves with all the confusing controls on the horses' dashboards.

Repeating a tradition that went back to their high-school days, three college friends sat on a Capers Island beach, roasting oysters over a cedar fire. They looked out at all the undeveloped land of the barrier islands and the low country, feeling like the sole witnesses to the beauty of pristine nature—and recognized that was a problem. Understanding that both tourists and locals were overlooking these untouched salt marshes and tidal pools, they decided to launch Barrier Island Eco Tours to help instill a greater respect and appreciation in the greater population. After receiving permission from the Department of Natural Resources, and with just a six-passenger boat, they began taking guests out on eco tours, fishing trips, and beach cookouts.

Today, Barrier Island’s naturalists have a fleet of boats for their six eco-friendly adventures such as sunset cruises to see bottlenose dolphins, a wildlife tours of Capers Island, and guided fishing trips for trophies such as redfish, shark, and stealth submarines. They also organize group and special events, from weddings to school fieldtrips.