Hunting Island, South Carolina
Our second outing of the lockdown brought us to Hunting Island State Park just outside Beaufort, South Carolina. This park seemed to be a hidden gem as no one I personally knew had ever heard of it. We were set to check in on a Sunday but having never been to the area before we decided to head out a day early and grab a hotel in Beaufort. All of the recommended hotels were booked so we settled on the Quality Inn at Town Center just outside downtown for the night. This location put us within a couple miles of the walking area on the water.
Traffic flowed smoothly on the trip down and we arrived around lunch time. Since it was too early to check in to the hotel we decided to seek out a local favorite for a meal. We found Fish Camp on 11th in Port Royal and were not disappointed with the views! There are various shrimp boats lining the docks and the restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating. There is an area outside with games to entertain in case you have to wait for the table. We didn’t have to wait but K and J weren’t letting me leave until they played for a while! I would definitely recommend a stop here but note they don’t have Dr Pepper or ranch which upset us all.
After lunch and checking into the hotel we decided to venture out and explore the sites of downtown Beaufort. Our first stop on the walk was Kilwins for ice cream and chocolate. The selection of sweets here is WAY more than I expected. K and J went nuts just walking in. The ice cream is made from their own recipe and the selection is amazing! Whatever you decide on will most certainly be delicious. Make your selections and walk to the back of the building where you will find plenty of outdoor seating overlooking the inter-coastal waterway and the moving bridge.
After enjoying the sweets we took time to roam around and take in the history. The water is lined with monuments, cannons and pre-civil war structures. Be sure to take the time to read some and follow your gut. My inquisitive nature led me to Google some of the information which led us to an old graveyard downtown located at the Parish Church of St. Helena. This church was founded by the Church of England in 1712 and has graves of many notable figures dating back to this period. We spent quite a bit of time reading headstones here until we came upon T.C. (pictured below). This was the point where K took off running and to this day both kids talk about finding “T.C.” Maybe one day we’ll find the story here!
On Sunday we checked out of the hotel and made our way to the Hunting Island State Park campground and checked in to rustic site 4. This is one of the handful of sites that were converted to tent only sites after a hurricane caused extensive damage to the park. The down side is there are no services to these sites but the BIG positive is that they are VERY close to the ocean! Being so close to the water means the breeze is strong much of the time but it definitely helps during the hottest times of the year. However, in spite of the wind, the mammoth mosquitos persist and probably take more of your blood than your local Red Cross! I’m convinced these are a bionic form of mosquito completely immune to all repellent! Our Bass Pro Shops Eclipse tent withstood the hefty winds AND a torrential thunderstorm during our stay without any trouble! I would highly recommend this tent even for smaller families. Don’t let the 10-person designation throw you. The tent has a zippered divider in the middle to separate into two rooms. This gave us some “personal” space and allowed plenty of room for our gear and supplies.
The campground has a store, clean bath houses and easy access to the beach but is about a mile walk or drive to the main portion of the park. This is a nice walk up the beach to the lighthouse and is refreshing at any point in the day. I highly recommend walking at sunrise, especially during nesting season for the turtles. We were very lucky and got a treat on our first morning by finding a turtle crawl that turned out to lead to a nest. We waited a short amount of time and the kids got a lesson from the Friends of Hunting Island Turtle Watch group as they documented the nest. During this lesson we learned how they probe the nests, collect an egg and secure it for DNA and tracking purposes in addition to fencing the nest.
After such an amazing start to our trip it was off to make our reservation to climb the lighthouse. During our visit, and still to the best of my knowledge, you had to have reservations to climb and they only allowed 6 people inside during each 45 minute block. There is a $2.00 fee to climb the lighthouse in addition to park admission and I would recommend calling in advance to secure your spot as the views from the top are AMAZING!
Even though we were only at the park for three nights we fell in love with everything Hunting Island! This park is called a “hidden gem” but has a large following from those who love it and the word is getting around even more during the pandemic as people are looking to be outdoors more. There is an extremely active group on Facebook specifically for this park and the memories made here. Most of the active members on the page are always ready, willing and able to answer any questions you may have.
The campground books quickly and the best sites are quite often booked at 12:01 am 13-months out when the park opens them for reservation! Check your calendar NOW and book your site! You won’t be disappointed with this adventure regardless of age.
A few final words of wisdom………
As I said before, mosquitos are some form of bionic breed so ALWAYS have repellent! We used the ThermaCell MR450 and it seemed to work well in addition to Repel and citronella candles.
The raccoons here are highly skilled and intelligent! They are HUGE for a reason because people constantly underestimate them and their abilities. Make sure ALL food and trash is locked away in a crate or your car…..NOT YOUR TENT! If you use a crate outside take ratchet straps to lock around the bin AND your cooler. Bungee cords won’t work….remember I said they were skilled and intelligent!
Wear shoes (if not on the beach) and watch where you walk. Depending on the time of year the park can be active with rattlesnakes. They will easily blend in with the trails and sand so be aware. I’ve seen several pictures of them posted but never seen one personally nor have I read anything about anyone being bitten.
Alligators! Big gators! Baby gators! They all are around. This park covers a large area and has both fresh water marshes and the ocean. At times the gators will find their way into the ocean surf but they are usually relocated into the interior of the park by the rangers quickly. They have been known to end up under cars and campers after heavy rains and there is one that lives under the visitor center.
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