Option 1 – Historic Walking Tour

Read our Blog Post about spending a day in Old Town Bluffton HERE.

1. Heyward House Historic Center, www.heywardhouse.org

(843-757-6293, 70 Boundary St, open M-F 10-4, Sat 11-2)
The Heyward House was built in 1840 as a summer home by a local plantation owner. Heyward House is only one of eight antebellum homes remaining in the area. It is located on the May River in what is now Bluffton’s Historic District. A slave cabin and the summer kitchen also remain on the property. Today the house remains virtually the same as it did when it was built over 170 years ago

2. Walking Tour

Use your Walking Tour Guide to meander the downtown streets of Old Town Bluffton.
There are many churches, homes and businesses that are historically significant to this town.
HISTORICBLUFFTONWALKINGTOURMAP

3. Lunch at a downtown local restaurant (See Visitors – Dining – Bluffton)

Bluffton has many fine lunch choices. Some are within walking distance of the tour.
Others are just a short drive away.

Option 2 – Hiking & Biking 

1. New Linear Trail
3809 Okatie Hwy, open daylight hours
The trail runs for 3.4 miles and ends at the banks of the New River.
The grass trail is generally flat. The route passes through some spectacular scenery with hardwood forest and swampland where wildlife abounds. Turkeys, deer, and waterfowl are some of the more common inhabitants of the area. Long-abandoned rice fields are often visible. Parking for the New River Linear Trail is accessible via a driveway off of S.C. Route 46.
TRAILMAP 

2. Victoria Bluff
Sawmill Rd, open daylight hours
Closed to hikers during hunting season (October through December)
Explore 4 miles of easy walking, crisscrossing trails and firebreaks as you discover the botanical wonders of this preserve. You should plan to wear protective clothing and insect repellent. Since the preserve is primarily managed for hunting, the preserve is closed to hikers from October to December.
TRAILMAP

3. Pinckney Island Wildlife Management Area
Hwy 278, between Bluffton & Hilton Head Island
This 4,053-acre national refuge consists of  salt marsh
and tidal creeks, forests, grasslands, and freshwater ponds. In combination, these habitats support a diversity of wildlife species. All trips begin and end at the parking area half a mile from the refuge entrance. Guided tours are available through the Coastal Discovery Museum, (843)689-6767.
TRAILMAP

TOURING_PINCKNEY_ISLAND

2. Lunch at a local restaurant or picnic (See Visitors – Dining – Bluffton)

There are many delicious restaurant choices conveniently located on Hwy 278.

Option 3 – Dolphin Watching Cruise or Kayaking Adventure

(See Visitors – Tours – Bluffton), Spend the day on the
beautiful May River viewing local wildlife and our
ever-popular dolphins.

Option 4 – Bike Trails

(Call 843-757-6293 for map of trails.)

Load up the bikes and head over to the Buckwalter Parkway.
Bicycle paths wind throughout wooded areas and
along the parkway. Bring along a picnic lunch and enjoy nature and fresh air.

Option 5 – Art Galleries

1. Stroll the ten unique art galleries of Calhoun St and surrounding area
www.oldtownbluffton.com
(Also see Visitors – Shopping – Bluffton)

2. Lunch at a local restaurant (See Visitors – Dining – Bluffton)

If sweet tea and a sandwich on the porch sound appealing to you, head over to
Calhoun Street for a lunch you won’t soon forget.

3. On Thursdays during spring and summer months, drift through the Bluffton Farmer’s Market on Calhoun St from 2-6 pm. Local produce, jams, honey, baked goods, prepared foods and many other surprises await you at this street party.

Bluffton

Bluffton History

The town of Bluffton is situated on a high bluff overlooking the pristine May River, the source of world-famous Bluffton oysters. The historic riverfront community still welcomes visitors with as much charm and vibrancy as it did in its antebellum heyday. Its’ location was prized by Lowcountry planters and their families as a refuge from the harsh plantation environment of mosquitoes and heat. The high bluffs welcomed strong southerly breezes that kept possible Yellow Fever infection at bay and dispelled sultry summer doldrums.

Bluffton’s reputation as a summer resort village helped it grow into a commercial center, welcoming packet ship trade between Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, and Savannah. It was the first town in Southern Beaufort County.

The rich history of the area includes Native American Yemassee Indians and the Lords Proprietors of the Carolinas. From the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, this region is full of history lessons. Literally, a hotbed for political rhetoric in the 1840’s and 1850’s, cries of secession was first given serious voice and debate in Bluffton.

After incorporation in 1852, the town continued to grow. Then came the war. Initially raided and scavenged in the early days of the conflict by Union forces occupying Hilton Head Island, Bluffton was finally shelled and burned in 1863. The Heyward House, Campbell Chapel AME Church, and the Church of the Cross were among 17 structures to escape destruction. Those three historic buildings and seven other houses can be seen today in the Town’s Historic District.

The Heyward House, an outstanding 1840’s example of early Carolina farmhouse style, is the Town’s official Welcome Center. It is open Monday- Saturday and is a great place to start your docent or self-guided tour of the House or National Register Historic District and the thriving, vibrant arts community. Then you can discover the many wonderful retail shops and restaurants around town. Life in Bluffton is still conducted with tolerance, respect, and courtesy. Please come and discover the Bluffton “State of Mind.”

Bluffton Area Attractions

Bluffton Bike Trails
25 miles of bike-friendly roads and trails.
The best way to see Old Town Bluffton.
Call (843)757-6293 for a map of trails

Bluffton Oyster Company
63 Wharf Street, Old Town Bluffton.
Oldest continuous operating oyster shucking facility in South Carolina. Opened in the early 1900’s, the 4.5 acre site on the pristine May River was purchased by the Beaufort County Open Land Trust and will evolve into a community park. (843)757-4010

Bluffton Riverfront Pocket Park and Garden
End of Pritchard Street, Old Town Bluffton.
A living example of Bluffton’s River Overlay Protection District, this planted buffer provides visitors the opportunity to see how vegetated buffers along waterways protect water quality and enhance property aesthetics. (843)706-4500

Calhoun Street Art District
Collection of art galleries clustered along
Calhoun Street, in the center of Old Town Bluffton. Call (843)757-6293 for map of galleries.

Campbell Chapel AME Church
23 Boundary Street, Old Town Bluffton.
(843)757-3652

Church of the Cross Episcopal
110 Calhoun St, Old Town Bluffton.
Tours available Mon-Sat, 11am-2pm.(843)757-2661. This beautiful old church survived an attack by a Federal gun boat during the Civil War.

A Guild of Bluffton Artists
20 Calhoun Street, Bluffton. (843)757-5590. Open Mon-Sat, 10am-4:30pm. A co-op gallery of 14 Bluffton artists and craftspeople, the Guild is located in the historic Planters Mercantile building. Featuring original paintings in various media and styles, hand-made pottery, jewelry, turned wood pieces, baskets and more.

Heyward House Historic Center
70 Boundary St.(843)757-6293Built in 1841 as a summer cottage for a Lowcountry planter, the Heyward House is Southern Beaufort County’s only house museum and Bluffton’s official welcome center. The Heyward House is open Mondays-Fridays 10am-4pm and Saturdays 11-2pm. It offers free information on things to see and do. Also available are docent-guided tours of the site.  www.heywardhouse.org

James M. Waddell, Jr., Matricultural Research & Development Center
Sawmill Creek Road off Hwy. 278. One of the nation’s largest facilities for fish and shrimp farming & research. For tour information call (843)837-3795.

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
Off Hwy. 278, between the bridges to Hilton Head Island. 4,053 acres preserving salt marsh and maritime habitat. Historical marker commemorating Major General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. Tour buses
call in advance. (912)452-4415. www.fws.gov/pinckneyisland .