A popular filming location for Hollywood pictures, the town of Beaufort, S.C., offers period charm that is within financial reach for penny-pinching travelers. Here's how to get great bang for your buck when visiting this low-country town.
Activities: ARTworks, a local organization that supports performing and visual arts, offers a variety of reasonably priced experiences for vacationers and locals. For example, its black box theater boasts indie plays for less than $20 a ticket, and its annual summer concert series -- Street Music on Paris Avenue -- is free. Additionally, a company called The Spirit of Old Beaufort offers two-hour walking tours throughout downtown, led by costumed guides. For $18 per person, travelers are taken by the homes of such historic local figures as Robert Smalls, and structures that played a role in such movies as The Prince of Tides and The Big Chill.Attractions: For a fun day trip, head to Hunting Island State Park. An entrance fee of $5 per person keeps the experience cheap, and the beach near the island's lighthouse comes with terrain-appropriate wheelchairs that visitors can borrow for free. It's an excellent pet-friendly spot that offers a low-traffic day at the shore during the offseason. The park has eight miles of trails for hiking and biking. Birding and swimming are other popular choices. The nearby Penn Center is another day-tripping option for visitors to Beaufort. Located on St. Helena Island, the campus is home to a number of buildings that are historically significant to the civil rights movement, and the trip could easily represent an entire day's worth of educational family fun.Walking tours with complimentary maps are a free way to enjoy the venue, and there are plenty of appropriate spots for enjoying a picnic. For those who want a more in-depth experience, the center has a museum accessible for $5 per adult by special appointment. History and movie buffs will want to check out the free-to-visit Beaufort National Cemetery. The graves of the recovered Union soldiers from the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, made famous by the movie Glory, starring Denzel Washington, are located there. Also on-site is the grave of Col. Donald Conroy, the real-life inspiration behind the film The Great Santini.Accommodations: If affordable atmosphere is part of your vacation agenda, check out the Rhett House Inn in Beaufort's national historic landmark district. Guests can perch on a porch and soak up period charm throughout the day, enjoying the venue's complimentary afternoon lemonade and cookies, early evening champagne and happy hour treats such as artisan cheeses, crackers and olives. No-charge add-ons include a custom-cooked breakfast for two and a generous evening coffee and dessert buffet featuring such decadences as red velvet cake, pecan pie, cheesecake and more. Rack rates start as low as $169, roughly the same price as a business-class hotel chain.Food: The ultimate Beaufort bargain meal can be had at the happy hour held daily at Saltus restaurant. Featured deals include half-price sushi and discount cocktails, which can be enjoyed al fresco on the patio overlooking the jogging trail featured in the film Forrest Gump. Since several of the rolls are regularly priced at less than $10, this inside dining tip favored by locals lets you have a movie-themed meal for roughly five bucks. Other fun food finds include Breakwater's lamb meatloaf with buttermilk mashed potatoes, the fried green tomatoes at Southern Graces Bistro and the fried oysters from the lunch menu at Plums.Splurge at Griffin Market, which features authentic Italian cuisine in an upscale casual atmosphere. All of the antipasto offerings ring in at less than $10, and the $17 primi selections cost an average of $7 less than the second-course options, while still being large enough to satisfy. The handmade chestnut tagliatelle served with a wild boar-rib ragu, for example, is popular with local carnivores.Myscha Theriault is the bestselling co-author of "10,001 Ways To Live Large on a Small Budget," and founder of TrekHound.com, a website for independent travelers. She also founded TheLessonMachine.com, a website for teachers.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
