The Lowcountry is full of history and many stories to tell. It all started in the mid-1500s, making Beaufort county the second landing in North America. Learn about how the Gullah culture shaped the culture of the Lowcountry. Read about the different sea islands that surround the area – Hilton Head is a sea island if you did not know! When you visit, see and learn about the rich history and how it can still be seen today. Be sure to stop by the Coastal Discovery Museum to learn about the history of where we call home.
Confederate surgeon Dr. Edward S. Buist was killed during the 1861 Battle of Port Royal. Generations of Hilton Head storytelling transformed his wartime death into the legend of a headless figure wandering the former Fort Walker battlefield.
Long before Harbour Town became one of Hilton Head’s most recognizable destinations, Native American communities lived along the island’s waterways. An old island legend connects that history to a restless Yemassee warrior said to remain beneath Harbour Town.
History and folklore diverge in the story of Hilton Head’s Lady in Blue. The enduring island legend tells of Caroline Fripp, a young woman said to have kept a lighthouse burning through a deadly hurricane — and whose mysterious figure is still associated with the tower.
Mysterious scratches inside an old mausoleum at Zion Cemetery became part of one of Hilton Head’s most unsettling legends: the story of a young girl said to have been buried alive.
Accessible only by boat, Ossabaw Island invites visitors into a landscape of untamed mudflats, marshes, tidal pools. Along the way, travelers may explore centuries of history, encounter the island’s beloved donkeys and experience one of the most unique outdoor adventures near Hilton Head Island.
Historic homes like the Squire Pope Carriage House and Garvin-Garvey House preserve the stories, architecture and cultural heritage that continue to shape Old Town Bluffton. Discover their histories and other homes in a self-guided tour.
From Francis Marion and Banastre Tarleton to the Battle of Cowpens, the film The Patriot draws heavily from South Carolina’s Revolutionary War history. Here’s the real story behind the movie’s heroes, villains and battles.
A murder in Monterey Square sparked a bestselling book, a Hollywood film and a tourism boom that forever changed Savannah. Here’s how Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil turned a quiet Southern city into a cultural phenomenon.
Four regional tales, from the Gulf Breeze buzz to Jimmy Carter’s sightings, reveal the South’s long history with spotting strange UFOs in the night skies.
Take a trip to Savannah, the most haunted city in America. Why settle for a staged haunted house when the real thing is waiting just across the Savannah River?