Seven Wonders of Bluffton

part 2 of 3 june hilton head I july bluffton I august the lowcountry

the seven wonders of [bluffton] Some time ago, Bluffton was known as the little town over the bridge that was hard to get to — you know, because of the traffic. Today, as the Lowcountry grows more interconnected every day, it’s become more of an understood addendum to the words “Hilton Head” or “Lowcountry.”

Here are seven semi-off-the-beaten-path landmarks, locations and, well, paths that help shape that little town’s state of mind.

BY JEFF VRABEL AND ALISON GRISWOLD PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL LITTELL / IWL PHOTOGRAPHY I OLD-TIMEY COLLAGE BY JEFF VRABEL / INSTAGRAM

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tthe he calhoun st. pier About 12 years ago some friends and I drove from the south end of Hilton Head to this pier to leap into the May River off the pilings — which, in retrospect, was about half of a good idea, especially for my friend Tony, who didn’t realize what barnacles could do to the human foot. And I remember thinking at the time that it seemed like we were driving a thousand miles away into a remote, barely accessible back-corner of outback sort of near Honduras.

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These days, of course, the pier and Bluffton are all much closer to each other, more tied together. And though I can hardly claim that this quiet little spot on the river is a big secret or anything, I can claim that it’s always open, always quiet and always ready to offer a freakishly picturesque place to stop running around for 10 minutes to stare at the water and the sky.

Jeff Vrabel

church of the cross >

A gathering place for Lowcountry worship since its consecration in 1857, Church of the Cross is a must-see for visitors to Calhoun Street (keep going until you reach the May River). While the congregation has two campuses — a newer building erected in 2005 houses a school and worship hall on Buckwalter Parkway — it is the original E.B.White-designed structure that’s a fixture on Lowcountry tours and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. The pine timbers and rose windows that rise above the palmetto trees have survived much over the years, including federal troops marching into Bluffton in 1863 and a massive hurricane in 1898. Over the years, Church of the Cross has expanded with Bluffton, offering opportunities for education, worship and service to the community. Alison Griswold

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Among other things, Bluffton has become known to history as the birthplace of secessionism — and the Secession Oak is known to history as where that movement started. It was here, under the Oak’s outstretched arms, that prominent citizens and leaders would meet prior to the Civil War to discuss politics; on July 31, 1844, a town meeting was called to first discuss a potential break from the Union.

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the secession oak

BILL LITTELL / IWL PHOTOGRAPHY

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happy 7 trails wonders of hilton head

They’re not often talked about, but Bluffton is pretty much covered in walking trails. The New River Linear Trail, out near Savannah, comprises 3.4 little-known miles of former rail line that cuts across woods and wetlands and still offers hints of its former life; to find the trailhead, park between the first and second entrances to the Heritage at New Riverside neighborhood.

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For those who prefer pavement, there are new paths all along New Riverside Drive, which winds from the traffic circle linking S.C. 46 and S.C. 170 all the way down to Palmetto Dunes. It’s flat, new and empty — you can’t beat having nearly five miles of trail to yourself.

And for the plugged-in, the even newer 1.35-mile Buckwalter Greenway Trail, which circles Buckwalter Place, provides a QR code at that lets walkers listen to recorded information about the local environment.

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palmetto p almetto bluff’s kids’ treehouse Most of us remember treehouses as smallish, occasionally rickety creations put up by dads or other wellmeaning relatives in our backyards. Palmetto Bluff has one that’s three stories tall and looks as though it could contain most of the Swiss Family Robinson; it’s built around and into the trunk of an ancient live oak. Kids can spend a surprising amount of time clambering all over it, but make sure to have them step out long enough to see the zipline out back.

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JEFF VRABEL

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the bluffton oyster co.

So insanely authentic and picturesque it looks like it was handcrafted in a Disney backlot, the Oyster factory has been family-run since 1899, sits on about a century’s worth of discarded shells and is, according to its website,“the last hand-shucking house in the state of South Carolina.” Located at the end of Wharf Street on the banks of the May River, the company specializes, of course, in things pulled out of the river, the Port Royal Sound and the

the waddell center

Atlantic — oysters, shrimp, clams, scallops, soft-shell and blue crabs — caught and collected by a fleet of a dozen pickers and shuckers. They’re getting bigger, too: The Company’s wares can be found at the Bluffton Farmer’s Market from 2-7 p.m. every Thursday, and they’ve just launched the Bluffton Oyster Company’s Family Seafood House on Dr. Mellichamp Drive in Bluffton. blufftonoyster.com

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A 1,200-acre field experiment station of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the sprawling complex of the Waddell Mariculture Center is dedicated to researching marine life, chemistry, fisheries management and more. Everything is studied in the center’s 25 ponds — bass, flounder, shrimp, clams, scallops, oysters — with an eye on ecology, mariculture, economics and marketing.

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