Explore the Carolinas: In the two states to our south, you’ll find beaches, cities, and mountain towns that make for idyllic vacation spots. Before you pack the car and head down I-95 this summer, get the lowdown on some new-to-you locations in North and South Carolina — and find out what’s new this year at your old favorites.
Drive Time from Dulles: 8.5+ hours to Hilton Head, then 45 minutes by ferry
With no bridge to the mainland, most of its 400 residents eschewing cars for golf carts, and a deep history of Native American, Gullah, and Colonial traditions, Daufuskie Island delivers laid-back, Lowcountry charm — whether you stay for the day or sojourn for a week.
Pronounced “Duh FUH Skee,” the 5-mile-by-3-mile island is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Calibogue Sound, and the Cooper River. It makes for a perfect outing from coastal South Carolina via a public ferry you catch from Buckingham Landing on Hilton Head; but if you can, linger for a few days (or more) to truly soak it in.
There are accommodations to rent through Airbnb or VRBO, and the island is home to several private enclaves, including Haig Point, a 1,100-acre membership community with private houses, restaurants, a golf course, and a clubhouse. Book one of its Golf and Equestrian Discovery Visits, and you’ll have access to all of it, including a round-trip private ferry to the island. You have a few options for where to stay. You can select a cottage; stay in one of the rooms at the Strachan Mansion, which was built on St. Simons Island, Georgia, in 1910 and moved intact to its current location in the mid-1980s; or try the 1873 Lighthouse, which is the only lighthouse in the state where you can stay overnight.
With Spanish moss hanging dramatically from live oak trees, ornate fountains, and ruins of tabby architecture crafted from sand and oyster shells, parts of Haig Point have a decidedly Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil vibe. (You may encounter deer, possums, and gray fox squirrels during your travels. Their oversize appearance always surprises visitors.)
Charge up your electric golf cart, and venture outside of Haig Point’s back gates. If you are taking a day trip, rent a gas-powered cart from Tour Daufuskie, conveniently located at the public ferry dock, then set out for the outfitter’s Guided Daufuskie Island History and Artisans Tour.
The two-hour experience stops at noteworthy spots, including the Billie Burn Historical Museum, which houses historical documents and artifacts from pre-Colonial times to the 20th century, and the First Union African Baptist Church, rebuilt in 1884 after fire destroyed the original building. It’s where you’ll also find a replica of a traditional praise house used by enslaved people.
At the former two-room Mary Fields School, where author Pat Conroy taught for a short time, you’ll now find the cheekily named School Grounds Coffee on one side and Daufuskie Blues on the other. Run by friends Rhonda Davis and Leanne McJunkin Coulter, the studio and retail shop pay homage to South Carolina’s long tradition of indigo-dyed textiles. Learn about the fascinatingly complex process, then browse for scarves, T-shirts, and table linens in that intense shade of blue. The tour ends at the Iron Fish Gallery, where oversize coastal metal sculptures from artist Chase Allen are for sale on an honor system. Snag a blue crab or school of red snappers for your entryway wall, and leave the cash, a check, or even an IOU under his door.
Sun-bleached oyster shells line the beach on the sunset ride to Haig Point’s waterfront Calibogue Club, remnants of the once-thriving industry that was decimated by the 1950s due to overfishing. Rub shoulders with the locals during happy hour, then stay for dinner and have shrimp and grits and chile-lime local grouper. (The return trip is even more dramatic, when the route is only lit by the moon and the sky is filled with stars.) You can still get Lowcountry oysters roasted on a pit at a picnic table at Old Daufuskie Crab Company Restaurant, which specializes in a version of deviled crab so coveted it’s trademarked.
For one of the most remote experiences for spirits fans, take the dirt road to Daufuskie Island Distillery, where Tony Chase crafts rum and more from Florida-grown sugarcane. Sip the appealingly dry, star anise–tinged spiced rum, another version made with vanilla beans and extract, and the crowd-pleasing blueberry vodka, then lunch on the deck with a smashed burger or empanadas.
With 3 miles of public beaches on the island, the surf and sand are never too far away, but Bloody Point Beach is tops. It’s named for a series of brutal battles between settlers and the Yamassee Native Americans, and today its moniker belies its wide, gorgeous stretch of the Atlantic. Depending on the time of year, you may have it all to yourself to search for bottlenose dolphins in the water and Native American pottery and shark teeth on the shore.
Feature image courtesy Haig Point
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This story originally ran in our May issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
