Road trip! Our friend Shawna visited last week so we decided to take her on a day trip to Beaufort, South Carolina, a three hour boat ride. Rumored to be a pretty coastal town with antebellum homes, it sounded perfect.

And, oh, it was! The beauty of this little town took our breath away. Before the war (pronounced wa – ra) the cotton plantation owners built their summer homes in Beaufort to take in the cool breezes from the water. We enjoyed those breezes during lunch, facing the May river.

Founded in 1711, this is where the secession was born, where 600 year old Live Oak trees sway, where Spanish Moss falls in languorous strips, entire streets are filled with graceful antebellum homes, and where the Prince of Tides, The Big Chill and The Great Santini were filmed.

The day was topped off with fantastic dolphin sightings as Shawna leaned over the bow (the front of our little ship) and several of them swam next to us, then rolled on their sides and looked up at her from the deep. There’s something thrilling about making a connection with a dolphin!

My only disappointment was that we couldn’t stay long enough. We definitely plan to go back and spend another day in Beaufort!