I’d guess that every 8 times of out 10 years, Doug requests a family bike ride for his birthday and this year was no exception. We rode the The Spanish Moss Trail, a rail to trail near Beaufort (pronounced BEW-furd), South Carolina.
What was different this year was that he bought himself a birthday gift (snorkeling gear with prescription goggles), he had birthday pie instead of cake, and he qualified for the ever-important National Park Service’s Lifetime Senior Pass!
The next day we spent a few hours walking around Beaufort’s historical downtown. Beaufort, South Carolina is located on Port Royal Island, one of the largest Sea Islands along the southeast Atlantic coast and is part of Beaufort County which has the highest cost of living in South Carolina.
The town was founded in 1711, making it the second oldest city in South Carolina after Charleston. It’s known for its mansions built by plantation owners pre-Civil War so as you can imagine, most of the properties with waterfront views are stunning.
With that kind of wealth, it may not surprise you that over 100 movies have been filmed in Beaufort for its small-town (population less than 13,000) store fronts, sub-tropical jungle, immaculate waterfront, and huge homes. These include “Forrest Gump” (1994) which also cast dozens of locals as extras; “The Big Chill” (1983) which features a home where all Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, and Tom Berenger reunite in the film after one of their friends passes away; and “Forces of Nature” (1999) staring Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck where a home in this area was used extensively for some scenes.
