We might’ve just been introduced to one of South Carolina’s major hidden gems! The more people we talk to, the more we realize just how much this place is flying under the radar and - given the fact that it has jumped to the top of our kids favorite family vacation spots - we feel it is our duty to share it with you here! Fripp Island is the most seaward island in South Carolina. It’s right near the southern tip of the state, midway between Charleston and Savannah, Georgia (with Savannah’s airport being the closest). Getting to Fripp Island includes a beautiful drive through Beaufort, South Carolina and Saint Helena Island which is the closest town to Fripp. Fripp Island is only about 6 1/2 square miles. Fun fact: the island was a popular pirate’s hideaway back in the day and local legend suggests that Blackbeard left behind some buried treasure somewhere on the island! Along with three miles of pristine beachfront overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, it is home to one of the largest undisturbed marsh and coastal areas on the Atlantic Coast - which means an amazing diversity of wildlife. In fact, Fripp Island is a designated wildlife sanctuary! It is the home of a large herd of whitetail deer, more than 80 species of birds - including everything from blue herons to bald eagles. Loggerhead sea turtles also make Fripp Island a nesting place each year, and the marsh is home to resident bottlenose dolphins. And I can’t even count how many alligators we saw in our short time there! Where to StayOne of the best things we liked about Fripp Island was that it is off the beaten path. Fripp Island is actually a private resort. To get onto the island, you have to pass through a security gate and it is only accessible to those with reservations at one of the many rental properties in this private community. There are many different types of rentals at the resort, but we were lucky enough to have a hosted stay at Heather’s Happy Shack which is a condo in the Beach Villas. Heather’s rental includes a gate pass and guest cards for up to 6 people. The guest card is what gets you access to each of the resort’s amenities - including restaurants, pools, fitness center, and more (a $300 value!) Also included is a 4-seat golf cart rental for your stay which is the preferred mode of transportation to explore the island! Heather’s Happy Shack is centrally located on the island. It was perfect for our little family of 5 but it can comfortably sleep 6 people. We loved that it was a top floor condo and had an incredible view of the marsh! We saw alligators and sting rays swimming by, fish jumping, and birds fishing all while sitting in the beautiful screened-in porch area. Because Fripp Island is a turtle nesting area, the island is kept quite dark at night which was a whole different experience to look out upon from the screened in porch. We enjoyed listening to the frogs and bugs at night and we could easily imagine how South Carolina looked to the first people who thrived here long ago. We also enjoyed the fully stocked kitchen! While there are restaurants on the island, as well as a small grocery store, we enjoyed the ease of stocking up on food in Beaufort on our way and being able to have slow mornings making breakfast and late nights cooking dinner at our leisure. The rental also has a full-sized washer and dryer. On this small, majestic island, there is so much to do! Fripp Island is home to two designer golf courses, tennis and pickle ball courts, and multiple relaxing pools for all types of vacationers. We spent 3 days in the area and had the best time! The first night we arrived, we took care of business by checking in and getting all our passes as well as grabbing our golf cart. It was love at first night ;) Exploring the island by golf cart, spying baby alligators and all the cute, little white-tailed deer all over the place and then making it official with a quick visit to the beach Day 1If we weren’t sold by our first night, we were definitely in it for the long haul when we woke up to this view! We started off the day by going to check out the nature center, but on the way we spotted this big guy sun bathing in someone’s back yard. Once at the nature center, we loved checking out all the animals. They had frogs, snakes, turtles, a baby alligator, and even a baby raccoon which was so fun to see. We had just gone to see what it was all about but the nature center has so many activities going all the time for all ages. There are kids crafting activities, guided nature tours, even a weekly kids story time and so much more. This is definitely a spot to become familiar with when you first get to the island. Our next stop was a couple hours at the pool. Our family loved the pools at the Cabana Club. There they have 3 pools, with one being a kiddie pool and it’s right on the end of the island so it looks out over the ocean. Along with the peaceful views, they had live music and good poolside food - definitely try the fries! After lunch at the Cabana Club, we were onto our next stop, which was actually the neighboring island known as Hunting Island State Park. Fripp and Hunting Island is actually where they filmed the Vietnam scenes in the movie Forrest Gump! So if that doesn’t demonstrate just how beautiful and tropical the island feels, I don’t know what does. The state park is home to South Carolina’s only publicly accessible lighthouse! This historic lighthouse (built in 1873) is actually a recreation of the original lighthouse - which was built in 1859 - because the original one was burned down by Confederate soldiers to prevent the Union from being able to use it for navigation. We’ve heard there’s a fun nature center on the island as well as a beautiful marsh boardwalk. There are rumors that you can find shark teeth on the northern part of the island as well! We weren’t so lucky but we did stop by the visitors center to say hi to the resident alligator. We hung out at the beach exploring the little tide pool areas and even venturing down to the driftwood area. There is nowhere you can go wrong when visiting Hunting Island State Park. It’s beautiful from all angles, which I guess explains why it’s one of South Carolina’s single most visited State Park! Day 2Our next day started out with another jaunt around the island on the golf cart. We spotted more gators just chilling on the golf course, which never got old to see haha. And then we headed off the island again and went to explore Beaufort a little bit. I already mentioned Beaufort is extremely close as well. If you are looking for a change of pace, it’s an excellent place to visit! Established in 1711, but with Europeans making their mark on the area since the 1500s, there is incredible history here! We started off our day with a dolphin and history tour with Coastal Expeditions. It was a very well-rounded tour where we learned so much about the local wildlife and history. We saw dolphins and all kinds of birds and we are big fans of just being out on the water. Afterwards, we kind of hung out at the marina and we actually saw the drawbridge move to let through a sailboat, which was really cool! The waterfront park located there has a few swings where we could hang out and watch the boats for a bit which was pretty fun. Next, we grabbed lunch at the Lowcountry Produce Market and Cafe, which was super cute inside. They sell a lot of local art and foods so it was fun to browse while waiting for a table. The building started out as a post office in the early 1900s so it was also just really cool to see that. While the food was okay, they do serve “brunch” foods all day and the donuts were a big hit for us! There is a variety of historic tours you can take but in Beaufort but we enjoyed just roaming the area around Old Point neighborhood where you can find the oldest homes in Beaufort. This neighborhood is within walking distance from the restaurant we were parked at as well as the incredible visitors center, which is inside the actual Beaufort Arsenal. It was really cool to hang out here for a bit and would be fun to go back when the history museum, located in the upper level, is open. As we drove back to Fripp Island, we drove over that drawbridge we had watched earlier in the day. This bridge has some fun history in that it was also a backdrop for another famous scene in the Forrest Gump movie, although in the movie it’s labeled as “Mississippi River”. But you’ll recognize it in the part of the movie when Forrest is doing one of his cross-country runs. After some dinner back on the island, we got some ice cream at Island Bites and went on yet another gold cart ride around the island. As we were exploring, we realized some of the deer were very curious and when we stopped the cart, they came right up to us and let us pet them! It was a true Snow White moment and super cool. Then we went to watch the sunset on the marsh and ended another beautiful day on Fripp Island. Day 3This was our last morning on the island, and it was with heavy hearts and promises to come back that we said goodbye. We hit up a few more places in Beaufort before heading home. Some major scenes from Forrest Gump were also shot with Gay Fish Co, which is right near Fripp Island. If you go inside the building, they have framed receipts showing how much Paramount paid Gay Fish Co. for all the shrimp they used in the iconic scene in the movie. Another highlight was visiting the Penn Center. Penn Center was the first school in the South for formerly enslaved West Africans. It’s a beautiful national historic district that preserves the history of the Gullah culture and the communities that literally built the South. Learning about this property from the guides was a special experience. They were so knowledgeable and happy to share points of interest that our whole family would enjoy. We became junior rangers at the National Park building on the property and we even got to see the little cabin where Martin Luther King, jr. wrote his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Another place that we really thought was cool was the Old Sheldon Church Ruins just outside of Beaufort. This is a must see! These ruins were originally known as Prince William’s Parish, built between 1745 and 1753. It was partially burned down by British loyalists in 1779, rebuilt during the Revolutionary War and then again dismantled by the Union just before the end of the Civil War. The grounds are scattered with historic graves, including Colonel William Bull who was a key figure in establishing Savannah, Georgia. Again, there is so much history to take in in this area that ranges from all periods of this country. Such an amazing place to explore. Fripp Island is a true oasis and we can say we 100% fell in love with this little slice of heaven on earth. We have every intention of coming back with friends and family to share this extremely special place. We haven’t been to many places in South Carolina yet, but I have a feeling that Fripp Island will stay at the top of our list of places you need to experience! Have you been to the area and have something to add? Please let us know! Never heard of Fripp Island and have questions about our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live!
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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