We just got back from a fantastic little beach vacation off the coast of South Carolina. I’m talking about the kind of vacation that your kids beg for an extra day and there’s a little sadness in the air on the drive back home. You know that kind, right? The kind of vacations you leave with resolve to come back and bring all your favorite people with you because you just have to share it? The beauty of this specific little trip is that it was only a short driving distance from our home so we really could recreate it any time! Our extended weekend trip was to a little place called Fripp Island, South Carolina. Fripp Island is the most seaward island in South Carolina. It’s only about 6 1/2 square miles. Along with three miles of pristine beachfront overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Fripp Island is also 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. I can’t even count how many alligators we saw in our short time there! Before we go any further, let’s talk about how to get there. Fripp Island is near the southern tip of South Carolina, midway between Charleston and Savannah, Georgia with Savannah’s airport being the closest to Fripp. It is 67 miles from Savannah including a beautiful drive through Beaufort, South Carolina and Saint Helena Island which is the closest town to Fripp. 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. Our family loved the pools at the Cabana Club, but there’s also an olympic pool and an adult’s only pool. My kids got a kick out of the local mode of transportation - golf carts! Cruising around the island was so relaxing and beautiful as we took in scenery ranging from white sandy beaches to giant oaks covered in Spanish moss. Besides exploring on land, there is a nature center which offers many outdoor excursions including guided kayaking tours, fishing charters, dolphin cruises and more. If fishing is your thing, there are multiple crabbing docks and Beaufort, only 30 minutes away, is home to some of the best fishing in the country. One 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. 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. If none of this has you convinced to visit Fripp Island, there’s more!! Fripp Island is located right next to South Carolina’s 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. We did make our way over to Hunting Island for sunset one of the nights we were there and it was stunning. 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! Visiting Hunting Island was a super easy activity to do while staying on Fripp Island. 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! There is a variety of historic tours you can take but we enjoyed just roaming Old Point neighborhood where you can find the oldest homes in Beaufort. 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. Some other random facts: there is a shrimping company close to Fripp Island called Gay Fish Co. Some major scenes from Forrest Gump were also shot with this company, as they used one of their shrimp boats in the movie. They also filmed the storm scene in these waters. 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. You may also recognize the Woods Memorial Bridge, which connects Beaufort to Lady’s Island from Forrest Gump as well. This is the bridge Forrest runs across during one of his many cross-country runs…though in the movie it is labeled the Mississippi River. Another fun fact is that Fripp 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! 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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