Between Charleston and Savannah

It’s about a 2 hour drive between Charleston and Savannah on I-95, but it’s way more interesting to take the scenic route and make a couple stops along the way.

The Angel Oak

Just about 20 minutes south of Charleston is the The Angel Oak Tree, a truly impressively large tree. It’s accessible from a short gravel road on Johns Island. It’s free to visit, but there are a lot of rules and limited parking, so make to read all the signs carefully.

Old Sheldon Church Ruins

Just outside of Beaufort is the Old Sheldon Church Ruins. Built in the mid-1700’s it was burned during the Revolutionary War, rebuilt, and then depending on what you read, either burned again or just destroyed during the Civil War. Either way currently, it’s an interesting ruin in a beautiful park.

Beaufort

Beaufort is a historic town right on the water. It was a pleasant city to wander with shops on the main street and lots of historic houses.

We sat outside and had lunch overlooking the water at the bustling Plums Restaurant. They had a very satisfying salad menu along with lots of sandwiches options.

Reconstruction Era National Historical Park

A newer national park formed in 2017, this was my main reason for stopping in Beaufort. The visitor’s center is in downtown Beaufort in the old firehouse and is small, but while we were there, a ranger gave a short talk and provided us with a lot of information on the history of the park and what to see and do.

Beaufort was an important site during Reconstruction, because the Union Army occupied the city early in the Civil War and many slaves escaped there and were emancipated. The NPS offers walking tours in the city from the visitor’s center, and then there are sites outside Beaufort.

Darrah Hall on St. Helena Island is located at the Penn Center. It’s the oldest building at the former location of the Penn School, which was one of the first schools for formerly enslaved people. Camp Saxton is located at the site of Fort Frederick which was a tabby fort, built in the early 1700’s by the British. During the Civil War, it was the home of the 1st South Carolina Infantry (later renamed the 33rd United States Colored Troops).