Beaufort

Sturdy pecan trees dressed in Spanish Moss welcome residents as they cross over the Whale Branch Passage and arrive in Seabrook. Once a flourishing pecan farm, the small residential community remains relatively rural with just over a hundred homes spread across 5 miles of Lowcountry landscape. Located along the outskirts of Beaufort County, Seabrook residents “have to drive into Burton for groceries and restaurants, but to most people around here, that’s not really anything at all,” Connie Rambo says. Neighboring resident and Realtor with Carolina Realty of the Low Country, Rambo adds, “Yes, it’s a little bit out of the way, but it’s still close enough to get into town and do things.” While not as convenient, Seabrook, she adds, “is much quieter and more affordable than other communities closer to Downtown Beaufort.” Seabrook can be divided into three distinct residential sections. Most of the original ranch-style homes were built between the 1960s and ‘90s on half- to one-acre lots. These properties sit outside any Homeowners Associations, “so you don’t have so many restrictions or rules,” Rambo says. “You have a lot of people coming in now to build manufactured housing and those kinds of mobile homes.” Depending on their age, most of these listings range between $70,000 and $300,000. The south end of the neighborhood is a private HOA community called Seabrook Point. It features New Traditional ranch-style homes from the 1990s and empty wooded lots just under an acre. Resale listings here usually range between $500,000 to $825,000, while nearly an acre of land starts at around $75,000. Stuarts Point is another private HOA community occupying the entire north end of Seabrook. Some of the older vernacular homes with marshland views can range from $650,000 to $960,000. One-acre land lots with private boat docks extending into the Whale Branch can go for up to $450,000. Some new construction two-story farmhouses were added to Stuarts Point in 2023. These usually fall within the $325,000 to $425,000 range. Seabrook is home to three of the 32 public schools in Beaufort County. Whale Branch Elementary scores a C on Niche. First through fourth grade students attend class at the main campus in Seabrook, while the James J. Davis Learning Center hosts the preschool and kindergarten program across the water. Back in Seabrook, Whale Branch Middle earns a C-plus, and Whale Branch Early College High gets a B-plus. This school partners with the Technical College of the Lowcountry to help all its students graduate with a two-year associates degree. Heading southeast, U.S. Highway 21 crosses the Whale Branch River and passes through the center of Seabrook. It connects to the Marine Corps Air Station in about 7 miles, and Parris Island is just another 11 miles southeast. Beaufort Memorial Hospital and the County’s charming Historic Downtown sit about 10 miles from Seabrook. Following Highway 21 northwest, residents can easily hop on U.S. Highway 17 and get on Interstate 95 in about 8 miles. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is less than 45 miles south from I-95. A 200,000 square-foot shopping complex broke ground in 2023 just 10 miles down the highway. Beaufort Station, as it’s known, sits in the heart of Burton across from the local Walmart and a much older retail strip, Cross Creek Plaza. The new shopping center currently features department stores like Homegoods and TJ Maxx, and developers say four chain restaurants, that have yet to be announced, should be open by the end of 2024. “It’s an exciting new addition,” Rambo says. “The whole area is really growing and changing.” Just northwest of Seabrook, Lowcountry Produce is “a cool little restaurant in Lobeco,” says Chris Skrip, a local Realtor and co-owner of RE/MAX Dream. “They sell fresh vegetables and do a lot of canning over there; and in the fall, they’ll have pumpkins for the kids.” The Whale Branch Fishing Pier stretches out into deep brackish waters, far past the marshlands along Seabrook’s northwest coast. The Whale Branch links the Broad and Coosaw Rivers, which creates the perfect breeding grounds for a variety of Lowcountry wildlife. “The marshlands and waterways back there are basically little nurseries throughout the year,” Skrip says. “You can catch redfish, spottails or flounder pretty much anytime, and during the summer, you’ll have a bunch of baby sharks and stingrays, but they’re all really little.” Folks with private boat docks launch skiffs and small motorboats straight from their own backyard. Seabrook Point residents can use their HOA-funded community boat ramp to jet off into the Broad River. One of the only three drive-in movie theaters in South Carolina sits just 7 miles southeast. Every Thursday through Sunday night, families can head just a few miles down the road to watch a movie from their truck bed at Highway 21 Drive-In. The north and south edges of Seabrook sit within an Air Installation Compatible Use Zone or AICUZ. Just a few miles from the Marine Corps Air Station of Beaufort, Seabrook residents hear fighter jets fly overhead often. While this may be a problem for some, Rambo says, “We actually like to hear them; it’s one of the most iconic things for the whole area.” She says most locals call it “the sound of freedom.”

Cat Island began in the 1930s as the first nudist colony in the United States. The founders hoped to create a sanctuary where they could live out their naturist principles in peace, but Chris Skrip says, “That only lasted about six months until they realized they couldn’t handle all the mosquitos.” Skrip, a local Realtor and co-owner of RE/MAX Dream, says, “The bugs aren’t nearly as bad anymore.” Today, the 450-acre Island maintains its sense of peace and natural beauty. Driving through the community, Skrip says, “You’ll see tree-canopied streets with marsh views and wildlife galore.” Residents can watch white-tailed deer hop through the reeds around the recently renovated golf course or spend the day fishing in deep water creeks. Cat Island feels wonderfully secluded, with only one way in and one way out. Still, everyday conveniences and local schools are fewer than 10 miles north on Lady’s Island.   Lowcountry landscapes create a serene backdrop for the Island’s luxury amenities. The community centers around Cat Island Club. Its 18-hole golf course closed in 2019 after years of neglect, but Resort Development Partners quickly bought the property to pave new fairways and reshape the former oblong sand bunkers. These days, residents enjoy sunny Saturdays carting around the velvet tiff-dwarf greens with neighbors. Palmetto trees line the fenced-in pool area at the heart of Cat Island. It features a kiddie pool, hot tub and two resort-style pools, one of which is reserved for adults. Kids ages four through 12 can learn to swim or play tennis at the Club’s annual summer camp. Four distinct subdivisions make up the residential portion of Cat Island. Gently sloping fairways greet the back of New Traditional craftsman homes in Olde Tabby Park. Cutting through the Island’s south end, this borough only has 75 homesites, most already developed. The listings here range from $575,000 to $850,000. Ridge Road’s larger homes face Lowcountry marshlands on the community’s western edge. They showcase more traditional Southern features, with architectural styles ranging from coastal Colonial to classic cape cod. These custom-built single-family homes typically start at $925,000 and go up to $1.5 million. One of the newest and currently developing subdivisions is Dolphin Point.  Along with empty homesites, the community features new traditional vernaculars with long, private boat docks extending into Cat Island Creek. Sheffield Park is another newly established borough with plenty of empty lots and classic cape cod homes on the north end of the Island. The listings in both subdivisions usually fall between $750,000 and $850,000, but some waterfront properties can cost upwards of $1.75 million. Everyday conveniences and commercial developments are found about 5 miles north on Lady’s Island. A few national chains like McDonald’s and Wendy’s sit around Publix, Food Lion and the brand-new Harris Teeter that opened in May 2024. Residents head to Island Square Shopping Center to visit the local butcher at Ole Timey Meats. Next door, Grayco Hardware and Home sells anything from backyard grills to power tools and even fishing gear. Locals can drive just past the Beaufort Executive Airport to find household essentials at Walmart Supercenter. Cat Island is zoned for the Beaufort County School District. Lady’s Island Elementary scores a B-minus on Niche, while Lady’s Island Middle earns a B. Beaufort High School gets a B-minus and offers several advanced programs for students hoping to go straight into the workforce or get a head start on college. Its Academy for Career Excellence includes a welding program and culinary arts school, plus the Technical College of the Lowcountry provides dual enrollment classes. The Islands Causeway is the main road connecting Cat Island to the mainland. It cuts through the center of the community and leads to U.S. Highway 21 in about 2 miles. From here, residents can head across the McTeer Bridge to access the Naval Hospital in Port Royal or continue driving for 45 miles to the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Highway 21 crosses the Beaufort Memorial Bridge heading north and links to Historic Downtown Beaufort in about 5 miles. Surrounded by water and marshlands, Cat Island is at a higher risk of flooding than neighborhoods on the mainland. Skrip says, “The whole neighborhood is in a flood zone, but it’s not like the roads flood every time it rains. It’s tidal surges that you have to worry about over there.”