Prolonging a Long Weekend with a Stop in Bluffton, SC

You know when you are supposed to get ready to head home after an amazing long weekend, but you just don’t want it to end?  My Man and I felt almost somber on the Haig Ferry back to Hilton Head Monday morning after spending a relaxing weekend on Daufuskie Island. We were not excited to see our trip to Fantasy Island end.  When the ferry pulled up to the dock, we were dreading a long drive back home, with work staring us hard in the face the next day.

Around the country millions of people were celebrating Memorial Day and the thought of driving all afternoon back to Tampa just left us feeling flat.  Upon leaving Hilton Head, I saw a sign for Old Bluffton and begged Nick to do a quick U-turn.  He obviously was on board with the detour and we quickly programmed Waze.

Bluffton was a quaint little South Carolina town down along the May River.  During our last visit to Daufuskie Island, also with the Griffins, we took their boat up to Bluffton so we knew of the town’s charm.

We parked and hopped out to take a look inside the Church of the Cross. Built prior to the Civil War, also known by Southerners as the War of Northern Aggression, the Church of the Cross was still in pristine shape.  Read more about the historic church  An Anglican Church, formal worship in the Bluffton area dates back to 1767 (St. Luke’s Parish).

The stained glass windows were in fantastic shape and the clear glass windows on the side of the river provided a gorgeous view of rising and lowing tides. The guide told us the church and fewer than 15 homes in Bluffton were the only things not burned to the ground by Sherman’s troops during the Civil War.

We continued our walk through the charming little town, stopping to take a few pictures along the way.  It was quiet and peaceful early in the morning.  It just screamed ‘small town America’!

Because I loved Vintage anything, we stopped in Madhouse Vintage.  She told us because it was her last day, everything was half off.  The owner and her 16-year-old daughter were moving back to England, with an attempt for the mother to get the daughter under control.  I picked out some jewelry and a number of unique vintage books dating back to the 1930s, perfect for my bookcase at home!  My Man was excited about the book from the 1950s about Queen Elizabeth II.  Most likely because he enjoyed the Netflix show, The Crown.  We can’t wait for Season 2!

Enjoying our time together, but hungry – we stopped to see what all the buzz was about at The Cottage.  STOP! The breakfast buzz was well worth it.  After ordering a refreshing mint iced tea (unsweet!), the waiter suggested the Shrimp and Grits with Eggs Y’All (I ordered it just like that!) and My Man went with the Big Burrito, because he figured on Memorial Day, go big or go home!  Take a look at our breakfast, one at a time!

The people working there thought we were crazy!  We could not stop talking about how good it was!  We got full quickly and decided to eat only half of it – saving the rest for dinner. Well-known for their afternoon tea, a reservation 48 hours in advance was required. They also had some really nice wine and deserts inside!  Bluffton, including The Cottage, reminded us a lot of the small towns around Napa and Somona in Northern California.

After buying a Daufuskie Island hat for My Man, we dropped off our purchases at the car (five books get heavy after a few blocks) and continued our walk.  I couldn’t stop sneaking peaks at My Man – he looked so handsome and happy!

I found out when looking up a few places in Bluffton, that an episode of The Bachlorette (airing June 12) was filmed there! Check it out – it features country star Russell Dickerson !  http://www.islandpacket.com/entertainment/tv/article141757834.html

We stopped in Eggs ‘N’ Tricities and bought four vintage-like placements for our house.  I found a couple of Lilly Pulitzer-like dresses on sale too.  After all, we live in the south now!

I loved the sign in the bathroom (below left).  The sign about Loving Jesus made my husband laugh.  I also really liked all the antique framed prints in the dressing room.

 It was such a creative, happy place. The women working there were straight out of Steel Magnolia, with one of them giving advice on the phone about, “not salting it for goodness sakes”, referring to a Memorial Day cook-out recipe. Not familiar with Steel Magnolias?  Check out some the funniest lines from one of the best movies ever made!

We walked a bit more, enjoying the park.  We hugged, said “I Love You!” and decided it was time to start answering to Tampa calling our name.  Thank you Bluffton for being the cherry on top of the best weekends we’ve had in a long time!