Fall Trip–Savannah, Georgia (Day 5)

Today, we actually spent a lot of our touring time in South Carolina, in Beaufort and Parris Island.

We drove north from our hotel near Savannah for about an hour to enter Parris Island. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (often abbreviated as MCRD PI) is an 8,095 acres military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina, approximately 5 miles south of Beaufort, the community that is typically associated with the installation. MCRD Parris Island is used for the training of enlisted Marines. Male recruits living east of the Mississippi River and female recruits from all over the United States report here to receive their initial training.

After entering Parris Island many points of Interest were pointed out by guide for the morning, Rose . She was very knowledgeable of the area, including the base because her father was a career Marine. We visited the Parris Island Museum. Because this day was also parents day, there were also many Marines, with their parents, touring the museum.

The museum was relatively small with only a couple of floors and included a small theater. Most of the exhibits were primarily photos. I guess I’m spoiled by the Air Force Museum in Dayton, which is huge in comparison to this one.

One small display that impressed me was the Marine Prayer, shown below.

After departing the Parris Island Marine training facility, we went into Beaufort. Beaufort is a quaint town that was first occupied by Europeans 450 years ago. It was chartered 300 years ago this year.

The weather was not generally conducive to outdoor photography but we had enough dry bright periods that I was able to get a few shots. The city is known for its scenic location and for maintaining a historic character through its impressive antebellum architecture.

These are examples of the architecture in Beaufort. Obviously, the one on the left is very old but I don’t know about the one on the right.

Many of the buildings on the main streets have become businesses, such as these two; housing a ice cream parlor and coffee shop.

Everywhere we looked, we could see lots of beautiful flowers and plants. The climate in Beaufort is sub-tropical and ideal for these plants.

Of course, since Beaufort is on one of the Islands, there is a lot of water all around. Below we can see the waterfront and marina.

While we were in Beaufort most of us took time to find a place for lunch. Nancy and I found a great place for shrimp. The owner is from Ohio!Their fried shrimp was fresh and the best that I’ve ever had. Nancy also wanted to have some fried green tomatoes. I tried them, but won’t ask to do that again!

Tonight we enjoyed dinner at Houlihan’s Restaurant. We all really enjoyed the food and the service. I was amazed that we were allowed to order from a menu selection.

Friday, we load our bus in the morning and head back up toward North Carolina with a stop at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbus, SC. Then, we continue to Flat Rock, NC where we will spend the night.