Most people meet Port Royal on the way to somewhere else: Parris Island graduation, Hunting Island, or downtown Beaufort. The ones who stop find a small town that still runs at its own pace, and a few places even longtime Beaufort residents haven't been.
This isn't a list of everything to do. For the everyday picture of life on Paris Avenue, the trail and the farmers market, read our guide to living in Port Royal's Old Village. These are the places I send friends when they want to see the Port Royal locals love.
1. Fort Frederick Heritage Preserve
At the end of Old Fort Road sit the walls of what is thought to be the oldest surviving tabby fort in South Carolina. The British built it between 1733 and 1735 to guard Beaufort from Spanish ships coming up the river. It never fired a shot in battle.
The bigger story came later. On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was read on this ground, at the Union's Camp Saxton. The site is now part of the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. It was closed to the public for years because it sits next to Naval Hospital Beaufort, and many locals still don't realize it has reopened.
Good to know: open dawn to dusk, with a small parking area, interpretive signs and a picnic pavilion.
2. Cypress Wetlands in nesting season
You can walk the Cypress Wetlands trails any day, but go between mid-March and late summer. That's nesting season, when great egrets, herons, ibises and wood storks raise their chicks in the trees right in the middle of town, close enough to watch from the path. In 2025 the town counted about 800 nests. It's one of the easiest places in the Lowcountry to see a rookery without a boat.
My boys grew up walking these trails with their preschool, and it's still one of the first places I take families who are thinking about moving here.
3. The observation tower at The Sands at sunset
The Sands is where Battery Creek meets the Beaufort River. Most visitors walk the beach. Locals climb the observation tower at the end of the Henry Robinson Boardwalk around sunset, for a view across both waterways. My boys have always loved the climb, and seeing everything from above never gets old for them.
4. The Port Royal end of the Spanish Moss Trail
The paved trail runs about 10 miles along the old railroad bed, from Ribaut Road in Port Royal north to Clarendon Road in Burton. Start at the Port Royal end on a weekday morning and you'll pass more herons than people.
5. Sunset on 11th Street
For my own sunset, I head to 11th Street on Battery Creek. Shellring Ale Works opened in a refurbished shrimp processing building right on the water, and FishCamp on 11th Street sits next door. I love grabbing a seat at either one and watching the sun go down over the creek. It's where Port Royal's working waterfront and its easygoing side meet.
Thinking about living here?
Port Royal suits people who want a walkable small town, water on two sides, and a 10-minute drive to downtown Beaufort. The Old Village's grid of streets has everything from original cottages to newer homes built in the same style.
If you're relocating and want to see it the way locals do, Chambers Helms Group can walk you through the Old Village street by street.
FAQs
Is Fort Frederick open to the public?
Yes, from dawn to dusk every day. It's on Old Fort Road, next to Naval Hospital Beaufort.
Is Port Royal part of Beaufort?
No. Port Royal is its own town, just south of the City of Beaufort, with its own town government.
What's the best time of year to visit Port Royal?
Spring and fall. Nesting season at Cypress Wetlands starts in mid-March, and fall brings milder weather on the water.
