Popping pant buttons

The borders of the Lowcountry are debatable. Comprised of roughly 80 square miles of a lowland area of sea islands and marshlands off the Atlantic coast, the Lowcountry, some say, starts at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, while others think Pawley’s Island is the northernmost border. Charleston for others is the true beginning. Most say the area stretches as far as the Savannah River in Georgia, while others think the Lowcountry includes the entire Georgia coast to include islands like Tybee and Jekyll.

No matter where it starts or ends, I have always felt a fascination for this area of South Carolina and have been very interested in exploring this neck of the woods. What has imbued my wanderlust with this region?

Could it be the culture of the Gullah people; descendants of slaves living in the area who still speak their own dialect, Geechee?

Gullah art

Could it be the horticulture? More specifically, Gossypium barbadense, commonly known as Sea Island Cotton that was the finest cotton produced in the 1800’s and made the south 
fabulously wealthy.

Sea Island Cotton

Could it be the history of the antebellum plantations and civil war antics; Ft. Sumter where the War of Secession began, is located in Charleston.

Could it be the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, open to visitors Monday through Friday? Who doesn't love a gal in uniform!?

Could it be the golf of Hilton Head Island? There are 52 golf courses on and near the island, 32 of which are open to the public.

OORAH

Could it be the beaches themselves and the balmy subtropical year round weather?

Could it be the opportunity to explore the world of the author Pat Conroy, who taught English for a while on Daufuskie Island and revisit the haunts of some of his storied novels like, The Water Is Wide, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini?

Yes, it could be all of the above. But, we are really looking forward to the food!
Like the Gulf coast area of Louisiana, the Lowcountry is teeming with delicacies from the sea. Crabs, shrimp, oysters, crawfish and fish including sturgeon are plentiful here ! Caviar?

The inland woody and marshy islands have game birds like pheasant, turkey, quail and duck. But most importantly, even before the introduction of Sea Island Cotton in the late 1700’s was the “Carolina Gold” introduced by West African slaves in the early 1700’s. Rice from their native land was cultivated by African slaves, who were brought to the Lowcountry by the several thousands. They knew how to prepare and irrigate the rice fields and during the first years hundreds of tons of the grain were shipped back to England. Evidently the fields of rice were beautiful as well as lucrative and the beautiful golden views of the fields and the profits reaped have made the Lowcountry a historically ripe part of the world.

A few years ago Team VFH had traveled extensively through Southwest Louisiana and ate some of the best Cajun and Creole foods and in some of the most out of the way places. We’re looking forward to have a similar experience exploring this rich area of land and the bountiful cornucopia it offers. If you’re interested in catching up on this pre-Vacations From Home aspect of travel, feel free to visit:
TRAVELING THROUGH CAJUN COUNTY

Frogmore stew

The foods of each region are similar, but instead of etouffee we’ll be eating Frogmore Stew, named after the little town outside Beaufort. It’s also known as Lowcountry boil and frog is not an ingredient, but shrimp and spicy sausage instead. We might not find jambalaya in the Lowcountry but I’m sure we’ll get elbows deep into some shrimp and grits. Thankfully gumbo in all its variations, like seafood and chicken and sausage, etc. etc., should be as plentiful in the Lowcountry as well as bourbon-soaked ANYTHING, from pork chops to salmon! Did I fail to mention hushpuppies?

Mind you, food is much more important than the presentation. We at VFH central don’t necessarily want wait staff to fawn over us. We want good food and cold beer and beautiful views. One place we’ve already picked out is Bowen’s Island Restaurant, just a few minutes outside of Folly’s Beach which is south of Charleston. According to their spare website it is ranked as one of the best American Seafood Dives. We’re looking forward to our visit there as well as any others we may stumble across as we pop our pant buttons traveling through the Lowcountry.

Updates and leftovers to follow.

Keep in touch and thanks for reading… but don’t try to eat off our plate.

G and J