You'd Be Surprised To Learn That Port Royal, South Carolina Is One Of The Country's Best Coastal Towns
By AnneMarie|Published June 07, 2023
×
AnneMarie
Author
South Carolina has been home for AnneMarie since 2001. Her favorite part of the state is Lake Jocassee. An App State alumna, it's always the mountains; the lake bonus makes it heavenly. When not writing about the state, she may be spending time with family, relaxing by the pool, or out somewhere enjoying nature.
South Carolina’s coast is beautiful and alluring, drawing over 25 million tourists every year. Starting at the northern part of our coastline, Myrtle Beach attracts a whopping 19 million of that total number, with Charleston, just past the center portion of the coastline, claiming another 7 million. Beachwalker Park on one of Charleston’s barrier islands, Kiawah Island, has been named a top 10 best beach in America in Dr. Beach’s rankings. And then another couple million visitors come each year to Hilton Head Island at our southern coast. But just north of there, you’ll find one of the best coastal towns in America, Port Royal, which has been called South Carolina’s most overlooked town in an article called American Beauties. And that it surely is!
Port Royal has a fascinating history, having initially been fought over by the French, Spanish, English, and Native Americans! In 1861, it was one of the first towns in the Confederacy to fall to Union forces.
Founded as a town and railroad terminus in 1874, it later became significant in the phosphate, lumber, and cotton industries. As those declined, fishing and shrimping thrived and grew throughout the 1930s, revitalizing the area.
Still today, Port Royal is known for its delicious, fresh seafood! Fishcamp on 11th Street is just one place where you can enjoy deliciously prepared seafood while in this little town.
And you don't want to miss the Henry Robinson Boardwalk at The Sands Beach ... take a stroll and look for dolphins, pelicans, and wading shorebirds. It's about a mile long and the perfect place to de-stress and relax for awhile.
For a bit of shopping, the F. W. Scheper Store is a neat, late 1800s building in the heart of Port Royal on 8th Street. It was originally a grocery and feed store opened by a German immigrant and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, it houses Nuances, a women's boutique clothing store that's fun and sassy!
Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., rain or shine, you can shop fresh, local seasonal produce, shrimp, oysters, poultry, beef, pork, eggs, bread, and cheese at the farmer's market. You'll also find plants, ferns, camellias, azaleas, citrus trees, and beautiful, fresh-cut flower bouquets.
There are also food vendors there serving BBQ, dumplings, she-crab soup, crab cakes, paella, coffee, baked goods, bagels, and breakfast sandwiches.
As you can see, there is so much to explore in this amazing coastal town in South Carolina! Not to mention the breathtaking sunsets at the end of a full day of fun ...
