On my recent travels in the USA, we stayed at Montage Palmetto Bluff, a luxury resort on the outskirts of the town of Bluffton, South Carolina, which is nestled along the May River. Taking advantage of our resort’s complimentary Mercedes service (fancy fancy!), my grandmother and I ventured into quaint little Bluffton to explore for an afternoon.
From what we could tell, the town’s main strip is Calhoun Street and Promenade Street (which is actually more like one long street as they are not parallel to each other). Here you will find shops, restaurants, cafés, colonial style architecture, and lots of free parking.
There are so many places worth stopping into, and I will try to tell you a little about them all. Calhoun Street is older and is where you’ll find the more unique places, whereas Promenade Street is newer and features more high-end boutiques.
It is worth walking around Bluffton just for the fresh air and the views. We could not get over how cute and quiet this place was! It also seems to be a very clean and well-maintained community. One of our servers told us that in the last five years, the population of Bluffton has sky-rocketed and the little town is booming. But you would never know— Bluffton has appeared to keep its integrity and charm despite its rapid growth.
Our first stop was for breakfast, and out of all the restaurants we passed, I am glad we chose The Cottage. The cozy, funky atmosphere was so enjoyable and the food was absolutely delicious! They serve complimentary hot cornbread with cinnamon butter before your meal arrives, and oh my gosh, it was perfect. The service was really great too. We arrived exactly at 11:00 am, which is when breakfast ends, but they served it to us anyway. How sweet! See exactly what I ate here.
Continuing up Calhoun Street, you will find plenty of small gift stores, antique shops, and little markets. None are overly pricey and they have something for everyone! I highly recommend the antique shop, it is one of the most well-stocked and affordable I’ve been in. We were lucky enough to stroll in on a 50% off day, which was a true #win.
Of all the stores, if you only go into one, make it Spartina 449. A local creation, Spartina carries gorgeous bags, jewelry, accessories, and stationary. I could have gone home with every last item in that store, it was right up my alley! And so were the prices. I decided not to go nuts and only walked away with a gorgeous new agenda for only about $40 CAD, which is pretty much wat you would pay at any Indigo bookstore.
Lucky for you, you don’t have to go all the way to Bluffton to shop Spartina (although, you should). They have an online shop! Yay!
If you happen to find yourself in South Carolina, be sure to make Bluffton part of your adventure. It is small, but it is quiet and relaxing and so good for the soul. Time seems to stand still in Bluffton, and as the very first photo in this article says, Bluffton truly seems to represent a state of mind.
Don’t be a stranger! If you liked this article, and want to read more, leave us a comment or shout us out on social media, @twowildtides! We love to read your comments and respond to them. If you find yourself in Bluffton or anywhere in South Carolina, tag us in your pictures, we would love to see what you’re up to!
xoxo,
char
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