A Small Town Escape
The undeniable appeal of this tranquil corner of South Carolina is rooted in traditions driven by the water and the land - and the families who preserve them.
The secret is out. A once drowsy village on the bluff of the May River between Savannah and Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, South Carolina, is timeless and authentic. A short time ago it was merely an enclave for artists and eccentrics but now it has become a thriving region for our sporting culture, dining, shopping, and Southern living at its finest.
Whenever new acquaintances ask me to tell them about my home in the Lowcountry, I know they expect me to compare my lifestyle to something out of Fried Green Tomatoes or Gone with the Wind. Forrest Gump was all about the simple life: live oaks with their gnarled limbs and beards of Spanish Moss swinging in the breeze along twisted lanes and sandy streets. Even Reese Witherspoon went home to Sweet Alabama, rejecting city life to embrace the slower, gentler lifestyle in the old South.
Bluffton’s charms are impossible to hide. Stately old homes with haunted histories and ghost legends cluster throughout this old river town.
Bluffton Oyster Company
Down by the shoreline, pickers harvest prized oysters the old-fashioned way, by hand. Shrimpers and anglers still search the river for the evening’s meal as they have for generations.
Below is a look inside the Bluffton Oyster Company, 63 Wharf St., a fourth-generation family business operated by Larry Toomer on the banks of the May River. This is the last continuously operated oyster factory in South Carolina.
This painting is the work of West Fraser, a true “Son of the Lowcountry,” with deep roots dating back to 1695. His uncle, Charles E. Fraser, founded Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island, SC.
Dozens of neighborhoods have sprung up, and not long ago a one-square-mile community of 700 souls has continued to expand while maintaining its small-town appeal, which is sure to capture your heart.
Not only has it become a haven for shoppers but there’s a culinary renaissance, reflecting a mix of traditional fare and nouveau Southern food, where the past comes together with the present experience.
Cahill’s Market
Cahill’s Market is where everything is fresh from field to table. For lunch, there is always a meat and three experience built around the day’s harvest.
John and Robbie Cahill’s forebears have worked farmland along the shores of the May River through world wars, depressions, floods, hurricanes, and a global pandemic for more than a century. Purchased in 1918 by John’s great-grandmother, the family farm has nourished generations of Cahills.
Before you snag a table in the barn’s down-home dining room, take a stroll around the grounds and see where the eggs are laid, veggies grown and livestock raised. Almost everything on your plate is something gleaned from the grounds, tended with no chemicals, and planted with loving care by siblings John, Debra, and Mike Cahill.
Fried chicken, barbecued chicken, baked chicken, grilled chicken, fried gizzards, and chicken fried steak with sawmill gravy are there for the asking. When it comes to sides, their freshness is so high they are worthy to take center stage on any plate: squash casserole, field peas, okra and tomatoes, red rice, creamed corn, and sliced SC peaches when in season make regular appearances on the menu.
Visit Cahill’s for good ‘ol Southern fixin’s. That is just the beginning of your adventure. There is much more to discover in Old Town Bluffton and its surroundings.
Leave a comment about what you experience. Our readers love hearing about where you have had a good meal or enjoyed this remarkable place. This publication is for you!
My long-time Savannah and Hilton Head friends always want to meet for lunch at Cahill's, ignoring the new and devilishly delicious places that keep popping up. It's a place like no other.
I'm willing to explore some new ones - let me know where you like to go. This newsletter is for you and together we can share our thoughts and ideas. There are endless reasons to keep on loving Bluffton.