Beaufort, South Carolina “The Queen of the Sea Islands”

3-Hour Private Driving Tour

Where Reconstruction Began

Founded in 1711 as the second city in South Carolina, Beaufort has stood at the center of American change for more than three centuries.

From its early colonial port days, through the collapse of slavery and the birth of Reconstruction, Beaufort became a place where the future of freedom was tested earlier—and more fully—than almost anywhere else in the nation. The choices made here shaped land ownership, education, political power, and citizenship well beyond the 19th century.

This private driving tour focuses on historic houses and plantation sites throughout Beaufort and the surrounding Sea Islands, using these places to trace the city’s full story—from its founding, through Reconstruction, and into the 21st century.

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Tour Overview

This 3-hour private tour explores Beaufort as one of the most important Reconstruction landscapes in the United States.

After Union forces occupied the city in 1861, plantation owners fled and enslaved people remained. Land was redistributed. Schools and churches were founded. Black men held public office. For a brief but powerful moment, Beaufort became a living experiment in freedom.

This tour connects those events through the homes, churches, cemeteries, and former plantation sites where history unfolded—not in theory, but in daily life.

This is not a plantation fantasy tour.
It is a tour about power, transition, and consequence.

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Historic Sites & Key Stops

Sites visited may include (order may vary):

Beaufort Historic District
Introduction to Beaufort’s early colonial layout, port economy, and sudden Civil War occupation.

John Mark Verdier House
Built by enslaved labor; later used by Union officers—symbolizing the transfer of power.

Robert Smalls House
Home of the formerly enslaved man who escaped slavery, served in Congress, and reshaped American politics.

First African Baptist Church of Beaufort
One of the first African-American churches founded after emancipation; a center of leadership and self-governance.

Beaufort National Cemetery
Burial site of Union soldiers, Black regiments, and formerly enslaved laborers who fought for citizenship.

Port Royal Island
Center of the Port Royal Experiment—America’s first large-scale test of freedom and land ownership.

St. Helena Island
A stronghold of Gullah Geechee culture, land retention, and African-American autonomy.

Penn Center
Founded in 1862; later used by Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement.

Seaside Plantation House (Exterior Visit)
A former planter estate illustrating elite collapse and Union occupation.

Thomas Fuller House (Exterior Visit)
An early Beaufort residence used to read architecture as evidence of wealth, labor, and continuity.

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Why This Tour Matters

Beaufort shows what happened when freedom arrived before the nation was ready.

You’ll explore:

How formerly enslaved people acquired land and education

Why Beaufort produced Black political leaders during Reconstruction

How houses, churches, and schools became centers of power

Why Reconstruction succeeded locally—and failed nationally

How these events still shape the 21st century

This tour directly connects Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement—and to today.

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Tour Details

Duration: 3 hours

Format: Private driving tour

Group Size: Your party only

Pace: Unrushed and narrative-driven

Walking: Minimal; short walks at select sites

Accessibility: Vehicle-based with flexible pacing

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Who This Tour Is For

Curious travelers seeking depth over spectacle

Guests interested in African-American history and Reconstruction

Educators, lifelong learners, and thoughtful families

Visitors who want context, not trivia

Travelers who value private, curated experiences

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What This Tour Is Not

A plantation fantasy

A checklist of mansions

A surface-level Civil War overview

This is a serious, historically grounded experience designed to inform, challenge, and stay with you.

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Booking Notes

Private tour · advance booking recommended

Custom pacing available upon request

Weather-friendly and adaptable