Welcome to Beaufort, the Queen of the Sea Islands.

If anybody comes up to you and told you that they were passing through and decided to stop in and see what it was all about, you know, initially they were lying because you don't just don't pass through Beaufort.

It's a destination.

Beaufort is the second oldest town in the state of, South Carolina.

And we're made up of, you know, all 69 islands.

You look at Beaufort and the history that's tied to Beaufort.

The national cemetery.

One of the first national cemeteries in the nation was here in Beaufort.

When we look, at the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, it was here in Beaufort.

You know, we've got a mixture of, of Beaufort having been Spanish, French, English and Southern all here wrapped up in one little package.

My family had a department store downtown since the early 1900s.

In 1998, I believe it was.

I opened my own shoe store down there on Bay street and ran it until 2011.

I lived on Bay street on the west end of Bay street, about maybe a mile from the store.

I'd walk downtown to the store.

The way we protect Beaufort's charm, hospitality is we're protecting our historic district.

We're keeping that alive.

We've got one of the biggest historic districts in the country.

Having our military bases, Parris island, the Marine Corps Station, Buford, and the Naval hospital.

That's been a very big part of it.

The people here not only serve in the military, they volunteer for a number of things.

A number of them will come back here and retire.

A lot of them want to be a part of the community.

My father was born here in 1923 and he always called this paradise.

And I took it for granted.

And it wasn't until I lived in New York City for 16 years, came back home, that I realized it truly is paradise down here.

People come into my store all the time and they go, well, what should we see in Beaufort?

What should we go see?

So I say to them, one thing you really have to go is down Bay street to see between Bladen and Charles.

There's antebellums and then there's beautiful Spanish oaks with the Spanish moss hanging down overlooking the Beaufort River.

And it is one of the most iconic views, I believe, in the country.

I remember the Water Festival as a little girl and it has certainly changed.

You know, it used to be just one week and now it expands probably over two weeks with some of the tournaments and things like that.

But, it really does draw people to Beaufort every summer.

I decided to stay after I graduated for a little bit.

Because I just love it here so much.

I mean, Beaufort is gorgeous and I love the surrounding wildlife as well.

The wildlife of Beaufort is just gorgeous and so immersive.

It's like anywhere you go, you really feel involved in the nature.

From everything to like, the Spanish moss on the trees, the low country itself, the marsh, all of the wildlife, from the birds to the dolphins.

Everywhere you go in Beaufort, you just feel really immersed in the wildlife because it's just so beautiful and it's all around you, like it's everywhere.

So downtown Buford is right on the waterfront, which is gorgeous.

If you're looking for, you know, just somewhere to sit and kind of watch the water, there's the bridge downtown also, that's really cool because it opens sideways.

So a lot of people like to come downtown to watch the bridge open.

A bunch of shops are down there.

A lot of people like to frequent.

The restaurants too, are really good.

They've got pizza, barbecue, bar, food, just all sorts of things.

You should come to Buford if you're looking for very friendly people.

Amazing scenery, the beautiful scenic views of the Lowcountry, really good food and just all around a great time.

This is Beaufort.

This is Beaufort.

This is Beaufort.

This is our town.

Welcome.