The South Carolina Lowcountry stretches along the
Atlantic coast from Georgetown County to the
Savannah River and includes the historic city of Charleston,
the towns of Walterboro, Beaufort and Bluffton, and
barrier islands from Kiawah to Daufuski.
A big part of the Lowcountry lifestyle is on local
dinner tables—the savory “Lowcountry cuisine.” A
variety of factors have contributed to its evolution:
an abundance of local seafood resources, especially
shrimp and oysters; converted marshlands that were
once home to America’s original rice industry; and
the influences of Caribbean and African cultures. The
result has been the creation of Lowcountry dishes like
she-crab soup, okra gumbo, Frogmore stew, shrimp
and grits, Hoppin’ John and chicken bog that make
every evening meal a tasty adventure.
With a semi-tropical climate, outdoor recreations
are an important contributor to the Lowcountry
lifestyle. Scottish merchants established America’s
first golf club in Charleston, and the region today is
home to renowned resort layouts like Kiawah’s Ocean
Course and Hilton Head’s Harbour Town Golf Links,
as well as many other top-rated private residential
courses, especially in the Charleston and Hilton Head
areas.
Likewise, the mild year-round Lowcountry climate
has made the area a destination for tennis players and
tournament fans. Most of the region’s resorts offer
tennis facilities and instruction, while Daniel Island
in Charleston is the annual host of the Family Circle
Cup, a major stop on the women’s professional tour.
Charleston is also the regional hub for cultural
events that play a significant role in the Lowcountry
lifestyle. In addition to numerous live-music venues
around town and touring shows at the North Charleston Coliseum, the Spoleto Festival USA has been an
international celebration of the performing arts in
Charleston since 1977.
The
Lowcountry
LOWCOUNTRY LANDSCAPE
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