a little southern town called Bluffton

Rose Hill Mansion at the Rose Hill Plantation

My husband and I have visited Hilton Head Island, South Carolina every summer since we got married, and just about every year, I plan an outing to Savannah to soak up the culture and beauty of my favorite southern city.

Savannah is less than an hour away from our home in Hilton Head, and over the last two years, we’ve added an additional stop in our travels, Bluffton.

Bluffton is about half way between Hilton Head and Savannah, and recently has been part of a historical and architectural revival.

Of course, a handful of the old historic homes have been preserved, but we’re seeing more care taken with the new businesses to maintain that vintage architectural character.

A walk through the downtown area won’t take long as you wander through the Spanish moss lined streets that neighbor the May River.

Downtown Bluffton is as Southern as you can get! And it’s so safe that the local garden gift shop leaves everything outdoors without worrying about anyone taking anything!

For the first time last year, my husband and I toured the Rose Hill Mansion and it was quite a treat. In fact, I think we were on one of the last tours, as the house is no longer open to the public.

Here’s a little peek of it and you can read my story at Cottages & Bungalows to learn a little more about the history of what’s called the most beautiful plantation house in the south.

Lucky for us the Corner Perk opens very early and serves an amazing breakfast and great espresso drinks too!

We’re looking forward to our visit again to Bluffton later this summer, and I’ll be sure to share lots more photos and details about our visit.

ciao! fabiana

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For more on Bluffton, check out these great books...

   

summer trip to the south

I know, I’ve been m.i.a. for a little more than two weeks. The fact is we’ve been traveling and just got back last night from our yearly trip to South Carolina and Georgia. 

It feels great to be back home, and I have lots of fun things I’ll be sharing on the blog soon, but first… a few snapshots from our trip…  

The top photos are just little vignettes of the mantle at our home. While I was there, I found a few pretty blue and white containers at a local thrift store and thought they’d look cute with a few seashells arranged inside them. The vase in the middle is from Home Goods.

While staying in Hilton Head, we also made a day trip to Bluffton and got to visit the gorgeous Rose Hill Plantation mansion. This white Gothic revival style home is considered one of the most beautiful plantation homes in South Carolina. Wait 'til you see the inside of it!  

And of course, I had to make it over to downtown Savannah, which is one of my all-time favorite cities. I have so many more pictures to share with you on all these beautiful locales, and more!    

Check back soon for more on pretty Savannah, Bluffton and Hilton Head, plus I have some fun autumn décor to share with you!

 ciao! fabiana

travel diary: bluffton, south carolina

Bluffton, South Carolina is a fun little stopover for anyone visiting Savannah or Hilton Head. My husband and I spent a few hours there while we were vacationing in HH this summer and we were pleasantly surprised at how fun and hip Bluffton’s become.

The charm is off the charts and there are several great restaurants and art galleries located within the square mile area known as Old-Town. The stately old Southern homes that line the narrow streets in downtown Bluffton recall another far-off era.  

Seven Oaks is one of the most prominent homes in town. The first owner was Colonel Middleton Stuart, who lived here prior to the Civil War, and then during the 1920's, Mrs. Elizabeth Sanders operated Seven Oaks as a popular and successful boarding house for salesmen and summer visitors.

It’s still a gorgeous and well maintained home today. Oh, how I’d love to have a peek inside!

This charming front-porched beauty is in need of a little TLC.

Bluffton was officially incorporated in 1852 and covered about a square mile of land that’s now known as Old Town. 

More and more homes were built at that time and fortunately for us, many of those homes are still as fabulous as ever!

I couldn’t get enough of the pretty homes on every street.  

Here’s a colorful one with plenty of Victorian details.

Someone’s not afraid of color!

A steamboat landing was built on the banks of the May River and allowed Bluffton to become a convenient destination for travelers between Savannah and Charleston.

Have you ever seen a more precious street sign?

It’s perfect for this area surrounding the playground.

As a stop on the ferry route between Savannah and Beaufort, services began on “The Bluff” of the May River in the early 1830’s when the young town of Bluffton was a summer resort for area planters. 

A Farmhouse Gothic style church was later built at that location in 1870, and lucky for us, it remains today, now known as The Church of the Cross.

Word is that the builders of this church sent to England for the rose-colored glass in the windows and inside, soft-pink scored plaster enhances the warm light which is a great contrast to the exposed pine timbers on the walls and ceilings.

This little church is a breathtaking sight to behold, especially tits perfect setting with it nestled under the Spanish moss lined trees and its location right next to the May River.

This little pink accented place is one of the charming art galleries on the main drag of town.

The Store seems like it’s been around forever and was even damaged by the fires set by federal troops on 1863 during the Civil War, but thank goodness, it wasn’t totally destroyed. It’s now being run as an antique store. 

This sign reminds me of the Starbuck’s logo.

The Corner Perk serves super-yummy breakfasts and lunch and their own specialized drip coffee, served tableside!

The morning we visited was a little rainy, but there was plenty of seating under the porch and inside.

Here’s a little peek inside the Perk.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry! 

Sounds Like a great plan!! 

ciao! fabiana

I'm happy to be back!

Wow-- summer vacation is officially over,

and I can finally share some of

my vacay photos with you!

We just got back from our annual family trip

to Hilton Head, South Carolina.

And of course, my hubby and I usually slip in a 

little side trip into Savannah for the day.

Savannah has got to be my favorite city and

I could totally see myself living there.

The architecture, food, and beauty of the city

just fills my heart with joy and makes it

skip a beat or two!

We even got caught in a huge 

summer rainstorm and had to 

run eight blocks to our car…

It was sooooo fun! 

We don’t ever get to do that 

here in So Cal.

In a later blog post,

I’ll share my three favorite

places to visit in Savannah,

and my husband and I 

discovered a new favorite that 

I’ll share as well. 

Bluffton is a quaint little town

right near Hilton Head that's finally blooming again

with so much revitalization of their old main street and

surrounding Old Town.

We fell in love with its charming

southern architecture and with

the friendly people walking in town 

or driving in their little golf carts.

Stay tuned for more on Bluffton too!

We did spend most of our time in Hilton Head

visiting with east coast friends and new neighbors.

You know me and how I love some good curb appeal! 

I have some pretty houses to share 

and even a few cute photos of newly 

hatched sea turtles on the beach…

probably the cutest little creatures

I’ve ever seen! 

Check back soon!

xoxoxo

ciao! fabiana