Patriots by the Water

Begin your weekend along the quiet shoreline of Port Royal Sound. The same waterways that now reflect sunrise once carried British gunboats and Patriot privateers. 

After breakfast at your resort, make your way to the Stoney Baynard Ruins in The Sea Pines Resort. Built by Captain Jack Stoney, a Revolutionary War privateer, the tabby ruins stand among live oaks draped in Spanish moss. Interpretive signage connects visitors to Hilton Head Island’s role as a Patriot stronghold. 

Continue to Zion Chapel of Ease Cemetery, where headstones reflect divided loyalties within the Beaufort District. Here, the Revolution was not distant. It was personal. 

Lunch at Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks. Watch shrimp boats move across Skull Creek, imagining the naval activity that once defined these waters.

On Thursday, July 2, 2026, cross over to Bluffton for the Town of Bluffton America 250 Flag Ceremony at Buckwalter Place Veterans Memorial Park (hosted by the Sons of the American Revolution). The ceremony honors the spirit of independence that shaped the Lowcountry. 

Stroll through Old Town Bluffton Historic District afterward. The May River’s tidal shifts help illustrate why the region’s geography made British control so difficult.

Return to Hilton Head Island Island for dinner at The Quarterdeck at Harbour Town overlooking Calibogue Sound. As the sun sets behind Daufuskie Island, consider how these waters once held the masts of warships bound for Savannah during the 1779 campaign. 

Optional: Attend a seasonal Revolutionary lecture or America 250 program hosted on the Island during commemorative weeks.