Photo of the Day: Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort SC

On vacation in Hilton Head, SC, six years ago, I took a one-day excursion over to Beaufort. There are many reasons to enjoy this Lowcountry community, but the multi-acre Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park is an especially appropriate way to appreciate its charms.

The park, named for the longtime mayor who secured federal funding for the project, was built along the Beaufort River / Intracoastal Waterway in the middle 1970s and renovated from 2006 to 2008. Locals use the park for the Taste of Beaufort, Water Festival and the Shrimp Festival, but it can be appreciated year-round—including by tourists like me—for the green space and riverfront walkways that I photographed here.

Walking around here, it’s easy to understand why favorite son Pat Conroy continually evoked this waterside community, including in his bestselling novel The Prince of Tides. Experienced once, the sea breeze, palmetto trees and gracious antebellum architecture linger forever in the memory.