It all began in 1914. The movie was “The Southerners,” and it was the first of Over 100 movies filmed in this historic South Carolina town, and it’s not Charleston. The Southerners movie was about a man whose fiance left him after he joined the Union during the Civil War. It was only a forty-five-minute movie.
It Has A Lot To Offer Hollywood
This beautiful spot on the Carolina coast has it all. A downtown that looks like a Hollywood set, throw in a beautiful waterfront and marshland, plus rural scenery, too, and you have Beaufort, South Carolina.
Chances are you’ve seen plenty of movies and TV shows made in Beaufort, but I think most of us can agree we haven’t seen The Southerners; after all, it was 1914. But even then, Hollywood saw the appeal of Beaufort and has been coming here ever since. Over 100 Movies Have Been Filmed In This Historic South Carolina Town, And It’s Not Charleston.
Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates
Yes, Forrest Gump was filmed in Charleston, too, and even close by at Fripp Island and Hunting Island, but lots of it was shot in Beaufort, too. The Vietnam scenes were shot at Fripp and Hunting Island, but most locations in the area were shot along Beaufort’s Bay Street. The Woods Memorial Bridge, an old swing bridge, is the bridge Tom Hanks ran across in the movie.
The University of South Carolina Beaufort campus became Gump Medical Center, and also in the movie, the Mississippi River is actually Beaufort River. The football stadium in Forrest Gump is the Basil Green Sports Complex in, you guessed it, Beaufort.
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
The Big Chill was filmed here: GI Jane, The Great Santini, The Prince of Tides, The Fugitive and many more. Marvin Gaye on the soundtrack from The Big Chill is a plus, too!
Downtown, Waterfront And A Dive Bar
On top of all the movie success, Beaufort is just a great place to visit. I spent the day there recently and enjoyed walking around downtown and the waterfront. Plus, seeing the historic old homes was fun, too. I also crossed the river and had a hamburger at a dive bar. I’m attracted to dive bars for some reason. Ha! I’ll tell you more about that later.
Enjoy the pictures from this little area of South Carolina Coastal goodness. It’s a great day trip, only about two and a half hours from Augusta.
You can check out filming locations from movies shot in Beaufort HERE.
