Port Royal Old Village Association
The merchant association brewed up a proposed tour of the town, and I took them up on it.
Looking for a way to break the buzzkill that the end of Spring Break has brought?
No doubt you have run short of things to do, but consider a trip to downtown to Port Royal, where the Old Village Association is promoting a plan they call, "Day Trip to Old Village Port Royal".
I took them up on it to visit the smaller town on Port Royal Island and spent a good part of one weekday doing just that — and taking some pictures to guide you on your own day trip through one of the oldest spots in America.
The start of the Cypress Wetlands boardwalk.Start early before the heat hits at the Cypress Wetlands boardwalk, the recently renovated overlook funded by the Town of Port Royal, though not fully complete visitors can access the new boardwalk from Paris Avenue without restriction.
Also, if you plan ahead, you can visit to the Lowcountry Estuarium. Formerly located on Paris Avenue, the Estuarium is temporarly housed in the home and art gallery of curator Bob Bender. Check out their website, with numerous videos of the critters, and contact Bender to arrange a tour.
From the Estuarium, head down all the way down Paris Avenue to the Sands Beach.
The view of the Sands boardwalk from the observation tower.
If the weather's perfect, you can bring your swim suits and enjoy the beach and the water. If you're not feeling like laying out, bring your comfortable shoes and enjoy the extensive boardwalk and observation tower overlooking the old port property and the Broad River.
MoonDoggies Cafe just off Parris Avenue.After enjoying the outdoors, you could head over to MoonDoggies Cafe, located on 10th Street. Now that you've stuffed yourself, you can enjoy a number of shopping opportunities, including Nuances and Consign and Design on Paris.
Union Church.If shopping isn't your thing, you can head over to the Union Church Museum, owned and operated by the Historic Port Royal Foundation. The Foundation also has historic building maps available on their website for the true history buff.
By now, your probably a bit tired, so head over to the Porty Royal Shrimp Company, loacated at the 11th Street shrimp docks enjoy the view of the water, and pick up some fresh seafood to take home.
Port Royal Seafood Company at the 11th Street shrimp docks.We spent the better part of today exploring Port Royal again for ourselves and truly enjoyed the day, and I'm sure the locals hope to see you there soon.
Don't forget that if you go on Saturday you can make the hop over to the Port Royal Farmers Market, or catch some music on Parris Avenue every other Saturday from May 12th to June 23rd.
