Hilton Head Living

What does it mean to be Southern now in America? The South as a region is more layered, more diverse in culture and thought than stereotypes and much of literature would have it. Distinctive music, food and, to borrow from Southern author Julia Reed, a certain “never meet a stranger” civility, are alive and well, despite recurring predictions that the region’s ways would be absorbed into broader American currents. Instead, the South has become a net exporter of culture–and a net importer of people.

INFLUENCERS ARE INSTAGRAM USERS WHO HAVE USED THEIR CREDIBILITY AND VOICE TO BUILD AN AUDIENCE. BECAUSE HILTON HEAD ISLAND AND BLUFFTON ARE PICTURE-PERFECT, MANY NATIONAL AND LOCAL BRANDS LOOK TO PARTNER WITH INFLUENCERS IN THE LOWCOUNTRY. MONTHLY REACHED OUT TO SOME AND ASKED THEM TO SEND US SOME OF THEIR FAVORITE LOCAL SHOTS. HERE’S WHAT THEY SHARED WITH US. 

A SIMPLY DESIGNED SANDAL INSPIRED A LOWCOUNTRY ENTREPRENEUR

From “cobblestones to cocktails.”

That clever phrase is the concept behind the Charleston Shoe Company, whose claim to fame is making footwear that’s both comfortable and stylish, says owner Neely Powell. 

BEAUFORT COUNTY'S NEW NATIONAL PARK TELLS AN IMPORTANT STORY

A new national park in northern Beaufort County honors an important and emotional era in U.S. history. 

Known as Reconstruction, it’s the period following the Civil War — after slavery was abolished but before Jim Crow laws were established, a time when freed African Americans learned to read and write, owned property, and were elected to public office, including Congress. 

BOTTLE TREES’ HISTORY GOES BACK THOUSANDS OF YEARS

Felder Rushing, self-described “Southern garden guru” and host of the NPR podcast “The Gestalt Gardener,” is hitting the bottle — but not in the way you think. He’s leading a campaign to dispel “the same tired old history and lore” of bottle trees, the whimsical sculptures made from glass bottles — usually blue, sometimes green — placed on branches of metal or wood that dot many a garden in the Lowcountry.

OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES HAVE LONG BEEN AN ESSENTIAL PART OF SOUTHERN LIFE

If there’s one architectural element that epitomizes Southern living, it’s the porch. Sure, it’s changed over time — in the old days, porches usually were restricted to the front of the house, while today they can be found on all sides — but the porch has endured for more than 200 years.

BARBECUE UNIVERSITY EVENT TO BE HELD AT PALMETTO BLUFF

There’s something primal and undeniably fun about cooking over a live fire.

“Nobody gathers around the stove to watch a loaf of bread baking,” said grilling guru Steven Raichlen. “But when you light a fire, it’s a party.”

Name: Trixie
Age: 2 years 
Gender: Female 
Weight: 35-40 pounds 
Breed: Hound/Shepard mix 
Temperament: Gets along great with other dogs and people, house trained, crate trained. 

FAITH IN ACTION IS FOUND AT GRACE COASTAL CHURCH

Wrapped up in the sermons, the service and the ceremony are two words that define the mission at Grace Coastal Church, and indeed faith itself: Gospel transformation. 

“We believe the gospel is the good news that can transform us as Christians and can transform our community,” said Senior Pastor Sam Joyner. “It should not just be an insurance policy to get us into heaven, it should have an impact now.”