Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 100-acre Altamaha Town Heritage Preserve just north of the Town of Bluffton, cradles so much of the Palmetto State’s early history. The gnarled and lofty oaks were just seedlings when the Yamassee Indian tribe called this spot home in the early 1700s, encouraged by British traders to settle as a buffer against the Spanish. Evidence of ancient tribal activity, burial mounds, Colonial cemeteries and rice plantation activity further tell this area’s story through its many manifestations. The property was saved from development by The Trust for Public Land and the Beaufort County Rural and Critical Lands Program back in 2004. Devoid of cars, this quiet and contemplative place welcomes hikers, who break through the shade of the forest onto a sun-dappled saltmarsh overlooking the Okatee River.

Set in the middle of Bluffton’s one-square-mile nationally recognized Historic District, the Heyward House Museum is also the official Welcome Center for the Town of Bluffton. This West Indian-style Carolina Farmhouse has remained relatively unchanged since it was built in 1841. Held by the Heyward family, descendants of a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, from 1881 to 1998, the Bluffton Historical Preservation Society purchased the property as a house-museum and offers guided tours daily.

Calhoun Street, the main road through Old Town, terminates on the bluff overlooking the May River. Serene and contemplative, this spot was chosen by the Anglican congregation to build the historic Church of the Cross in 1857. One of the only structures spared from burning by Union troops, this gothic cruciform structure is clad in unfinished cypress. The pink glass for the windows came from England, and the exposed beams are hand hewn from indigenous yellow pine. Designed by notable 19th century Charleston architect E. B. White, the Church of the Cross was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

When development threatened to diminish the storied Bluffton Oyster Co.’s near century-old operation, the Beaufort County and the Town of Bluffton moved to protect not only this historic seafood operation but also the land on the May River so that its citizens and visitors would have access to the water. Patrons can partake of sweet oysters, shrimp and crab in season either at the market or the restaurant, as well as a boat ramp, picnic tables and an open-air pavilion.