Gullah Sea Islands
Gullah family celebration on St. Helena Island; credit SCPRT
Three times a year, people of the Gullah Sea Islands heed the call from home to celebrate their heritage. These hypnotic festivals whet your appetite to indulge in Low Country cuisine and communal joy.
History
The majority of documented African slaves brought to America came through South Carolina
Lowcountry Cuisine
West African influences are the foundation of this remarkable cuisine
Beaufort
A series of old Black churches are must-visit for history lovers
A rich palette of Lowcountry seafood ingredients; credit SCPRT
Bluffton
Heyward House Historic Center offers programs on the history and culture of Bluffton
Daufauskie Island
Mary Fields School was built for newly freed slaves as the island’s only schoolhouse
Georgetown
Mansfield Plantation was home to about 100 enslaved people from West Africa
Experience basketweaving crafts in the Gullah Sea Islands; (c) Gullah Islands Tourism
Hilton Head Island
Each February, a celebration showcases the arts, crafts, foods and history of the Gullah people
St. Helena Island
Penn Center is the site of one of the country’s first schools for freed slaves