A Day In Walterboro: The Front Porch of the Lowcountry
By Lynn & Cele Seldon
There’s so much to see, do, and eat in and around Walterboro that just one day will only be an appetizer for all “The Front Porch of the Lowcountry” has to offer. So, we’ve prepared a “menu” of possibilities from which to pick for a day (and a meal or two) in Walterboro—knowing from experience that you’re going to want more than a day or night.
Located just 50 miles west of Charleston and near South Carolina’s ACE Basin, Walterboro is the county seat of Colleton County and is a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city. With a population of just over 5,000 people, and only a short drive away from Charleston, Savannah, Columbia, and beyond, the nature, arts, history, and dining of Walterboro make for a perfect day (or more) in the Lowcountry.
Though any day is a great day to be in Walterboro, we highly recommend heading there on a Tuesday or Saturday, providing a great time to visit the Colleton Museum and Farmers Market complex. The market is open seasonally on Saturday mornings and Tuesday afternoons, offering an opportunity to explore the agricultural bounty of the area. In addition to Lowcountry produce offerings, honey, plants, baked goods, and prepared foods, the market also features a nice variety of Walterboro-local artists and artisans selling their crafts, making for perfect souvenirs.
Attached to the farmers market is the renowned Colleton Museum, which is open Tuesday to Saturday and celebrates the history, nature, art, and agriculture of Colleton County. Spend a couple of hours exploring the historical exhibits, artifacts, and photographs that recount the history of the town and the surrounding area, the Revolutionary and Civil wars, plantation life, a recreated general store, natural history displays of the ACE Basin, and changing art exhibits highlighting Walterboro’s cultural gifts. A visit is highly recommended, even if the farmers market isn’t open when you’re there.
There’s also the adjacent (and tasty) Marketplace Café. Filled with charming antiques, home décor, artwork, and locally made jams, jellies, and sauces, the Marketplace Café is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday and features sandwiches, salads, and baked goods made in-house at the Colleton Commercial Kitchen next door.
Opened in 2015, the Colleton Commercial Kitchen is a full-service commercial kitchen and operates as a kitchen incubator certified for food production. Welcoming sauce and jam makers, bakers, personal chefs, and food truck operators, the kitchen is available for rent by the hour or the day for artisans to have a place to make their goods while fulfilling regulatory compliance. Many of the products made in the kitchen, like Kyle & Nick’s Lowcountry Sauces and Burnt & Salty condiments, and regional items like Lovington Farms Charleston Gold aromatic rice and Ace Basin Milling Company grits, are sold in the Marketplace Café and elsewhere in town and throughout the Lowcountry.
Next, the South Carolina Artisans Center invites Walterboro visitors to immerse themselves in the artistic hub of the Palmetto State. Housed in an eight-room restored Victorian cottage, the Artisans Center features more than 200 juried artists and craftsmen from around the state, with its mission to interpret, market, preserve, and perpetuate the folk arts and crafts traditions of South Carolina. With varied art mediums like pottery, hand-blown glass, basketry, wood, metal, fiber, oils and watercolors, and merchandise for sale from paintings to sculptures, textiles, sweetgrass baskets, and ornaments, there’s something for everyone at every price point.
For a quick pick-me-up between stops, we love heading to Colleton Coffee on East Washington Street, where “good coffee and good books go hand-in-hand with good company.” Coffee, books, and friendly Lowcountry locals certainly make for a great combination at Colleton Coffee.
After refueling, take a stroll down the oyster-shell tabby sidewalk of East Washington Street to Downtown Envy, a massive antiques store and more. Other nearby shopping options include: AHAB’s (Artists’ Hub of the A.C.E. Basin); Twig; Abbillow; and The Bluebird Too.
The Walterboro Wildlife Center and Sanctuary is definitely another highlight of a day in the area. Just on the edge of downtown—and only three minutes from I-95—lies a majestic hidden gem in a 600-acre wildlife sanctuary. Part of the 350,000-acre ACE River Basin made up by the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Rivers, the Sanctuary features a hardwood swamp flat surrounded by a network of braided creek swamps accessible to the public. Outdoor activities abound on boardwalks, bridges, and more than four miles of hiking and biking trails.
The Wildlife Center provides an introduction to the outdoor wonderland with interpretive exhibits explaining the importance of swamps and native habitats in the Lowcountry, along with displays of the many species of plants and animals that we would see just outside.
The Sanctuary features Spanish moss-draped live oaks, cypress knees, wildflowers, and other Lowcountry flora and fauna, as well as segments of the old Charleston-to-Savannah Stagecoach route that make for a great stroll. Keep your eyes peeled for the many wildlife species found in the sanctuary, including wild turkey, deer, beaver, mink, fox, and more. More than 75 species of birds make their home in the sanctuary, along with ducks in the duck pond and butterflies in the butterfly garden. There’s also a giant 13-foot red rocking chair, Walterboro’s “front porch” signature.
Other possible Walterboro area options include: lots of varied events, including April’s Colleton County Rice Festival and May’s WHAM! (Walterboro History, Art, and Music) Festival; historic Colleton Civic Center, a converted schoolhouse that is Colleton County’s premier event space for many arts and civic activities in downtown Walterboro (it’s also been the setting for filming in major motion pictures, including Forrest Gump and Radio); historic Bedon-Lucas House Museum (constructed in 1820); the Tuskegee Airmen Monument at Walterboro Airport (honoring the Tuskegee Airmen who trained at Walterboro Army Airfield); and the Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail, a paddling paradise connecting Colleton State Park and Givhans Ferry State Park, two of our favorite parks in the world-class South Carolina State Parks system.
All of this exploration is bound to make visitors hungry—and hungry for more time in Walterboro. Along with aforementioned Market Café and Colleton Coffee, a few other tasty favorites include: Dukes Barbecue (southern-style buffet and more); Olde House Café (down-home American fare); Side Street Deli (handcrafted sandwiches and more); Fat Jack’s (known for their Sterling Silver® and more); Bucky’s Seafood (“Deep Southern Cooking”); Carmine’s Trattoria (classic Italian cuisine); Main Street Grille (American food and a great atmosphere); and many more.
Though an exact date has yet to be announced, locals and visitors alike are excited to know that Krystal—a fast food chain best known for its small, square burgers and sliders—will open in the former Popeyes on Bells Highway this July. The return follows radio personality and South Carolina native Charlamagne Tha God's 2022 announcement that he and his wife, Jessica Gadsden-McKelvey, planned to bring the burger chain back to the region.
Of course, there’s lots more to pursue in the Walterboro area. For more information, visit www.visitwalterborosc.org, or stop by the helpful Walterboro Wildlife Center at 100 S Jeffries Blvd.