What Savannah is known for

The Fripp Island Region is located in the southern end of South Carolina and the northern corner of Georgia. The region encompasses all of the South Carolina Sea Islands and is named after the most seaward of the islands, Fripp Island.[1] Tourists from all over the United States visit the beaches of South Carolina. The popular area welcomes over fifty thousand visitors to each of the islands.[3] The islands also have some year-round residents who work at resorts and run the island's grocery stores. Each island has multiple golf courses, beach resorts with private uncrowded beaches, and high-end restaurants. The majority of transportation throughout Fripp Island and many of the other South Carolina Sea Islands is by golf cart. A bridge was built to connect the islands to the mainland for easy travel.[1] 

The town of Beaufort is the closest to the islands. Beaufort has an old-world feel with southern charm and historical appeal. The town is popular for its beaches and fishing. Almost every mile, visitors can find a locally run seafood store or restaurant with freshly-caught seafood. Tours are offered, and fishing expeditions are common.[9] 

Savannah is located in the southern area of the region and is the most populous of the cities in the region. The city's character is defined by its gardens, boutiques, unique landscaping, historical buildings, and Victorian-era homes. Visitors can take trolley tours, visit museums, tour Victorian homes, and stroll along Savannah's waterfront.[2] 

Hilton Head Island is the largest of the South Carolina Sea Islands. The island has some of the top-rated resorts and golf courses in all of South Carolina. The island offers twelve miles of well-managed beaches, marshes, and a thriving landscape. Hilton Head has over sixty miles of public use trails for running, biking, and walking. Multiple boardwalks cover each island over marshes and along beach fronts. Other activities to do on the islands include visiting waterparks, marsh tours, alligator slides, a frog fountain, kayaking, and beach sports.[4] 

Due to the weather on the islands and along the Atlantic Coast, tourism remains moderately consistent throughout the year. Families and couples looking to spend time outdoors on the beaches and exploring the island will visit during April and May. These months the weather is warm but not hot, with mostly sunny skies, and the Atlantic Ocean waters are warm and calm. September and October are popular for those wishing to golf, fish, and observe flourishing nature.[5] 

Around one thousand people live on Fripp Island, but many vacation homes and rentals are located along the island shores. Some of the homes are owned by big businesses, while others are just family homes for people from neighboring states and cities.[1] The region produces mostly food, and the leading industry of the area is tourism.[8] The Ocean Creek Golf Course is the largest business on Fripp Island. The championship golf course also has a resort, marina, spa, and tennis courses.[1]

Geography

The Fripp Island Region is located along the southern Atlantic coast of South Carolina and ends just inside Georgia's borders. The region encompasses miles of beaches, many islands, and some major cities. The Barrier Island is twenty-one miles from Beaufort, ninety-six miles south of Charleston, and sixty-five miles north of Savannah. The islands along the region's coast include Hunting Island, Harbor Island, Saint Helena Island, Lady's Island, Fripp Island, and Hilton Head. Fripp Island is the most seaward of the South Carolina Sea Islands.[1] The region is covered in all types of land and is home to various plants and animals. The primary geography of the region is wetlands and mountains, though there are some desert areas further into the mainland.[2] The coast is covered in beaches, inlet rivers, wetlands, and marshes. 

The moist soil is prime for plants such as the sugar maple, buckeye firecracker plant, white snakeroot, live oaks, palmettos, and pines. There are many more marsh grasses, shrubbery, and flowers.[6] Alligators, dolphins, turtles, and birds are seen most often on and around the islands within the region. On the mainland, raccoons and deer are also commonly seen.[7] 

The south end of South Carolina and the north area of Georgia are famous for producing a large quantity of peaches, tobacco, soybeans, cotton, corn, grain, oats, peanuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, squash, beans, and sweet potatoes.[8] Many farms and commercial planting sites will offer tours. The summers in the Fripp Island Region are hot and harsh, lasting four months with an average temperature of eighty-four degrees and with high levels of humidity. The winter lasts three months with an average of sixty-six degrees.[5] 

April to May are most popular for tourism-oriented around outdoor activities due to comfortable temperatures and sunny skies. The summer months are famous for spending time on the beach and taking boat tours through the marshland. September through October is popular for golfing and resort activities. Most visitors come from out of state or from neighboring cities.[3]

History

Fripp Island was named after Captain Johannes Fripp, a British sailor who fought the Spanish. Local folklore says that the island is where the pirate Blackbeard stowed some of his treasure. In its early years, it was used as a private hunting range, and in the mid-twentieth century, a bridge was built connecting Beaufort and the Hunting Island State Park in 1961. Over the next ten years, the island built many racquet club tennis resorts, a marina, homes, and condominium units for vacationing. In 1994 Ocean Creek Golf Course was designed, and a resort and marina were also built to make it a fully functioning resort location. Now the course is the most significant development and business on Fripp Island. Around nine hundred people live on Fripp Island, and a similar number of residents live on the other South Carolina Sea Islands within the region.[1] 

The largest city in the region Savannah, was established in 1733 as the first colonial and state capital of Georgia. The city was named after the Savannah River, which the Native Americans who migrated to the river in the 1680s lived near for years. 

The state of Georgia was named after England's King George II, and South Carolina was named after King Charles I. The entire region is filled with historical memorabilia and monuments as each were part of the Thirteen Original Colonies.[2] Once the South Carolina Sea Islands were discovered, the area became famous for not only its historical monuments but its beaches and scenic islands.[3]