The Hilton Head Homes Blog

One of the activities enjoyed and repeated often by old and new citizens of the South Carolina lowcountry is finding, and frequently visiting, restaurants serving lowcountry cuisine. A word about lowcountry cuisine; it's generally thought to be synonymous with Southern Cuisine -- it isn’t. While it shares qualities and attributes with that other delicious class of dining pleasure, lowcountry cooking has strong parallels with New Orleans and Cajun cuisine. It is rich with the blending of the abundant diversity of seafood from the coastal estuaries with local vegetables and meats.

The most popular and flavorful of these true lowcountry dishes is ‘The Lowcountry Boil.’ Designed to feed groups, inexpensively and dating back to the seventeenth century, a traditional recipe includes sausage, shrimp, crab, potatoes and corn, cooked all-in-one pot and served family style. It is by far the most often seen and gobbled up by visitors to the lowcountry’s many food fairs.

Which brings us to one of the wonderful benefits of living in the Hilton Head-Bluffton region of the lowcountry - food festivals! They bring a great variety of dishes and wines of not only our beautiful South Carolina, but from around the United States as well.

This article would take up many pages if we were to cover all of the more than twenty food-oriented fests and feasts that take place throughout the year in Hilton Head and Bluffton. So, we will concentrate on presenting a cross section of events to take place this fall:

Music to your Mouth

Probably the most elegant food event, with cuisine, wine and music produced and delivered by a collection of talent from around the United States, is ‘Music to your Mouth’. A nationally renowned food and music festival at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, (November 16, 2017 - November 19, 2017).

This three-day festival features foods with both a southern and lowcountry flavor, coupled with wines produced by vintners from across the region and the United States. Imagine this gastronomic celebration set in the pristine, almost twenty-thousand-acre, Palmetto Bluff, coupled with musical entertainment featuring American artists of every genre.

Not for you? Fear not, there is an event for every taste and budget.

Bluffton Sunset Party Series

A favorite of native lowcountry folk, transplants and visitors are the Bluffton Sunset Party Series, a collection of once a month events held at the Bluffton Oyster Factory Park during the summer from April to September.

Each monthly celebration caters to a different cuisine, from Pizza and Pasta night to May River Shrimp on another evening. On Blues & Brews night, you are sure to find a table with the above mentioned Lowcountry Boil. Each event of the series includes live music in the rotunda at Oyster Factory Park.

Blufftemberfest

The final event each year, ‘The End of the Summer Blowout’ is a Bluffton-style Octoberfest. Scheduled this year for Saturday, September 16th 2-8 PM.

These are only a few of the many food-centric festivals held all year-long in Bluffton and on Hilton Head Island, the heart and gems of the South Carolina lowcountry. If you are intending to visit our beautiful area, check the events and festivals that are scheduled during your stay. You won’t be disappointed.

This is just a small sampling of the exciting events taking place here year-round. If you're interested in making a home here, please contact us online or call 1-843-785-9500 to get in touch with a qualified, local Hilton Head-area real estate professional.