Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Daufuskie Island: Southern and Low Country Living


Well, one person was close.  The island is Daufuskie Island, which is located off South Carolina between Hilton Head and Savannah, Georgia, is an absolutely serene and gorgeous place to visit and have a wedding.  The island is separated into 5 different sections, with us staying in the private club of Haig Point on the southernmost tip of the island.
The Haig Point website boasts that it ...
"....embraces southern living and the Low Country lifestyle."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Quick Fact:  Pat Conroy's 1972 book The Water is Wide is set on Daufuskie and tells about Conroy's time teaching school on the island in the 1960's.  In the book, the island is called Yamacraw and the book was later adapted into the movie Conrack  in 1974.  I need to check both of these out for my own reading/viewing pleasure.

Once can only reach Daufuskie Island and more specifically, Haig Point, via ferry.


Once you arrive, you are given a golf cart which provides you transportation throughout Haig Point as no vehicles other than service vehicles are allowed.

You pick up your golf cart at the Strachan Mansion (below) and head over to your Plantation Home for the duration of your stay. 


Husband, Lallie and I stayed in a Plantation Home on the 6th fairway.  The men all played golf on Friday morning and Ashleigh was staying with me, so around 10:00, we headed out onto the course so Ashleigh could greet her groom (in our PJ's nonetheless!).  Here we are waiting for the Groom's group to pass through.

Speaking of golf.  Haig Point is home to a world class golf course designed by Rees Jones in 1986 and later renovated by the same designer in 2007.  It is a 20 hole course with two different routings, the Haig and the Calibogue (cal-i-bo-gie), a more challenging route.  There is also the 9 Hole Osprey Course which is more family friendly.

Quick Fact:  The island traces all the way back to before the Revolutionary War and was the site of the "Daufuskie Fight" during the 1715-1717 Yemassee War.  The island later became home to several Gullah inhabitants (descendants of freed slaves) after the Civil War with several descendants still living on the island to this day.  I just love the history of the island and all that it has to offer from this standpoint.  (I had read this in a brief history of the island but couldn't remeber dates and names.  Thank you Wikipedia!)

Ashleigh's Bridal Luncheon was held on Friday at the Beach Club, also known as the Calibogue Club.  This was also the setting for the Welcome Dinner, which was held around the pool area. 

While at the luncheon, we got to watch the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner fly over the Heritage Golf tournament as a showcase.  That is one big airplane! 


The Lighthouse on Haig Point was built in 1873 and was the site of the wedding.  The female bridal party was able to view the lighthouse in great detail as this is where we prepared for the ceremony.  Other than a few minor upgrades to make it livable for the shortwhile, everything is close to original and decorated in all antique furniture and fixtures.  Absolutely stunning.  This is also where Ashleigh and Matt spent their wedding night.

The wedding reception and dinner was held at the Golf Clubhouse which also has a golf store and a bar and grill.  This was a gorgeous setting for the reception with the wrap around porches and golf course and pond views.  Just lovely.

Other amenities of the island include the spectacular viewing of gorgeous homes, the relaxing fountain area, the riding of horses at the Equestrian Center or just the lazy drive throughout the island via its bridges and beaches.

So there you have it, a brief overview of the gorgeous Daufuskie Island and Haig Point.  I am still getting my pictures together for all the different events and will be showing them soon!  I am so excited to show you everything from the weekend (but again, Bride gets to see them first! :-)

Happy Tuesday from Daufuskie Island Y'all! 


16 comments:

  1. That's awesome! We own a lot at Bloody Point on Daufuskie and are so sad about all the trouble the island has had recently, especially the bankruptcy of the resort. Haig Point is gorgeous.

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    1. We traveled through the rest of the island but never made it to Bloody Point, I hear it's beautiful though!

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  2. So pretty!! I live right near Daufuskie, but have never been.

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    1. You must visit and head over for dinner at the club one night, you'll really enjoy it!

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  3. That is one gorgeous place to get married. Glad it all went well and a good time was had by all.

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  4. I want to visit this place!!!! Also, you'll LOVE that Conroy book - it is one of my favorites!

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    1. I just put it on hold at the library, I can't wait to read it! I guarantee Ashleigh and Matt will too!

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  5. Oh my STARS!
    Gorgeous, gorgeous! How spectacular!
    I can't wait to see more.

    Love and Hugs,
    Mrs. Kindergarten...aka...Madame Spoiled

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  6. I was so close! Glad you had such a great time!

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  7. How pretty is this island??? I just added it to my "suggest to boyfriend to vacation there" list.

    Sounds like you guys had a great time!

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  8. I LOVE DAFUSKIE! I've only been there once but loved every minute. We took a boat over from my friend's home in Sea Pines and we ate at Marshside Mamas. That place is a hoot!
    This wedding looks super first class! Can't wait to see all the pictures!! BTW - was this last weekend when the Heritage was going on at HHI? wow, if so! That would have been interesting getting everyone over there.

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    1. It is fabulous isn't it? We took a golfcart tour of the rest of the island outside of Haig Point and went to Marshside Mama's. It wasn't open and we didn't eat there but we're wishing we stuck around, we've heard sch good things about that place! We arrived Thursday so we weren't took bogged down by the Heritage but traffic was crazy for the wedding day apparently. We never left the island until Sunday, so we really didn't see anything of the Heritage.

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  9. Jennifer, thanks so much for putting this up. We got married in Daufuskie in 1998 and have been full time residents for the last 5 years. I keep this page regularly updated: www.facebook.com/haigpoint if you want to be a fan.

    Regards,
    Chris Wray

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  10. Thank you for creating such a warm and totally accurate picture of Haig Point! We love our island and were so glad you and your guests loved it too!

    Susan Taylor...Haig Point homeowner

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  11. Beautiful!!! I love the low country

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  12. That lighthouse! Love it! How romantic (and nautical) that they spend the night there

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