Given its historic legacy as the second oldest town in South Carolina (just 20 years older than Charleston ), it should come as no surprise that many of the museum’s in the city focus on Beaufort’s history. A few places to check out include:

The Beaufort Museum , located at 713 Craven Street , features a number of exhibits that focus on the town’s history, and what life was like when the town was first founded. The museum is open Monday to Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $2.

The John Mark Verdier House Museum, located at 801 Bay Street , was built by John Mark Verdier in the 1790s. During the Civil War, Union forces occupied the house and made it their headquarters. The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission costs $5.

Civil War buffs will want to take a walk through the National Cemetery , which was established by President Lincoln in 1863 as burial grounds for Union victims of the Civil War. Over 9000 Union soldiers were laid to rest here. The cemetery grounds are open to the public daily, dawn to dusk.