Daufuskie Island
Situated between Hilton Head and Savannah, Daufuskie Island is accessible only by ferry. The island, once inhabited mostly by descendants of freed slaves who made their livings by oystering and fishing, is home to a small number of residents who enjoy the challenge of living without a grocery store, automobile, and a network of tourist hotels. Daufuskie is on the National Register of Historic Places because of its native Gullah population and Civil War history, although its history dates back to the pre-revolutionary Yemassee War. The name Daufuskie is from the Creek Indians and means “sharp feather.” It has been the subject of much poetic romance in Jimmy Buffet’s song “Prince of Tides” and is the setting for Pat Conroy’s memoir The Water is Wide. Visitors cruise the island by golf cart or bike. Historic structures include 18th-century Tabby Ruins on Haig Point, original Gullah houses, the schoolhouse where Pat Conroy taught, and the Baptist church where he played Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.” Forget the world on this secluded golden isle!
