Editing Beaufort, South Carolina (section)

==Culture==
===Media===
The Beaufort area has several printed publications. The daily newspaper ''[[The Beaufort Gazette]]'' is the oldest and most circulated newspaper of record in South Carolina and is the sister publication to the Bluffton-based ''[[Island Packet]]''. There are two weekly print newspapers: ''The Island News'' and an alternative ''Lowcountry Weekly''.

Several radio stations have transmission feeds originating or duplicating in Beaufort. One such station is WAGP, 88.7 FM, "The Light". There are other locations just outside the city, such as Parris Island. Beaufort has one local television station, [[WJWJ-TV]] (PBS). Beaufort is part of the [[Savannah, Georgia]] [[Designated Market Area]], and additionally receives Charleston television stations.

===Books and film===
Beaufort has been the setting or the inspirational setting for several novels by long-time resident [[Pat Conroy]] and a popular filming location for major motion pictures, including ''[[The Big Chill (film)|The Big Chill]]'', ''[[The Prince of Tides]]'', ''[[The Great Santini]]'', ''[[Forrest Gump]]'', ''[[Something to Talk About (film)|Something To Talk About]]'', and ''[[G.I. Jane]]''.<ref>{{cite web| title=Most Popular Titles With Location Matching "Beaufort, South Carolina, USA"| url=https://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Beaufort,+South+Carolina,+USA&&tv=on| publisher=[[IMDb]]| access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref> The "garden" in the title of [[John Berendt]]'s [[non-fiction novel]] ''[[Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil]]'' is a cemetery in Beaufort. The [[Haitian Vodou|voodoo]] practitioner Minerva, based on Beaufort resident [[Valerie Boles]],<ref>[https://www.savannahnow.com/article/20090508/NEWS/305089880 "Reclusive voodoo priestess of 'Midnight' fame dies"] - ''Savannah Morning News'', May 8, 2009</ref> lives near the cemetery.

Lady's Island, the slave trade and the [[American Revolutionary War]] are the topics of an award-winning novel by the Canadian writer [[Lawrence Hill]], ''[[The Book of Negroes (novel)|The Book of Negroes]]'' (2007) (published in the US as ''Someone Knows My Name''). It portrays the evacuation of Black Americans from Manhattan by the British after the Revolutionary War, as they had promised freedom to those enslaved by Patriots who joined their forces. The British transported more than 3,000 freedmen for resettlement to [[Nova Scotia]], where they became known as [[Black Loyalist]]s; others were taken to England and the Caribbean. The ''[[Book of Negroes]]'' is the record of names and origins of freedmen taken to Canada.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

===Tourism and events===
[[File:Beaufort Shrimp Festival.JPG|thumb|right|The Beaufort Shrimp Festival is one of several popular annual events in the Henry Chambers Waterfront Park.]]
Beaufort is a tourist destination known for its history. Major festivals and arts events include the Home Water Festival, a two-week festival in the middle of July; and the Shrimp Festival, celebrating the local and traditional industry, in the first weekend in October. In 2007, the Beaufort Shrimp Festival was selected as one of the Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Events.<ref name="Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce Accolades" />

The Beaufort International Film Festival held in mid-February each year (covers the Presidents' Day weekend) screens independent films.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.beaufortfilmfestival.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310151718/http://www.beaufortfilmfestival.com/|url-status=dead|title=Beaufort International Film Festival takes place in Beaufort, SC.|archive-date=Mar 10, 2015|website=biff|access-date=Sep 28, 2020}}</ref> "A Taste of Beaufort", presented by Main Street Beaufort, is held on the first Saturday in May and features twenty local restaurants, fine wines, and live music. Historic Beaufort Foundation's Fall Tour of Homes and St. Helena's Spring Tour of Homes provide tours of the [[Antebellum South Carolina|antebellum]] homes on the Point and local plantations. The town is also the home of [[The Kazoo Museum]], which opened in October 2010 and is located in the Kazoobie Kazoos Factory.<ref name=Island>{{cite news |title=Kazoo Museum's grand opening today |newspaper=The Island Packet |date=5 October 2010}}</ref> [[Hunting Island State Park|Hunting Island]] is nearby on the Atlantic Ocean and is the state's most visited state park.

===The arts===
[[File:St. Helena Beaufort.jpg|thumb|right|The steeple of the [[Parish Church of St. Helena]]]]
Beaufort has been named by some sources as one of "America's Best Art Towns", including being ranked the No. 14 Small City Arts Destination by ''American Style Magazine'' in 2008 and one of America's top 100 art towns by author John Villani in his 2005 book ''The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging and Dining''.<ref name="Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce Accolades">{{cite web |url=http://www.beaufortsc.org/cwo/Visit_Beaufort/Accolades |title=Accolades |access-date=2009-02-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214224547/http://beaufortsc.org/cwo/Visit_Beaufort/Accolades |archive-date=2009-02-14 }}</ref> Close to 20 galleries operate within the city, with hundreds of local residents contributing to the arts scene.

The [[University of South Carolina Beaufort]] has a performing arts center that attracts regional and national acts{{which|date=January 2023}} to the community.

The Arts Council of Beaufort, Port Royal and the Sea Island supports the arts via ARTworks, its {{convert|12000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} community arts center, theater, and gallery in Beaufort Town Center (2127 Boundary Street) that also includes the studios of working artists, Strings 'n Things music shop, and spaces for workshops, classes, and conferences, as well as an after-school program. The arts council promotes the arts with original theater productions, community arts grants, and arts events county-wide.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

===Sports and recreation===
Through Beaufort County's Recreation Department, junior and intramural athletics are sponsored year-round. Team activities include football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, and cheerleading. Several recreational facilities, including tennis courts, playgrounds, and ballfields exist within the city and in surrounding areas.

The local area provides excellent opportunities for watersports and boating. In February 2008, ''Field and Stream Magazine'' rated Beaufort as one of the top 20 fishing towns in the United States in an article that factored in cost, attractions, distractions, seasons, and fishing action. Beaufort was named as a "Top 50 Adventure Town" and the No. 7 Waterfront Adventure Town by ''National Geographic Adventure''.<ref name="Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce Accolades" />

===Religion===
The city is home to many Christian denominations, with several churches located downtown and throughout the area. The [[Parish Church of St. Helena]], founded in downtown Beaufort in 1712 as the established church, is the oldest church in the city. Other churches of note include Community Bible Church, The Baptist Church of Beaufort, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Carteret Street United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, First Scots Presbyterian Church of Beaufort, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, [[First African Baptist Church (Beaufort, South Carolina)|First African Baptist Church]], and St. Peter's Catholic Church, all with extensive histories and renowned architecture. Beaufort's Jewish community dates back to the 18th century, and [[Beth Israel Congregation (Beaufort, South Carolina)|Beth Israel Congregation]] is a historic Conservative synagogue in the downtown area. Additional places of worship include the St. James Orthodox Church (a mission church of the Orthodox Church in America) and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort.