Cuthbert House Inn
An 1790 plantation house on Bay Street — seven rooms, riverfront porches, family-owned.
A seven-room B&B in a 1790 Federal-style home on Bay Street, in the heart of Beaufort, South Carolina's downtown historic district. Cuthbert House faces the Beaufort River, with riverfront porches that catch the breeze in summer. Family-owned, walking distance to everything, and one of the few Beaufort lodgings inside the historic district itself.
Beaufort is the South Carolina Lowcountry's capital — older than Charleston and Savannah's tourist economies, smaller, and considerably less branded.
The setting
The inn sits on Bay Street, the riverfront stretch of Beaufort's downtown historic district. The Beaufort River runs along the south side of the property; the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park is across the street; the historic district's antebellum mansions, oak-shaded streets, and small shops radiate out. Hunting Island State Park is fifteen minutes east on Highway 21. The drive from Charleston is ninety minutes; from Savannah, forty-five.
Beaufort's downtown was used as the location for The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides, Forrest Gump, and Last Dance. The town has been quietly authentic for two and a half centuries.
The building
A 1790 Federal-style clapboard home — symmetrical facade with a central pediment, twin chimneys, the deep porches that Lowcountry architecture demands. The interior keeps original heart-pine floors, marble mantels, and twelve-foot ceilings on the ground floor. Public rooms include the parlor, the dining room (where breakfast is served at one long table), and the riverfront porches. Materials are clapboard, oak, brass.
The rooms
Seven rooms across the main house and a converted dependency. Each has a private bath, a queen or king bed, and an individual character — fireplace, claw-foot tub, or river view, depending. Beds are queens or kings; bathrooms range from clawfoots to recent walk-ins. From-rates open around $285 including a full Lowcountry breakfast.
Food & drink
There's no restaurant. A full Lowcountry breakfast is served at the dining room table — eggs, grits, biscuits, fruit, coffee. For dinner you walk three minutes to Bay Street's restaurants: Saltus River Grill (the riverfront), Old Bull Tavern (the locals' choice), Wren Bistro, and the Foolish Frog. The hosts will book.
On the property
The riverfront porches, a small back garden, and the parlor. There's no pool, no spa, no gym in the resort sense. Bicycles to borrow.
- Full hot breakfast included
- Riverfront porches
- Bicycles to borrow
- Walking distance to Bay Street, the Waterfront Park, the historic district
- Open year-round
Who it's for
- Travelers doing Beaufort or the Lowcountry who want a small inn rather than a chain
- Couples on a long weekend who'd rather walk to dinner
- Architecture readers — Federal-style Lowcountry homes are a distinct lineage worth understanding
- Anyone for whom "older than Charleston" is a deciding factor
Who it's not for
- Families with young kids — the inn is configured for adults
- Travelers needing a pool, gym, or full restaurant on-site
- Pet owners (verify policy with the front desk)
Nearby
The Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park is across the street for the riverfront walk. Bay Street's restaurants are within five minutes. The Beaufort Arsenal and the Verdier House are short walks. Hunting Island State Park is fifteen minutes east for the beach and the lighthouse. The St. Helena Island heritage area, including the Penn Center, is twenty minutes east. Charleston is ninety minutes north for a day trip; Savannah is forty-five minutes south.
