Here are the 5 best spots in Beaufort County for your holiday card photo shoots. Take a look

As rolls of wrapping paper are bought and holiday lights get strung up on trees, families are also scrambling to schedule photo shoots for their annual holiday greeting cards.

Luckily for Beaufort County residents, there’s no shortage of breathtaking natural backdrops that require next to no primping time to be ready.

The time-honored tradition of sending out holiday cards started in England in 1843 after Sir Henry Cole, the founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, was overwhelmed with letters being sent to him by friends. With the introduction of the “Penny Post,” which allowed people to send letters to friends and family anywhere in the country with just a penny stamp, came an influx of letters that Cole had little time to respond to, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.

Instead of responding individually, he hired an artist and sent out the first holiday card that included the line, “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year To You.” This sparked a trend among his friends who began to do the same over the next couple of years, though it took several decades for the trend to fully take hold.

The first greeting card in the United States is thought to have been sent in 1875 by a Prussian immigrant named Louis Prang who owned a print shop in Boston.

Fast forward to 2022, and holiday greeting cards are still popular, whether they’re sent by mail or online.

Here are five best spots for Christmas or holiday photos in Beaufort County.

Beaufort

▪ Hunting Island State Park

Hunting Island State Park attracts more than a million beach-goers and campers annually.

Its lighthouse, built in 1859, is the only publicly accessible lighthouse in the state. Dogs are welcome on its five miles of beach, but not on the pier. The park is open daily from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. and tickets are $5 per adult, $3.25 for senior citizens, $3 per child aged 6-15 and free for children 5 years old and younger.

After families have passed the winding roads leading into the park there is no shortage of gorgeous backdrops for their portraits, including a marsh boardwalk, nature trails and the graveyard with fallen trees nicknamed the “boneyard.” The “Boneyard” at Hunting Island is a collection of trees that have fallen from the park’s maritime forest and is located toward the island’s north end.

Fallen trees that made up a picturesque “boneyard” along the beach on Hunting Island State Park are piled up along the forest edge after the Marine Corps used heavy equipment to remove the trees in October. Environmental groups are exploring whether the work violated an agreement with the state related to beach restoration plans.

▪ Cypress Wetlands

Located between the Port Royal Police Department and The Olde School House restaurant is the entrance to the Cypress Wetlands and Rookery in Port Royal. The walking trail flanks the wetlands and canals which can hold about 11 million gallons of stormwater, according to the Town of Port Royal.

Renovated in 2021 after what appeared to be a drainage in the freshwater ecosystem, the wetlands are now lush with wildlife and vegetation. As families meander through the wetlands’ easy walking trails, they might capture one of the stunning birds that frequent the area or maybe an alligator, or two.

Bluffton

▪ Old Town Bluffton

The Wright Family Park Christmas tree in Old Town Bluffton will serve as an excellent and festive backdrop for families who celebrate the holiday. Its ornaments tower overhead and is sure to capture the attention and wonder of many a toddler for parents hoping to snap a candid photo.

A view of the Wright Family Park at night.

The Calhoun Street dock and Bluffton’s Waterfront Park are two other natural spots in Old Town that are sure to create a picturesque family photo. The dock has plenty of room for families to pose with May River sparkling behind them.

In the park, where Spanish Moss hangs delicately overhead, parents can sit with their children in their laps on the two wooden plank swings. Across the street, the historic Church of the Cross provides another excellent backdrop.

The Church of the Cross on Calhoun Street in old town Bluffton is photographed on Feb. 1, 2017.

Hilton Head

▪ Daufuskie

Accessible by ferry, Daufuskie Island’s breathtaking shoreline wouldn’t just be any other photo on the beach. The island served as the setting for Pat Conroy’s legendary novel “The Water Is Wide” and is a stunning sea island. With its beaches, live oaks and marshes, families might be overwhelmed with the plethora of stunning backdrops and not know where to begin.

▪ Harbour Town

Swarming with tourists during the summer months and golf fans during RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, the marina in Harbour Town is one of Hilton Head’s most famous spots.

Located in the Sea Pines resort, the marina is constantly full of beautiful sailboats that can serve as a background for family portraits. Its most prominent landscape is the candy-striped lighthouse which is open from 10 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. daily. Families can also pose on the Harbour Town pier and catch boats or dolphins in the back of their photos.