Things to Do in Bluffton, SC

Most of the best things to do in Bluffton, South Carolina, come back to the May River. The town grew up on a bluff above it, and the river is still the day out: a dolphin cruise from the Calhoun Street dock, a guided kayak paddle through the marsh, or a boat run to the sandbar at low tide. Old Town, the original square mile, is the rest of the afternoon, with its galleries, historic houses, the 1857 Church of the Cross and a Thursday farmers market, all within a walk of each other.

Away from the river, what to do in Bluffton looks like any fast-growing town: bowling, mini golf and an indoor ninja course for a wet afternoon, new parks with playgrounds and trails, indoor pickleball, and more golf than a town this size should have. The sections below take each in turn, with the trips you can book right here. If you are staying on the island, our Bluffton guide covers getting over the bridges, eating and staying.

The May River is a tidal river of marsh and oyster beds, and dolphins feed in it. From Old Town, May River Excursions runs small-boat trips from the Calhoun Street dock; from Palmetto Bluff, Outside runs guided kayak tours, naturalist cruises and history trips. At low tide a sandbar appears mid-river, and on a summer weekend it fills with boats. Everything on the river runs on the tide: our May River guide has the sandbar, the landings and today’s Bluffton tides.

Old Town Bluffton is small enough to see on foot, and the best way is to park once and walk. Start at the river end of Calhoun Street, at the Church of the Cross and Wright Family Park, then walk up Calhoun past the galleries and shops, cut across to the Heyward House and Martin Family Park on Boundary Street, and finish on Wharf Street at Oyster Factory Park, where the Bluffton Oyster Company has shucked oysters by hand since 1899 and the Garvin-Garvey House stands under the oaks. Old Town has been a national historic district since 1996, and most of what you pass is a cottage with a story.

Bluffton’s parks run from old riverfront lawns in Old Town to big new parks with ball fields and playgrounds out along the parkways, and two nature preserves for a quiet walk. Bluffton has no ocean beach; Alljoy Beach is a small sandy shore on the river. Our Bluffton parks guide has every one, with the dog parks and boat landings.

For a rainy day, or a day off the beach, the Buckwalter end of town has most of it. Station 300 is the Bluffton, SC, bowling alley, with lanes, an arcade and a bar and grill under one roof, and Lighthouse Lagoon’s mini golf course is right next door. The Zone keeps younger children busy indoors, and Lockstar’s escape rooms suit older ones. For the island’s side, see our Hilton Head mini golf and Hilton Head bowling guides.

Golf is Bluffton’s biggest sport. Many of the courses are private clubs behind the gates, but some take public tee times; our Bluffton golf guide sorts the ones you can book from the ones you can’t. Pickleball has taken off here too, and The Local Pickle plays indoors, out of the heat and the rain. Oscar Frazier Park has public tennis courts, and the town has several yoga studios.

Bluffton’s calendar has two big weekends, both in Old Town. Mayfest fills the streets in May, and the Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival takes over in October. Year round there is the Thursday farmers market in Martin Family Park, a good excuse to make Thursday your Old Town day.

Palmetto Bluff, the big community on the May River at the south end of town, is where Outside runs its Bluffton trips: guided nature walks and bike tours through the preserve, kayak and paddleboard trips, and cruises on the river. Book them in the cards at the top of this page; the tours meet at the community’s Wilson Landing. Golfers know it for the May River Golf Club.

Old Town’s shops are the ones to browse: galleries, gift shops, boutiques and a general store, all a short walk from Calhoun Street. Out on US 278, on the way to the bridges, are the two Tanger Outlets centers and the big-box stores. For the island, see our Hilton Head shopping guide.

Bluffton sits in the middle of a lot. Hilton Head’s beaches, bike paths and harbours are just over the bridges; Daufuskie Island is a boat ride away, and May River Excursions runs a water taxi there from Old Town; Savannah is across the Georgia line; and up SC 170 in Okatie, the Port Royal Sound Maritime Center is a free stop for children who like fish. See our things to do in Hilton Head guide for the island.