Things to Do in Bluffton, SC
The top things to do in Bluffton, SC are a boat or kayak trip on the May River, Old Town’s galleries and 1857 Church of the Cross, sunset at Wright Family Park and the Thursday farmers market, with bowling, go-karts and parks for the rest of the family.
Top 10 Things to Do in Bluffton, SC
The Bluffton must-dos, most of them in Old Town or on the May River, about 25 minutes from Hilton Head. Every pick has its own section further down.
Dolphin, ecology, history and sunset trips, plus crabbing and shrimping, from the public dock at the foot of Calhoun Street.
A bar of soft sand that rises out of the river at low tide and goes under again at high tide. Boat or kayak only.
The weathered wooden Gothic church on the bluff at the foot of Calhoun Street, which held its first service in 1857.
A cluster of galleries around Calhoun and Church Streets, including the nonprofit artists’ gallery in a porch-fronted cottage.
Old Town’s historic house museum on Boundary Street, with period rooms and outbuildings under the oaks.
A riverfront lawn and boardwalk at the foot of Calhoun Street, with steps down to the river. The town’s best sunset seat.
Old Town’s weekly market in Martin Family Park on Boundary Street: produce, bread, meat and food trucks.
A 37-acre park with trails, a zip line, water play and a giant owl to climb, beside a big red barn.
A flat, unpaved trail of about 3.4 miles on an old railroad bed by the New River, for walks, runs, bikes and leashed dogs.
Bluffton’s bowling alley, with an arcade and a bar and grill, at Buckwalter Place. The rainy-day pick.
Book Bluffton Tours and River Trips
May River dolphin and kayak trips, Palmetto Bluff nature walks and bike tours, Old Town food tours and fishing, with live availability.
Browse 35 activities
Booked through FareHarbor, the island operators’ own booking system. HHI.com may earn a commission.
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.
On the May River
Dolphin, ecology, history and sunset boat trips, and inshore fishing, crabbing and shrimping, from a small shop on Calhoun Street and the public dock below it.
The May River in Bluffton, SC: when the sandbar shows at low tide, kayak and boat tours to book, public landings, and today's Bluffton tides.
Fish Bluffton runs private inshore fishing, shark-tooth and dolphin trips on the May River with Captain Allick Inglis from the Calhoun Street dock.
A bar of soft sand that rises out of the river at low tide and goes under again at high tide. Boat or kayak only.
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.
Things to Do in Old Town Bluffton
Old Town Bike Barn & Adventures rents, repairs and sells bikes in Old Town Bluffton, with delivery and pickup and rentals for Hilton Head and Daufuskie.
Old Town’s historic house museum on Boundary Street, open to the public since 1998, with period rooms and outbuildings under the oaks.
The weathered wooden Gothic church on the bluff at the foot of Calhoun Street, which held its first service in 1857.
A small cottage in Oyster Factory Park built by Cyrus Garvin, a freedman, after the Civil War: one of the town’s landmarks of Reconstruction.
The nonprofit artists’ gallery in a porch-fronted cottage on Church Street, one of a cluster of galleries around Calhoun Street.
The town’s small theatre on Bridge Street in Old Town, staging plays and musicals.
A 75-seat listening room above Corner Perk on May River Road, for touring and local musicians, with a long bourbon list.
A small museum of Gullah history and art on the Ma Daisy’s Porch grounds on May River Road, with guided tours on request.
A free, self-guided public-art trail of 21 giant oyster sculptures around town, each painted by a local artist and sponsored by a local business, from the Lowcountry Oyster Trail. Many stand inside lobbies and galleries, so check where each one is before you go.
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.
Parks and Nature Walks
Parks in Bluffton, SC: Old Town's riverfront lawns, playgrounds and ball fields, nature preserves with trails, dog parks and boat landings on the river.
A riverfront lawn and boardwalk at the foot of Calhoun Street, with steps down to the river. The town’s best sunset seat.
A 37-acre park with trails, a zip line, water play and a giant owl to climb, beside a big red barn.
A flat, unpaved trail of about 3.4 miles on an old railroad bed by the New River, for walks, runs, bikes and leashed dogs.
A county preserve in Okatie, north of town: a short loop trail through forest and marsh, and a bird blind.
The state’s mariculture research station on the Colleton River, where biologists raise fish and shrimp. It schedules tours on request, and the Coastal Discovery Museum runs guided tours of the hatchery and ponds on set days (Sept. 15, Oct. 6 and Nov. 3 in 2026; $25; ages 13 and up; closed-toe shoes).
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.
Bowling, Mini Golf and Rainy-Day Fun
Where to pick strawberries and blueberries near Hilton Head and Bluffton: Dempsey, Barefoot and Ottawa Farms, plus fall pumpkin patches.
Bluffton’s bowling alley, with an arcade and a bar and grill, on Innovation Drive at Buckwalter Place.
Indoor electric go-karts, an arcade, duckpin bowling and axe throwing at Belfair Towne Village, off US 278.
An outdoor mini golf course with a lighthouse, palms and water features, next door to Station 300.
An indoor family activity center on Buckwalter Parkway: a ninja obstacle course, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, batting cages and games.
Themed escape rooms for small groups and families, on Pennington Drive.
A paint-and-sip studio on Fording Island Road: an instructor talks you through one canvas, and you bring your own wine.
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. Indy Karting adds indoor go-karts and axe throwing at Belfair Towne Village. For the island’s side, see our Hilton Head mini golf and Hilton Head bowling guides.
Golf, Pickleball, Tennis and Yoga
Bluffton golf courses: every public course and private club in the Bluffton, SC area, with access, designer and contact details for each.
Pickleball in Bluffton, SC: The Local Pickle's 11 indoor courts, free outdoor courts at the Bluffton Recreation Center, and lessons.
Tennis in Bluffton: the Tennis Club of the Lowcountry at Rose Hill, who to call about guest play, and where to find public courts.
Yoga in Bluffton, SC: Move Fitness & Yoga and Dancing Dogs Yoga, with drop-in and class-pack prices where the studio lists them.
An indoor pickleball club on Fording Island Road, with a café and a pro shop beside the courts.
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.
Festivals, Events and the Farmers Market
Bluffton events through the year: Mayfest in May, the Arts & Seafood Festival in October, the Christmas parade and the Thursday farmers market in Old Town.
Bluffton Mayfest in Old Town: a free Saturday in early May with 130+ artists and food vendors, live music, the Ugly Dog Contest and pie eating.
The Historic Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival in October: oyster roast, Blessing of the Fleet, Rockin' the Dock and a Street Fest with 100+ artists.
Old Town’s weekly market on Thursdays in Martin Family Park on Boundary Street: produce, bread, meat and food trucks.
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
Palmetto Bluff, SC: where it is in Bluffton, the Wilson and Moreland villages, what visitors can do, Montage, weddings, the club and the Conservancy.
Palmetto Bluff golf in Bluffton, SC: May River by Nicklaus, Crossroads by King-Collins and Anson Point by Coore and Crenshaw, and how access works.
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.
Shopping
Where to shop in Bluffton, SC: Old Town boutiques and gift shops, the two outlet centres on US 278, jewelers, thrift stores and the supermarkets.
Every thrift store in Bluffton, SC: two Goodwills, the Habitat ReStore, PAL Thrift, church-run shops and consignment stores, and where to donate.
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.
Things to Do Near Bluffton, SC
Things to do in Hilton Head, SC: boat tours, fishing, water sports, parks, history, shopping and family fun, sorted by type, with tours to book online.
Daufuskie Island things to do: empty Atlantic beaches, horseback rides, Gullah history, a lighthouse winery, art studios and lunch at Freeport Marina.
Bluffton SC to Savannah GA is about 24 miles and 35 to 40 minutes. Routes, parking, the historic squares as a day trip, and the airport.
A free nature center in Okatie, north of Bluffton on SC 170, with aquariums of local fish and exhibits on the sound.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated
What is there to do in Bluffton, SC?
The May River first: dolphin and history cruises, guided kayak tours and the sandbar at low tide. Then Old Town, with its galleries, the Heyward House and the 1857 Church of the Cross; the Thursday farmers market; parks and nature preserves; bowling, mini golf and escape rooms; and golf.
What should you see in Bluffton in one day?
Take a morning boat or kayak trip on the May River, walk Old Town in the afternoon (Calhoun Street, the Church of the Cross, the Heyward House, Oyster Factory Park), and stay for sunset at Wright Family Park and dinner in Old Town.
What is there to do in Bluffton, South Carolina, on a rainy day?
Station 300 has bowling, an arcade and a restaurant, and The Zone has an indoor ninja course, glow mini golf and batting cages. Lockstar runs escape rooms, The Local Pickle plays pickleball indoors, and the May River Theatre has shows.
What are the best things to do in Bluffton with kids?
A dolphin cruise or a crabbing trip on the May River, the zip line and giant owl at New Riverside Barn Park, mini golf at Lighthouse Lagoon, and the ninja course at The Zone.
Is Old Town Bluffton worth visiting?
Yes. It is a national historic district of oak-shaded lanes running down to the May River, with galleries, small restaurants, the Church of the Cross and the Bluffton Oyster Company, and it is easy to see on foot in an afternoon.
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