Ashton Pointe Blog

Beaufort is about as classic small-town South as it gets. Not that you needed any other reason to consider moving to an apartment in Beaufort, SC. But this beautiful coastal town has recently received another distinction: "Top 20 Fishing Towns in America" by Field & Stream Magazine

There's always some sort of festival taking place, and there's also real local culture that has flourished in connection to the ocean, rivers, and marshes for generations.

A fisherman's and boater's paradise, Beaufort and the surrounding islands maintain easy access to the beaches and waterways. As a fisherman, you couldn't expect to cover all the flats and inshore options for redfish, seatrout, and even tarpon at certain times of the year, in one lifetime.

Bluefish, spotted sea trout, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass, southern flounder and plenty more populate area waters. No boat? No problem. Rent a Kayak, head out into the Atlantic Ocean for deep water fishing or do some in-shore fishing. Aside from the fishing, there's golf, boating, birding, and plenty of historic diversions.

Field and Stream
 

If you live in an apartment in Beaufort, SC not only is March exiting because it is the start of Spring, it also means that it is time for the 27th Annual Wine and Food Festival in Hilton Head.

This March celebrate great southern chefs, fine wine and great culinary experiences on Hilton Head Island. In its 27 years on the Island, the Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival has grown from a small wine tasting to one of the East Coast’s largest tented wine festivals.

Festival Events
March 5 - 10, 2012 - Great Chefs of the South Wine Dinners; Check www.hiltonheadwineandfood.com for details.

Friday, March 9, 2012 - Grand Wine Tasting & Silent Auction; The Sea Pines Resort - Harbour Town Conference Center, $65 per person, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.  Admission includes a Grand Tasting souvenir wine glass and premium wine tastings.

Saturday, March 10, 2012 -  Wine & Food Festival and Auction; Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, 12 – 3 p.m., $45 per person, advance discount tickets available for $39.99. Admission includes a souvenir wine glass and access to all of the free tastings from the domestic and international wineries, vineyards, wine distributors and more!

See more information on the Hilton Head Island Website.

Grab your sweetheart, because in Beaufort there is something to do on Valentine’s Day. Here is the perfect event for you if you live in an apartment in Beaufort. On Valentine’s Day have a romantic date and help a worthy cause on February 11, 6:30pm.

The Ball is the signature event for Beaufort Memorial Hospital. The event is a culmination of the efforts and commitments of many businesses and individuals. This is a black-tie gala and the proceeds enable the hospital to offer new and improved services. Guests will dine at private residences in Beaufort before convening for dancing, an auction, and dessert at the Lyceum on Parris Island.

Since 1990, the Valentine Ball has netted over $3.5 million for Beaufort Memorial Hospital, enabling the hospital to offer new and improved services.

For the past twenty two years the Valentine Ball has been the signature event for our hospital foundation.  The Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Valentine Ball is on Saturday, February 11, in The Lyceum at Parris Island 9pm. Proceeds from the 2012 Valentine Ball will benefit the George N. Pratt MD & Sarah Meyer Pratt Emergency Center, and the ball ends at 1:00am.

Living in an apartment in Beaufort, SC can often seem like living in a scene from a great movie. In Beaufort, there is so much to look at, and so much to do, and February is no exception.

Come enjoy yourself at Bands, Brews & BBQ - a South Carolina Barbeque Association cook-off event hosted by Port Royal.

Bands, Brews & BBQ, on Friday, February 24th, and Saturday, February 25th, in downtown Port Royal will benefit Friends of Caroline Hospice, a charity that has provided care to Beaufort, Port Royal & the Sea Islands for over 30 years!

A Wing Throw Down Party will be held on Friday 6-9pm with live music and various wings from area restaurants. On Saturday there will be a cook-off in Ribs and Butts and live music from local bands.

Grab some friends and bring your appetite, because you get to try all you can eat of the best BBQ the Beaufort area has to offer. Bands Brews & BBQ will become a Lowcountry fan favorite.

Looking for a new place to live? Maybe a you want a fresh start, or maybe you want a nice place to retire or have a family. Look at apartments in Beaufort, SC. The city of Beaufort has won its fair share of awards, and now it is one of the 10 finalists on the ballot to win another.

A contest now running on the BudgetTravel.com website is taking votes for the town most worthy of the designation, and Beaufort is among the 10 finalists. The magazine’s readers nominated 647 towns and the list was narrowed to 10 standout communities.

Beaufort is a coastal town rich in history with a picturesque waterfront. With a unique historic district and small-town charm residents of Beaufort know this town deserves the title.

With great restaurants, culture and seashore, Beaufort is surely one of America’s Coolest Small Towns.

The contest runs through Jan. 31 and Ashton Pointe Apartment Homes encourage residents to cast their votes once daily at budgettravel.com.

The Beaufort International Film Festival is holding a fund raiser at a location straight out of one of the most famous movies of our generation. Forest Gump. If you live in an apartment in Beaufort, SC head to the oyster roast fundraiser at Bubba’s Mama’s House.

This Saturday the 21 st from 3-6pm, head to Bubba’s Mama’s House, bring friends and feast on oysters, chili, buba’s soda, hot dogs and chowder.

The 6th annual Beaufort International Film Festival will be held on February 15-19. The Beaufort International Film Festival enlivens the community by fostering and developing an appreciation for the art of filmmaking. It is also an opportunity to showcase the beautiful "film-friendly" region of Beaufort. Beaufort has been in more than 20 major motion pictures, to include Forrest Gump, The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides, and many more.

Many people are told when they are younger that renting is only for college graduates or people who cannot afford to buy.  Many parents hammer these ideas into their children and tell them that renting is equivalent to throwing money away every month.  Fortunately, today people are beginning to finally think for themselves and challenge these ideas.  Here are 4 reasons to pat yourself on the back for deciding to rent an apartment in Beaufort, SC at an HHHunt Community!
 
1.  Renting can save money

At the very minimum you’ll be shelling out PITI for your home. That is:

• Principal
• Interest
• Tax
• Insurance

The PITI doesn’t include property maintenance like maintaining the yard, paint, plumbing, repairs, decorating, etc… When you rent an apartment in Beaufort at an HHHunt community, the monthly payment is almost always quite a bit less than the PITI in your area and there are no maintenance expenses!

2. Homeowners’ tax deductions are overstated

According to research quoted by MSN, “… half of homeowners don’t get a break, because even with mortgage interest and property taxes, their total deductions do not exceed the standard federal tax deduction ($11,900 for couples and $5,450 for singles)”.

For these folks, it’s like spending $100 to save $20. They’re better off saving the difference and investing it.   Even if there is a “break” on your taxes, you typically had to spend more than you would have spent to rent to get back that $20 for every $100 spent in interest payments.

3. Renting gives you flexibility

For the up and coming young professional, you’re better off renting and saving for a few years than to buy a small condo. Who knows how fast you will outgrow it?  When you own a home, you can’t always sell it when you need to sell it at the price you want to sell it in order to accept a new employment opportunity.  If you have owned a home and don’t want the constant maintenance responsibility, renting gives you the opportunity to enjoy your weekends instead of completing that “to do” list.

4.  Our superb service teams!

Most apartment communities offer 24 hour emergency maintenance and technicians who are skilled in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.  At an HHHunt Community, our service teams take great pride in offering prompt and professional service to you.  Whether you need a light bulb changed or a new compressor for your AC unit, we are there to take care of you as fast and efficient as possible.  We are always a phone call or email away and most service requests are performed on the same day or within 24 hours!

If you plan on taking your Christmas tree out of your apartment in Beaufort, you have until January 7th to get it to the Naval Heritage Park in Port Royal. There the Beaufort County's Grinding of the Greens program will be grinding Christmas trees into mulch to be used in the spring.
 
It is the perfect way to give back to Beaufort  in this season of giving. Residents and local municipalities can pick up mulch for free for about a week after Jan. 7. The remaining mulch will be used around the county in public plantings.

Last year, about 3,000 Christmas trees were ground into almost 25 tons of mulch. That's 25 tons of material diverted from landfills and put back into the ground it came from.

This holiday break, when you are looking for something fun to do outside of your apartment community in Beaufort, we have some low cost and fun ideas. There is plenty of fun and free things do with your kids in Beaufort. Try out the 2 great playgrounds, one on the Waterfront Park and one off of Pigeon Landing. Pigeon Landing playground opened 2 years ago and has brand new facilities and excellent age appropriate equipment.

Adults can have fun at Pigeon Landing playground too, with large adult sized swings and dogs are allowed on a leash. And of course, sitting on the docks gives you a gorgeous view of the marshes and Beaufort River.
 
After play, Southern Sweets Ice Cream Parlor in Old Bay Marketplace makes a mean and reasonably priced ice-cream. You can also get very good and hearty lunch: made-to-order hot-dogs in 8 styles at $3 each), gourmet sandwiches, salads and soups. Most lunch items are around $6 and the kids menu for around $2.

Play tourist in Beaufort this week on a low budget.

What a way for everyone living in apartments in Beaufort to celebrate the New Year. By kicking off Beaufort's fourth century and saluting its 300 years of history at Founders' Night II in the city's Waterfront Park Dec. 31. Bring your family and friends to the early evening event, before your evening celebrating begins.

The event will include musical performances by choirs from Tabernacle Baptist, Carteret Street United Methodist and First Presbyterian churches, Sumitra Stewart, Marlena Smalls and the Delbert Felix Trio; and historical interludes by locals Anita Singleton-Prather, Bill Harvey Jr. and Jeff Evans. The event is free and family-oriented.

Starting at 4:30 p.m. at Waterfront Park, the closing ceremony will end at sunset, around 6, with the bang of booming fireworks over the Beaufort River.