Montage Palmetto Bluff is a well-preserved river town, complete with Low Country marshlands, a bird sanctuary, and centuries-old live oaks, on the May River, in South Carolina. Striking the right blend of highly-curated activities, creative dining options, and varied accommodations, Palmetto Bluff has everything it takes to experience a little Low Country living.
Not long ago, I read an article that sought to quantify the value of ‘things’ versus ‘experiences’. The writer argued that happiness associated with things (jewelry, cars, electronics) is relatively short-lived, compared to that of experiences (trips, dinners, outdoor adventures), where happiness lasts far longer.
Interestingly, it didn’t matter whether the experience itself was considered ‘good’ or ‘bad’. For instance, let’s say it rained the entire week we spent in Thailand (true). Or, maybe I accidentally booked a hotel in the wrong town on the Amalfi Coast (also, true). The memories attached to those experiences are thought to give longer-lasting joy and make for funnier, more engaging, stories. True. True. In other words, the laughter lives on.
Family planning with Palmetto Bluff
If there was ever a time to make new memories, that time is now. Some of us have young kids at home, remote learning. Some of us have our college students home for the near future. Perhaps, this is an opportunity to capitalize on a weird moment in history and add a few adventures to the family books.
Last October, my family visited Palmetto Bluff, in South Carolina. My husband, my kids, my parents (all four of them), my sister, her husband, and their kids. It was our first time in the Low Country. I didn’t fully grasp the importance of our reunion at the time. Now, those memories are even more poignant, as we haven’t been together as a group since.
The time to start planning future family gatherings is right now. Hotels and airlines are more forgiving with change fees and cancellation policies. Wheels are in motion to make travel safer in the pandemic climate. Wheels are in actual motion across the country, as road trips have become the most popular method of transport. Travel wants us back. Our extended families miss us. Let’s go.
What is the Low Country?
I’m from the northeast. I know mountain life. I know lake life and city life. What I don’t know is Southern life. What does Low Country even mean, I wondered? I headed to Merriam-Webster. Low Country is defined as ‘the low-lying region along the Atlantic coasts of South Carolina and Georgia.’ A bit dry, Mr. Merriam, but informative.
I googled deeper—all the way to page two—the ‘Google graveyard’. Low Country, from a cultural perspective, combines the influences of Southern, Native American, European, Caribbean, and African roots. It is known for its sub-tropical climate, which produces intricate marshlands thick with native birds, and reptiles. Now, this was starting to sound more interesting.
Palmetto Bluff fills a Tall order
Finding a scenic, conveniently-located, destination that could accommodate a large group ranging in ages from 11 to 77, was no easy feat. We were in search of a place with multiple dining choices, and a variety of cuisines, to please the wide-ranging tastebuds of our crew.
It needed to be on the east coast, and have mild enough weather in mid-October so that we could maximize time outdoors. We wanted a place that offered choices of activities to suit all levels of fitness.
Finally, it needed to be self-contained, so we could have the freedom to explore, yet still, feel together. A tall order, indeed. As we soon discovered, it was nothing that Palmetto Bluff couldn’t handle.
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Cue Palmetto Bluff
Palmetto Bluff is extraordinarily beautiful, in a way that is somewhat unreal and weirdly perfect. Like, The Truman Show, type of perfect. The landscape is nature-filled, inundated with a wide variety of flora and fauna, including massive live oaks.
These ancient oaks drip with silvery gray beards of Spanish moss, that glisten with the morning dew. Later in the afternoon, the elongated shadows from the descending sun added to the utter majesty of the trees.
At times it seemed as if there was a ringmaster shouting orders from behind closed doors. ‘Cue the alligator!’ ‘Now, the egrets!’ Ducklings, start waddling!’ Where exactly was he hiding?
The character of the Low Country was constantly seen, felt, tasted, and heard, at Palmetto Bluff. Over five leisurely days, my family settled into a lulling, sensory download. Slow, Low Country life.
Palmetto Bluff’s Village Home 33
Montage Palmetto Bluff has 200 rooms and 35 private residences, which vary in size and style, ranging from traditional hotel rooms, and one-bedroom river cottages, to three, four, and five-bedroom village homes.
Our family took over a Victorian-inspired, five-bedroom, elegantly-appointed, home. Village Home 33 overlooked one of the many low-arching bridges that unite and define the property. Renting a home, versus individual rooms, allowed our family to have space to be together, and space to be apart. Village Home 33 became our family’s home base, with many common areas, both inside and out.
Meticulously kept gardens led to the entrance, which was flanked by two welcoming front porches. A swinging outdoor daybed, with pillows in patriotic colors, beckoned. I immediately knew that I was going to have trouble leaving the porch.
The house’s style was quasi-traditional, Restoration Hardware meets Southern Living Magazine. It had a modern, open-plan kitchen, multiple dining areas, a living room filled with books, and games, and a 50-inch flat-screen television.
The master bath felt spa-like, with layers of natural colors, intricately designed, tiled walls, and a deep, soaking tub. No creature comfort was spared.
Location rules
They say location is everything. Village Home 33 was within walking distance of the property’s River House, where an intimate, yet lively bar awaited. Here too, was the destination for nightly s’mores. Two oversized, stone fire pits crackled with fire just as the sun disappeared from view. Nearby, a rolling cart was heaped with a variety of flavored marshmallows and bars of milk chocolate. An indulgence for any age, indeed.
The home was also close to the Canoe Club, a thoughtfully created dining space with a clubby, warm, low-lit atmosphere.
Buffalo’s, also nearby, was the scene of our hearty Sunday brunch, southern biscuits, and all.
Cole’s, a restaurant set in neighboring Moreland Village, overlooked the tranquil marshlands. A fun, casual dining space, its unique selling point was its state-of-the-art bowling alley. We spent a few post-dinner hours attempting strikes and spares with the kids. The sounds of pins getting knocked down and re-racked brought me back to my own teenage years.
Worth noting—the house or room number is the way to pay for everything at Palmetto Bluff. Yes, everything. It is the local currency. This includes the stores in the village, the restaurants, the markets, and all activities. The kids having access to that tidbit of information proved costly, we discovered upon checkout.
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What’s next at Palmetto Bluff?
Fire-engine red kayaks were waiting to be launched at the docks behind the perfectly constructed village. The tranquil, interconnected, inlets and ponds weaved their way around Palmetto Bluff, allowing us to see a variety of birds, pass underneath low-slung bridges, and look for sunbathing alligators on the grassy banks.
Great Blue Herons swooped surprisingly close overhead, trying to catch fish that occasionally jumped from the water. It was one of the many vantage points from which to explore Palmetto Bluff and my personal favorite. A close second was by bike, which was available to rent upon arrival. We kept our group of twelve bikes in the driveway for the duration of our stay. A family peloton.
As if daring us to be bored, Palmetto Bluff offered more activities and adventures than we could experience in five days. Little did Palmetto Bluff know that a little boredom was a welcome treat for me. For the kids, however, Palmetto Bluff was a playground waiting to be explored and conquered.
My stepdad played pickleball against every grandchild. One morning, we scoured the marshlands by boat. Later on, the kids went tubing at breakneck speed on the placid water, their high-pitched squeals trailing behind them.
On another day, our crew tried our luck at clay pigeon shooting, an activity that captured the imagination of the 11-year-old and the 77-year-old, alike.
Between the adult pool, the kid’s pool, the s’mores pits, the treehouses, tennis, bowling, and archery, we were hard-pressed to find downtime. Yet, we did, in the form of reading on the porch, or cocktails at the nearby River House. Taking long walks through the village lanes, and along the piers that jutted out over the May River. We found time. Or, maybe time found us.
Sounds of simpler times
It was a trip that harkened back to simpler times. I certainly couldn’t have been fully aware then, that this trip was going to provide memories for me to pull out of my mind’s archives when I needed a lift in mood. The homespun village undertones were sewn into the landscape of Palmetto Bluff.
I remember us poking fun at the low snore of my stepfather, as he dozed on the porch each afternoon. And, I can still hear the banter of siblings and cousins as they created TikToks in the living room. I listened to the sounds of my son and nephew peeling down the street on their bikes.
I heard laughter coming from the kitchen, the pop of a wine cork, and the telltale pings and pongs of a backyard tournament. All of these unremarkable sounds, when added up, told a much more remarkable story.
They were the sounds of memories being made, and it was novel to be able to listen to them without life’s usual distractions.
And that is how you experience the Low Country, y’all.
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