Shrimp Festival, celebrating the local and traditional industry, is in the first weekend in October. In 2007, The Beaufort Shrimp Festival was selected as one of the Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Events. The Beaufort International Film Festival held the first week of March screens independent films. A Taste of Beaufort, presented by Main Street Beaufort, is held on the first Saturday in May and features 20 local restaurants, fine wines, and live music. Historic Beaufort Foundation's Fall Tour of Homes and St. Helena's Spring Tour of Homes provide glimpses into the antebellum homes on the Point and local plantations. The town is also the home of The Kazoo Museum, which opened in October 2010 and is located in the Kazoobie Kazoos Factory. Hunting Island is nearby and the state's most visited state park. For more information on all events and visiting the area, please contact the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.
The arts
Beaufort has been named by some sources as one of "America's Best Art Towns", including being ranked the No. 14 Small City Arts Destination by American Style Magazine in 2008 and one of America's top 100 art towns by author John Villani in his 2005 book The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging and Dining. Close to 20 galleries operate within the City with hundreds of local residents contributing to the arts scene.
The University of South Carolina�Beaufort has a performing arts center which attracts regional and national acts to the community.
The Arts Council of Beaufort, Port Royal and the Sea Island, nurtures the arts via ARTworks, its 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m) community arts center, theater, and gallery in Beaufort Town Center (2127 Boundary Street, 29902, in Beaufort Town Center) that also includes the studios of working artists, Strings 'n Things music shop, and spaces for workshops, classes, and conferences, as well as an
