BBC TravelOct 2
The American coast that refused to let African culture die
Along the US's South-eastern coast, Gullah Geechee communities preserve a distinct culture and language rooted in West Africa that is spoken nowhere else on Earth.
Fort built by Black soldiers in 1864 to defend freedom.
25 things in this story
- Fish Haul BeachParkMarshy stretch on Hilton Head Island's northern fringe.
- MitchelvilleNeighborhoodFirst self-governed town of free Black people in the US.
- Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage CorridorPlace500-mile strip from NC to FL celebrating Gullah Geechee culture.
- Gullah Food FestivalFestivalFeatures food, storytelling, music, and history.
- Gullah Museum of Hilton Head IslandMuseumHosts the Gullah Food Festival.
- Gullah ConveningPlaceEvent celebrating the Gullah Geechee Corridor.
- Gullah CelebrationFestivalMonth-long event hosted by Hilton Head.
- Gullah Heritage Trail TourTrailBus tour led by Native Islanders.
- Coastal Discovery MuseumMuseumOffers sweetgrass basket workshops.
- Da Gullah Geechee PavilionPlaceOffers rentals on ancestral land in historic Jonesville.
- JuneteenthFestivalIt is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
- Ruby Lee'sRestaurantCosy spot with Gullah Geechee art, serving Hoppin' John.
- Historic Mitchelville Freedom ParkParkPark with praise-house replica and abandoned homes.
- Fort HowellSightFort built by Black soldiers in 1864 to defend freedom.
- Elsewhere
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- Rice CoastNeighborhoodWest Africa, SenegalArea in West Africa known for rice cultivation.
- LowcountryAirportSouth Carolina, United StatesCoastal region where Gullah Geechee culture developed.
- Ma Daisy's Front PorchRestaurantBluffton, United StatesGullah cultural complex and restaurant in Bluffton.
- Old Town BlufftonRestaurantBluffton, United StatesHistoric river town dating to 1825.
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- Warwick New YorkHotelNew York City, United StatesConstructed between 1925 and 1927, it is owned by Warwick Hotels and Resorts.
- Martin Family ParkParkBluffton, United States
- West Side YMCAHotelNew York City, United States
- Essex HouseHotelNew York City, United States