A fact still debated by geographers and historians alike, the town of Bluffton, North Carolina was founded in 1861 after Nags Head, which is located north of the small town and shares a beach with her, required more space for tourists who couldn't afford to reside in the resorts and bed and breakfasts, and the owners who wanted a separate space from the work spaces they had created for an income. One-hundred and fifty-nine years and it's rated as one of the premier locations to retire to in the south with her bustling small businesses, access to beach and waterfront locations, and eye for the arts and music.
With a population of 3,086, Bluffton is home to nature trails, mom and pop businesses, and yes a plethora of Starbucks littered across several corners. It holds roughly three high schools, two middle schools, and five elementary schools. With her numerous scenic routes, impeccable views that can both take one back to the 1950s and somehow encapsulate the beauty of the modern age, and opportunities for truly unique Southern experiences, here are just a few notable locations:
Bluffton Townsquare
They say Bluffton was named for a one Henry Bluff, an unkind and unruly man with a penchant for stealing from all his neighbors. They also say it was named for his sister who managed their family's estate and even opened what is still called The Boucherie, a small cafe that serves Southern Louisiana cuisine after her stay further south with estranged relatives. Despite the aforementioned plethora of Starbucks, this is still one of Bluffton's most popular places to stop for a good cup of coffee and morning pastry, regardless of whatever the Starbuck-holics have to say about it. Regardless of who it is named for, there is even a statue in the townsquare - err, circle - and every year on May 16th the founding of the warm small town is celebrated with fresh mackerel and seafood boils, sweet potato pie inspired desserts, and tons of activities and music. It gets a little raucous and by the end, no one knows for sure if they're really celebrating the so-called founder or not, but when there's beer in your belly and more to come, who really cares?
The townsquare has been known as a proposal location due to the greenery and bench seatings, as well as the small fountain that can be found on the east edge of the tiny park that makes up the center of it all. There are a ton of shops milling about, some old and some relatively new in the grand scheme of things. There are even a few small hotels and bed-and-breakfasts spots here, though the most popular food stop is The Copper Still Grille, most known for its ridiculous collection of burger and sandwich creations, as well as the local and foreign beers they have on tap. It is a great place for families to come for dinner, but an even greater location for friends to just hang out, play darts or shoot pools, and snack on buffalo wings or smothered waffle fries while catching up. High schoolers can be seen running in and out, but if there's one location that keeps even some of the young adults who swore they would never come back actually coming back, it's the Grille. Then again, considering the fact that there a number of boutiques as well as more popular stores like Chipotle and at least two McDonalds, a number of take-out options, and hidden surprises, Bluffton isn't just for retirement - regardless of what can be found on Wikipedia.
Bluff's Sound
There's an indiscernible line between what makes the sound of Bluffton and the sound of Nags Head, lending to a proximity that leads tourists to flit between the two towns without even realizing they'd been in a different town in the first place. A popular spot for teens and young adults, especially during the summer months, there are a good selection of hotels and bed and breakfasts, as well as a few decent food stops, including fine dining such as The Santorini. Located a block or two from the actual boardwalk, this restaurant is a love child of two Bluffton natives taking advantage of the cornucopia of seafood options and adding a Southern flair to the Italian cuisine they wanted to serve to both locals and tourists. Other opportunities include meandering over to the Nags Head side where one could go fishing from the boardwalk, crabbing on the sound, cycling along the six-mile Duck Trail, or catch a free show at the Amphitheater. One of the town's major musical events is the Duck Jazz Festival. This free event takes place the second week of October each year. There is also the fun of the Jockey Ridge State Park, but Bluffton likes to adhere to some of her own traditions.
The Boom
Located in the small bit of area known as the warehouse district, The Boom is the number one nightclub in all of Bluffton, known for its all-ages club rule: any person above the age of fifteen are permitted to enter the club. However, considering the town has a population small enough for the saying "everyone knows everyone" it is easy to weed out the minors from the actual adults, and the only way teens have been able to truly sneak alcohol is if they either have family working the bar areas or they happen to sneak it in. Large enough to host a small concert, the top two floors hold lounges and a number of unused office space with only a few being used for storage or even administration of the entire building. It holds two bar areas, a stage, and a rather large dance floor that has been used for seating arrangements on Thursday Comedy Nights and Talented Twenty Tuesdays, which is a show starring local talent (and the not so talented, but drunk enough to think otherwise) which was started by high school students nine years ago. The Boom, however, has opened its doors to a number of big names in the industry: Bethany Joy Galeotti, Tyler Hilton, Gavin DeGraw, Noah Cyrus, Daughtry, and Lady Antebellum, to name a few.
The Magdalene Bridge
If you asked any of the much older residents of Bluffton, this area was supposed to have been a nice meditative spot to walk across a sound bridge and reflect upon your relationship with God....since Baptists and Methodists and the like run amok in Bluffton, much to the chagrin of the teens who do not treat this as sacred ground like their predecessors. In fact, if you asked older residents, they'd say the youth desecrated the spot, having used it during their teen years as a make-out point due to the lush greenery that make up a magnanimous view, especially in the nighttime. Nevertheless, The Magdalene Bridge is really just a long stretch of bridge separating two residential areas of Bluffton - the more "urban" areas which includes downtown locale and the "suburban," though this area holds the most housing. There are a number of larger estates, some which can be accused of being mansions, but there's a reason why so many want to either buy or build on property in the south and it is because of the expansive opportunities that can be found here. Especially in a place like Bluffton. There is even a rather large mall located close to these larger homes. The bridge serves as a small connector between the two areas, but also a nice along a stretch of relatively unbothered land. There is a train track that runs under the bridge, a number of nature trails to traverse and cycle upon, and even a few open spaces for private picnics if people know the right trees. There is even a playground on the side of the bridge closest to the downtown area, surrounded by shrubbery speckled with honeysuckle and other wild flora.
With a population of 3,086, Bluffton is home to nature trails, mom and pop businesses, and yes a plethora of Starbucks littered across several corners. It holds roughly three high schools, two middle schools, and five elementary schools. With her numerous scenic routes, impeccable views that can both take one back to the 1950s and somehow encapsulate the beauty of the modern age, and opportunities for truly unique Southern experiences, here are just a few notable locations:
Bluffton Townsquare
They say Bluffton was named for a one Henry Bluff, an unkind and unruly man with a penchant for stealing from all his neighbors. They also say it was named for his sister who managed their family's estate and even opened what is still called The Boucherie, a small cafe that serves Southern Louisiana cuisine after her stay further south with estranged relatives. Despite the aforementioned plethora of Starbucks, this is still one of Bluffton's most popular places to stop for a good cup of coffee and morning pastry, regardless of whatever the Starbuck-holics have to say about it. Regardless of who it is named for, there is even a statue in the townsquare - err, circle - and every year on May 16th the founding of the warm small town is celebrated with fresh mackerel and seafood boils, sweet potato pie inspired desserts, and tons of activities and music. It gets a little raucous and by the end, no one knows for sure if they're really celebrating the so-called founder or not, but when there's beer in your belly and more to come, who really cares?
The townsquare has been known as a proposal location due to the greenery and bench seatings, as well as the small fountain that can be found on the east edge of the tiny park that makes up the center of it all. There are a ton of shops milling about, some old and some relatively new in the grand scheme of things. There are even a few small hotels and bed-and-breakfasts spots here, though the most popular food stop is The Copper Still Grille, most known for its ridiculous collection of burger and sandwich creations, as well as the local and foreign beers they have on tap. It is a great place for families to come for dinner, but an even greater location for friends to just hang out, play darts or shoot pools, and snack on buffalo wings or smothered waffle fries while catching up. High schoolers can be seen running in and out, but if there's one location that keeps even some of the young adults who swore they would never come back actually coming back, it's the Grille. Then again, considering the fact that there a number of boutiques as well as more popular stores like Chipotle and at least two McDonalds, a number of take-out options, and hidden surprises, Bluffton isn't just for retirement - regardless of what can be found on Wikipedia.
Bluff's Sound
There's an indiscernible line between what makes the sound of Bluffton and the sound of Nags Head, lending to a proximity that leads tourists to flit between the two towns without even realizing they'd been in a different town in the first place. A popular spot for teens and young adults, especially during the summer months, there are a good selection of hotels and bed and breakfasts, as well as a few decent food stops, including fine dining such as The Santorini. Located a block or two from the actual boardwalk, this restaurant is a love child of two Bluffton natives taking advantage of the cornucopia of seafood options and adding a Southern flair to the Italian cuisine they wanted to serve to both locals and tourists. Other opportunities include meandering over to the Nags Head side where one could go fishing from the boardwalk, crabbing on the sound, cycling along the six-mile Duck Trail, or catch a free show at the Amphitheater. One of the town's major musical events is the Duck Jazz Festival. This free event takes place the second week of October each year. There is also the fun of the Jockey Ridge State Park, but Bluffton likes to adhere to some of her own traditions.
The Boom
Located in the small bit of area known as the warehouse district, The Boom is the number one nightclub in all of Bluffton, known for its all-ages club rule: any person above the age of fifteen are permitted to enter the club. However, considering the town has a population small enough for the saying "everyone knows everyone" it is easy to weed out the minors from the actual adults, and the only way teens have been able to truly sneak alcohol is if they either have family working the bar areas or they happen to sneak it in. Large enough to host a small concert, the top two floors hold lounges and a number of unused office space with only a few being used for storage or even administration of the entire building. It holds two bar areas, a stage, and a rather large dance floor that has been used for seating arrangements on Thursday Comedy Nights and Talented Twenty Tuesdays, which is a show starring local talent (and the not so talented, but drunk enough to think otherwise) which was started by high school students nine years ago. The Boom, however, has opened its doors to a number of big names in the industry: Bethany Joy Galeotti, Tyler Hilton, Gavin DeGraw, Noah Cyrus, Daughtry, and Lady Antebellum, to name a few.
The Magdalene Bridge
If you asked any of the much older residents of Bluffton, this area was supposed to have been a nice meditative spot to walk across a sound bridge and reflect upon your relationship with God....since Baptists and Methodists and the like run amok in Bluffton, much to the chagrin of the teens who do not treat this as sacred ground like their predecessors. In fact, if you asked older residents, they'd say the youth desecrated the spot, having used it during their teen years as a make-out point due to the lush greenery that make up a magnanimous view, especially in the nighttime. Nevertheless, The Magdalene Bridge is really just a long stretch of bridge separating two residential areas of Bluffton - the more "urban" areas which includes downtown locale and the "suburban," though this area holds the most housing. There are a number of larger estates, some which can be accused of being mansions, but there's a reason why so many want to either buy or build on property in the south and it is because of the expansive opportunities that can be found here. Especially in a place like Bluffton. There is even a rather large mall located close to these larger homes. The bridge serves as a small connector between the two areas, but also a nice along a stretch of relatively unbothered land. There is a train track that runs under the bridge, a number of nature trails to traverse and cycle upon, and even a few open spaces for private picnics if people know the right trees. There is even a playground on the side of the bridge closest to the downtown area, surrounded by shrubbery speckled with honeysuckle and other wild flora.
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