These days, visitors to Old Town Bluffton might be charmed by its postcard-perfect streets, its gentle Southern breezes and its laid-back refinement, but for decades before that Bluffton was known for its unique “state of mind.”
Helping establish this state of mind was its robust community of endlessly quirky and creative artists. Forming an enclave here when Bluffton was just a sleepy river town at the gateway to Hilton Head Island, these painters, performers, tinkerers and musicians began defining the town by its eccentricity (in fact, the name of the town’s long-time newspaper was The Bluffton Eccentric).
With these artists setting the stage, Bluffton became known far and wide for its unconventional Southern whimsy. The annual Bluffton Christmas Parade soon became emblematic of this idiosyncratic little town, with marching packs of inflatable reindeer, “drill teams” which consisted of local gals marching in formation while holding power drills and any number of oddball guest stars drawing crowds from up and down the coast.
These days, Bluffton may have matured somewhat, but you’ll still see that Bluffton state of mind winking at you from between sophisticated storefronts and gourmet restaurants. These days it’s a little more subtle, but that quirkiness is still undeniably a part of Bluffton’s charm. When they call up the contestants for Mayfest’s Ugly Dog contest, or a golf cart festooned with pinwheels and Christmas lights comes rolling up Calhoun Street, you’ll know that the Bluffton State of Mind is alive and well.