Lowcountry Souvenirs: 6 Tasty Take-home Treats
Whether you’re looking to share a taste of the region with friends or relive the flavors for yourself, here are ways to take home a taste of the South
The beauty of the Lowcountry might capture your heart, but the food will make you want to come back again and again.
Throughout my many years of travel, I’ve always found a way to bring a bit of each destination back home with me. I don’t mean typical souvenirs like coffee mugs and T-shirts (although I do have a pretty fierce magnet collection). I’m talking about items with a distinct sense of place that reflect the one-of-a-kind culture I was fortunate enough to experience. For me, there’s no better place from which to bring home unique souvenirs and gifts with a foodie twist than the Lowcountry.
Food is the soul of this region’s unique personality. It’s at the heart of everything—history, geography, family traditions, community. And it’s easy to bring a taste of it home with you.
The gold standard: Tupelo Honey (Savannah, Georgia)
To find your favorite honey, belly up to the tasting bar at one of the Savannah Bee Company’s many retail stores.
Bring home a 12-ounce bottle of Tupelo Honey ($22) from the Savannah Bee Company to share—or not!—with friends. For just two weeks in the spring, white tupelo trees in the Southeastern swamps bloom with flowers; honeybees then collect the nectar and make the liquid sunshine. The buttery honey has just the right amount of sweetness; it’s perfect for a glass of hot tea or for drizzling over a fresh-from-the-oven biscuit.
The blueprint for Lowcountry cuisine (Charleston, South Carolina)
Any home cook is sure to have Charleston Receipts ($19) on his or her foodie wish list. First published in 1950 by the Junior League of Charleston, it’s the classic guide to Southern comfort food, and it’s inspired generations of chefs. The book seamlessly weaves together influences from British high society and the Gullah people, descendants of slaves who worked on rice plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. Inside, you’ll find 750 timeless recipes, Gullah verses, historical accounts of local and regional culinary customs, and sketches by Charleston artists.
Biscuits from scratch, minus the work (North Charleston, South Carolina)
Made from scratch and using a family recipe, Callie’s Charleston Biscuits go from freezer to melt-in-your-mouth in just half an hour. Photo Credit: Callie’s Charleston Biscuits
It’s hard to conjure up a more classically Southern food than a buttermilk biscuit. If you’d rather not take on the difficult task of recreating these fluffy morsels from scratch, Callie’s Charleston Biscuits has your back. You can bring home unique souvenirs of the South with Callie’s handmade and soul-warming buttermilk biscuits ($39.90); they’re conveniently packaged so that all you have to do is pop them in the oven when you get home. Best of all, they can be stored in the freezer for up to 18 months, meaning you can get a taste of your travels long after your vacation is over.
A timeless Southern dish you’ll want to master (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina)
Tuck a sack of grits in your suitcase, then try your hand at recreating this Lowcountry favorite in your own kitchen.
Once you taste Ashleigh’s Shrimp & Grits at Page’s Okra Grill—both named after lead chef Ashleigh Page, naturally—in Mount Pleasant, you’re going to want to recreate it on your own. The key is good grits, like the small-batch, hand-milled white grits from the Geechie Boy Mill ($6.95). The grits are made from heirloom white corn and coarse-ground in a historic mill on nearby Edisto Island. The corn’s natural oils and flavor will help create a creamy bowl of grits (but don’t skimp on the butter).
Small-batch Coastal Coffee (Summerville, South Carolina)
You can taste some of the world’s best coffee in downtown Summerville, thanks to Coastal Coffee Roasters, a small-batch coffee company that roasts its beans on-site. Bring home a bag of its signature Coastal Blend (between $3 and $15), a medium roast that blends a Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee from Latin America with a contrasting coffee from Africa. Expect a rich and nutty flavor with a touch of berry sweetness. Bonus points if you pair your coffee with a couple of lemon cooler cookies from Southern Sisters Bakers & Confectioners.
A sweet Southern treat (Beaufort, South Carolina)
Everyone’s happy when you bring home chocolate, even if it only lasts for a few days (or hours). Find your treat at The Chocolate Tree in historic downtown Beaufort, where delicious confections—like cashew chews, dark sea salt caramels and pecan clusters with regionally sourced pecans—are prepared fresh. Can’t decide what to bring home? Grab a sampler box ($16) filled with a variety of fine chocolate and candies.
Ready to travel? Find hotels in Savannah, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville, Beaufort.
More to Explore
Things to Do in Savannah
Tour antebellum mansions, cobblestone streets, elegant churches, gardens and more.
Things to Do in Charleston
Enjoy Savannah's waterfront parks, unique attractions and Southern charm.
Things to Do in Summerville
This Charleston suburb is home to Azalea Park, the Sweet Tea Trail and delicious restaurants.