THE RHETT HOUSE INN
Gracious Getaway for Beaufort Locals and Visitors
story by JEANNE REYNOLDS photos by CHARLOTTE BERKELEY
photos of the inn courtesy of CAROLINE BRAMLETT
If you’ve ever read Gone With the Wind or seen the movie based on it, just the name Rhett — as in Rhett Butler — is enough to conjure up visions of moonlight and magnolias. And for more than 35 years, Beaufort’s The Rhett House Inn has been bringing those dreams to life for visitors and locals alike.
The gracious 200-year-old home on the corner of Craven and Newcastle streets actually does have a real-life tie to the novel. Author Margaret Mitchell named her famous character after the prominent Rhett family of Beaufort and Charleston, and the Butlers of Atlanta. Thomas Rhett and his wife, Caroline Barnwell, built the 6,000-square-foot Greek Revival-style home in Beaufort’s historic district around 1820. Now here’s where the truth is stranger than fiction: Rhett was born a Smith, but changed his name at the request of a wealthy uncle who promised to bequeath his fortune to any male nephews who would carry on the family surname. His newfound inheritance allowed Rhett to build the in-town plantation house with a two-story wrap-around piazza just one block from the Beaufort River.
Thomas Rhett died just as the Civil War was starting, and the house was confiscated by Union soldiers for use as a hospital recovery building. In the 1900s, it again became a private home, followed by stints as an inn, corporate offices for a real estate development company, and a haphazardly run bed-and-breakfast. But by the mid-1980s, the once-grand home was sitting idle.
BRINGING NEW BRILLIANCE TO AN OLD GEM
That’s when Steve and Marianne Harrison came to Beaufort for a visit, staying with an old friend who owned what was then the Bay Street Inn. They saw the vacant inn while on a bicycle ride down Newcastle Street, and their friend encouraged them to buy it. Even though the Harrisons were life-long New Yorkers with deep ties and a long history of success in the high-end women’s apparel industry (Marianne’s father helped found Anne Klein & Company), they took the leap into a completely new business.
“It was a change of life for us,” Steve recalls. “At first, Marianne was challenged by moving to the South from a life in New York City, but she eventually became a vital part of The Rhett House Inn décor and style.”
Despite some initial misgivings, the Harrisons moved into what was then a five-room inn and quickly began renovating it. In addition to the countless updates and repairs a two-century-old building needed, they moved the basement kitchen to the main level, created three new bedrooms downstairs, added bathrooms upstairs, and installed telephones and televisions in all the rooms. They furnished the inn with a unique combination of English antiques, unusual pieces from their world travels, and traditional Southern décor.
“My mom and dad brought a lot of the flavor of what makes it The Rhett House Inn,” says their son, John, who moved from New York to join the family business a few years ago.
The Harrisons were careful to retain the home’s historic features, including original dentil moldings, Adam-style decorative mantels over the four original fireplaces, a unique sabal palmetto frond arched doorway in the entrance hall, and gib doors in several rooms opening onto the verandas. The gib doors are made from 8-foot windows that lift above Dutch door-style bottoms disguised as part of the wall. Architects designed the doors this way either to disguise them as windows — and thereby lower the home’s tax value, which at one time was based on its number of doors — or simply to open up the house for better air flow, since most of the gib doors face the waterway.
After several years of living “with” their guests, the Harrisons decided to build a separate home on property directly behind the inn: the Newcastle House, a deceptively large two-bedroom cottage with a living room, dining room, and gourmet kitchen. The separate home also freed up their former room in the main building, creating what’s now called the honeymoon suite, often used by newlyweds, as a bride’s room for on-site weddings, or for anniversary celebrations. The Harrisons later moved to another home nearby, opening up the Newcastle House to guests who want more privacy with access to all the inn’s amenities.
The inn’s expansion continued in 1996 when the Harrisons bought the former Freedmen’s Store across Newcastle Street, built in 1846 as a store for freed enslaved people to buy and sell goods. It later became a school and then dormitory-style housing for seminary students. The Harrisons renovated the two-story building to create what they call The Cottages: seven rooms, each with their own entrance and porch, and equipped with fireplaces, whirlpool baths, and separate showers. The Cottages also cater to guests who like to bring their four-legged friends along, having two dog-friendly rooms.
The Rhett House Inn now boasts 19 guest rooms and a four-diamond rating, offering guests a full Southern breakfast every morning, tea and cookies in the afternoon, evening hors d’oeuvres, and homemade desserts before bedtime. Other special amenities include bicycles for exploring downtown, Hunting Island beach passes, and even beach towels and chairs. It’s no surprise the inn has hosted more than its share of celebrity guests, including movie stars who stayed there while filming The Prince of Tides, Forrest Gump, The Great Santini, and more.
NEXT GENERATION MAKING ITS MARK
John stayed behind in New York to finish his education when his parents took their leap of faith, but he was a frequent visitor to Beaufort. That led to meeting and marrying a “local girl” from Yemassee, but the young couple returned to New York where John had successful careers in the music industry and real estate.
Then came the pandemic, and that other “p” word that became ubiquitous at the same time: pivot.
“My parents were getting older and were thinking of selling the inn,” John says. “It wasn’t on the market yet when they got a very high offer for it. But I was spending a lot of time here during the pandemic and knew I wanted to take it over one day. I wanted to keep their legacy going.”
Although earlier in his life, he admits he never envisioned being in business with his parents, in 2020, John made the pivot to a new career as innkeeper.
“You’re never ready for this kind of change, but I’ve come to really enjoy the whole experience,” he says. “I come in here every day running toward it, not away from it.”
Still, he says the first days were very challenging. “The inn needed a major uplift. I spent six months with a notebook in my hand all the time, listing the things we needed to do. The first 18 months, I was buried in operations. Now I’m getting involved in more ‘fun’ stuff.”
That includes updating everything from the linens to the website, and rebranding with a soon-to-be-revealed new logo.
MINGLING INN LIFE WITH LOCAL LIFE
It also includes broadening the inn’s appeal to include more regional and local visitors, and reaching a more youthful audience.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of regional travel within 100 miles post-COVID,” John says. “We get a lot of visitors from Charleston and Savannah who tell us Beaufort is like what Charleston used to be. We even have guests from Bluffton, Hilton Head, and Fripp Island who want to enjoy some time in town without having to drive home.”
The inn’s gardens and indoor dining areas also offer options for medium to smaller-scale special events for area residents, from weddings to reunions and birthday parties to corporate events. Other ideas being considered to welcome local residents include pizza on the piazza with wine, discount staycation packages, and weekly dinners.
INSIDER TIPS FOR LOCALS
An overnight stay at The Rhett House Inn is a delightful experience, but it isn’t required to enjoy the inn’s hospitality. Here are some ways area residents can get a seat at the table — or on the veranda:
• Daily breakfast. The inn is open to the public for breakfast every day. Think plentiful portions of eggs, bacon, grits, and more served. Reservations are strongly encouraged for non-overnight guests.
• Sunday brunch. Locals and visitors are invited to enjoy brunch at The Rhett House Inn every other Sunday.
• Pop-up cocktail events. Cool beverages and the breeze on the inn’s veranda or in the garden are open to the public.
Get updates on events, dates, and times on the inn’s website at www.rhetthouseinn.com or follow The Rhett House Inn on social media (Instagram @TheRhettHouseInn, Twitter @RhettHouseInn, Facebook.com/RhettHouseInn), and call ahead at (843) 524-9030 to save your seat.
SLEEP WITH THE STARS
Want to share a pillow with your favorite matinee idol? Check out who stayed where to choose your room at The Rhett House Inn:
• Sandra Bullock stayed in Room 2
• Gwyneth Paltrow stayed in Room 3
• Barbra Streisand stayed in Room 3 and Room 4
• Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick stayed in Room 4
• Robin Givens stayed in Room 8
• Blythe Danner stayed in Room 10
• Ben Affleck stayed in Room 10
• Robert Redford stayed in Newcastle House
• Gabriel Byrne stayed in Newcastle House
