Port Royal is rightfully proud of its natural environment, and visitors can enjoy it through the town's network of trails, its community beach and boardwalk, and an observation tower. Providing ample opportunities for nature lovers, Port Royal is also rich in history. Port Royal is a picturesque small town with a friendly relaxed atmosphere and the lure of the sea.
Port Royal has a humid subtropical climate with hot humid summers and mild winters. Temperatures in Port Royal range from an average high of °C (just over 80°F) in July and August to an average low of °C (48°F) in January. Rain reaches as much as centimeters (six inches) in June and centimeters (7.25 inches) in August but remains under centimeters (four inches) the rest of the year. Humidity levels are fairly constant, ranging from 90% in August and September to a low of about 82% in February. Port Royal gets negligible snow.
Port Royal Boardwalk Park, called "The Sands" by locals, is a small beautiful park located where the tidal estuaries of Battery Creek and the Beaufort River meet at the southern tip of Port Royal Island. A boardwalk runs along the edge of the marsh and ends at a 12.2-meter (40-foot) observation tower where visitors can watch bottle-nosed dolphins, river otters, and raccoons as well as a wide variety of birds
Port Royal has walking trails that include five-kilometer (3.1-mile) and an eight-kilometer (five-mile) walking and jogging paths that wind through the village, Live Oaks Park, the Cypress Boardwalk, and Sands Beach.
Port Royal's Live Oaks Park is a family-oriented facility with a playground, a lighted roller hockey rink, courts for tennis and basketball, and a covered oyster shed with a fireplace and barbecue pit. All facilities are open to the public. They can also be reserved for special events.
Hunting Island State Park is one of South Carolina's most popular park and beach areas. It is rumored that Blackbeard and his crew used Hunting Island as a layover spot. Located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Port Royal, more than a million visitors come to Hunting Island every year. The clean three-mile natural beach on the Atlantic Ocean is complemented by a nearby campground with spaces for tents and RVs, a primitive campsite for groups, and a historic lighthouse that is open to the public and that offers glorious views of the ocean, the beach, and surrounding marshland.
Located at the pier entrance to the park, the Nature Center at Hunting Island State Park has exhibits describing local marine and wildlife. The 2023-hectare park also has nature trails where visitors can view a variety of wildlife that includes alligators, bald eagles, herons, pelicans, loggerhead turtles, crabs, jelly fish, and sand dollars. Care should be taken to avoid jellyfish, stingrays, and strong rip currents in Hunting Island State Park.
There is a boat landing at the beach, and the fishing pier reaches 365.8 meters (1200 feet) into Fripp Inlet. There are restrooms and showers with dressing rooms on the beach. This popular Port Royal attraction also has beach cabins for rent. The park is open from 6am until 6pm (during Daylight Savings Time until 9pm). Admission is $5 for adults, $3.25 for South Carolina seniors, and $3 for children from six to 15.
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