How I Live the Lowcountry: Beaufort's Bonnie Hargrove

Bonnie Hargrove says she has a "huge appreciation for people with talent."



Especially since she once tried her hand at being in a theater production herself.



Originally from Birmingham, Ala., Hargrove came to Beaufort in 2008 with a background rooted in the arts and nonprofit management.



While she may not have stayed on the stage, her love for theater, for art history and the arts in general, has made her a natural fit for her position as director of the University of South Carolina Beaufort's Center for the Arts -- a job she "absolutely loves."



In fact, Hargrove stays busy with everything from marketing to fundraisers to helping to produce the center's various main-stage and community theater productions.



Here, Hargrove talks about her Beaufort:







EAT: Where do I like to go to eat? This is a tough one, because I go to different places for different reasons. 



If I want to sit outside and have a glass of wine, I absolutely adore Saltus (River Grill) on Friday nights. 



Lowcountry Produce does live music so I enjoy that. It's local bands and local artists.



I'm addicted to the chicken tortilla soup at Boundary Street Cafe. That's just good stuff. 



And the best pizza, to me, is at Old Bull Tavern. There's so many great restaurants in Beaufort and I try to go to all of them. 







DRINK: I love Breakwater (Restaurant & Bar). That's a great place to see friends and arrange for parties and things like that. I like to go everywhere, but I just don't go out all that often. 







PLAY: I love to walk with my friends. That's kind of my way to catch up. I walk a good bit in The Point and through Pigeon Point. I also like to walk the Spanish Moss Trail. 



The interesting thing is right now I'm renting a house that's on the water and my neighbor has these great kayaks and I keep thinking it looks so easy, that I should try it. But I am someone who would just wind up going in circles if I did! (laughing)







SEE: I love to walk downtown and go through all the galleries and see who is creating art, which is another reason I love Beaufort. 



That whole scene is always changing down there. I (also) like shopping on Bay Street. 



I have friends around the state who are producing in other theaters, so I'll zip out and see their show and see what they're doing and how they are doing it. 



I went to Trustus (Theater, in Columbia) for "Godspell" to see how they do it because it was something we wanted to bring here. 

 

LISTEN: I like the local band scene here in Beaufort. It's varied. I try to go out and support the bands. 



I like kind of that jazz/coffee house sound. ... And folk music. I like to clean my house to country music. (laughing)



If I'm walking by myself, I'll listen to '70s and '80s music. I'm never one thing. 



I like the Sweetgrass Angels (Lowcountry-based singers). They have some of the best harmonies. The Bull Grapes led by Kirk Dempsey are also great. There is just a lot of talent here.







Follow reporter Mindy Lucas on Twitter at twitter.com/MindyatIPBG.







Related content:

• How I Live the Lowcountry: The Store's Babbie Guscio, Oct. 27, 2015

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 10:03 AM with the headline "How I Live the Lowcountry: Beaufort's Bonnie Hargrove."