South Carolina’s Famed Palmetto Bluff Comes Off a Justin Bieber Wedding Bump, New Ownership Changes and a Chef Upgrade

Owning a piece of sweet Southern pie is sweet. Especially if you put in the money to make it sweeter. Following last year’s sale of Palmetto Bluff, the Lowcountry vacation destination in the heart of South Carolina is upping its game under the new ownership.

The charming community is rolling out even more luxury experiences, private home real estate offerings and new amenities. Already known for its picturesque setting and Southern hospitality, Palmetto Bluff has long stood out as a top luxury retreat land. 

In addition to dreamy vacation homes with screened-in porches and rocking chairs,  there are extensive nature trails, two vibrant village centers complete with river access, boat storage, a canoe club, a topnotch food and beverage program, the Forbes’ Five Star rated Montage Palmetto Bluff resort and a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course. 

The popular resort gained even more buzz after Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin held their wedding there with a grand property takeover complete with hundreds of high-profile celebrity guests.

Last summer, South Street Partners (also the brains behind South Carolina’s Kiawah Island) along with Henderson Park Capital Partners took ownership of the 20,000-acre property surrounded by 32 miles of riverfront.

The development duo has kicked off a rollout of updates and additions that will be exclusive to homeowners of Palmetto Bluff, including new food and beverage offerings, activity options and new luxury homes with access to a large waterfront and the Southern Intracoastal Waterway.

In addition to the new homes, which range from quaint village cottages to spacious open lots overlooking the river, a new enclave of available homesites dubbed Moreland Forest debuted in November 2021. The response was more than impressive. An unprecedented 13 homesites were bought for $12.8M on the first day of pre-release sales.

Strategically designed to include homesites that overlook preserved areas of Palmetto Bluff and built around wildlife corridors, this new collection of homesites is all about being immersed in nature. They are located along the inland water trail and lagoons.

To refresh the dining experiences, South Street tapped Australian chef Rhy Waddington to be the new culinary director of the Palmetto Bluff Club. Waddington gained food fame in his previous role at Winged Foot Club and has been invited to cook for the James Beard House. Known for his devotion to the freshest ingredients from local sources, Waddington plans to enhance Palmetto Bluff’s food by relying on the natural bounty of the vast property’s nature land and the surrounding country. 

The expansion of Palmetto Bluff Farm is underway, geared around lifting the farm to table food experience to a whole new level. New facilities will include a reimagined greenhouse structure with its own showcase kitchen. Palmetto Bluff homeowners can even get fresh produce delivered to their doorsteps.

Palmetto Bluff Changes

The first major development from the South Street shift happened this month with the the $4.5 million renovation of the River House, a steakhouse in a classically cool dining space overlooking the May River that is surrounded by the sweeping oak trees Palmetto Bluff is so known for. 

The pandemic only drove home the benefits of Palmetto Bluff’s spacious scenery and nature surroundings even more for many.  There was a record-breaking spike in home sales. Now, South Street has ambitious plans to bring even more magic to his one of a kind Southern getaway.

Palmetto Bluff now boasts at least 800 homes, with about 400 more under construction. The ownership change hasn’t come without controversy with a group of homeowners filing a lawsuit over dues and other complaints, including the developers’ allegedly trying to curtail short-term rentals.

This Southern retreat is certainly changing as it looks to the future of a special piece of South Carolina’s Lowcountry.