You’ve probably seen the movie a dozen times. The feather floats. Tom Hanks sits on that bench with a box of chocolates. He tells his life story to anyone who’ll listen. Most people think they're looking at Alabama. Honestly? They’re looking at South Carolina.
Specifically, they’re looking at Beaufort.
If you head down to the Lowcountry today, you won’t find Greenbow. It doesn't exist. But you will find the soul of the movie. Forrest Gump Beaufort SC is a connection that runs deep, even if Hollywood tried to hide it with CGI and clever camera angles. The town didn't just host a film crew; it basically was the movie. From the shrimp boats to the Vietnam jungles, Beaufort provided the backdrop for almost everything that made us fall in love with Forrest.
The Bridge That Crossed "Mississippi"
One of the most iconic moments in the film is Forrest’s cross-country run. You remember the scene: he’s bearded, exhausted, and surrounded by reporters. In the movie, a sign says he’s crossing the Mississippi River.
He wasn't.
That’s the Woods Memorial Bridge. It’s right in downtown Beaufort. If you stand there today, you aren't looking at the mighty Mississippi; you’re looking at the Beaufort River. The production crew just slapped a sign on it and called it a day. It’s a swing bridge, one of the few left in the state, and it’s still there, looking almost exactly like it did in 1994.
Local secret? The press core chasing him was mostly made up of locals. One guy, Juan Singleton, was an actual reporter for the local TV station WJWJ at the time. He played—wait for it—a reporter.
Where the Shrimp Actually Came From
"Shrimp is the fruit of the sea." Bubba was right about that. But if you think those scenes were filmed in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, the movie magic got you.
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The entire shrimping saga was filmed along Lucy Creek on Lady’s Island. The "Bubba Gump Shrimp Company" dock was actually a private dock on Coosaw Island owned by Stan and Marie Lawson.
Here is the part that blows my mind: the shrimp were real. Paramount Pictures didn't use props. They went to the Gay Fish Company on St. Helena Island and bought 6,125 pounds of the stuff. Just recently, the family found the original invoices in an old filing cabinet. They were charging about $2.95 a pound back then. That’s nearly $27,000 worth of shrimp just for those few minutes of screen time. You can actually go to the market today and see those framed receipts on the wall. It’s kinda surreal.
The boat itself, the Jenny, wasn't a Hollywood prop either. It was a 55-foot trawler named Miss Sherri, owned by local shrimper Jimmy Stanley. After the movie wrapped, he sold it to Planet Hollywood. It sat in a moat in Orlando for years before being moved into storage.
Vietnam in the South Carolina Marsh
When Forrest is dodging bullets in the Mekong Delta, he’s actually about 15 minutes away from a Starbucks.
The Vietnam scenes were shot on Fripp Island and Hunting Island State Park. The production team brought in thousands of palm trees to make the South Carolina marsh look like a tropical jungle. They used the lagoon at Hunting Island for the scene where Forrest hauls his wounded friends out of the brush.
If you walk the marsh boardwalk at Hunting Island today, you can see exactly where Lieutenant Dan lost his "magic legs." They used a massive jet engine to simulate the hurricane winds for the storm scenes at the Port Royal terminal. It was loud, messy, and totally Beaufort.
The Gump House: A Ghost Story
Everyone wants to visit the Gump house. They want to see the porch where Mama Gump sat.
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You can’t.
The house was built on the Bluff Plantation in Yemassee, just a short drive from Beaufort. But here’s the kicker: it was never a "real" house. Because it was built specifically for the movie and wasn't up to residential building codes, the permits required it to be torn down immediately after filming. It was basically a shell.
The same goes for Jenny’s farmhouse. They built it, filmed the scene where she throws rocks at it, and then demolished it. The only thing that really remains is the land and the "Run Forrest Run" driveway.
What about the bench?
This is the big one. Everyone goes to Beaufort looking for the bench.
Wrong state.
The bench scenes were filmed in Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia. But even there, you won't find it. The bench was a fiberglass prop. If it were real stone, it would have been too heavy to move around for the light. Today, that prop is tucked away in the Savannah History Museum.
Real People, Real Impact
Beaufort locals weren't just background noise. They were the heart of the production.
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- Marlena Smalls: She played Bubba’s mother (the one who faints at the end). She’s a local legend, a Gullah historian, and the founder of the Hallelujah Singers.
- The Chocolate Tree: The famous box of chocolates came from a local shop on Carteret Street. To this day, the owners send Tom Hanks a box of his favorites every year.
- The Football Field: When you see Forrest mowing the grass at the University of Alabama, he’s actually at the Basil Green Sports Complex in Beaufort. CGI turned the baseball diamond into a football gridiron.
Why It Still Matters
Forrest Gump didn't just film in Beaufort; it captured the "vibe" of the Lowcountry. The moss-draped oaks, the humidity you can almost feel through the screen, and the slow pace of life—that’s all authentic.
While many of the sets are gone, the locations are permanent. You can still drive over the Woods Memorial Bridge. You can still eat shrimp from the Gay Fish Company. You can still walk the sands of Hunting Island where Forrest "ran" through Vietnam.
It’s a reminder that sometimes the most "American" stories aren't found in the places the script says they are. They’re found in small towns like Beaufort that have enough character to play ten different roles at once.
Your Beaufort "Gump" Checklist
If you’re planning a trip to see the "real" Greenbow, do these three things:
- Visit the Gay Fish Company: Look at the invoices. Buy some fresh shrimp. It’s the most direct link to the film that still functions as a real business.
- Walk the Woods Memorial Bridge: Do it at sunset. It’s the most recognizable landmark from the film that hasn't changed a bit.
- Stop by The Chocolate Tree: Get the "Box of Chocolates." It’s not just a movie reference; it’s actually really good candy.
The movie might be over thirty years old, but in Beaufort, Forrest is still running. You just have to know where to look.
Next Steps for Your Trip:
Download a local "film trail" map from the Beaufort Visitor Center. Many of these spots are on private property or tucked away on dirt roads, so having a GPS-enabled guide will save you from getting lost in the marsh. Once you've seen the Gump sites, head over to the University of South Carolina Beaufort campus—it was transformed into the "Gump Medical Center" for the film, and the architecture is stunning.