"South of Charleston. North of Savannah. Near Heaven." A nonprofit organization charged with promoting economic development of South Carolina's southernmost region through a formal tourism marketing program, the Lowcountry & Resort Islands Tourism Commission was established in 1991. The Lowcountry is a popular destination encompassing Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties and includes the coastal communities, resort towns, historic sites and rural areas of Edisto Beach, Beaufort, Fripp, Daufuskie and Hilton Head Islands, Walterboro, Yemassee, Point South (home of the Lowcountry Visitors Center), Ridgeland, Hardeeville, Hampton, Varnville and Estill. With miles of pristine beaches, numerous wildlife refuges, preserves and state parks, assorted historic and cultural sites, thriving arts communities, world-class golf, bird watching, saltwater or freshwater fishing, kayaking, hunting and other outdoor pursuits, the Lowcountry Region offers countless things to see and experience. Built in 1868 by John Edward Frampton after his original plantation home, outbuildings and crops were burned during the Civil War, the historic Frampton Plantation House in Point South was donated to the Lowcountry Tourism Commission in 1993. Conveniently located just off I-95 at Exit 33 (U.S. 17), about halfway between Savannah and Charleston, today the home serves as the Lowcountry Visitors Center & Plantation Gift Shop with "priceless" information on Lowcountry accommodations and attractions, plus area museum displays and a gift shop offering local art, handicrafts and food items, South Carolina merchandise and unique gift items.