In 2006, the United States Congress designated a 12,000-square-mile area as the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor stretching from the Wilmington, North Carolina area south along the coast through all of South Carolina and Georgia and finally ending with the Jacksonville, Florida area. Within the South Carolina portion of the corridor lie 17 places that are historically and culturally significant to the Gullah Geechee people, the descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved and bought to the lower Atlantic states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia to work on the coastal rice, Sea Island cotton, and indigo plantations.

This corridor is one of the best places to learn about this culture and its noteworthy contributions to America in its earliest years. But don't stop with the corridor, as there are other incredible opportunities for the same type of experience outside of that list of 17 places, such as Daufuskie Island, where you can take a Gullah tour in South Carolina with a sixth-generation Gullah native!

Her name is Sallie Ann Robinson. And along with being your authentic Gullah tour guide, she's also an accomplished chef and author.

On this fascinating Gullah culture tour, you'll travel to Daufuskie Island on a ferry from Bluffton. Daufuskie Island is accessible only by boat.

Then you'll ride in Sallie Ann Robinson's heated and air-conditioned 14-passenger tour bus. The Sallie Ann Robinson Gullah tour in Daufuskie Island, South Carolina happens rain or shine!

Plan for a three-hour tour full of stops at places like the Daufuskie Museum and Library, the Oyster Hall ...

... the 138-year-old First Union African Baptist Church, which was founded in 1881 by former slaves, ...

... the Mary Field School built by the natives in 1934 and where the famed author Pat Conroy taught Sallie Ann Robinson ...

... and the Mary Field Cemetery, which is the largest Gullah graveyard dating back to the early 1800s.

Depending on the timing of your tour, you may even get to end your day with this dreamy sunset near the dock.

You'll learn so much about Gullah culture and tradition from this woman who has dedicated herself to chronicling and sharing Gullah recipes, dialects, and folklore. Her life and work have been showcased in publications such as National Geographic, Southern Living, Bon Appetit, Garden & Gun, and The South Magazine, among others.

Stay overnight in the Crabby Cabin on Daufuskie Island for more time to explore!