Crustaceans, sunshine help Port Royal show off best of Lowcountry

Sunny skies awaited hungry diners hankering for a taste of a Lowcountry delicacy Saturday in Port Royal.

Thousands lined Paris Avenue for the eight annual Port Royal Soft Shell Crab Festival hosted by the Old Village Association. The free festival coincides with the beginning of soft shell crab season.

Jason Wright of Beaufort said Saturday's event captured the essence of Lowcountry living.

"Look at this weather, and look at this food," Wright said, a fried soft shell crab sandwich in his clutches. "Not sure it gets much better than this."

Starting in mid-April, blue crabs shed their hard exoskeletons, leaving them with just a wrinkled -- and edible -- soft shell, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. Soft shell crab season typically ends in early fall.

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