Shep Rose Visits His Hometown After Hurricane Matthew, Says It's Still the "Best Place in the World”

Shep Rose has definitely made Charleston his home, but the Southern Charm bar owner's heart may always belong to his hometown of Hilton Head Island. He recently visited the South Carolina region to see what destruction Hurricane Matthew left it its wake earlier this month.

“I thought to myself, ‘That’s my hometown that I love. I need to be be there,’ ” he told The State during his visit there. “Like that pier in Harbour Town — I had my first kiss there; I have so many memories there. And it’s just gone. I just can’t believe it.”

Upon his visit there, Shep was greeted by old friends who vowed to get the area back in working order following the devastating hurricane that left their home destroyed. “Where I live in Charleston didn’t get hit nearly as bad. It was just wild seeing the island ripped up like that. I’ve never seen anything like it before," he said. “The more I talked to people, the more I kept hearing people saying things like, ‘We’re going to rebuild and grow and be better because of this,’” he said. “It’s still a beautiful place and the best place in the world.”

One of those locals happens to be a business owner and Shep's best pal, Andrew Carmines, who owns Hudson’s Seafood Dock and Marina. “Andrew was running around like a chicken with his head cut off scrambling to help people, which, you know, is not surprising,” Shep said. “But when we talked, he looked at me and said, ‘We’re going to get back on our feet and do some great things here,’ and I believe it."

Check out throwback photos of Shep, below.