What to do on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

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We did it again! Another road trip to Hilton Head Island. Ahhh- the memories we must be creating, right? Here’s to hoping. In case you weren’t with me back in the infancy of Mackinaw Road, you can check out this post with our first-time adventures. (Some of them were too good not to repeat on this trip 😉

Activities:

Ride bikes on the beach. Is there anywhere else in the world that you can ride bikes on the actual sand? It’s amazing! You could bring your own bikes or rent bikes from the hotel where you are staying (both hotels where we’ve stayed have had bike rentals). We rented tandem bikes — you know, for girls against boys racing purposes.

Swim in the pool. We have lucked out twice now with amazing 70 + degree weather. After being inside for 5 months, we wanted to be outside as much as possible and the pool was the perfect place to do this.

Play Tennis- Many, many years ago, when we were in college, we went to Hilton Head Island on our tennis spring breaks (well, I only went as a player one year, spectator the other ;-). This year, we also attempted some tennis. We rented a court at Palmetto Dunes, which was very nice and had clay courts. The years of college tennis have long since passed. My sister-in-law was on crutches and couldn’t play, one kid was swinging a pool noodle while the other was wobbling all over the place on the aforementioned crutches. It was a bit of an obstacle course- haha!

See a Gregg Russell performance. This concert is in Harbor Town (you can refer here for a schedule). Have your kids made a sign if they want to be called up to sing solo, or they can just enjoy gathering around the old oak tree, joining in the group songs, and laughing at Gregg Russell’s jokes. Honestly, it’s as entertaining for the adults as it is for the children.

Hunt for Jelly Fish and other “treasures” on the Beach. This is another oldie-but-goodie. Your kids will easily be able to find and count how many jelly fish are on the expansive beaches as well as collecting shells along the way.

We weren’t able to fish or fly kites this time, but there were plenty of people who were enjoying these activities as well as playing catch, wiffle ball, and frisbee on the beach.

Go Miniature Golfing. There are several mini golf courses scattered around the island. My in-laws and husband took our daughter on the last day of our vacation. The 5-year old was too tired to make it and, frankly, I wasn’t up for fishing him out of the moat again.

Take a Day Trip in to Savannah, Georgia. It was about a 45 minute drive and was well worth the trip. Check out this post for more about Savannah.

Where to Eat:

The Old Oyster Factory–  For our first night, we went to The Oyster Factory. They have great Happy Hour deals as well as outdoor seating, so you can catch the sunset. There must have been thousands of oyster shells below the deck where we ate. The food was excellent and we enjoyed eating al fresco for the first time in a while.

The Quarterdeck Waterfront Dining- We again enjoyed eating at the Quarterdeck in Harbour Town before going to the Gregg Russell concert. It is located almost directly below the lighthouse. The service was excellent, and we sat upstairs with great views of the harbor.

Chow Daddy’s Kitchen and Bar– We ate a Chow Daddy’s again this time as well. I love the avocado salad with spicy shrimp. They are kid-friendly and have ping-pong tables outside to pass the time while waiting for your food.

Salty Dog Cafe– You would be hard pressed to go to Hilton Head Island and not go to The Salty Dog Cafe. But, be warned, the waits are loooong (or at least they were for us on this trip). We tried going for dinner one night and it was a two-and-a-half hour wait. The next day for lunch was well over an hour; we waited. While we waited we did some shopping at the General Store and bought a Salty Dog T-Shirt. We also sat out on the dock and watched the boats and people relaxing around us. This book, The Legend of Jake, the Salty Dog, is a good souvenir for the kiddos.

Where To Stay:

There are so many options to choose from on Hilton Head Island! We have been very happy with the two places where we have stayed in recent years with our kids. If you are going the hotel route, we had a very pleasant stay here. If you are going the VRBO/TimeShare route, we had a very nice time here (and there were washers/dryers in the condo, which is soooo helpful with small children).

Have you been to Hilton Head Island? Did I miss any of your favorites?

We stopped in Asheville, North Carolina, on our way down and Cincinnati, Ohio, (more on that later) on our way home. I also used this packing list for the kids.