What’s to Do in Hilton Head?
Best know for its great golf courses, but in Hilton Head it doesn’t stop there… by day there is a wide variety of watersports like kayaking, fishing, dolphin tours or just a quite day at the beach. The nightlife is abundant with great restaurants, shows and music venues. It’s a pretty ‘happening’ island! You may want to know a few quirks to this little island though…
The Sonesta Resort had a better rating and price than my first choice hotel. (It’s always a good idea to ‘shop around’.) The rooms were very clean, comfortable and updated but a little non-descript. I’m actually having a hard time remembering anything exceptional. Although recently renovated the interior lacked ‘personality’ to me.
What was very impressive was the beautiful exterior. Tropical landscaping and a great pool area with separate seating areas for large groups and comfy chairs for a quiet read. A path through the resort’s lagoon area goes right to the beach.. they had some really cool beach bikes!
Beach Buggy, Hilton Head
On the ‘to do’ list was to find a great place to watch live music. Our best find in Hilton Head was ‘The Jazz Corner’. When I called for a reservation, I was told nothing was available for over a week! Luckily we decided to stop in anyway and snagged a seat at the bar. The place is small, but with amazing acoustics and great food! Loved it!
Sunset over Broad Creek, Old Oyster Factory
Another great find you might enjoy is the Old Oyster Factory restaurant. The food was delicious, great service and a beautiful view of sunset over Broad Creek. It’s a waterfront restaurant.. sometimes! Which brings us to some quirks: The water from high to low tide changes by 4-6 feet!
Another quirk in Hilton Head that takes some getting used to… stores and commercial properties are all located well off the road, behind the trees. From the street, almost nothing is visible and the signs blend in with the scenery. Look closer, you just passed what you were looking for again! It’s got a very ‘earthy’ look. Oh, and no street lights so get a lay of the land before dark.
Oddly enough, you have to pay a toll of $6 per car to get to the end of the island in the Sea Pines Plantation area. There’s a cute little town, a good amount of shopping, the Harbour Town Golf Course and the Harbour Town Lighthouse… you have to pay again if you want to climb the lighthouse steps!
While there are many residents year round, it’s definitely a resort island. There’s no getting around that. They’ve done a wonderful job of pulling it all together with beaches, golf course, shopping, restaurants and a lot for the whole family to do in Hilton Head!
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