Hilton Head Island – Your Traveling Nanny

Hilton Head Island in the “Low Country” of southeastern South Carolina, is a beach vacationer’s paradise. Sounds like a cheesy slogan for a resort, but it’s true.

This large barrier island is shaped like a foot – ankle facing the mainland to the west, heel at northeast and toe pointing south, at the eastern/seaward edge of the island. It’s roughly forty miles north of Savannah, Georgia, and boasts twelve miles of sandy beaches, dozens of hotels at a variety of price points, probably hundreds of restaurants, ranging from family style to fine dining, and many, many condos, time shares, resorts, and private home rentals.

What sets HHI apart from other beach resort areas?

Town leaders had the foresight to look at some other beach towns, saw what they DIDN’T want HHI to become, and decided to control growth and expansion. As a result, Hilton Head has no high rise hotels to obscure the average person’s view of the ocean, no amusement parks, and plenty of green space and nature preserves.

IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP:

When you come for the first time, please plan your trip so there’s still plenty of daylight at your time of arrival. Part of the plan to retain a wild and undeveloped character for HHI Is to strictly limit night time lighting, so after sunset, it is DARK. Also in keeping with the standard, signage is low to the ground. (Even the Golden Arches are lower than the restaurant they announce.) Since all shopping plazas and resorts are unseen due to natural tree growth along William Hilton Pkwy (US Route 278). It can be nearly impossible to find what you’re looking for in the dark, if you’ve not been there before.

While there is plenty of night life for those who seek it in the form of restaurants, sports bars, and live music clubs, they’re tucked away (as are most businesses) and a person would have to be intentional to reach those venues.

The relatively quiet and peaceful, family-friendly get-away that has been created proves the effort of those long-ago town planners was well considered and equally well executed.

Time shares on HHI have high value, desirable because it’s such an easily reachable destination, within a day’s drive of much of US’s population. That means that when time share owners who belong to a network such as Interval International, their HHI home resort provides a premium base from which to trade.

What there IS:

Plenty of swimming & beach combing, walking, running, bicycling, tennis, horseback riding, golf, miniature golf, fishing, boating, dolphin watches, birdwatching expeditions, and just about any other outdoor activity imaginable. Incredible seafood and cuisine for every taste is readily available. For rainy days, there are are several cinema multiplexes, loads of boutiques and shopping centers, and resorts provide activities such as dance lessons, game nights and contests, craft opportunities, and guided tours.

Speaking of golf, Hilton Head Island is home to the Royal Bank of Canada’s annual Heritage Tournament, which always takes place the week after The Masters Tournament.

https://rbcheritage.com/sponsorships/sponsors

For theatre and concert enthusiasts, The Coastal Center for the Performing Arts is world class.

http://www.artshhi.com/

Jazz lovers will enjoy the live music and fine dinners at The Jazz Corner.

http://www.thejazzcorner.com/

There’s also plenty of sunshine, sand, laughter, romance, family time, adventure with friends, and enough memory-making to last a lifetime.

If you’re still on the fence about whether to visit Hilton Head Island, you may wish to view a television advertisement that is shown annually during the Heritage.

(Gotta say that our family has built such a wonderful log of happy memories here over the years that I almost need to grab a tissue when i see this.) https://youtu.be/mtvmvbgxGiY

Island Information

https://www.hiltonheadisland.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi_KL-KOG2gIVkTqBCh3cpgMlEAAYASAAEgInUPD_BwE

HHI Chamber of Commerce

https://www.hiltonheadchamber.org/business-resources/press-and-media/fast-facts/

Day Trips from HHI

http://www.hiltonheadusa.com/things-to-do/hilton-head-island-day-trips

Family fun:

Stinky Pete the Pirate Cruise

http://www.piratesofhiltonhead.com/index.php?id=22

Dolphin Cruise

https://cruisehiltonhead.com/

Fishing Boat Charters (This is just one of many.)

http://www.integritycharterfishing.com/

Eats:

In a place with so many options, restaurants have to really keep on their toes to stay in business for long. In the dozen or so years we’ve known HHI, we’ve seen many start, quickly become a favorite, then let down their guard (or maybe price themselves out of business) and fade away as quickly as they arose.

Here are a few longstanding island favorites, from (roughly) least to most expensive.

(Three of our four favorites have disappeared in the last year or so.)

Ray’s Café

https://m.facebook.com/rayscafehhi/about (Menu has been pared down in last year, but what they still offer is still good.)

Skillets

http://www.skilletscafe.com/

Palmetto Bay Sunrise Café

http://palmettobaysunrisecafe.com/

The Salty Dog

http://saltydog.com/

Frankie Bones

https://www.frankieboneshhi.com/