Driving from Charlotte to Hilton Head: things to do along the way?

[okw2012]

Hi folks,
We're flying to HHI 1st week of March '13, but airplane tickets are half the price to Charlotte NC, so an option is to rent a car in Charlotte and drive to Hilton Head. We would not save that much in the end, but essentially we'd have a rental car for free for a week once in Hilton Head. Otherwise we'd be relying on bikes and cabs once at the resort. We really hate driving for the sake of driving, so I'd like to know if there's a bit of scenery or things to do along the way that are really worth it. We will not have the kids with us this time, so we'd be interested in doing some short hiking trails or must-see museums, and hitting the best restaurants along the way. One thing we would not want to do is spend time in downtown Charlotte, too big of a city for us. Any suggestions?

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

Hummm... I've made that drive a million times.. And not one place comes to mind. All the nice restaurants and museums would be in Charlotte.

You go thru Columbia, SC, but that's really the only city. The Univ of SC is there. We always stop at a great Starbucks near the Army base.

You could take a detour into Charleston, SC. It's a beautiful city with a lot to see, but it's an hour or so out of the way.

 

[okw2012]

Thanks for the info,
We'd likely go to both Savannah and Charleston if we have a car for the week, but not on our way to Hilton Head. That's one big incentive for landing in Charlotte I guess. How smooth is the drive from CLT to Hilton Head then? Do we risk loosing lots of time in traffic (we'd be landing in the afternoon so trying to get out of Charlotte right about rush hour I guess)? Then I assume it's a highway all the way to Savannah?

 

[WilsonFlyer]

The best thing to do when driving from Charlotte to HH is...

WAIT FOR IT...

Hurry up and get there!

 

[WolfpackFan]

Crossing South Carolina is basically three hours of boredom. Not much to see but the Interstate. Best you can do is stop halfway for a bathroom break and look forward to getting there.

 

[Simba's Mom]

So how far is the drive from Charlotte to HHI? I saw Wolfpack Fan mentioned 3 hours, but is that how far it is from the airport? If so, that's no farther than Jacksonville, and last time we flew into Jacksonville we encountered miles of construction.

 

[okw2012]

Google maps says over 4 hours. I'm guessing 5 with pit stops.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

So how far is the drive from Charlotte to HHI? I saw Wolfpack Fan mentioned 3 hours, but is that how far it is from the airport? If so, that's no farther than Jacksonville, and last time we flew into Jacksonville we encountered miles of construction.

The construction is basically over. For my quarter, I'd fly into Jacksonville, but that's just me.

I drive the whole I-95 range 3-5 times per year from NC to Maine and from NC to FL. The construction is still there in spurts but nothing like it was a couple of years ago. Unless there's a blocking accident, I-95 rolls.

I admit I've never driven it, but my gut tells me if somebody drove from Charlotte to HH in three hours, more than a couple of speed limits were broken and for more than 5 minutes at a time. LOL

 

[izzy]

I don't remember much of anything between Charlotte and HHI. And going in that direction you'll totally miss one of the best tourist traps ever - South of the Border.

Seriously, I'd just put the pedal to the metal and only stop for a pee break.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

I'd say 4 hours from the airport to HHI, maybe 4 and a half.

It's all interstate until you turn off to HH. You go 77 to 26 to 95

 

[dis-happy]

Plan on 4 hours door to door, a little longer if you drive on Sat.

One optional stopping place is Maurice's Barbeque in Columbia.

The rest stop at exit 150 on the I-26 is your halfway point.

Consider Beaufort as a day trip as well.

 

[okw2012]

Thanks everybody, we decided to fly directly to HHH instead of CLT for 200$ more.