HH - Drive Time from Rhode Island & Other ???

[briand1023]

Hi -

We are looking to use next yeasrs points to go to HH. We usually go to Myrtle Beach but want to try HH.

What does HH offer...how does it compare to a place like Myrtle Beach.
My kids are/will be 10 and 13...good for them?

Has anyone ever driven to HH from Rhode Island? If so, whats the drive time, gas cost, etc? Can you go straight thru?

Thanks in advance for your advice
Brian

 

[hellerjw]

Myrtle Beach is considerably bigger and very commercialized. Hilton Head is much more residential with a lot of zoning restrictions. Even the outside appearance/signage at HHI is highly regulated which can make it a little difficult to find places if you aren't familiar with the area since all the signage looks the same. That's not to say you won't find chain restaurants, big box stores, etc at HHI its just much more subdued in where they are placed, their appearance, etc. There are many of the same activities available (dining, shopping, nice beaches, golf, water sports, etc) but just fewer of them. If you have ever been to the Cherry Grove area of North Myrtle Beach or visited Myrtle Beach 30 years ago, that's a lot like what HHI is today.

If you know where Florence, SC is on I-95 (where most folks turn off I-95 to head for Myrtle Beach), HHI is roughly 2.5 hours south of Florence (roughly 180 miles). It's a straight shot down I-95 until you get to Exit 8 (Hwy 278). Its roughly 30 minutes off I-95 to the bridge onto the island and another 10-15 minutes to the resort once on the island.

 

[briand1023]

HHI sounds like a nice relaxing place to visit. What airport would one fly into for HHI?

 

[hellerjw]

There is a small county airport on HHI but flying direct into it can be expensive so most folks fly into the Savannah-Hilton Head airport and then drive to HHI (roughly 1 hour from airport to center of island).

 

[minnierealtor]

We live in Northern NH and drive to HHI every spring. We have driven straight through and since you are 3 hours or so south it's doable. We usually spend one night on the road. We love the resort and would love to go in the summer but it's not our home resort.

 

[briand1023]

Thanks, how many hours driving time from NH?

 

[Girlie1]

From New Haven, CT it takes about 15.5 hrs. We break it up over two days and stop overnight. We also do not take I95. We take the more "scenic" route from 81/77.

 

[sleepydog25]

Hi -

We are looking to use next yeasrs points to go to HH. We usually go to Myrtle Beach but want to try HH.

What does HH offer...how does it compare to a place like Myrtle Beach.
My kids are/will be 10 and 13...good for them?

Has anyone ever driven to HH from Rhode Island? If so, whats the drive time, gas cost, etc? Can you go straight thru?

Thanks in advance for your advice
Brian

The pool at the main building location is fun and has an enjoyable slide and an adjacent, decently-sized hot tub. There are campfires with sumores at night, fishing, kayaking, bike rentals, and the like. The actual beach is roughly a mile away, and you can either walk, drive, bike, or take the shuttle which runs frequently between the two locations. At the beach proper, there is another pool and, of course, access to the beach. There are sandwich/snack places at both areas, too, with many very good restaurants all over HH itself. As for the drive, I live off the I-77 route mentioned by Girlie1, and eventually you do have to hit I-95 unless you take non-interstate roads and highways. I can't remember whether the exit for HHI is before or after you hit the Ridgeland, SC, city limits, but they have an unmanned radar camera speed trap on I-95 as you pass through Ridgeland. It was in the national news not too long ago. Hope some of this info helped.

 

[melk]

We are thinking of doing this drive from the northeast as well. We think we may stop overnight in Washington D.C. and go to one of the Smithsonian museums. This is a good website to calculate gas (at the current price) and time:
http://fuelcostcalculator.aaa.com/

 

[cerca]

We live in the Newport, RI area - in the past when we've driven down - we usually take 3 days (we have 4 younger kids) to drive - with overnight stops in DC area and then in NC/SC border area (with a quick stop at Pedro's!!) and then usually hit destination later in the last day.

One other thing to consider is driving to DC area and then taking the Autotrain - which takes you outside of Orlando. The Autotrain is seriously the best thing ever!! you get to bring your car, it is an overnite trip - dinner and breakfast are included - its about the same price as flying, but you have your own car. The kids also LOVE it.

Hope that helps!

 

[cerca]

Sorry - just parsed HH - HiltonHead... temporarily confused with VB =)

So - drive time is 2 days - and not a bad drive. Stopping in DC area is a good choice. Smithsonian is a really great choice to stop. There are a number of Smithsonian choices by the way - you can probably do 2 of them in one day.

Good luck!
Jessica

 

[5forDiz]

Hilton Head Island is an excellent choice for kids . The Disney resort itself has many activities & programs both at main resort location & the Beach House throughout the day ( there are kid's night out programs too on specific evenings supervised by CMs ).

We're located in southernmost part of NY state and we pick up I95 in Woodbridge, NJ - from that point leaving at around 4am it is typically a 12 hour drive to HHI (we miss Baltimore/DC traffic) but it has taken us as long as 14 hours depending upon traffic & weather conditions along the way. We drive it straight through but if you want to stop overnight our best choice would be Rocky Mount, NC Exit 138 to US Hway 64 to Winstead Ave./near hospital, this is under 6 hour drive to HHI, a nice location for an overnight stop: Outback Steakhouse, Highway 64 Diner, Sonic, GoldenEast Crossings Mall & Hampton Inn, Marriott properties here and its a short distance to the Imperial Center Children's Museum & Science Center/Planetarium which your kids may enjoy, I think it closes at 5pm but worth checking out in morning before continuing on to HHI.

Best wishes