Hilton Head - Help!

[NJ Mets fan]

I leave on Friday for HH and have done no planning whatsoever. We usually go to Orlando at least once a year or cruises. I have no idea what to do, where to eat, etc.. I've poked around on these boards a little but was wondering if anyone could share what activities they would recommend either on site or in the area. I plan to play golf a few days with my teenage girls who are not very good so I don't want to play a course where someone will be up our butt the whole time - any recommendations? Anyone try the zip line tour - was it worth it? I'm traveling with me, wife, 4 kids - 18, 16, 7 and 5 along with the in laws. Where are the best places to eat?? Anything I should not miss? Thanks!

 

[ljcrochet]

We are on our way home from Hilton head. Had a great time.
We did a low country adventure day from off Hilton head outfitters. Had fun except got a fluke storm that cut our day short. Didn't get to do the tubing or paddle boarding we were planning.
Last year we did a dolphin watching tour from the resort.

We rented bikes for the week, it was 1.85 miles to the beach from our villia in building 19. One of my girls did the tag a long bike on DH's bike.
We grilled a few times, took in from la hacienda (which was better than I remembered San miguel)

 

[iloveokw]

Plan on eating dinner early or long waits. Go to hhidining.com for menus. My husband and daughter did the zip lining a couple of weeks ago....very physical hard work, but they loved it. They have also parasailed, kayaked and we all three love the private dolphin tours. They always rented bikes and ride lot (from an outside company...compare prices and look for coupons.) We eat out one meal a day...usually early bird dinner. The resort has many, many activities they will have a bbq ($$...we've done it two times, eat in our room now), pool party and fireworks for the 4th....you will be able to see them from your room if you have a marsh view. Or anywhere along the marsh. We tend to be very laid back and relaxed at HHI compared to WDW or cruises. On Thursday the Publix ad will come out online....check it out and make your grocery list from it. Don't miss the activites put on by Blu'Crabbe at the resort....he is great!

 

[NJ Mets fan]

Plan on eating dinner early or long waits. Go to hhidining.com for menus. My husband and daughter did the zip lining a couple of weeks ago....very physical hard work, but they loved it. They have also parasailed, kayaked and we all three love the private dolphin tours. They always rented bikes and ride lot (from an outside company...compare prices and look for coupons.) We eat out one meal a day...usually early bird dinner. The resort has many, many activities they will have a bbq ($$...we've done it two times, eat in our room now), pool party and fireworks for the 4th....you will be able to see them from your room if you have a marsh view. Or anywhere along the marsh. We tend to be very laid back and relaxed at HHI compared to WDW or cruises. On Thursday the Publix ad will come out online....check it out and make your grocery list from it. Don't miss the activites put on by Blu'Crabbe at the resort....he is great!

Iloveokw, great website for dining! What time would you say to go to dinner to avoid long waits? Do most places take reservations?

 

[CruznLexi]

When we went last August and went about 730pm to both the Pizza place and to skull creek the wait times were 45 min. Some places take reservations some do not. Skull Creek does not but there food is just awesome!

 

[MinnieGi]

We just came back from HHI and definitely agree plan on eating on the earlier side to not have to wait. We arrived at most places between 5:00 and 6:00 and had little wait, however the places were packed when we left!!!

Also by arriving early you have your choice of seating especially if you want deck or outside seating. We were one of the first to be seated at Crazy Crab's outside deck and we were there just before 6:00. When we left it was crazy busy!! BTW Crazy Crab was great!! We all loved the seafood, our view of the marsh from the deck and they also had a kid play area in sand that was a big hit with our 7 yo. They also do these silly hermit crab races by the outside bar. They like many HHI places also had a singer/guitar player.

We really LOVED riding our rented bikes around HHI too. Although either DH or I would drive our van over with all the beach chairs and gear the kids loved to bike over so whoever didn't drive would ride with them. We rented from Disney, it was hassle free with comfortable bikes. Be sure to ride the beach too. That was one of my favorite things!! None of the beaches we normally visit at home have packed enough sand to ride bikes on so it was a real pleasure.

The resort has lots of neat activities too. My DD really liked all the nature ones - sea creatures, dolphins, bird watching, sand sculpting, secrets of the marsh. These were all free too.

Have a great time!!

 

[chum]

For golf there are two choices right off island that are well maintained and reasonably priced: HH National and Old South. The courses in Palmetto Dunes (where DVC is located) are very nice but a bit pricey.
The zip line tour is fun but you'll do a lot of climbing like a spider monkey and I thought it was pricey (think park ticket).
For dinner try the restaurants on the North end of the island to beat crowds. I can recommend Mi Tierra's, Fiesta Fresh, NY City Pizza (new location @ Festival Cntr). Sunset Grill, Pomodori, Sage Room, Jazz Corner and Vine are all very good. Paulie's pizza is a nice choice on the South end and usually not as crowded. Ask to eat upstairs if you have a larger group.
There are over 200 restaurants on the island so your choices abound.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[WolfpackFan]

Drive into Savannah one day and have lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding house (get there early and be prepared to stand in line). Then after lunch, walk around the city. It is absolutely beautiful.

PS - Check my trip photo link below. I have several photo journals posted for our trip to HHI last month.

 

[NJ Mets fan]

Thanks for the responses keep them coming! I really appreciate it.

 

[El&Asmom]

We loved kayaking through the Disney trip.
Fav restaurants are Skull Creek Boathouse, Roastfish and Cornbread, The Sage room and One Hot Mamas.

We like to just chill at HH. Runs on the beach, walking around the resort and of course plenty of pool and beach time.

Have fun. Jealous we won't be there this summer.

 

[CoolDisneyKitten]

PS - Check my trip photo link below. I have several photo journals posted for our trip to HHI last month.

Hijacking the thread a moment. Did you make these on iPhoto for iOS or iPhoto for Mac? I've just started playing w/ iPhoto for iOS, and I haven't published any of my journals to the Cloud yet. It's such a cool feature of the program!

 

[NDAMomX2]

Paddle boarding and kayaking are great from the Shelter Cove area. There are fireworks in Shelter Cove each week. The beach is gorgeous. Biking is great. We love the Oyster Factory (Old Oyster Factory) for dinner. Get there early or you will wait, wait, wait. There are great dolphin tours as well. Lowcountry Backyard is also a good restaurant and they serve lunch and dinner. San Miguels has good drinks and nachos etc.

 

[Boomboom27]

Also a NJ Mets fan, we are arriving on Wednsday 7/11, this is our second time at HHI. You can't go wrong with a day trip to Savannah, great city. We try to cook on one of the outdoor grills a couple of nights and early to dinner if we go out. They have a 2 hour kids cruise that gets the kids to crab , fish, see dolphins etc. that we plan on doing this time. Maybe I will see you down there.

 

[DuckMom]

Is the kids cruise from the resort? Is there an age limit? We will be checking in next Saturday and that sounds like something my older son (7) would enjoy.

 

[Bob NC]

I plan to play golf a few days with my teenage girls who are not very good so I don't want to play a course where someone will be up our butt the whole time - any recommendations?

Last week we played at Palmetto Dunes, but, we also played a round off island at Rose Hill. I recommend in your situation you try this place, it's just a few miles up 278, greens fees are $35 all day, it's in real decent shape and it doesn't get a TON of play, so nobody should be up your butt during your round.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Another comment about golf courses-if you choose a course at Palmetto Dunes, it sounds like you would be frustrated with the Fazio course. It seems that many of the greens are elevated, and surounded by sand traps. Unless you can get the ball up and over, those sand traps can be a pain! We were golfing once with a golfer who got so frustrated, she just stopped golfing and followed along. DH is a former asst. greenskeeper, so he's pretty picky about course condition, and he raved about how well-kept Hilton Head National was. He loved that course!

 

[NJ Mets fan]

Last week we played at Palmetto Dunes, but, we also played a round off island at Rose Hill. I recommend in your situation you try this place, it's just a few miles up 278, greens fees are $35 all day, it's in real decent shape and it doesn't get a TON of play, so nobody should be up your butt during your round.

Thanks - this looks a good first option to play. I just checked the website for Rose Hill and they have tons on tee times available even for tomorrow. Both of my girls just started playing for the high school team (one two years ago and the other this year) and I've never had the opportunity to play with them yet. Once I see how they do I'll consider other courses or maybe go play by myself early one morning

 

[dgaston]

For restaurants I would second One Hot Mamas, especially if you can fit in the Sunday brunch, and also offer Tuesday Tapas at Robert Irving's Eat! The Tapas are half price, as is the house wine. Make reservations, and try the coconut shrimp!