Hilton Head on a Budget

[fabfive]

We already have our condo. What is there to do on a budget with DS 17, DD 13 and 14?

 

[Karalea]

Short of spending time at the beach for free...not much. I have lived here for 4 years now and to be honest, we don't have much going on for that age group except for the beach.

A lot of tourists like to rent bikes and ride around the Island. When my sister's family was in town recently, we took a dolphin cruise. Google Captain Sonny, adults are $16 each for the 1 1/2 cruise. You might want to rent kayaks or do a kayak tour.

 

[Evans Family]

One night a week (can't remember which one) they have fireworks at Shelter Cove. They have lots of stuff going on for kids before hand. Get there early through because parking gets tough.

Last time we were there we did a kayak trip from Harbour Town through the marshes then watched the fireworks from the kayak out in the water. It was a really, really cool experience. I would highly recommend it. The kayaks hold two or the they have some for 1. If you want a splurge this one is great. I think it was under $100 for all four of us combined.

There is a good playground in the shade at Harbour Town. You do have to pay the money for a pass into Sea Pines. I think it is $5

There is mini golf...but I wouldn't call it "cheap"

 

[dis-happy]

My cheapo activities:

beach
biking
pool
crabbing
free live outfoor music at Marley's for ice cream/summer months
mini golf (use a coupon)
early bird specials for dinners out (see local restaurant guide for list)
making boiled shrimp and bringing it down to the beach for dinner (eat on picnic benches, not the sand!)


In Sea Pines Plantation, we also do the following: (note: $5. gate fee to enter for the day):

free trolley ride around Sea Pines
free petting farm
free Harbour Town playground
climb the lighthouse ($2.)
free Gregg Russell show (8-9:30 Sun-Fri summer months)
free live music at night at Beach Club/summer months

 

[dis-happy]

Oops. Your kids are older.

One recommended activity: guided kayak tour from Shelter Cove. Get a coupon book and call...certain times of day cost less than other times; sometimes they offer a just-for-teens tour. You can also kayak non-guided in Palmetto Dunes (I think this costs less overall).

Hanging out/shopping at Coligny Plaza and across the street in the beach area there (lots of activity....kind of fun and interesting at night too).

Buying a Salty Dog Cafe t-shirt at South Beach (Sea Pines) is very popular!!!

 

[fabfive]

What about places to eat? My kids are not pickey eaters. They are more on the adventurous side.

 

[dis-happy]

This is a HH restaurant thread....TONS of places to eat. Highly recommened utilizing the early bird specials when applicable.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=766557

 

[reesecup]

We have 2 teens and often take their friends with us. This is what they have loved , and still love doing:
Riding the bikes
Shelter Cove (we usually stay in this area since we first fell in love by staying at the Disney Resort) at night, especially Tuesdays because there are a lot of other teenagers around for them to "check out" (haha)
Salty Dog (getting a traditional t-shirt)
They love our traditional eating places: Signe's, Giuseppie's (sp?), Salty Dog, San Miguel's.
The beach, of course.
I still want to do a dolphin cruise with them and i think they will enjoy that but that isn't necessarily budget friendly.

 

[fabfive]

What about Savannah? Is it worth goiing there with teens? I heard to stay away from Paula Deans place?

 

[MEM]

What about Savannah? Is it worth goiing there with teens? I heard to stay away from Paula Deans place?

I would say Savannah is a "must do". We just came back from spending 5 days at Disney's HHIR over Spring Break. The weather was "unseasonably cool" so we drove to Savannah for one of the days and booked the Old Town Trolley tour...worth every penny. My kids are DD14 and DS15 and they really liked Savannah. It is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. DH and I could see ourselves living there. We didn't have the time to wait to eat at Paula Deen's or at Mrs. Wilkes' so we ate the Low Country buffet at the Pirates' House. We spent some time shopping along Bay Street but that was very touristy. We did get a free sample of the freshly made pralines from the candy company. We also spent one day visiting Parris Island (DH is a Marine) where they have a two story museum on the history of the USMC. We then had lunch at Plum's in nearby Beaufort. For the rest of our stay at HHI, we went to the beach, bundled up in layers until the air warmed up. There were tons of jellyfish so it was just as well that the water was too cold to swim in.

 

[fabfive]

I was wondering about the Trolley Tour. I will do some research about that. Thanks.

 

[MEM]

I was wondering about the Trolley Tour. I will do some research about that. Thanks.

It was $25 a person with on/off privileges and FREE parking in their lot. In what other city can you find tour guides that call you "dear hearts"? Plus the trolleys run about every 10 minutes so you never wait long.

 

[fabfive]

It was $25 a person with on/off privileges and FREE parking in their lot. In what other city can you find tour guides that call you "dear hearts"? Plus the trolleys run about every 10 minutes so you never wait long.

Do you know the name of the Trolley company?

 

[MEM]

Do you know the name of the Trolley company?

I believe I mentioned in my first post that
its "Old Town Trolley". A great overview to the city.

Here's the link...

http://www.trolleytours.com/savannah/

 

[reesecup]

A day trip to Savannah is on my list of things to do also. Does anyone know if it's worth it to take a boat over there as opposed to driving? Will it take a lot longer?

Also, if your teens like Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle, there is an excellent outlet for those in HHI. I get the kid's back to school items when we go and save a lot (jeans, coat if they need it, hoodies). I also get a few gifts and store them away.

 

[fabfive]

Here are suggestions I have received so far:

Mellow Mushroom
Guiseppi's
Wild Wings Cafe
Salty Dog Cafe
Lands End Tavern
aunt Chiladas
Frankie Bones
Jump & Phils
BoathouseII

Any comments pros and cons on these?

Others that were worth noting:

Sticky Fingers, Rileys
One Hot Mammas
Kingfisher

I was told Tuesday is the fireworks so to do a whole day at Sea Pines.
The Hilton Bar or the Dunes House for lunch and a drink of the day.

Any other comments or recommendations?

Thanks to all.

 

[madcat]

Wild Wings, is a regular wing place, they are a chain and pretty good, sometimes they have live bands play in the evening. The Salty Dog Cafe is pretty good, it is pretty small and I think they mostly serve sandwiches, it is right on the water in the same area as The Lands End Tavern. My sons loved the lands end, it has a pirate theme and the prices werent bad, I think for 60.00 (give or take a few dollars) my husband and I both had all you can eat crab legs and shrimp, which came with sides (salad, fries etc) the kids both had fried shrimp kids meals (which had plenty of food) and she crab soup, plus drinks. Aunt Chiladas is a fun place to eat, they have a little bit of everything from tex-mex to Italian. Mellow Mushroom is a pizza place, I don't know about the one on Hilton Head but I have been to the one in Charleston and it was good! Sticky Fingers is not on Sea Pines but it is on that side of the island, it is a rib place and they have pretty good food as well.

 

[sb4k]

We're going over Memorial Day weekend and would love any updates on this subject. Especially people who have gone parasailing, biking, or on the dolphin cruise and have suggestions as to the best places to go for that. We haven't been there in 6 years and are staying on Forest Beach.