Must sees and dos for first trip to HH!! Help!!

[Debs Hill]

We are travelling to HH for the first time in July, me, hubby and 5 yr old son! Hubby has some golf booked but we want to know what else we should definitely put on our 'see and do' list? What trips from the resort are the best? Where should we go shopping? Any other things locally that we should check out??!

Please help!
Debx

 

[DVCJEN]

We just returned yesterday and I HIGHLY recommend the beachcombing and dolphin excursion thru Low Country Nature Tours (contracted by Disney). That was the highlight of our trip. We saw many dolphins and got up close to them. Afterwards were were taken to a beach that was brimming with shells, sand dollars and all sorts of star fish and crabs. We were the only ones on the stretch of beach and it was great. The tours only take 6 people at a time at Scott (the owner) does a great job telling you about the dolphins, sea life and islands. Don't hesitate on this one!!!

 

[Debs Hill]

That sounds great fun! Did you book it at the resort through Disney? Does it run every day? More than once per day? Also, can I ask how much it costs? Many thanks for your help
DEbsxxx

 

[DVCJEN]

We booked thru disney. The dolphin only trip was $35 (I think) and the dolphin/beach combing was $65. The beach combing trip is once a day (becasue of the tides) and I believe the dolphin trip is twice a day. On Wednesdays the give DVC members a 10% discount on some of the trips. If you little one is social the campfire at the resort is fun. Lots of silly games and songs and smore making. We also tried our hand at "Crabbing" We caught some of them but were not brave enough to attempt to cook them! The were a lot of fun to catch though! They have many fun crafts for the kids in the afternoons too. The only activity we probably won't do again is the Tuesday night shrimp boil at the Beach House. It was fun and they had live music but for $25 each it was not a great meal. Not bad, but we had many other good meals for less.

 

[Debs Hill]

Does anyone have an e-mail address for HH? Can you book any of the trips before you arrive?

What did the shrimp boil meal consist of?!!

Thanks again!
debsxx

 

[DVCJEN]

Unfortunately they don't have an e-mail address. We had to call. When we called they said they could book about a week ahead of time. We had no problem getting a reservation. The company that does the tours for Disney is www.lowcountrynaturetours.com Scott Henry is the owner and was great about answering our questions about the trip ahead of time. Visit his site if you get a chance! He was very nice.

The shrimp boil had:

corn on t he cob, potatoes,sausage and peel and eat shrimp all served together. There was also porkloin and chicken strips, macaroni and cheese,ceasar salad, green beans and hushpuppies. They also had a gumbo type dish over rice. The dessert was cheesecake. It was not in anyway bad food---it was just ok and for $25 each there were so many seafood restaurants that were better for less $$.

 

[Debs Hill]

Thank you so much for your help! I tried to get an answer from the resort about pre-booking the tour but didn't get very far! So, I contacted scott henry direct and he is booking it for us! Where does the tour go from? What sort of time of day did you set off? How long does it take to get there from the hotel?

Where would you recommend for shopping? ARe there any horseriding, biking or canoeing trips offered?

Debsx

 

[Lawrence Cooper]

My wife, DD6, DS3, and I just returned from 3 amazing days at HHI. First thing I can say is that it was an awsome time overall. It was our first trip as DVC members, and it was nice to hear my wife start talking about possible add-ons, as I have been the DVC "pusher" in our marriage (maybe I'll turn her into a DVC point "junkie"- but I guess there are worse vices than DVC points). HHI is now on our yearly vacation itinerary.

Anyway, the resort itself was wonderful. The two bedrooms we had were clean and beautifully furnished. My wife is extremely high maintenance when it comes to hotel rooms and I always dread getting "the look" from her when we first go into a new place. I didn't need to worry this time.

Throughout the trip, I kept telling my wife that I felt like I was at camp with my kids. Not in a bad way, at all. Just having so much fun in a setting like that surrounded by trees and shuffleboard. I was particuarly pleased that we had so much fun considering the weather was NOT good througout our time there. We pretty much had 70 and cloudy with rain occasionally mixed in. However, we were able to get the kids to the beach enough and all they really were interested in was building sand castles so it was fine. We also had a great time in the pool, although I AM now concerned about the pool temperature issue at the DVC properties. The main pool was supposed to be at 80 degrees but it felt much colder. I know that there have been threads about this issue, and it doesn't seem like much, but to me that extra few degrees makes a huge difference in enjoying your swim vs. being cold.

Lastly, and more on point for this thread, our kids (and my wife and myself) absolutely LOVED Shannon Tanner's show at the Gazebo. I only read one post about it before we went, and I am now surprised more people don't mention him as a "must" for HHI. If we were there longer, we might have gone to see him every night. He has a great voice and puts on a show that the kids love and leave parents with such a smile watching their kids have such a good time.

Anyway, sorry for rambling but there's my $.02 cents.

 

[carriep1657]

Lawrence, we will be visiting HHI for the first time in a few weeks. I had not heard about Shannon Tanner's show. Is the Gazebo somewhere on or off property? What does the show involve?

 

[Popovich]

The Gazebo where Shannon Tanner plays is right in Shelter Cove across the walking bridge from the resort. He does a great job and our kids loved it.

We also LOVED Greg Russell's show in Harbortown under the big oak tree. We bought his CD and the kids listen to it all the time.

I'd say both of these shows are must sees for families with kids .

Enjoy your trip.

 

[Debs Hill]

Bump!!!

 

[Doug Wolfe]

We did the dolphin tour last year. We loved it.

You can book your reservation right at the resort. Have fun!

Be prepared to drink a lot of liquids. South Carolina is really hot in July.