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Post by Florida Cindy on Apr 22, 2015 17:05:27 GMT
DH and I are thinking about vacation. Last year, we went to Savannah, GA. With the info from the Peas, we had a fantastic time. This year, we are thinking of going to Hilton Head, SC. We live in SE Florida, near the beach. Are there things to do around the area that are not beach related? Can you share any info about Hilton Head?
Thank you!
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Post by whopea on Apr 22, 2015 17:13:35 GMT
I love HHI primarily for the beaches. There are things to do, but the Island is primarily recreational. The Island is divided into plantations and each one has a bit different feel to it. If I were going to HHI, I would stay on the Sea Pines Plantation. It's the one that was just featured on the RBC Golf tournament this past weekend with the lighthouse. As for recreation, there are boat and fishing tours, golf courses and a horse riding stable. There are bike rentals, putt putt courses and an outlet shopping mall. Great places to eat.
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iluvpink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,292 
Location: Michigan
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Post by iluvpink on Apr 22, 2015 17:28:53 GMT
We visited HH last summer for the first time and we are going back this summer. We loved it! Last year we mostly spent time at the beach (we only had three days there as this was a stop on our way back from WDW). This year we are going to spend a day in Savannah, maybe a day in Charleston. I do think most things are beach related but there are day trips. Beaufort SC isn't too far away and has historical houses/tours. We are also considering visiting this house just outside of HH. www.rosehillmansion.com/RoseHillMansion.htmlAnd maybe doing a golf cart tour of this nearby island. www.daufuskiefreeport.com/A list of things to do on HH. 101thingshiltonhead.com/We love cemeteries, old houses and going for drives in the country and I'm researching these things. We visited Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah last year and hope to find some others on/near Hilton Head. |
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Post by Patter on Apr 22, 2015 18:30:42 GMT
We go to Hilton Head every year, and we have been for 26 years. We always stay in Sea Pines and rent a home. There is also horseback riding at Lawton Stables back in Sea Pines if that interests you. I personally love to ride my bike on the beach every morning at 7 a.m. The beach is empty, and it is truly my favorite thing I look forward to every year. We never hang out at the beach just ride bikes. You can also take a boat over to Daufuskie Island for a fun day trip.  I will warn you though that during the summer the traffic gets really bad. We go before or after the "in season" begins to avoid traffic. We also know some of the back roads so we aren't with all of the other vacationers. It can be crazy! |
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ponsonby2
Shy Member
Posts: 40
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Post by ponsonby2 on Apr 22, 2015 18:38:17 GMT
I love HH! I go at least twice a year - once in May (my mom has a timeshare) and Thanksgiving week (I have a timeshare). I live in upstate SC, so it's a 4-hour road trip to get there. The list of 101 things to do in HH from a previous poster gives good info. HH is a resort island, so beaches and associated activities are the primary activities on the island, along with a LOT of golf courses and tons of bike paths. There are a lot of day-trips from HH. For example: - Daufuskie Island. Subject of the Pat Conroy novel The Water is Wide (movie named Conrack). You can get a ferry from HH and then a bus to take you around the island since cars are mostly not allowed. Or rent a golf cart as a previous poster mentions. - Savannah - we usually go one day to Savannah at least once a year. - Beaufort (lovely historic area) - Bluffton (closest town to HHI. Has a lovely old church and some nice historic buildings. - Charleston - I wouldn't recommend a day trip to Charleston from HHI if you've never been to Charleston before. There are just too many things to see in Charleston. You'd need several days for that. But if you've seen the major sights in Charleston before and you just want to check out a few new places, that's doable. 5 or so years ago, my mom and I made a day trip to visit the SC Aquarium and have lunch at a new restaurant we'd heard of. On HHI, a few of the non-beach activities: - Newhall Audubon Nature Preserve - On Sea Pines Plantation, there is also a nature preserve. There is a beautiful wildflower pasture you can see. Baynard Plantation Ruins on Sea Pines is neat and something we just discovered last year. - Shopping! - Dining! This is a good link from TripAdvisor: TripAdvisorIf I remember correctly, they also have a good list of top Restaurants there. |
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Deleted
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May 20, 2024 3:00:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2015 18:39:01 GMT
I'll be a loner....my family tends to like FL/Gulf Coast beaches much better than HHI. To me, there were just too many trees and it didn't seem beachy at all, more like summer camp in the woods. When the tide was in there was no beach (We were at the back of Sea Pines near the Marina/Salty Dogs).
If you don't know the area well, I found that everything was hard to find/hidden (even the public beach access points). We did rent bikes and did enjoy biking around a bit though.
We ended up leaving 1 1/2 days early because everyone was pretty much bored.
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lionsimba
Junior Member
Posts: 85
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Post by lionsimba on Apr 22, 2015 18:57:56 GMT
We used to go to HH every summer and we loved it. There are lots of fun things to do, especially if you are a golfer. There are so many places to visit that are close to the island, there is good shopping, and the restaurants are great. We haven't gone there in almost 12 years because there are now 10 kids 13 and under so we stay a bit closer to home, so things may have changed a bit. But those I know who continue to go to HH still love it.
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Post by tallgirl on Apr 22, 2015 19:03:00 GMT
We went to HHI for the first time this year for March Break. We stayed at Disney's HHI resort and loved it. I like the way it was described as summer camp in the woods... it did very much have that feel, with a beautiful beach to boot. The abundant pine trees made it a different kind of beach experience. I wrote a trip report on the Disboards for this trip so I will link to it here - lots of photos: HHI Trip ReportAnd I also made a short video from our trip - on YouTube here: HHI Video |
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peabrain
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,588
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Post by peabrain on Apr 22, 2015 19:04:53 GMT
We fell in love with HH
We stayed at the Disney property and loved it. We are nature buffs though and loved riding bikes, looking for shells...we learned how to paddleboard. We took boat rides to look for dolphins.
I loved just laying in the hammock.
The waves aren't the same as other beaches, not as rough.
I cried when I left.
I didn't like the traffic so we tried to stay on property as much as we could. It was very beautiful. We usually go to Nags Head so I liked the trees and nature mixed into the beach area. I liked that it wasn't so commercial as Nags Head. |
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Post by alittleintrepid on Apr 22, 2015 19:09:45 GMT
We go to HHI every summer and are seriously considering buying a property there one day. We usually stay at the OMNi (same strip as the Disney resort but right on the beach whereas Disney has a shuttle). We've also stayed in one of the Marriott properties. We typically do beachy stuff, golf, rent bikes, and will occasionally arrange a boat ride. We also like to eat - tons of restaurants on HHI!
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Post by alissa103 on Apr 22, 2015 19:17:31 GMT
We love Sea Pines resort area as well.
But if you just want to book a hotel room vs. dealing with finding a rental property/house, I can recommend the Hilton. Our room had a balcony with chairs and a little kitchenette area in the room. Plus it was huge. The beach was right there and it was gorgeous. They also have a couple great pools. Full disclosure: I'm pretty sure our room was an upgrade bc of DH's Hilton Honors status.
We love HH. Rent bikes, golf, enjoy the beach!
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Post by alissa103 on Apr 22, 2015 19:19:03 GMT
Oh yeah and the restaurant options are much better than most vacation towns!
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Deleted
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May 20, 2024 3:00:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2015 19:21:10 GMT
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Post by elaine on Apr 22, 2015 20:10:57 GMT
We went to HHI for the first time this year for March Break. We stayed at Disney's HHI resort and loved it. I like the way it was described as summer camp in the woods... it did very much have that feel, with a beautiful beach to boot. The abundant pine trees made it a different kind of beach experience. I wrote a trip report on the Disboards for this trip so I will link to it here - lots of photos: HHI Trip ReportAnd I also made a short video from our trip - on YouTube here: HHI VideoThat was AWESOME! Thank you so much for writing it. We are DVC members and just went to Vero Beach for the first time last month and want to try HH now too.  |
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Post by epeanymous on Apr 22, 2015 20:59:44 GMT
I think Hilton Head is fine, but I will be totally honest and say I don't love it. The restaurants are (in my view) fine but nothing special, and we like to have more to do on vacation than hang out on the beach (I feel the same way about Kiawah). I'd rather stay in some of the beach communities closer to Charleston (Isle of Palms in particular) and have the option of going into the city easily for dinner/an afternoon.
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Post by Florida Cindy on Apr 23, 2015 11:06:40 GMT
Thanks for all of the info! Isn't Charleston a long drive from HH?
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Post by Patter on Apr 23, 2015 22:36:38 GMT
Thanks for all of the info! Isn't Charleston a long drive from HH? Not too far (about 2 hours). We made a day trip from Hilton Head. We couldn't of course see everything but we are from SC so we have done pretty much all we want to do in Charleston anyway. We just went down to the Battery, Rainbow Row, lunch, shopping, etc. It made for a nice day trip for us. |
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Post by heartcat on Apr 26, 2015 10:30:23 GMT
My in-laws lived on HHI for years and we would spend vacations there. It is very clean, but very touristy. There are some fun things to do, as have been mentioned. I did enjoy my time spent there, but it is not someplace that I would have chosen to pay to vacation to. I am not really a resort person, and it was just too 'new' for me, not that much character.
I loved historic Savannah though.
In-laws are living in Charleston now. We have not been down yet, but mil prefers it to HHI.
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Post by Woobster on Apr 26, 2015 16:09:45 GMT
DH and I weren't big fans of Hilton Head. The beaches and bikes are fun for a few days, but after that (we spent 7 days there for SIL's wedding), we got bored. I will say that we spent a day in Savannah, and a couple of days in Charleston and we LOVED Charleston!
I think HHI just depends on what kind of vacationer you are. DH and I like to run and see and do and explore on vacations, so chilling on the beach for a week just wasn't our thing. I don't regret going... It was a lovely wedding and we had fun with the family. We just would't make it a vacation spot in the future.
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Post by ceepea on Apr 26, 2015 18:42:02 GMT
I am from Florida too. We were so bored by HH we left early. I guess it would be great if you live in a state or somewhere that is not close to the water, but living in Florida and then paying to go to another beach just didn't do it for us. We found the shopping and dining to be lacking too. I found that I liked our beaches better, but really the only difference was that we have rows of palm trees and they have more woodsy type trees.
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I will warn you though that during the summer the traffic gets really bad. We go before or after the "in season" begins to avoid traffic. We also know some of the back roads so we aren't with all of the other vacationers. It can be crazy!
