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Hilton Head will be upon me in less than 2 weeks. Our plan at the moment is just beach and pool as I don't know much about the area. Kids are 3.5, 6.5, and 9. Only the 9 year old knows how to ride a bike. Besides the activities at the resort, what else should I consider? Our trips are more about the kids and building memories than anything else. We typically visit Hawaii and we're not golfers.
We did Adventure Cove minigolf (next to Carrabas). (www.adventurecove.com) and homemade ice cream at Marleys Island Grille. (www.marleyshhi.com). You can also go to Sea Pines Plantation and climb the Harbour Town Lighthouse (https://harbourtownlighthouse.com/), pet/feed horses and other animals at Lawton Stables (http://www.lawtonstables.com/), and see some Civil War ruins of the Stoney-Baynard Plantation.
My kids love all the resort activities, but a few years ago we did a private fishing charter and then kids loved it, they caught baby sharks, they were 10, 5 and 3. It was pricy but worth it.
Hilton Head will be upon me in less than 2 weeks. Our plan at the moment is just beach and pool as I don't know much about the area. Kids are 3.5, 6.5, and 9. Only the 9 year old knows how to ride a bike. Besides the activities at the resort, what else should I consider? Our trips are more about the kids and building memories than anything else. We typically visit Hawaii and we're not golfers.
I was going to suggest the horse stables and mini golf.
The salty dog cafe is fun.
And of course a climb up with lighthouse in harbor town is a must- nice place to walk around and get lunch or ice cream.
Our teens enjoyed zip line Hilton head.
Shannon Tanner plays at Shelter Cove and Greg Russel at Harbour town most nights (I don't have they schedules but easy to find if you need to). Similar Shows more Kid oriented but fun for all. Dolphin excursions tend to be a hit with most people.
I was going to suggest the horse stables and mini golf.
The salty dog cafe is fun.
And of course a climb up with lighthouse in harbor town is a must- nice place to walk around and get lunch or ice cream.
Our teens enjoyed zip line Hilton head.
One year we chartered a boat with a captain, it was a 3 or 4hr ride and included a stop on a sandbar that only appears during low tide that had fabulous shelling.
We also enjoy hand crabbing on the May river- groupon.
They have mini pontoon skiffs that the 9 year old would enjoy if you could take him/her without the younger ones.
I believe you can rent bikes with child carriers attached, or even a tag along “trailer” for the smaller kids. I would check into your options biking with the kids. That can be a lot of fun, and once in Sea Pines, most of the trails are nicely shaded.
I believe you can rent bikes with child carriers attached, or even a tag along “trailer” for the smaller kids. I would check into your options biking with the kids. That can be a lot of fun, and once in Sea Pines, most of the trails are nicely shaded.
True. We have stayed at Barony, SurfWatch, Grande Ocean, and Monarch. There were many rental bike options (and if you didn't see the one you needed, they can bring one from another property). We have also taken our own bikes with us (which works great, except for rides on the beach - which rusted our chains).
When our kids were younger, we loved riding bikes on the island. You can rent tandem bikes were you can either have your younger kids ride an attached bike or you can pull them in a tow behind. We especially loved riding the paved bike paths back in sea pines as the trails are shaded and it’s very scenic. You can rent bikes at south beach by salty dog or over in harbourside by the lighthouse.
Not sure if you have boys or girls, but I have 2 daughters and they really loved the dolphin tour and mermaid tour. You can book tickets at mermaidofhiltonhead.com
When we went with our (then) 3 year old to Hilton Head we rented bikes and used a bike trailer. She absolutely loved it and we biked everywhere. I'd absolutely recommend getting week long bike rentals. It's a lot of fun to bike right along the beach.
We also bought a kite, and she had a great time flying it for hours at a time on the beach.
Nature preserve in Sea Pines is good and you will see alligators. If you go to the zip lines you should eat at Fish Camp or Up the Creek Bar and Grill.
I was going to suggest the horse stables and mini golf.
The salty dog cafe is fun.
And of course a climb up with lighthouse in harbor town is a must- nice place to walk around and get lunch or ice cream.
Our teens enjoyed zip line Hilton head.
Shannon Tanner plays at Shelter Cove and Greg Russel at Harbour town most nights (I don't have they schedules but easy to find if you need to). Similar Shows more Kid oriented but fun for all. Dolphin excursions tend to be a hit with most people.
I believe you can rent bikes with child carriers attached, or even a tag along “trailer” for the smaller kids. I would check into your options biking with the kids. That can be a lot of fun, and once in Sea Pines, most of the trails are nicely shaded.
There is a great playground our kids love in Harbour Town--was a mandatory stop for them when we went out to dinner there. https://www.seapines.com/recreation/harbour-town/playground.aspx (Side note: we've also done the Pirates of Hilton Head and kids loved that as well, but definitely for the younger set.)
We chartered a boat for Dolphin and Nature cruises in 2017 the held 40, they also have a 12 person boat. They'll sign up per person it's just that we needed the entire boat, even then three of us couldn't go because we had 43, it was a nice problem. There are a number of other dolphin tours on the island.
I highly recommend the Gregg Russell concert in Sea Pines for your kids! (Fun for adults too).
The Marriott offers a lot of fun activities throughout the week. (sandcastle competition, crafts, nature talks, magician, etc)
Dolphin boat tour is a lot of fun. We like OneHHI (look for a Groupon offer). We have done that one a few times and the tour guides are great and they have a dolphin guarantee. Price is also not too $$. We have done other more expensive tours we did not think were as good. There is also a dolphin boat out of the Salty Dog South Beach that is also good. There is a pirate ship cruise that departs from Harbourtown. I don't know much about it though.
Coastal Discovery museum is fun to do. Check their website for schedule - I think some days they have an alligator the kids can interact with.
My kids have always enjoyed the pirate mini golf.
Bike riding in SeaPines is fun. Marriott rents the bikes for about $30 per bike per week. If you are staying at Grande Ocean, you will get a SeaPines bike pass. (the other Marritots do not have a SeaPines bike pass).
SeaPines has a trolley the kids might find fun.
Salty Dog in South Beach has some crazy ice cream flavors. There is also an ice cream place in Harbourtown that is a favorite. My kids like the Kilwins near Krogers. I am not aware of any places that offer shave ice.
Someone mentioned Zipline/Aerial adventure. We did it last week and my teens had a great time. I think your kids may be too young. Check out their website.
Sea Turtles - this year has been HUGE for turtles nesting HHI. There are nests marked all along the beaches. Most are loggerheads. This year HHI had a Kemp Ridley nest! Every morning the Turtle Patrol checks the nests. One year we were VERY fortunate to see a nest hatch and watch the babies journey
to the ocean. Hooked us to come to HHI every summer.
Enjoy your trip!
My wife’s is making a list and planning things out based on everyone’s suggestions. Some questions.
On the pirate ship, is it possible to see dolphins while on it? Wife is trying to see if it’s a possibility for a two-fer. What time of day is best to see dolphins? Whether on the pirate ship or if we book a separate dolphin tour.
Wife is planning all of our actives for the morning as it looks like possible thunderstorms in the afternoons. Or is rain in the afternoons normal?
My wife’s is making a list and planning things out based on everyone’s suggestions. Some questions.
On the pirate ship, is it possible to see dolphins while on it? Wife is trying to see if it’s a possibility for a two-fer. What time of day is best to see dolphins? Whether on the pirate ship or if we book a separate dolphin tour.
Wife is planning all of our actives for the morning as it looks like possible thunderstorms in the afternoons. Or is rain in the afternoons normal?
Often you can see pods of dolphins right off the beach at Grande Ocean. I think almost every morning that I've gotten up for a very early morning walk on the beach, I've seen large pods of dolphins just offshore. I'm pretty sure I saw them when we stayed at GO and I know I saw them when we've stayed up at Barony Beach Club and next door to Barony at the Westin Hotel.
In August, afternoon thunderstorms are the norm. Some days they start earlier than others, but often the storms don't really kick up until after 3 or 4 pm. If they come a little earlier, often that will stabilize the atmosphere after they pass and the sun will return. Rarely is the whole afternoon a wash. And when the forecast calls for the typical 30% to 40% chance of afternoon thunderstorms, those are typically just the pop-up storms that come from the heating of the air coming in on the sea breeze. Sometimes they will form just inland and slowly drift farther inland on the sea breeze if the higher altitude steering winds are light; other times if the high altitude winds are from the west, they'll form inland on the sea breeze boundary and move toward the coast. Often you can see them in the distance all around you, but you'll still have sun. Sometimes if a frontal boundary moves into the area, the probabilities go up toward 50% to 60% or more. On those days the shower coverage will likely be higher and maybe a little more persistent. Either way, just keep and eye to the sky and maybe download a good radar app for your phone. I like MyRadar Pro.
Rain in the afternoon is interesting on HHI. Often the storms form over Blufton and the sound and never get all the way to the ocean. Other times they come up from Savannah. Very cool to watch the storms over the ocean at night.
To view dolphins we ride bikes (4 miles from MGO so I suggest you drive) to the beach just beyond Salty Dog/Wreck of the Salty Dog. You can park by the restaurants and walk to the beach. Most times the dolphins come within 6 -10 ft. from the waters edge.
For a boat outing I highly recommend Capt. Chris or his dad. We’ve been doing this for years. Never disappointed. They pick you up at the dock in Bluffton which is also nice to visit and have a meal. May River Excursions https://mayriverexcursions.com/. We like to get a ride over to Palmetto Bluff for lunch then they come pick you back up. We’ve also taken friends for a nice ride around the May River.
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