Hilton Head Vacation Guide Spring 2015

H I LTON

HEA D

Vacation Guide EXPLORE & ENJOY THE ISL AND

MAGNIFICENT BEACHES CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF COURSES MILES OF BIKE PATHS

Creek

∫

LOCALLY-OWNED RESTAURANTS TENNIS COURTS

Up the

(with a paddle) SPRING 2015

WWW.HHIGO.COM

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SPRING ■ TABLE OF CONTENTS

H I LTON

HE A D

Vacation Guide EXPLORE & ENJOY THE ISL AND Welcome to the Lowcountry 8 Local hot spots 11 Upcoming events 12 Where to eat 52 Relocate to paradise 62 Vacation directory 64

16 All about our beaches

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28

A destination for golf

Biking the island

24

World-class tennis

40

38

Gofishing

Fun for families

34

Get on the water

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44

Where to stay

Experience the culture

48

Go shopping 4 VACATION GUIDE

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■ AT THE HELM

H I LTON

H E A D

Vacation Guide EXPLORE & ENJOY THE ISL AND

THE LOWCOUNTRY

SPRINGS INTO ACTION

I

PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

can’t begin to express how much I love spring here in the Lowcountry.

Our azaleas and daffodils are in bloom, the grass is turning green and the Heritage is here.

You’ve made a great choice deciding to spend your vacation here in this wonderful place we are lucky to call home.

Much like a proud parent is quick to point out a child’s accomplishments, LORI GOODRIDGE-CRIBB we are eager to tell you lori@hiltonheadmonthly.com about all the wonderful things Hilton Head Island, Bluffton and the surrounding area have to offer.

We hope this guide will be used as a tool for getting the most out of your time here.

Unlike many tourist destinations, the Lowcountry isn’t littered with flashing neon signs. While the sign and lighting standards help protect the area’s natural beauty, it also makes finding things difficult for visitors. Virtually everything is hidden behind a tree or two.

With this guide and a GPS, you should be good to go.

First, you will notice a map of the region with many “hot spots” listed by address. These are popular beaches, parks, marinas and other landmarks.

That is followed by our spring directory,

with contact information for businesses that cater to visitors (kayak rentals, dolphin tours, bike rentals, etc.).

We thought to ourselves, what would we want to know if it was our first time visiting? We have included that information.

We also wanted to make it useful for visitors that already know their way around. For those people, we have included a calendar of the biggest events happening in April and May with a tide chart for each month (we live by the tides here).

Of course our biggest event of the year is happening April 13-19 at Harbour Town Golf Links.

After the tournament is gone, we still have plenty of great things to do here in the spring.

Inside, you will find information on our most popular activities — going to the beach, golf, tennis, biking, boating, fishing, shopping, eating out and much more.

We also touch on the local culture, the laid-back lifestyle and why you should never leave.

You will soon notice the pace of life is much slower here. So break out your flip flips, take a deep breath and soak in the beauty that surrounds you.

Leave your stress behind, you are in the Lowcountry!

We hope you have a fantastic vacation in this wonderful place we call home. 

address PO Box 5926, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938 offices 843-842-6988 fax 843-842-5743 email editor@hiltonheadmonthly.com web hiltonheadmonthly.com /hiltonheadmonthly @HHMonthly CEO

Marc Frey marc@hiltonheadmonthly.com PRESIDENT Anuska Frey afrey@freymedia.com PUBLISHER Lori Goodridge-Cribb lori@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-842-6988, ext. 238 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lance Hanlin lance@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-842-6988, ext. 230 ART DIRECTOR Jeremy Swartz jeremy@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-842-6988, ext. 229 DESIGN Charles Grace charles@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-842-6988, ext. 266 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Arno Dimmling, Rob Kaufman, Phoenix Feather Photography, Jordan Sturm CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lisa J. Allen, Todd Ballantine, Jeremy Grace, Justin Jarrett, Chris Katon, Mary Doyle, Michael Paskevich, Dean Rowland, Zach Van Hart ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES Rebecca V. Kerns rebecca@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-842-6988, ext. 239 Cathy Flory cathy@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-842-6988, ext. 228 Majka Yarbrough majka@hiltonheadmonthly.com 843-842-6988, ext. 231 DISTRIBUTION Express Delivery & Distribution 843-290-3278 The Hilton Head Vacation Guide is published with the intent of helping its readers make the most of Hilton Head. Information included herein was obtained from sources believed to be accurate.

However, accuracy cannot be guaranteed, and neither responsibility nor liability is assumed for the results of the incorrect or incomplete information that may be published.

ABOUT THE COVER: The cover images features two standup paddleboarders enjoying the magestical waters of Broad Creek. The popular activity, also known as SUP, is one of many ways to experience the beauty of Hilton Head Island and the surrounding Lowcountry of South Carolina. The image was captured by photographer Rob Kaufman.

monthly

The Hilton Head Vacation Guide is distributed in rented villas, hotels and timeshares, shops, grocery stores and numerous other locations.

Volume 1

Issue 1

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■ WELCOME

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WELCOME ■

Welcome to the Lowcountry Hilton Head, Bluffton and the surrounding Lowcountry have a calming effect.

BY MARY DOYLE | PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

T

he connected communities sooth your spirit and calm your mind. The environment here moves a little bit slower, and makes things a little less stressful. Worries are washed away with salt water and sand.

Here life truly imitates art. Spanish moss draped across live oaks, sunsets against salt marshes and canopies of trees brimming with wildlife; it’s a little more lyrical and a little less corporate.

Many are attracted to the Lowcountry for its natural beauty and lack of commercialism. That’s the way the town of Hilton Head wants it to feel. While Mother Nature created it so beautifully, the town has made significant efforts to keep it beautiful.

The town’s Land Management Ordinance provides many of the regulations that help to maintain Hilton Head Island’s reputation as preserving the natural environment. Ordinances regarding natural resources, the establishment of buffers along the roads, signs and the review of all development along major corridors all lend themselves to this reputation.

The town’s Design Review Board ensures proposed buildings and site improvements are contiguous with the design guide for the island. The design guide directs the board and developers what natural materials to use in development, what native plants should be used for green space and other design elements.

The end result is a community living in harmony with nature. Welcome to our Lowcountry paradise. 

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BLUFFTON

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Bike Path *This map is not to scale.

1. ADVENTURE COVE 18 Folly Field Road • 36 holes of miniature golf on two Caribbean style courses and an arcade.

2. ALDER LANE BEACH ACCESS 2 Woodward Avenue • Beach access, beach matting, meter parking, outdoor showers, beach bar.

3. ARTS CENTER OF COASTAL CAROLINA 14 Shelter Cove Lane • Broadway quality theater performances, live music an art gallery and more.

4. BARKER FIELD 70 Baygall Road • Baseball fi eld, boardwalk, multi-purpose fi eld, observation deck.

5. THE BARMUDA TRIANGLE 7 Greenwood Drive • A courtyard of popular bars and restaurants with late night menus and entertainment.

6. BAYNARD PLANTATION RUINS Just past Baynard Cove Road and Marsh Drive (Sea Pines) • Tabby ruins of the historic Baynard estate, which includes the main house and slave quarters.

7. BROAD CREEK MARINA VILLAGE 18 Simmons Road • Watersport rentals, boat tours, zipline, waterfront restaurant.

8. BURKES BEACH 60 Burkes Beach Road • Beach access, meter parking, outdoor showers.

9. CHAPLIN COMMUNITY PARK 11 Cast Net Drive • Basketball court, dog park, multi-purpose fi eld, picnic pavilion, playground, tennis court, trails, beach access.

10. COLIGNY BEACH PARK 1 Coligny Circle • Water fountain, swings, changing areas, boardwalk, tiki bar.

11. COLIGNY PLAZA 1 North Forest Beach • More than 60 shops and restaurants next to the island’s most popular beach.

12. COLIGNY THEATRE 1 North Forest Beach • One screen showing many independent and art house fi lms.

13. COMPASS ROSE PARK 4 St. Augustine Place • Public art, wi-fi , swings, observation deck.

14. CROSSINGS PARK & BRISTAL SPORTS ARENA 4 Helmsman Way •°Skate park, basketball courts, baseball fi eld, grass meadow, picnic pavilion, playground, soccer fi eld, trails.

15. DAUFUSKIE ISLAND • Residential sea island between Hilton Head and Savannah, Ga. The island was the inspiration for a Pat Conroy book and a Jimmy Buffett song.

16. DRIESSEN BEACH PARK 64 Bradley Beach Road • Beach access, beach matting, boardwalk, grill, meter parking, outdoor showers, permit parking, picnic pavilion, playground, seasonal beach rentals.

17. FISH HAUL CREEK PARK 10 Fish Haul Creek • Observation deck, picnic pavilion, trails.

18. FOLLY FIELD BEACH PARK 55 Starfi sh Drive • Beach access, beach matting, boardwalk, meter parking, outdoor showers, seasonal beach rentals.

19. FORT MITCHEL 64 Skull Creek Drive (Hilton Head Plantation) • The remains of a civil war fort built in 1862.

20. GREENS SHELL PARK 99 Squire Pope Road • Basketball court, observation deck, picnic pavilion, playground.

21. HARBOUR TOWN 149 Lighthouse Road (Sea Pines) • Home to the island’s iconic lighthouse and our most famous golf course. Dining, shopping, watersport rentals, boat tours and live entertainment.

22. HILTON HEAD LIBRARY 11 Beach City Road • Daily programs, meeting rooms, internet access and more.

23. HONEY HORN/COASTAL DIS. MUSEUM 70 Honey Horn Plantation Road • Coastal Discovery Museum, nature trails, native gardens, historic buildings and educational exhibits.

24. ISLANDERS BEACH PARK 94 Folly Field Road • Beach access, beach matting, boardwalk, grill, outdoor showers, permit parking, picnic pavilion, playground.

25. ISLAND RECREATION CENTER 20 Wilborn Road • Aquatics, youth athletics, youth programs, summer camps, adult athletics and more.

26. JARVIS CREEK PARK 247 Moss Creek Drive • Fishing dock, fi tness trail, grass meadow, playground, trails, picnic pavilion.

27. LAWTON STABLES 190 Greenwood Drive (Sea Pines) • Horseback riding and an awesome free small animal farm. Bring carrots or apples and feed Harley the Clydesdale or other horses.

28. LEGENDARY GOLF 900 William Hilton Parkway, 80 Pope Ave. • Three 18-hole miniature golf courses.

29. MAIN STREET THEATRE 3000 Main Street • Youth theatre, special events, live music and more.

30. MAIN STREET VILLAGE 1500 Main Street • Shopping center with specialty botiques, restaurants, health care services and a supermarket.

31. MITCHELVILLE BEACH PARK 124 Mitchelville Road • Beach access, beach matting, outdoor showers.

32. MITCHELVILLE FREEDOM PARK 229 Beach City Road • The historic site of what was once Mitchelville, the fi rst government-sanctioned freedmen’s colony in the United States.

33. NORTHRIDGE CINEMA 10 435 William Hilton Parkway • Luxury reclining seating with many screens showing the newest releases.

34. PALMETTO BAY MARINA 86 Helmsman Way • Sailing, fi shing, parasailing, dining, shopping, watersport rentals, boat tours.

35. PARK PLAZA CINEMA 33 Offi ce Park Road • The only theatre on the island serving beer and wine.

36. PINCKNEY ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Off U.S. 278, before Hilton Head • Wildlife viewing, photography, hiking, bicycling and fi shing.

37. PINELAND STATION 430 William Hilton Parkway • A community shopping center with popular restaurants and specialty stores.

38. PIRATE’S ISLAND ADVENTURE GOLF 8 Marina Side Drive • Two 18-hole pirate-themed courses.

Hilton Head Island and Bluffton points of interest 39. SALTY DOG T-SHIRT FACTORY 67 Arrow Road • A full line of Salty Dog gear without a trip to South Beach.

40. THE SANDBOX 18A Pope Avenue • An interactive children’s museum, great for rainy days.

41. SEA PINES FOREST PRESERVE Greenwood Drive (Sea Pines) • Hiking, fi shing, picnicking and wildlife viewing opportunities abound in the 605acre preserve. Indian shell ring.

42. SEA PINES RACQUET CLUB 5 Lighthouse Lane (Sea Pines) • 23 clay courts, under the direction of former U.S. Open champ Stan Smith.

43. SHELTER COVE COMMUNITY PARK 39 Shelter Cove Lane • Boardwalk, observation deck, picnic pavilion, trails, veterans’ memorial and more.

44. SHELTER COVE HARBOUR AND MARINA Shelter Cove Lane • Waterfront dining, shopping, live entertainment, watersport rentals, boat tours jetpack.

45. SHELTER COVE TOWNE CENTRE 40 Shelter Cove Lane • Hilton Head’s newest shopping center with restaurants, specialty scores and the island’s largest grocery store.

46. SOUTH BEACH MARINA 232 South Sea Pines Drive (Sea Pines) • Restaurants, shopping and a tackle shop.

Home to the South Beach Inn and the popular Salty Dog Café.

47. SOUTH BEACH RACQUET CLUB 230 South Sea Pines Drive (Sea Pines) • Pro shop, clubhouse, member lounge, hospitality deck, several courts.

48. SQUIRE POPE COMMUNITY PARK 133 Squire Pope Road • A community rowing and sailing center, fi xed pier, fl oating dock, grill, picnic pavilion.

49. VAN DER MEER TENNIS CENTER DeAllyon Drive • 17 hard courts, four covered and lit.

50. VAN DER MEER SHIPYARD RESORT 116 Shipyard Drive • 20 courts (13 Har-Tru and seven hard).

Eight are lighted and three are indoor.

51. THE VILLAGE AT WEXFORD 1000 William Hilton Parkway • A collection of 30 upscale shopping, dining and pampering merchants. Most are locally owned.

52. XERISCAPE GARDEN One Town Center Court • A display of plants designed to need only a small amount of water.

BLUFFTON SPOTS 53. BLUFFTON LIBRARY 120 Palmetto Way • Many books and movies. Conference rooms available.

54. BUCKWALTER PLACE Buckwalter Place Blvd.

• A bowling alley, a movie theatre, shops, restaurants and more.

55. MAY RIVER THEATRE 20 Bridge Street • Community theater group. Shows and performances.

56. OLD TOWN BLUFFTON Calhoun Street, Promenade Street • Art galleries, shops, restaurants and the area’s best farmers market each Thursday.

57. TANGER FACTORY OUTLET CENTER 1414 Fording Island Road • The two popular shopping centers , 1 and 2 miles west of Hilton Head, offering more than 85 brand names.

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■ EVENTS

RBC HERITAGE

APRIL 13-19

APRIL 1-4

Forever Plaid: 8 p.m., April 1-4, the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. On a stormy night in the 60s, four popular singers known as “The Plaids” are in a fatal car crash on the way to their first big gig. In 2015, they get one last chance to return from the afterlife and bop-shoo-bop their way through classic hits like “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Sixteen Tons,” and many more. $2941. 843-842-ARTS, tickets.artshhi.com.

APRIL 4

Easter Eggstravaganza: 11 a.m., Saturday, April 4, Shelter Cove Community Park. A huge Easter egg hunt will be followed by an afternoon of moon bounces, games and music. www.islandreccenter.org

APRIL 5

Easter Egg Hunt: 11 a.m., Sunday, April 5, Harbour Town Playground. The Easter Egg Hunt is an annual tradition and the Easter Bunny will be a part of the festivities. Provided by The Sea Pines Resort and the shops in Harbour Town. Complimentary. 843-842-1979, www.seapines.com/events

APRIL 6-7

Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Under the Stars: James Bond and Beyond: 6-10 p.m., Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 8; Coastal Discovery Museum. Rev-up your Aston Martin, gather your partners in crime, and prepare for an unforgettable evening of James Bond’s greatest hits outside, under the stars. Bring your lawn chair or blanket. $25-$80. 843-842-2055.

APRIL 13-19

HILTON HEAD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA UNDER THE STARS

RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing: Monday, April 13 to Sunday, April 19; Harbour Town Golf Links.

South Carolina’s only PGA Tour event.

This historic event takes place during the week following the Masters and continues the longstanding tradition of being one of golf’s most notable tournaments. Single round and weeklong tickets available. 843-671-2448, rbcheritage.com.

APRIL 19-20

Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra: Prokofiev and Haydn: 4-6 p.m., Sunday, April 19 and Monday, April 20, First Presbyterian Church.

Sparkling classics featuring conductor John Morris Russell and Terry Moore on violin. The Classical tradition morphs and endures. $25-$50. 843842-2055, www.hhso.org

APRIL 25-26

The Art Market at Historic Honey Horn: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, April 25; 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, April 26, the Coastal Discovery Museum. This juried fine art and craft outdoor festival will feature art work in media including clay wood, fibers, metals, glass, jewelry, watercolors, oil, mixed media and photography. All work will be on display and for sale. Free ($6 parking donation). www.coastaldiscovery.org

APRIL 25

Dog Walk on the Beach: 8:30 a.m., Saturday, April 25, Coligny Beach. Are you and your four-legged friend ready?

The Hilton Head Humane Association’s 18th annual Dog Walk on the Beach fundraiser is scheduled April 25.

DJ Alan Palchak returns as MC and entertainer. Bring your canine companion with you to walk in the event,

APRIL TIDES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 L 01:12 AM H 07:25 AM L 01:32 PM H 07:55 PM$

THURSDAY, APRIL 16 L 12:55 AM H 07:12 AM L 01:22 PM H 07:34 PM

THURSDAY, APRIL 2 L 01:56 AM H 08:09 AM L 02:11 PM H 08:36 PM

FRIDAY, APRIL 17 L 01:52 AM H 08:08 AM L 02:14 PM H 08:28 PM

FRIDAY, APRIL 3 L 02:38 AM H 08:49 AM L 02:48 PM H 09:14 PM

SATURDAY, APRIL 18 L 02:47 AM H 09:00 AM L 03:05 PM H 09:19 PM

SATURDAY, APRIL 4 L 03:18 AM H 09:26 AM L 03:25 PM H 09:49 PM

SUNDAY, APRIL 19 L 03:39 AM H 09:51 AM L 03:54 PM H 10:09 PM

SUNDAY, APRIL 5 L 03:57 AM H 10:02 AM L 04:01 PM H 10:22 PM

MONDAY, APRIL 20 L 04:29 AM H 10:40 AM L 04:42 PM H 10:58 PM

MONDAY, APRIL 6 L 04:35 AM H 10:37 AM L 04:36 PM H 10:54 PM

TUESDAY, APRIL 21 L 05:17 AM H 11:31 AM L 05:29 PM H 11:48 PM

TUESDAY, APRIL 7 L 05:13 AM H 11:12 AM L 05:13 PM H 11:29 PM

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 L 06:05 AM H 12:23 PM L 06:16 PM

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8 L 05:52 AM H 11:51 AM L 05:52 PM

THURSDAY, APRIL 23 H 12:39 AM L 06:53 AM H 01:17 PM L 07:05 PM

THURSDAY, APRIL 9 H 12:10 AM L 06:35 AM H 12:36 PM L 06:36 PM

FRIDAY, APRIL 24 H 01:33 AM L 07:43 AM H 02:12 PM L 07:57 PM

FRIDAY, APRIL 10 H 01:00 AM L 07:24 AM H 01:29 PM L 07:27 PM

SATURDAY, APRIL 25 H 02:26 AM L 08:37 AM H 03:06 PM L 08:55 PM

SATURDAY, APRIL 11 H 01:58 AM L 08:20 AM H 02:28 PM L 08:27 PM

SUNDAY, APRIL 26 H 03:19 AM L 09:33 AM H 04:00 PM L 09:56 PM

SUNDAY, APRIL 12 H 03:00 AM L 09:23 AM H 03:30 PM L 09:36 PM

MONDAY, APRIL 27 H 04:12 AM L 10:29 AM H 04:52 PM L 10:55 PM

MONDAY, APRIl 13 H 04:04 AM L 10:28 AM H 04:33 PM L 10:47 PM

TUESDAY, APRIL 28 H 05:04 AM L 11:20 AM H 05:44 PM L 11:49 PM

TUESDAY, APRIL 14 H 05:09 AM L 11:30 AM H 05:36 PM L 11:53 PM

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 H 05:55 AM L 12:06 PM H 06:34 PM

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 H 06:12 AM L 12:27 PM H 06:37 PM

THURSDAY, APRIL 30 L 12:38 AM H 06:44 AM L 12:49 PM H 07:20 PM

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EVENTS ■

and enjoy live entertainment, food, dancing, vendor booths, goody bags, and fun new contests. 843-681-8686, www.hhhumane.org

APRIL 29-30

Gypsy: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. Sundays, the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.

Considered by many to be the greatest American musical of all time, Gypsy tells the backstage tale of vaudeville entertainer-turned-stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and her domineering stage mother, Rose. $39-$45. www.artshhi.com

TUESDAYS

Hilton Head Bar Crawl: 8 p.m., Tuesdays, Flatbread Grill. Your guide will have lots of fun games to play and all bars on the crawl will be providing good and drink specials for crawlers.

It is a good way to experience some of the best bars on the south end. $20$25. TheHottestSpots.com

TUESDAYS

Farmer’s Market at Sea Pines Center: 10 a.m., Tuesdays, The Shops at Sea Pines Center. Presented by Lowcountry Produce. This is a community event bringing farm fresh and local to residents and visitors. lowcountryproduce.com.

TUESDAYS

Shelter Cove Farmer’s Market: 4-7 p.m., Tuesdays, Shelter Cove Community Park. Vendors selling local farm-fresh produce, art work, sweets, baked goods and other specialty foods, as well as prepared food vendors for those looking to grab a snack or dinner. 843-681-7273 or islandreccenter. org.

THURSDAYS

Farmers Market Bluffton: Noon-4 p.m., Thursdays, Carson Cottages, Bluffton. The most popular farmers market in the Lowcountry. Fresh produce, prepared foods and specialty

items. 843-415-2447 or www.farmersmarketbluffton.org.

ONGOING

Gregg Russell Concert: 7:30 p.m., Harbour Town. Over the years, Russell has become a Sea Pines classic. Under the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town is where you’ll find him entertaining adults and children alike. His concerts are not to be missed. Complimentary. www.seapines.com/events

ONGOING

Stand up comedy: 8 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, Pelican’s Point, Shelter Cove Harbour.

April performers are Mike Armstrong (April 1-4), Collin Moulton (April 8-11), Kier (April 15-18), Bengt Washburn (April 22-25), Louis Ramey (April 29-May 2). www.comedyclubofhiltonhead.com

ONGOING

Bill Gladwell, the Mentalist: 8 p.m., Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday’s at Pelican’s Point, Shelter Cove Harbour. “Two Thought Minimum” has consistently stunned audiences across the nation with his live stage shows.

The show is sophisticated and thoughtprovoking, and you will leave with an amazing, lifelong memory. www. comedyclubofhiltonhead.com FARMERS MARKET BLUFFTON

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■ EVENTS

MAY TIDES FRIDAY, MAY 1 L 01:24 AM H 07:31 AM L 01:30 PM H 08:03 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 16 L 01:35 AM H 07:45 AM L 01:50 PM H 08:08 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 2 L 02:08 AM H 08:14 AM L 02:11 PM H 08:42 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 17 L 02:29 AM H 08:38 AM L 02:41 PM H 08:59 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 3 L 02:50 AM H 08:55 AM L 02:51 PM H 09:19 PM

MONDAY, MAY 18 L 03:21 AM H 09:29 AM L 03:30 PM H 09:48 PM

MONDAY, MAY 4 L 03:32 AM H 09:33 AM L 03:31 PM H 09:55 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 19 L 04:10 AM H 10:18 AM L 04:18 PM H 10:35 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 5 L 04:12 AM H 10:11 AM L 04:11 PM H 10:31 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 L 04:57 AM H 11:07 AM L 05:05 PM H 11:23 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 L 04:54 AM H 10:49 AM L 04:52 PM H 11:10 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 21 L 05:42 AM H 11:57 AM L 05:50 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 7 L 05:36 AM H 11:32 AM L 05:35 PM H 11:54 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 22 H 12:11 AM L 06:26 AM H 12:49 PM L 06:36 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 8 L 06:21 AM H 12:21 PM L 06:21 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 23 H 01:01 AM L 07:11 AM H 01:42 PM L 07:23 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 9 H 12:46 AM L 07:09 AM H 01:16 PM L 07:14 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 24 H 01:51 AM L 07:57 AM H 02:34 PM L 08:15 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 10 H 01:44 AM L 08:04 AM H 02:16 PM L 08:14 PM

MONDAY, MAY 25 H 02:41 AM L 08:45 AM H 03:24 PM L 09:12 PM

MONDAY, MAY 11 H 02:45 AM L 09:03 AM H 03:16 PM L 09:21 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 26 H 03:31 AM L 09:36 AM H 04:14 PM L 10:10 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 12 H 03:46 AM L 10:05 AM H 04:17 PM L 10:31 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 H 04:20 AM L 10:27 AM H 05:03 PM L 11:07 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 H 04:48 AM L 11:05 AM H 05:18 PM L 11:37 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 28 H 05:10 AM L 11:16 AM H 05:52 PM L 11:58 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 14 H 05:48 AM L 12:03 PM H 06:17 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 29 H 06:00 AM L 12:03 PM H 06:40 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 15 L 12:38 AM H 06:48 AM L 12:57 PM H 07:14 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 30 L 12:47 AM H 06:49 AM L 12:48 PM H 07:26 PM

MAY 1-24

Gypsy: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. Sundays, the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. Considered by many to be the greatest American musical of all time, Gypsy tells the backstage tale of vaudeville entertainer-turnedstripper Gypsy Rose Lee and her domineering stage mother, Rose. $39-$45. www. artshhi.com

MAY 3

11th annual Yacht Hop: 5:30 p.m., Sunday, May 3, Harbour Town Yacht Basin.

Step aboard stunning yachts and enjoy wine and mouthwatering hors d’oeuvres freshly prepared by some of the area’s premier chefs. This fundraising event also includes entertainment by The Headliners, as well as silent and live auctions. The evening closes with dessert and a champagne toast. All proceeds benefit patient care programs at Hospice Care of the Lowcountry.

843-706-2296 or hospicecarelc.org.

MAY 3-4

HILTON HEAD ISLAND BOAT SHOW

MAY 2-3

Hilton Head Island Boat Show: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, Windmill Harbour. $12. One of the premier in-water boat shows in the southeast, showcasing everything required to start enjoying life on the water. See magnificent boat displays, recreational watercraft, Coast Guard and Sea Tow Demonstrations, boating and fishing seminars and demonstrations, seminars, Artisan & Nautical Village, Resort wear Fashion Show, children’s activities and more. A VIP Patron Party called Tasted of the Harbour will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1. 843-812-5802, www.hiltonheadislandboatshow.com

Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra: Chopin and Sibelius: 4-6 p.m., Sunday, May 3 and Monday, May 4, First Presbyterian Church. Marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Finnish composer. Sibelius Finlandia Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 Sibelius Symphony No. 5. $25-$50. 843-842-2055, www.hhso.org.

MAY 9

37th Bluffton Village Festival: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10; Old Town Bluffton. Enjoy this eclectic and homespun Southern festival famous for its unique art and crafts, music, delicious food, the Ugly Dog Contest, the Pie Eating Contest and a chance to meet old friends and new ones. blufftonmayfest. moonfruit.com or 843-815-2277.

MAY 2-9

Chamber Bike and Dine Week: Saturday, May 2 to Saturday, May 9, Hilton Head Island. Both visitors and residents are encouraged to bike to their favorite dining spot. Participating restaurants will be offering special Bike & Dine Week menus and discounts to those bicycling. www.hiltonheadisland.org/chamber-bikedine-week

chefs compete for the certified judges’ and popular vote with live music, kid’s activities and more. Proceeds benefit local children’s charities. 843-689-7219, 843342-2076 or hiltonheadkiwanis.com.

MAY 23-SEPT. 6

HarbourFest: 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, Shelter Cove Harbour. Family entertainer Shannon Tanner performs two shows a night Monday through Friday on the outdoor stage at Shelter Cove Harbour. Cappy the Clown will be on site with fun entertainment and activities.

MAY 24-25

Hilton Head Choral Society’s America Sings: 7-8:30 p.m., Sunday, May 24 and Monday, May 25; First Presbyterian Church. This casual, family-friendly concert celebrates all things American including patriotic favorites and a special salute to members and veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Join the chorus and brass to reflect on the true meaning of the holiday weekend. 843-341-3818, www. hiltonheadchoralsociety.org.

MAY 25

MAY 2

Beer, Bacon & Music Festival: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, May 2, Shelter Cove Park. This culinary adventure will be all the fun of a bacon themed block party mixed with a full scale festival experience. Many of the area’s top restaurants, several of the area’s top bands, and hundreds of the area’s top food lovers gather to celebrate american traditions – beer, bacon and music. www.islandreccenter.org

11TH ANNUAL YACHT HOP

37TH BLUFFTON VILLAGE FESTIVAL

MAY 15

Pizza Palooza: 5-9 p.m., Friday, May 15, Bluffton Oyster Factory Park. Pizza, pasta and more with live classic rock from Bluffton Noise Ordinance and the Neil & Bob band. $5 adults, children under 12 free. www.bearfootsports.com

MAY 16

19th annual Rib Burnoff and Barbecue Fest: 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturday, May 16, Coastal Discovery Museum. Hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Hilton Head. Professional and amateur

4th annual Sandbox at The Stables: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday, May 25, Lawton Stables. Join the fun at the communitywide Memorial Day picnic celebration. The event will include live on-site broadcasts, pony rides and the animal farm, The Sandbox’s craft projects and mobile interactive museum exhibits, inflatable water slides and bounce houses. $5. 843-8427645, www.thesandbox.org.

ONGOING

State Fair: May 1-31, May River Theatre, Bluffton. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s only musical written directly for the screen is now a stage musical that’s had critics raving from coast to coast. State Fair travels with the Frake family as they leave behind the routine of the farm for three days of adventure at the annual Iowa State Fair.

843-815-5581, mayrivertheatre.com 

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■ BEACHES

7

magnificent THE

BEACHES OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND

F

BY TODD BALLANTINE | PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN

ar as the eye can see, the sand shore runs 20 miles along the seaside on Hilton Head Island. “The beach,” as we call the fl at, surf and tide-washed, pearl-colored, shellstrewn, stream-riddled, shorebird refuge and place of play for people on Hilton Head Island, is not one place. It is a seamless strand of seven beaches stitched together on the outskirts of this foot-shaped isle. Each shoreline is sculpted by distinct natural forces, and signifi cantly altered by human history. Every beach holds its own secrets, including buried treasures of sorts. You can unearth these secrets — but you need to know where to look.

THE GHOST BEACH



BIRD HAVEN

 THE TOE  THE LONG BEACH

BASS HEAD

THE WAR BEACH THE TEMPEST









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Dolphin Head

1. THE GHOST BEACH Dolphin Head is the narrow shore on the northern tip of Hilton Head Island. Facing Port Royal Sound at the edge of Hilton Head Plantation, this weatherworn beach guards the spirits and places gone by. Over the centuries, what is now beach once held fi elds of fl uffy Sea Island cotton on the 1,000-acres Myrtle Bank Plantation. Its owner William Elliot drowned in the tumultuous current along this shore.

Over the centuries, the Sound has relentlessly chiseled away the beach.

At low tide, beach walkers can safely explore most of Dolphin Head.

There are many skeletons of nature here — sun-bleached live oaks and pines, clusters of dislocated oysters, colorful branch-like sea whip corals. Once I even picked up an 18th Century British coin on this beach.

Just offshore of the stone sea wall that hopes to hold back the sea, you may see a lump of oysters in a tidal pool. That’s a footing from plantation home — another ghost exposed by the relentless sea.

Fish Haul Creek Beach

2. BIRD HAVEN Fish Haul Creek Park, located near the end of Beach City Road, is your gateway to the best bird-watching beach on Hilton Head Island. The Town of Hilton Head Island has preserved the upland forest, salt marshes, and a narrow but lively strand of shoreline. Fish Haul Creek, a curling tidal inlet, trickles into Port Royal Sound. The fusion of waters has melded a beach rife with tidal pools, rivulet creeks and driftwood. The Fish Haul Creek Beach is a haven for wading birds and migratory shorebirds that feed and rest in the Fish Haul fl ats during winter and spring migration. You can access this remarkable beach from the Fish Haul Creek Park (a short walk) or from Driessen Beach Park, Bradley Beach Road (about 3 miles each way).

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5. BASS HEAD

Hilton’s Head

3. THE WAR BEACH There is a specifi c point of land named “Hilton Head.”This is the heel of the footshaped Hilton Head Island. It is the eastern-most point of land, and it has tons of history, literally tons. The beach is the easternmost point of land that protrudes into the junction of the Atlantic Ocean and Port Royal Sound. This headland attracted the attention of young sea captain William Hilton, who explored the ambient waterways in 1663 and reported the potential for settlement and agriculture on this island. Mapmakers naturally named this point Hilton’s Head, and eventually edited out the apostrophe.

Because two waters infl uence the shoreline, Hilton’s Head beach is composed of wide tidefl ats on the ocean side, and a narrower, erosion-prone beach, striated with runnels (long tidal pools) on the Sound side. The nexus of the two seascapes makes for good birding and shell collecting. But through the centuries, this beach has attracted more than birds and beachcombers.

The Hilton’s Head promontory gained military importance in at least two U.S. wars. On Nov. 7, 1864, a fl otilla of U.S. Naval warships anchored in Port Royal Sound and attacked Confederate defenders in Fort Walker, built at the Hilton’s Head promontory. Within hours, the fort fell and federal troops invaded across the tidal fl ats. Over the next halfdecade, the Union forces constructed a major port at the site, and directed the blockade of Southern waters and the invasion of interior lands in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

During the Spanish-American War, American troops return to the Hilton’s Head War Beach and manned an artillery defense post on this site. The steam-powered “dynamite cannon” was test fi red, but never saw action. Intrepid beach walkers can still see the concrete footings for the cannon covered with sand and prickly dune vegetation.

If Hilton Head Island is shaped like a foot, then the beach named Bass Head is a fallen arch. This wide promontory gradually arches seaward from the Folly Field-Palmetto Dunes-North Forest Beach area. For eons, Bass Head has been one of the most rapidly eroding sites on Hilton Head Island. Check Google Earth and you will see why.

Aerial photos show how roundish Bass Head juts into the sea. Sideward “longshore” currents chisel away the beach sand and transport sand offshore and downstream. Waves are bigger and stronger at Bass Head.

The Folly Field-Palmetto Dunes-North Forest Beach area is currently fl at and fairly wide — thanks to the Town of Hilton Head Island beach nourishment program. This recurring program rebuilds the tidal shore and the dunes with sand dredged offshore and pumped onshore.

Naturally, this entices swimmers and body surfers. A word of caution here: at Bass Head, as on any beach, always enter the sea with a buddy.

North Forest Beach

4. THE TEMPEST Every beach is a dynamic nexus of currents, tidal fl ow and waves. But no beach site on Hilton Head Island is more tempestuous than the shores at Folly Creek, which bisects Burkes Beach and Collier Beach. The inlet channels strong tidal currents into and out of a bowl-shaped salt marsh, just south of Palmetto Dunes. This process rejuvenates the wildlife-rich wetland, and at the low tidal cycle exposes Folly Creek shoals and mudfl ats that attract wading birds, shorebirds, and people harvesting shrimp and fi sh.

Unlike other beaches, The Burke’s-Folly-Collier Beach is not a swimming beach.

The rip and undertow currents are too dangerous and unpredictable. Enjoy the sun and the wildlife — but only cross the creek at dead low tide.

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South Forest Beach

6. THE LONG BEACH Coligny Beach Park is the gateway to South Forest Beach and the Sea Pines beach — five miles of the widest, most stable shore on Hilton Head Island. This is the beach where locals held “Marsh Tacky” horse races in the 1950s, where millions in real estate deals have been closed, and where it is so inviting to picnic and play and watch ubiquitous gulls and fish crows beg picnic morsels, “peeps” (shorebirds) skitter up and down the shore, and skeins of brown pelicans “air-surf,” gliding inches above the waves.

If you walk barefoot for any distance on this beach, your feet will soon complain. The intertidal zone (between high and low tides) is very hard on the arches. Here, the slow tidal motion deposits the fine grains of sand like micro-shingles on top of one another. As the seawater drains away, the sand dries and compacts — the way corn flakes do if you leave them in the cereal bowl too long. Take time to play in the long tidal pools, called “runnels.” These temporary aquaria are rife with crabs, snails, starfishes, and perhaps a fish or two.

7. THE TOE

BEACHES ■

South Beach is the end of the line of Hilton Head Island’s run of beaches. This is the toe of this foot island. Geologists give South Beach the unflattering name, “spit.” It describes the formation of this beach. The long-shore current, mentioned above, transports sand as far south as possible before it collides with the even stronger tidal flow in Calibogue Sound. At this junction, the current spits out its cargo of sand. The sand accumulates, but the sideward flow in the Sound chisels the shore into a steep drop off.

The trek to South Beach is long, but well worth the effort. Here you can see pods of bottlenose dolphins trolling back and forth, plentiful sea and shore birds, horseshoe crabs nesting in spring, and a plethora of other sea creatures locked in temporary tidal pools. Let the kids play in these warm pools, but avoid swimming in the Sound, with its steep drop-off and strong current.

Bring along a pair of field glasses and survey the nearby geography: Tybee Beach, Ga., Daufuskie Island across the Sound, the surf from Barrett Shoals — the popular sport fishing ground, less than two miles offshore. To locate the spot, key into the ragged flocks of seabirds circling above charter boats.

At the day’s end, on any of Hilton Head Island’s magnificent seven beaches, one comes away with happy fatigue and the lifelong realization: Nature Is South Beach Grand. 

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A destination for golf

BY LISA J. ALLEN

Ask anyone about Hilton Head Island, and the first or second thing out of his or her mouth likely will be our outstanding golf opportunities.

It

HAS BEEN THAT WAY FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS, THANKS TO A GUTSY MOVE FROM A BRILLIANT DEVELOPER. From the beginning, Charles Fraser wanted Sea Pines Resort on the southern tip of Hilton Head to be a family destination, not just a rich man’s playground. To become that, the area had to have more than beachfront and restaurants. Fraser drew up Sea Pines to have accessible beaches, meandering walking trails, top-of-the-line tennis facilities and designer golf courses.

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GOLF ■

18th at Harbour Town Golf Links, Sea Pines Resort More than 700,000 rounds of golf are played here each year, generating more than $123 million annually.

16th at George Fazio Course, Palmetto Dunes

The first course, the Ocean Course, was designed by George Cobb and opened in 1962. Sea Marsh (now Heron Point) was next, opening in 1964.

Soon, visitors began trickling over the bridges to explore this new resort.

But Fraser and company wanted more. That’s where the gutsy move comes in.

They came up with the wild idea of hosting a PGA Tour tournament at the fledgling resort, where the paint on the new homes and businesses was barely dry.

For the tournament venue, Fraser’s team pitched the resort’s third course, Harbour Town Golf Links, which was designed by the then relatively unknown Pete Dye and PGA Tour star Jack Nicklaus, who was trying his hand at designing courses.

What was bold was the fact the course wasn’t even done yet.

To infer golf had been around the island forever, Fraser dubbed the tournament the Heritage Golf Classic, noting that golf began in the Lowcountry in 1786. (The first known course in the area was about 100 miles away in Charleston, but that’s beside the point.)

Grounds crews worked nearly around the clock to finish the course in time for the tournament, slated for Thanksgiving weekend 1969.

Fraser couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

Arnold Palmer won with a score of only 1 under par, his first victory in 14 months. The media saturated the airwaves and magazine pages with stories about the tournament on a small island no one had heard of off the coast of South Carolina. They raved about the course, they raved about the natural beauty of Hilton Head Island and they raved about the resort.

Hilton Head was officially on the map, marked with a flagstick To keep its spot, Sea Pines marketer Charley Price churned out compelling story after compelling story that enticed readers of Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated and Golf magazine to consider a trip to Hilton Head.

The efforts paid off, sparking an influx of visitors from the Midwest and Northeast. They came in droves and wanted to stay, which prompted a building boom and a golf course bonanza. Over the next 20 years, nearly two dozen more courses were added, both public and private, spilling over into Bluffton and up the U.S. 278 corridor.

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15th at Ocean Course, Sea Pines Resort

RENOVATIONS BY BULLDOZER As the decades ticked by, Hilton Head kept enticing travelers with new resorts, new amenities and new or refreshed courses. Stunning private courses added to its mystique: Long Cove, Colleton River Plantation, Berkeley Hall, Palmetto Bluff, Belfair and others.

The ever-rising bar kept everyone on their toes.

Not to stand by, Sea Pines updated the Ocean Course in the mid-1990s with the help of Mark McCumber. Next, the resort gave Pete Dye the keys to a fleet of bulldozers and gave him free rein to start over with the Sea Marsh course in 2008. It reopened as Heron Point as essentially a brand-new course.

Hilton Head hunkered down during the recent recession, but remodeling soon resumed at warp speed.

Sea Pines has poured $50 million into renovating the shared clubhouse at Ocean and Heron Point and the clubhouse at Harbour Town, which was finished just in time for this year’s RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

Then, as soon as the tents pack up after the tournament, Harbour Town Golf Links will close to get a complete turf overhaul from greens to tees, said Cary Corbitt, vice president of sports and operations for Sea Pines Resort. The fairways will be covered with celebration bermuda and the greens with TifEagle bermuda and the irrigation system improved.

“We work very closely with the PGA Tour on our plans,” Corbitt said, ensuring nothing jeopardizes the 47-year-old tournament.

Once Harbour Town is reopened, the Ocean course will close so Davis Love can remake it.

“We’re building world-class facilities and operating them in a world-class manner,” Corbitt said. “We’re not stuck in the past.”

GOLF COURSES YOU CAN PLAY Bloody Point Golf Club ..................

Country Club of Hilton Head .........

Crescent Pointe Golf Club .............

Eagle’s Point Golf Club ..................

Golden Bear at Indigo Run............

Harbour Town Golf Links ...............

Heron Point By Pete Dye ...............

Hilton Head Lakes .........................

Hilton Head National Golf Club ....

Island West Golf Club ....................

May River Golf Club.......................

Melrose Golf Club .........................

Old Carolina Golf Club (9 holes) ...

Old South Golf Links......................

Oyster Reef Golf Club ....................

Palmetto Dunes courses................

Palmetto Hall courses ...................

Pinecrest Golf Club ........................

Port Royal courses .........................

Rose Hill Golf Club ........................

Shipyard courses ...........................

Sea Pines Ocean Course ................

Sun City - Argent Lakes..................

Sun City - Hidden Cypress .............

Sun City - Okatie Creek..................

843-341-3030 843-681-4653 843-706-2600 843-757-5900 843-689-2200 843-363-8385 843-842-1477 843-208-5353 843-842-5900 843-815-6660 843-706-6580 843-422-6963 843-757-8311 843-785-5353 843-681-1764 843-785-1138 843-342-2582 843-757-8960 843-681-1760 843-757-9030 843-686-8802 843-842-1477 843-645-0507 843-705-4999 843-705-4653

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GOLF ■

HOW TO REMAIN IRRESISTIBLE As golfers’ interests evolve, so do Hilton Head Island trip planners.

“Golf is quickly becoming experiential,” Corbitt said. Thus, area resorts offer a wider array of packages to include paddleboarding, ziplines or cooking classes.

Sea Pines is going for more upscale travelers by adding more lodging amenities and personal chefs.

Meanwhile, Port Royal Plantation is testing FootGolf on its Planters Row course Thursdays through Sundays. The game mimics golf, but it’s played by kicking a soccer ball around the course and trying to “putt” it into a 21-inch-wide hole.

At Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, the George Fazio course was named the 2014 course of the year by the local golf course owners association, an impressive honor given its competition.

In Bluffton, Brown Golf Management recently snapped up four courses: Eagle’s Pointe, Crescent Pointe, Island West and Pinecrest, and is managing a fifth, Rose Hill. The group is stringing together some very reasonable multi-course memberships and packages.

6th at Oyster Reef Golf Club, Hilton Head Plantation Golf enthusiasts can find more than 30 world-class public golf courses in the Hilton Head-Bluffton-Daufuskie region. The area also boasts 18 highly regarded private courses.

Many were designed by famous architects, such as Robert Trent Jones Sr., Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus.

“We compete equally with the top destinations across the world,” Corbitt said. “Golf is so accessible, not only for vacationers, but for residents.”

Always accessible and never static. That’s Hilton Head golf. 

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■ TENNIS

tennis scene INSIDE THE ISLAND

Sea Pines Racquet Club

HILTON HEAD A DESTINATION FOR SERIOUS PLAYERS

C

oaches like to say they’re reloading rather than rebuilding.

It’s not quite right to say the Hilton Head Island tennis scene was in need of a revival — it has been vibrant for decades — but a revitalization of sorts was in order, so the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce invested in a study to find out just how much tennis means

BY JUSTIN JARRETT | PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

to the area’s identity as a tourist destination.

The answer was predictable.

“What we found was from a tennis perspective, Hilton Head Island is well-regarded and well-known as a destination,” said Charlie Clark, the chamber’s vice president for communications.

That’s understating it. The survey of “serious tennis players,” conducted by Sports

Marketing Surveys USA, found that Hilton Head Island is the top tennis destination in the Southeast, and some staggering numbers back it up. Hilton Head Island is: • The tennis trip destination that appeared most in the consideration sets of serious tennis players (65 percent); • The tennis trip destination that serious tennis players have been to most (22 percent);

• The leader in length of stay for serious tennis players (5.5 days) when compared to other leading tennis destinations such as Amelia Island, Fla., Destin, Fla., Sea Island, Ga., Charleston and Myrtle Beach; • The leading destination with serious tennis players in the Southeast, with 31 percent saying they’ve visited in the last five years.

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TENNIS ■

That’s all great news for the local economy considering the Tennis Industry Association — based on Hilton Head — recently released its 2014 State of the Industry report that valued the overall tennis economy in the United States at $5.55 billion and estimated tennis participation in the U.S. rose 4 percent in 2013.

With the data in hand, now it’s the chamber’s mission to ensure Hilton Head continues to claim a significant slice of that pie. The chamber is developing a microsite focused on tennis-centered travel to the island, and Clark is working with leaders in the local tennis community to develop a plan to better market the area as a tennis destination. She has been involved in preliminary discussions with Tennis Channel on a marketing campaign to that end.

“We were able to take a deep dive into the demographics and see where visitors are getting their information and making travel decisions,” Clark said. “It gave us the ability to laser focus on tennis marketing. Tennis is a big part of our product mix for Hilton Head Island as a destination.”

For hundreds of tennis players and fans, though, Hilton Head Island has turned from a destination to home base, and the same qualities that make it a popular stop for tennis-playing tourists also attract permanent residents who can’t seem to put down their racquets.

The link between the island and the court goes way back.

Hilton Head Island regularly played host to big-name professionals in the 1970s, thanks in large part to Stan Smith — then ranked in the top 10 in the world — signing

on as the touring pro for the fledgling Sea Pines Resort in 1971 and Billie Jean King calling Shipyard Plantation home during that decade.

Those stars’ presence helped the island land the Family Circle Cup in 1973 — the first women’s tennis tournament to offer a $100,000 purse and the first to be broadcast on national television (NBC).

Much like Harbour Town Golf Links has made numerous stars on the PGA Tour over the years, many tennis stars became household names thanks to their exploits on Hilton Head Island.

Gabriela Sabatini made her first professional final here in 1985; Steffi Graf won the first of her 107 pro singles titles here in 1986; 14-yearold Jennifer Capriati gained fame when she beat Martina Navratilova at the Family Circle Cup in 1990; and 16-year-old Martina Hingis became the youngest world No. 1 in history when she beat Monica Seles in a thirdset tiebreak here in 1997.

Stars like Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Navratilova, Graf, Sabatini, Conchita Martinez, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Hingis all won titles here.

Tennis certainly took a back seat to golf — at least in terms of the share of the spotlight it commanded — when the Family Circle Cup left the island in 2001 and moved up the coast to Charleston.

“That was a big blow, and it’s virtually impossible to get a big event like that back to the island,” said Smith, the former world No. 1 who has called Hilton Head Island home since 1971. “It was disappointing to see that event leave. So many people in Hilton Head really enjoyed it and supported it.

But tennis is alive and well.”

A group of local pros has managed to fill the void somewhat by creating the Pro Tennis League of Hilton Head Island. The league just completed its fourth year, fielding four teams of the area’s top players who squared off at a different club every week for seven weeks from April through June.

“The community has really gotten behind it,” said former touring pro Tom Shimada, one of the league’s founding members. “We can’t replace the top level that you see on TV, but it’s always special when you actually watch people you know and the level of play is pretty good.”

The idea came about, Shimada said, because every time a group of high-level players would get together to hit, a crowd invariably formed and wanted to know when they would play again. So the pros decided to make it a formal gathering, and the crowds continued to grow. The matches drew anywhere from 200 to 500 spectators this year.

“It’s become a nice social event for families, for fans, for students of a lot of the pros that do play,” Shimada said. “It even gives a chance for the people to come heckle the pros. ‘Hey, that’s not what you taught me!’ It’s just a good time.”

And everyone, it seems, is a student of the game on Hilton Head Island.

The island is home to several teaching academies for aspiring collegiate and professional players, including programs led by worldclass players Smith and Ivan Lendl and legendary teacher Dennis Van Der Meer.

The presence of so many top training academies for young players has bolstered local high school teams.

Hilton Head Island High School’s girls team won six straight Class 3-A state titles from 2008-13, the Seahawks’ boys team claimed the Class 3-A crown this year, and Hilton Head Preparatory School’s boys beat crossisland rival Hilton Head Christian Academy in the state private-school championship match this spring.

While the local schools and academies are churning out college tennis players, though, other organizations are bringing them in. PTR’s Spring TennisFest and Hilton Head Beach & Tennis Resort’s Spring Break Tennis program combine to bring hundreds of college teams to the area each spring as squads make their way south in search of warm weather and welcoming courts.

The latter can be more difficult to find than you might

You can find more than 300 tennis courts on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton.

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■ TENNIS

TENNIS FACILITIES OF THE LOWCOUNTRY Tennis, like golf, is a year-round activity on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton.

One of the top 50 tennis destinations in the United States, the Lowcountry has the facilities and the competition to satisfy the most discriminating player. The area’s 20-plus tennis clubs offer more than 300 courts. Clay, grass and a variety of hard surfaces are available. Some residential developments have their own courts, which may be used by guests staying in those developments. Players may access facilities on private plantations if they make arrangements to play. Ask for details when reserving your court time.

HILTON HEAD TENNIS CLUBS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

HILTON HEAD PUBLIC TENNIS COURTS

The following racquet clubs and tennis centers are open to the public.

Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center Palmetto Dunes Resort, 843-785-1152 Attractive courts, pro shop, full facilities 19 clay, 2 hard, 4 imitation grass courts, 2 lighted Port Royal Racquet Club Port Royal Plantation, 843-686-8803 Racquet club. Clay, hard or grass courts.

Pro shop.

10 clay, 4 hard, 2 grass courts, 4 lighted Sea Pines Racquet Club Sea Pines Resort, 843-363-4495 Tennis facility located in Harbour Town in Sea Pines. It offers a complete pro shop and instruction.

24 Har-Tru, 5 hard courts, 5 lighted Shipyard Racquet Club Shipyard Plantation, 843-686-8804 Adjacent to Sonesta Resort. Full complement of facilities and instruction. Call about their free weekly pro exhibitions much of the year.

14 clay, 6 hard courts, 8 lighted South Beach Racquet Club Sea Pines Resort, 843-671-2215 Located near South Beach Village. 11 clay courts, 2 lighted Van Der Meer Tennis Center DeAllyon Road, 843-785-8388 Hilton Head’s largest facility. Full complement of facilities, instruction.

21 hard, 11 clay courts, 8 lighted

The Island Recreation Association maintains the Town of Hilton Head’s public tennis courts. Play is on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is no fee.

In the event that courts are being used for team play and/or lessons, signs are posted directing players to other locations. Call 843-681-7273 for more information.

The locations of the courts: • Chaplin Community Park, Singleton Beach Road, 4 courts, lighted • Cordillo Courts, Cordillo Parkway, 4 courts, lighted • Fairfield Square, Adrianna Lane, 2 courts • Hilton Head High School, School Road, 6 courts • Hilton Head Middle School, Wilborn Road, 4 courts BLUFFTON PUBLIC TENNIS COURTS Bobcat Public Tennis Center The Bobcat Public Tennis Center is located at 12 McCracken Circle in Bluffton. It has four outdoor courts that are not lighted.

Bluffton Recreation Center The Bluffton Recreation Center is located at 61 Ulmer Road in Bluffton.

There are two hard surface courts that are located in the park. For more information, call 843-757-1503.

Van Der Meer Tennis Center

imagine. Even with more than 500 courts in Beaufort County — more than 350 of them on the island — coming across a vacant one is rare. The area plays host to USTAsanctioned tournaments almost every week, including a number of high-profile events such as the PTR Wheelchair Championships, a professional women’s satellite tour event at Van Der Meer, the PTR Championships and International Tennis Symposium, numerous events for top-ranked junior players, and a handful of USTA League state championship tournaments.

The USTA Leagues have become the bread-and-butter of the local scene, with virtually every tennis facility in the county offering numerous teams that compete against other clubs in structured league play.

It’s the equivalent of Little League for adults, allowing casual and serious players alike to compete against players of similar skill level in a team environment — and it’s incredibly popular. More than 1,000 players compete on USTA League teams in Beaufort County annually.

Hilton Head Island’s reputation as a sort of tennis Mecca also makes it a popular destination to host state-level USTA tournaments, bringing tons of visitors — and dollars — to the area, often at times when tourism is slow.

The USTA S.C. State League Championships for the 55-and-over and 75-and-over divisions were held at Palmetto Dunes in May, bringing in more than 1,000 players on 106 teams. The economic impact will be even larger when the state combo league championships come to town from Oct. 16-20 with an expected 2,500 participants, and the 65-and-over and 70-and-over divisions will be here from Nov. 5-10.

So, no, Hilton Head Island’s tennis industry definitely isn’t rebuilding. It’s reloading. And it’s ready to send a rocket of a forehand scorching up the line. 

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■ BIKING

BIKING the island

Going from 15 miles of bikes paths in Sea Pines to today’s 112 miles islandwide was a decades-long uphill ride

BY LISA J. ALLEN PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

T

ooling around Hilton Head Island on beach cruisers is nearly a requirement to experience the true Hilton Head.

From miles of beaches to more than 100 miles of paved pathways, it’s the way to get around, relax and enjoy the scenery. But it didn’t happen overnight.

Like much of the ambiance that makes Hilton Head Island a top family destination, it started with island developer Charles Fraser.

“Bike paths were absolutely Charles Fraser’s idea,” said Peter Ovens, whom Fraser enlisted in the 1960s to oversee construction of the bike paths and boardwalks that made Hilton Head unique. Hilton Head Plantation, also developed by Fraser, followed suit.

THE EARLY DAYS

Bike path bridge on Pope Avenue. Find a map with all 28 VACATION the bike GUIDE paths on PAGE 10.

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From the start, Charles Fraser built Sea Pines Resort with leisure paths in mind.

“We changed the name from bike paths to leisure trails and widened them so they would accommodate both purposes — pedestrians and bicyclists,” Ovens said.

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■ BIKING

“We tried to connect all of the systems, to put a net over the area if you will,” Ovens said.

Efforts were somewhat constrained where lots had already been platted and sold because some owners objected to a portal that would bring bicyclists and pedestrians past their windows.

But the rest of the development was a blank canvas, Ovens said.

Designers also had a lot of room with which to work: The development spans 4,600 acres.

“Fraser took a quarter of it for open space,” Ovens said, noting it was an unheard-of commitment. People think most of that open space is consumed by the 600-acre forest preserve, but that’s only half of the area left blank, Ovens said.

That acreage became the foundation of the 15-mile trail system.

“Charles wanted to keep the trails away from the road,” Ovens said. “He didn’t like that, with them right next to the road.”

Instead, he wanted the trails to weave among the trees and give bicyclists and pedestrians a closer encounter with nature.

He chose asphalt over concrete because it blended in better and wouldn‘t crack like concrete.

“It was brilliant at the time,” Ovens said. “He didn’t do a lot of sporting activities, but he saw their importance for a

family-oriented destination.”

By 1980, the 1,500-bike rental fleet in Sea Pines and Hilton Head Plantation sold out often, according to records kept by Truitt Rabun, a land planner who moved to Hilton Head in 1972.

FOILED BY FUNDING Despite the popularity of the trails in Sea Pines and Hilton Head Plantation, they pretty much ended there.

“By the late 1970s, there was only one path on a public road, the one from Sea Pines to Coligny Plaza,” Rabun said. Sea Pines built it with the hopes others would maintain it, but no one did.

To try to extend the trail system beyond the gates, Rabun and other bike enthusiasts formed Pathways for Safety Committee, an offshoot of the Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce, to plead for funding from anyone who would listen. But because Hilton Head Island was then just an unincorporated part of the county, it wasn’t a high priority, despite repeated, well-researched appeals.

The group rallied support from all of the resorts, the Sierra Club, land planners, national biking groups, even Palmetto Electric, which was amenable to allowing bike paths along their utility rights of way, Rabun said.

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They often cited seeing a woman pushing a baby stroller in a traffic lane of Pope Avenue because she had no other choice.

The arguments for sidewalks and biking trails were sound, but the money was absent.

The state attorney general had ruled that state highway funds couldn’t be used for bike paths because users didn’t pay gas taxes, which in turn fed those coffers.

Federal grants usually required 50-50 matching and ongoing local maintenance. There was no kitty for the matching funds and no entity that could promise maintenance.

Seven years of work resulted in little. The S.C. General Assembly approved funding in 1983 for a single mile of path along Pope Avenue.

“The only way bike paths were going to happen is if there was a town,” Rabun said he realized in the early 1980s.

THE PATH-PAVING CRAZE Once the town was formed in 1983 and was able to levy taxes, it built bike and leisure paths with abandon. The town built miles and miles of pathways, but then ignored them.

Frank Babel, a retired IBM executive from Dallas who moved to Hilton Head about eight years ago, immediately noticed the poor condition of the bike trails.

Harbour Town

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Many large biking events take place each year, such as the Pedal 4 Kids community bike ride.

“I traveled a lot. When I started riding here, I was distressed. There was a lot of debris and root and branch intrusion on the paths and a lot of the dots weren’t connected.”

Babel, now co-chairman of the HHI Bicycling Advocacy Committee, began a weekly ride to chronicle the condition of the trails and reported back to the town.

“The town at that time was just building pathways,” Babel said. “They were doing the hardware, but not the software, so to speak.”

Babel also looked for a trail map, but instead found maps for beach access and others for parks.

“The beach map had no access points for bikes,” Babel said. “I found a bike map that was mimeographed that you could barely read and didn’t show the beaches or the parks.”

Babel spoke up at public meetings to raise the need for a bike trail system.

“They weren’t used to people just being a pain in the neck,” he said. “I was just known as, ‘It’s just Frank.’ ” He got to know bike shop owners and other bikers and formed a community group called Squeaky Wheels Bicycle Advocacy Group. “It gave me an umbrella organization to deal with island issues,” he said.

He went to the Greater Island Council, but didn’t get a lot of attention there either. “These are people who want to talk about roads, not bikes, so I was a

pain there, too.”

A lightbulb went off for Babel when he heard that Spartanburg earned one of the state’s first Bike-Friendly Community designations from the League of American Bicyclists about six years ago.

“I was complaining about anecdotal things,” Babel said. Now he and the group had a tangible goal that provided a framework and milestones to elevate the status of biking on the island.

“I worked for EDS and sold locomotives to countries. I’m used to big deals. I don’t play checkers, I play chess,” Babel said.

Bicycling advocates started playing chess.

They started working on the plannig and the league’s five Es: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement and Evaluation and set up volunteer forces to address those issues.

A plethora of bike clubs emerged, the largest being Kickin’ Asphalt, which was formed in 2006. Kickin’ Asphalt set up a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club called Pedal 4 Kids, and they helped maintain the public trails. With guidance from the statewide Palmetto Cycling Coalition, bike safety classes sprouted for all ages and level of riders.

THE SILVER AWARD Eventually, the Hilton Head IslandBluffton Chamber of Commerce also realized that biking was a primary rea-

son people came to Hilton Head, along with golf, tennis, dining, fishing and the beach. It too began promoting Hilton Head’s biking appeal on its website and promotional materials.

By the time the town took up the charge in 2010 to get a Bike-Friendly Community designation from the League of American Bicyclist the following year, much of the work was already underway on all fronts: maintaining trails, adding well-marked pedestrian crossings and safety islands in the middle of busy streets, putting up stop signs for bikes and walkers at road intersections and sprinkling the island with bike racks.

Not only did the island get designation as a bike-friendly community in 2011, it got the state’s only silver award.

Six South Carolina cities sport bronze awards.

“We formed another committee, the HHI Bicycling Advisory Committee, so we wouldn’t lose momentum,” Babel

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32 VACATION GUIDE

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BIKING ■

said. “We want to make island safer and more bike-friendly for the entire island.”

Susan Thomas, senior vice president of the chamber’s Visitor and Convention Bureau, co-chairs the committee with Babel.

“It’s important to note that it took a lot of yeoman’s work by individual volunteer committee members and town staff in developing our bicycling-friendly infrastructure to take a swing at this designation and hit a home run with the Silver Award with our first application,” Thomas said.

PRESENT DAY Today, Hilton Head has 112 miles of bike trails, paths and lanes, with 50 of those miles in gated communities.

“The last 10 to 12 miles have been really important connections,” Babel said, citing those along Mathews Drive and Pope Avenue.

Another new draw is a 2-mile off-road trail at the town’s Crossing Park, but it’s up to volunteers to maintain it for now.

There is no question every entity on Hilton Head Island sees the popularity of biking on the island.

“Biking is one of the most popular activities visitors do, no matter what their age, no matter how long it’s been since they were on a bike,” said Rob Bender, director of recreation at Sea Pines Resort.

“The other beauty is the ability to ride on the beach. It’s unique. We encourage our visitors to enjoy that.”

The resort is more than willing to do the extra work to clean the saltwater and sand off their rental bike fleet “We do a good job of cleaning, maintaining and replacing bikes when needed.”

Demand for bike rentals within the resort has gone up 25 percent in the last three years, Bender said.

“Last year, rental companies brought 46,000 bikes into Sea Pines,” said Toby McSwain, director of safety and security for Sea Pines’ homeowners’ group, the Community Services Association. “That’s on top of the 1,200 bikes we rent here through our three resort rental companies and the bikes visitors bring in.”

Sea Pines has always maintained its trail network, dispatching crews six days a week to make rounds to clear, clean and maintain the trails, McSwain said.

In fact, there are so many bikes in Sea Pines, they ask riders to stick to the trails rather than roads and don’t allow people to pedal into the resort.

“You need to be staying as a guest to bike in. Otherwise you have to bring your bike on your car,” Bender said. “It’s because of the limited amount of trails.”

However, they are considering adding trails to the forest preserve.

It’s all an effort to draw generation after generation of families to Hilton Head Island.

As Bender said, “You talk to people who vacationed here as child, and riding bikes along the beach and the trails are their fondest memories.”

And now there is an island-wide, well-maintained trail system that welcomes ever more riders.  SPRING 2015 33

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■ WATER

water

GET ON THE

Kiteboarding off Coligny Beach 34 VACATION GUIDE

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WATER ■

BOATING, CRUISING

BY DEAN ROWLAND AND ZACH VAN HART PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

Y

es, “water, water every where… nor any drop to drink” as Coleridge wrote 215 years ago in the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” but we don’t care about drinking water as long as we can always enjoy it by boating, sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking, charter boating and everything else.

For locals and tourists alike, the creeks, rivers, sounds, ocean, lagoons, ponds, salt marshes, wetlands and maritime forests with their abundant wildlife provide a bounty of outdoor adventures for everyone of all ages.

Kayaking on calm water that surrounds Hilton Head Island is not only relaxing, it can be a great adventure, too. And the best part? Kayaking is a sport for everyone.

“Ability is not a concern,” said Mike Overton, president of Outside Hilton Head, which rents kayaks and other water sports equipment. “If you can walk around the block, you can kayak.

This is taking a nature walk through the marsh.”

With the abundance of accessible inlets, rivers and lagoons in the area, kayaking is an exotic yet practical exercise. But it remains unchartered territory for many locals and tourists.

For those willing to try, here are some basic expectations and recommendations.

Whether starting with a lesson or tour, or for those who prefer trying solo, the necessities are safety precautions, knowing how to enter and exit the kayak and some paddling basics.

Important safety rules include wearing a personal flotation device, keeping safe distances from larger water vessels such as boats, maintaining balance and simply staying in a comfort zone.

When entering and exiting a kayak, a safe and convenient location is a boat ramp. Place the kayak parallel to the edge of the ramp and step sideways in and out of the kayak.

Kayak paddles, unlike canoe prototypes, have blades on both ends.

Once in the water, grip the paddle with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Then alternate strokes from side to side, forming an imaginary figure eight.

From there, one can kayak for leisure, or turn an afternoon into vigorous exercise. It’s much like deciding whether to walk, jog or run intervals, only on the water. The harder you paddle, the more strenuous the workout.

Depending on the location, expect to encounter marine wildlife. In this area, dolphins are aplenty and may come within feet of your kayak.

Manatees, river otters and various fish reside here, too. Many local companies that rent kayaks also have guided eco-tours and dolphin tours.

Check in with a local outfitter for dolphin and nature boat cruises, fis ing and sailboat charters, kayaking, kiteboarding, crabbing, parasailing, waterskiing, tubing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, jet skiing and power boating.

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■ WATER

KAYAK BROAD CREEK This seven-mile saltwater river is the heart of Hilton Head Island and is the prime place to spot water birds such as egrets, pelicans, blue herons and sandpipers. You will often see dolphin or watermen harvesting crabs the traditional way. All three public marinas on Broad Creek offer rentals.

If you bring your own, a good launching point is the boat landing next to Old Oyster Factory. Be sure to keep an eye on the tide. You don’t want to get stuck on the razor-sharp oyster beds. Go against the tide on your way out and ride it back in.

SPOT A DOLPHIN In Orlando, you’ll pay $80 to watch the world’s saddest dolphins mull about their depressing enclosures. You can see them free here, frolicking in their natural habitat. More than 200 live here full-time and many more are migratory.

A good place to spot them is on the island’s southern tip, where Calibogue Sound meets the Atlantic Ocean. You can get even closer by renting a boat or booking a nature tour for around $25 an hour.

RENT A BOAT If you didn’t bring a boat, you can rent one by the hour or by the day. Rentals of all sizes are available all year, allowing you to explore our numerous waterways at your own pace.

Visit Daufuskie Island or find the infamous May River sandbar (aka Rednick Riviera), where folks from all walks of life gather to party. The sandbar appears once a day on receding tides and can only be reached by boat.

LEARN TO SKIMBOARD The surfboards only come out when a storm is coming or going. Our waves may be wimpy for hanging 10, but they’re perfect for the popular and extremely dangerous sport of skimboarding. Unlike surfing, skimboarding begins on the beach by dropping the board onto the thin wash of previous waves. Skimboarders use their momentum to skim out to breaking waves, which they catch back into shore in a manner similar to surfing. The end result is usually a faceplant.

STAND-UP PADDLEBOARD Get a new perspective on Hilton Head – standing right there in the water. It requires all kinds of balance, and you may take a tumble or two into the drink, but trust us — it’s easier than you think, and you can do it.

FLY HIGH WITH A JETPACK

Having fun on Broad Creek

Maybe the coolest water adventure is HHI Jetpack. The business operates out of Shelter Cove Marina. The water propels you forward while you’re completely weightless in the air. First time pilots experience the thrill of flight while your certified instructor controls the throttle remotely. It’s the ultimate water toy. 

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Captain Mark’s Dolphin Cruises DEPARTING FROM SHELTER COVE HARBOUR Attention Families!

Check our Prices

LOOK

$8

OUR RATES ARE GREAT! PLEASE CALL! Infants to age two are free.

All calm water • Reservations not necessary. • 1 hr. 45 minute narrated cruise features over 45 points of interest including: • Bottle-nosed dolphins • Long Cove Club • Salt Water Marshlands • Wexford Plantation • Cross Island Expressway • Spanish Wells • Tides • Spectacular Homes • Buck Island • Statue of Liberty • Harbour Town • Daufuskie Island • Wading Birds

Children

The 80’ double deck cruise ship “Holiday” departs from Dock C at Shelter Cove Harbour, Business Hwy 278 across from Palmetto Dunes Resort

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DAYTIME DOLPHIN WATCH CRUISE APRIL 1 THRU JUNE 13

MONDAY THRU FRIDAY AT 11:00 AND 2:00 SATURDAY AT 11:00

ADULT $16 • CHILD (3-12) $8 No Reservations, Cash Only

SUNSET DOLPHIN WATCH CRUISE APRIL 1 THRU JUN 13

MONDAY THRU SATURDAY AT 7:00

ADULT $18 • CHILD (3-12) $9 No Reservations, Cash Only

FIREWORKS CRUISE JUNE 16, 23, 30

ADULT $25 • CHILD (3-12) $15 Reservation Required, Cash Only

Dolphin cruises are 1 hour, 45 minutes in duration

SUNSET DOLPHIN WATCH There is nothing better than a Southern sunset. No wait … we take that back. What we meant to say was that there is nothing better than watching a Southern sunset from our boat, the “Holiday.” Enjoy all the sights of Hilton Head’s waterways and marshes including, Atlantic bottle-nose dolphin, sea birds, private plantations, Daufuskie Island, and the famous Harbour Town lighthouse, with the added bonus of Mother Nature’s most beautiful (and magical) time of day. The colors will take your breath away! Fully narrated by your captain, our Dolphin Watch Sunset Cruise will be the highlight of your vacation. Don’t forget your camera!

ADULT $18 • CHILD (3-12) $9 No Reservations • Cash Only

GO CRABBING ON THE CRABBER J II They laughed when I said I was going with the kids to catch some crabs. They are not laughing anymore. What we did was make reservations on the sport crabbing boat Crabber J II which departs out of Shelter Cove Harbour. Once everyone was on board, the Crabby crew untied the lines and we motored out to the calm waters of Broad Creek. Along the way we saw two dolphins playing. We anchored in the shallow water right next to the salt marsh and everyone fished for blue crabs. It was a lot of fun. The crabby crew kept score and a girl from Cincinnati won the world famous Crabber J II T-shirt cause she caught the most crabs. Please call for current prices.

CALL (843) 422-5110 FOR SCHEDULE AND RESERVATIONS

All calm water. Convenient mid-island location. Just 10 minutes from anywhere.

No security gate. No gate fee. Plenty of free parking. Stay all day. All trips weather permitting & subject to minimum number of passengers. All cruises depart from dock C, Shelter Cove Harbour.

Purchase tickets on the dock at the boat.

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■ FAMILY FUN

families FUN FOR

Lawton Stables

Burkes Beach

Shannon Tanner’s Most Excellent Pirate Expedition

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Pirate Island Adventure Golf

Pirates of Hilton Head

Adventure Cove .............................

Aerial Adventures ..........................

Art Café ..........................................

Artist Uncorked ..............................

Coastal Discovery Museum ...........

Harbour Town Lighthouse .............

Island Recreation...........................

Heyward House .............................

Hilton Head Outfitter ...................

IDEA Studio ...................................

Island Playground .........................

Legendary Golf ..............................

Kayak Hilton Head.........................

Main Street Youth Theatre.............

Move & Motion..............................

Outside Hilton Head .....................

Pirate’s Island Adventure Golf .......

Station 300 ....................................

The Sandbox ..................................

ZipLine Hilton Head ......................

843-842-9990 843-682-6000 843-785-5525 843-837-4700 843-689-6767 843-671-2810 843-681-7273 843-757-6293 843-686-9097 843-342-5439 843-837-8383 843-686-3399 843-684-1910 843-689-6246 843-681-6683 843-686-6996 843-686-4001 843-815-2695 843-842-7645 843-682-6000

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FAMILY FUN ■

BY CHRIS KATON | PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

B

lessed with natural beauty, white sandy beaches and temperate climate, Hilton Head Island has earned a reputation as one of the most family friendly vacation destinations in the United States.

At the top of many must visit lists is a climb to the summit of the iconic lighthouse in Harbourtown.

Visitors will learn about the island’s rich natural history and are rewarded for their climb with spectacular views of Harbourtown Golf Links, Harbourtown Yacht Basin and Calibogue Sound.

Active families enjoy eco-kayak or stand-up paddle boarding tours through salt marsh estuaries, where naturalists and photographers have frequent sightings of bald eagles, hawks and osprey.

Thrill seekers will enjoy a visit to Zip Line Hilton Head for an adventuresome canopy tour. Dolphin sightseeing tours, sailing trips, parasailing, waterskiing and tubing are especially popular.

A custom pirate ship is outfitted for a

pirate adventure tour. Sport fishing charters, night shark trips and a catamaran sunset cruise are also available.

A boat trip to Daufuskie Island offers a glimpse of what other sea islands were like before bridges and causeways opened them to development.

Most native residents of the island are descendants of freed slaves, who have made their living oystering and fishing for decades.

Family-oriented singer, songwriter Gregg Russell can be found performing beneath the famous Liberty Tree six nights per week throughout the summer season.

At Lawton Stables a guided trail ride through the scenic Sea Pines Forest Preserve is offered. Young children will treasure a visit with Callie, the island’s pet deer.

A visit to Coligny Beach is an open invitation for people watching, where the flip flop-tapping rhythm of steel drums and Jimmy Buffet songs sets a casual mood.

Jennifer Moscar of Atlanta, who is for-

merly of Bluffton, took photographs of chocolate ice cream mustaches on her two young children as they splashed and danced through the water spouts in the Coligny Beach Fountains.

Thousands of family’s annually enjoy Harbourfest at Shelter Cove, where Shannon Tanner has entertained audiences for the past 25 years. Live entertainment, bouncy houses, food, arts and crafts, and a Tuesday evening fireworks display are featured.

For the Freeland family of Rochester, New York, an afternoon at Islander Beach was an opportunity to construct an elaborate sand castle of a giant alligator, drawing admiration from a family of four on Fat Tire bicycles out for an evening ride along the shore.

Many families also enjoy championship caliber golf, tennis, cycling and miniature golf. Others relax during a game of bocce or kite flying. A children’s museum, video arcade, bowling alley and several movie theaters are also available. 

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■ FISHING

fishing

SOME OF THE BEST

ON THE EAST COAST

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Fishing Tournament

BY LISA J. ALLEN | PHOTOS BY ARNO DIMMLING

F

ishing is so good around Hilton Head and Bluffton because twice a day the ocean and its occupants come to us, awash in 8-foot tides.

That‘s the short version.

The longer version is that the shoreline at Beaufort County funnels a lot of ocean water into a narrow area, so it has to go up rather than out. That compacted water energy digs deeper channels like the Broad and May rivers and flows over a lot of land mass, creating hundreds of square miles of salt marsh. Half of Beaufort County is salt marsh and the county counts for half of the state‘s total salt marsh.

All that salt marsh might mean different things to painters, photographers and kayakers, but to fishermen it means being able to jump in your boat and within sight of the dock, pull out cobia, red drum, red fish, grouper, flounder, sharks and tarpon.

Fish love Beaufort County as much as we do.

It‘s a prime spawning area for hundreds of sea creatures, from oysters and shrimp to loggerhead turtles and dolphins. They like deep, salty water and thanks to the Port Royal Sound, we have those conditions in abundance.

“This area has high salinity water.

We don’t have any freshwater fishing in Beaufort County,” said Al Stokes, manager of the Waddell Maricultural Center, a S.C. Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources field station in Bluffton.

Recreational fishing is the state‘s bread and butter, said David Harter, president of the Hilton Head Island Sportsfishing Club.

“Commercial fishing accounts for only 10 percent of the economic fis ing impact in South Carolina,” Harter said. ”The rest comes from recreational fishing.

Stokes said recreational fishing in South Carolina is nearing a $1 billion industry.

At the center of it is Waddell, the East Coast’s research center for cobia and red drum.

“One in 10 of the red drum caught in this area came from the maricultural center,” Stokes said. “It shows that we play a robust role in the local fisheries.

Robert Wiggers, a DNR fisheries biologist, said red drum is so popular because “they are fairly easy to catch, put up a great fight and make excellent table fare. Spotted sea trout and flounder are next for basically the same reasons.”

The area is also huge for cobia, as seen with the very popular fishing tournaments sponsored each May by various local businesses.

“Eight-five percent of the cobia caught in the state come from the Port Royal Sound area,” Stokes said.

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■ FISHING

BAIT, TACKLE SHOPS Skull Creek

“Cobia concentrate in this area,” Wiggers said, “and the techniques employed to catch them are relatively easy to learn. Plus, you don’t necessarily need a big boat.”

WHY HILTON HEAD AND BLUFFTON ARE THE BEST PLACES TO FISH “The draw to this area is the Port Royal Sound,” Harter said. “We don’t have rivers from the mountains. It’s all part of the ocean and those marshes go all the way to I-95. It’s the spawning ground for a lot of fish. In the spring, you’ll see up to 200 boats in the Sound are looking for cobia. And each year, people spend $160 million chasing red drum in South Carolina.”

The area also is known for its variety of sharks, from tiger and bull sharks to hammerheads.

“We are the best shark fisheries on the coast,” Harter said, adding that the deep rivers emptying into the sound and the very pristine waters keep all kinds of fish species coming back.

“We have the bulk of the outstanding resource waters in the state,” Harter said, referring to national waterquality rating.

“In terms of inshore species, red drum and spotted sea trout are the most popular and the southern part of the state seems to be consistently better for these species,” Wiggers said.

“The Hilton Head Island, Bluftton and Beaufort areas have less pressure than say the Charleston area. Less pressure usually means better fishing.

“In May, Hilton Head and Beaufort, specifically the Broad River, Port Royal and St. Helena, are the places to go for catching cobia inshore. The southern part of the state also has the best inshore tar-

Blue Water Bait & Tackle ...............

Coligny Truevalue Hardware .........

Hilton Head Boathouse .................

Lowcountry Outfitter ....................

Mid-Island Bait & Tackle ................

Palmetto Bay Water Sports............

Shelter Cove Harbour ....................

South Beach Sport Fishing ............

843-671-3060 843-785-2429 843-681-9557 843-837-6100 843-681-2556 843-785-2345 843-842-7001 843-671-3060

FISHING CHARTERS Broad Creek Marina ......................

Bulldog Fishing Charters...............

Capt. Hook Party Boat ...................

Dolphin Discoveries ......................

Drifter Excursions ..........................

Fishin’ Coach Charters ...................

Hilton Head Outfitter ...................

Island Marine ................................

Live Oac .........................................

Lowcountry Charter Fishing...........

Off The Hook Fishing ....................

Outside Hilton Head .....................

Papa Bear Charters ........................

Runaway Fishing Charters .............

Sea Wolf Charters ..........................

Shelter Cove Marina ......................

Southern Drawl Outfitter .............

843-681-3625 843-422-0887 843-785-1700 843-684-1911 843-363-2900 843-757-2126 866-380-1783 843-681-2628 888-254-8362 843-816-4441 843-298-4376 843-686-6996 843-816-3474 843-384-6511 843-525-1174 843-842-7001 843-705-6010

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FISHING ■ pon fishing from June through September. Additionally, these areas have more inshore areas in the form of expansive estuaries to fish, especially when compared to areas north of Georgetown.”

HOW TO KEEP THIS AREA GREAT FOR FISHING The area has done well to fend off industrial neighbors, but the risk comes from the sheer number of people who want to live here.

“Urban sprawl is the biggest threat to coastal habitats, but that is out of the hands of many people on an individual basis,” Wiggers said. “Individually, there are many things people can do to preserve habitat. Recycle oyster shell, mind their boat wakes, especially in small tidal creeks where the wake can damage shoreline, etc. What it comes down to is people need to become educated on ‘best practices’ for maintaining habitat and good water quality.”

Harter suggests buying a fishing license, even if you don’t fish because the fees fund places like Waddell.

Harter is also careful to reminder his club’s 150 members to follow the rules put in place to protect the fish populations. Don’t keep fish you’re not supposed to.

There is a good reason for that.

For example, unregulated fishing nearly decimated red drum in 1980s.

Harter partly blames New Orleans celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme’s blackened red fish recipe that was wildly popular at restaurants around the country. It fueled a regional red drum frenzy to supply dinner tables.

“When he came out with that recipe there were no restrictions,” Harter said. “They ran gill nets. Red drum have site fidelity, so once you clean out an area, none come back.”

Since then, Waddell had raised and released millions of the fish along the S.C. coast to help the fishery recover. Their efforts are working, Stokes said.

Not only is following fishing rules good for the fish, it’s good for fishermen, too.

“If they catch you coming in with an illegal fish, they can take your boat, trailer and the car pulling it,” Harter said. “There are some pretty hefty fines on top of that and if you can’t pay them on the spot, you might spend the night in Beaufort County jail.”

So it’s simple. Follow the rules and enjoy some of the best fishing in the country.

Thanks, Port Royal Sound. 

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■ CULTURE

culture

EXPERIENCE THE

Hilton Head Symphony 44 VACATION GUIDE Orchestra

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CULTURE ■

BY MICHAEL PASKEVICH

PHOENIX FEATHER PHOTOGRAPHY

C

onsider the typical visitor, on the island for a quick getaway and often intent on chasing golf balls, surviving beach bike rambles and maybe savoring an evening libation or two listening to Jimmy Buffett cover tunes at some torch-lighted island eatery.

Cool. We can do that. And very well, thank you.

But, as so many can attest, today’s tourist often becomes tomorrow’s year-round resident, and once they get past “Margaritaville” they’ll discover local musicians playing original rock, blues and electronic dance music in venues that are off the beaten path and bear no artistic connection to Mr. B or the hormonefueled Barmuda Triangle.

World-class musicians work nightly at the Jazz Corner, serving up swing, trad-jazz standards and rhythm & blues for more seasoned locals and visitors, but if you’re in the mood for much older classics track down the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, now in its 34th season playing at First Presbyterian Church.

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Arts Center of Coastal Carolina

There’s also the well-regarded Hilton Head Choral Society and the well-attended International Piano Competition that draws some of the world’s finest young players to First Presbyterian. And the Hilton Head Dance Theater further bolsters our cultural credibility.

The Heritage Golf Tournament remains our biggest tourist (and traffic) draw, but soon-arriving data will show that visitors counts for productions at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina have pushed that venue firmly into second place. “I always enjoy going

JORDAN STURM PHOTOGRAPHY

ART GALLERIES

Art League of Hilton Head ................................ 843-681-5060 Artist Uncorked ................................................. 843-837-4700 Arts Center of Coastal Carolina ......................... 843-686-3945 Camellia Art ...................................................... 843-785-3535 Fastframe ......................................................... 843-342-7696 Four Corners Art Gallery - Bluffton ................... 843-757-8185 Gullah Sweetgrass Basket Gallery .................... 843-304-4178 J Costello Gallery.............................................. 843-686-6550 Jacob Preston Pottery - Bluffton ....................... 843-757-3084 Karis Art Gallery ................................................ 843-785-5100 Maye River Gallery – Bluffton ........................... 843-757-2633 Red Piano/Morris & Whiteside Galleries .......... 843-842-4433 Old Town Vintage Posters – Bluffton ................ 843-837-3311 Picture This Gallery ........................................... 843-842-5299 Pink House Gallery ........................................... 843-681-5169 Pluff Mudd Art – Bluffton ................................. 843-757-5590 Smith Galleries ................................................. 843-842-2280 Society of Bluffton Artists ................................. 843-757-6586

MUSEUMS

Coastal Discovery Museum .............................. 843-689-6767 Gullah Museum................................................ 843-681-3254 Heyward House – Bluffton................................ 843-757-6293 The Sandbox .................................................... 843-842-7645

THEATRE Arts Center of Coastal Carolina ......................... 843-686-3945 Main Street Youth Theatre................................ 843-689-6246 May River Theatre Co. - Bluffton ....................... 843-815-5581 South Carolina Repertory Company ................. 843-342-2057

46 VACATION GUIDE

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to plays at the Arts Center because you get such highquality productions performed in such an intimate setting,” said long-time island resident Isabel Mangan. Folks looking for more progressive one-act productions can turn to South Carolina Repertory where Hank Haskell and spouse seat barely 70 patrons in a tiny theater on Beach City Road.

The Art League of Hilton Head, which shares space with the Arts Center, displays all manner of paintings, jewelry and artworks on a rotating basis and there’s a growing roster of smaller galleries scattered about the island.

Our museum scene is anchored by the pastoral Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn just as financing continues to grow toward creating a full-fledged Gullah Museum that truly celebrates our diverse culture.

“Years ago this was just a beach town,” said Sheri Sternitzke, chairman of the Main Street Theater that incorporates non-equity actors aged five to 82 for its annual productions. “Now we’re becoming year-round and I think a lot of people are amazed by how much we now have to offer. And there’s going to be more to come.”

No doubt this short-form essay has excluded deserving additions, but here’s a tip for a more encompassing look at island cultural offerings: The Arts and Cultural Council of Hilton Head operates a website/calendar about upcoming events in almost every category. 

PHOENIX FEATHER PHOTOGRAPHY

CULTURE ■

Hilton Head Choral Society

The Shore Notes

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■ SHOPPING

GO

shopping

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SHOPPING ■

BY JEREMY GRACE PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN

S

earching for a unique Lowcountry treasure? It can be found at one of the many unique and eclectic shops of Hilton Head Island and Bluffton.

Shopping is a favorite activity here, with more than 200 outlet shops, six marina villages, numerous boutiques and many popular retail chains. Spend some time exploring and you will find something special. We truly have something for everyone.

THE SOUTH END Coligny Plaza (One North Forest Beach Drive): The south end of the island is the heart of the vacation area. The very first shopping center on the island and a perennial favorite is Coligny Plaza at the intersection of Pope Avenue and North Forest Beach. Considered Hilton Head’s “downtown” there are more than 60 stores, 15 restaurants and a unique movie theatre that shows mostly independent films. Candy, T-shirts, and great apparel are there along with groceries, restaurants and a hardware store.

Harbour Town Shops (149 Lighthouse Road): At the landmark destination of Harbour Town, the scenery is picture-perfect, the backdrop vividly stunning yet, in addition to the incredible views at every turn, Harbour Town is also an incredible shopping destination, with over 20 boutiques, galleries and gift shops. Shaded red rocking chairs along the harbour encourage you to rest and recharge, perhaps with an ice cream cone or your favorite beverage.

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■ SHOPPING

SHOPPING CENTERS - HILTON HEAD THE SOUTH END (continued) The Shops at Sea Pines Center (71 Lighthouse Road): An interesting variety of customized retail shops and boutiques with a mix of top-quality jewelry, resort casual men’s and women’s clothing, decorative accessories, antiques as well as a fullservice day spa. Sea Pines’ only gas station is located at the east entrance and a post office is nestled within the promenade.

South Beach Marina Village (232 South Sea Pines Drive): Located at the southern tip of Hilton Head Island, this unique shopping center has a quaint New England feel to it. It is home to seven shops, including the popular Salty Dog T-Shirt Factory.

On most days you can also enjoy live entertainment.

The Village at Wexford (1000 William Hilton Parkway): This upscale center boasts 30 retail shops, restaurants and services.

Most are locally owned, small businesses. Some merchants have been on the island for more than 30 years. Each Wednesday is “W@W” which stands for Wednesday at Wexford. That is the day reserved for special events, offers and demonstrations from many of the shops.

Beach Market.................................

Bridge Shops .................................

Circle Center, HHI..........................

Coligny Plaza .................................

Crossroads Shopping Center.........

Festival Center ...............................

Fountain Center.............................

Fresh Market Shoppes...................

Gallery of Shops ............................

Harbour Town ................................

Heritage Plaza ...............................

Hilton Head Plaza..........................

Island Crossings Shopping Center Main Street Village ........................

Northridge Plaza............................

Orleans Plaza .................................

Palmetto Bay Marina .....................

Park Plaza ......................................

Pineland Station ............................

Plantation Center ..........................

Port Royal Plaza .............................

Sea Pines Center ...........................

Shelter Cove Harbour ....................

Shelter Cove Plaza .........................

Shelter Cove Towne Centre ...........

Shipyard Galleria ...........................

South Beach Marina Village ..........

South Island Square ......................

Village at Wexford .........................

Village Exchange ...........................

2 North Forest Beach Drive 24 Palmetto Bay Road 70 Pope Avenue 1 North Forest Beach Drive 40 Palmetto Bay Road 45 Pembroke Drive 55 New Orleans Road 890 William Hilton Parkway 14 Greenwood Drive 149 Lighthouse Road 81 Pope Avenue 7 Greenwood Drive 11 Palmetto Bay Road 1411 Main Street 435 William Hilton Parkway 37 New Orleans Road 86 Helmsman Way 33 Office Park Road 430 William Hilton Parkway 807 William Hilton Parkway 95 Matthews Drive 71 Lighthouse Road Harbourside Lane 32 Shelter Cove Lane 40 Shelter Cove Lane 1 New Orleans Road 232 South Sea Pines Drive 841 William Hilton Parkway 1000 William Hilton Parkway 32 Palmetto Bay Road

SHOPPING CENTERS - BLUFFTON

Shelter Cove Harbour

MID-ISLAND Shelter Cove Harbour (Shelter Cove Lane): With a beautiful Mediterranean waterfront village setting, this is one of Hilton Head’s most popular spots. It is located directly across from the entrance to Palmetto Dunes Resort and offers specialty stores, a salon, art galleries and many popular restaurants with awesome views of Broad Creek.

Belfair Town Village .......................

Berkeley Place ...............................

Bluffton Commons Belfair .........

TANGER OUTLETSat 2 Bridge Center ................................

Kitty’s Crossing ..............................

Moss Creek Village ........................

Old Town Bluffton..........................

The Promenade .............................

Tanger Factory Outlet I ..................

Tanger Factory Outlet II .................

71 Towne Drive 102 Buckwalter Parkway 20 Baylor Drive 1540 Fording Island Road 1008 Fording Island Road 1533 Fording Island Road Calhoun Street Promenade Street 1270 Fording Island Road 1414 Fording Island Road

The Plaza at Shelter Cove (50 Shelter Cove Lane): This shopping center is home to many locally owned landmarks, including Outside Hilton Head. It is also home to medical and real estate professionals, a nail salon, a liquor store and features popular national chains such as TJ Maxx and Whole Foods.

Shelter Cove Towne Centre (40 Shelter Cove Lane): The former Mall at Shelter Cove has been transformed into this new shopping center overlooking Broad Creek. The village features 290,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space surrounded by natural amenities and luxury residences.

It is a joint venture between Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial and Kroger Real Estate.

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SHOPPING ■

Main Street Village

Tanger Factory Outlet II

NORTH END TANGER OUTLETS 2 Pineland Station (430 William Hilton Parkway): Located at the intersection of William Hilton Parkway and Mathews Drive, this shopping center includes restaurants, shops and other services. A duck pond in its center is popular to both locals and visitors.

Main Street Village (1500 Main Street): Each building has a different style and this very walkable area is reminiscent of Main Street in a small town. Here you can find great restaurants, handmade crafts, gift items, salon services, and more.

Festival Center (145 Pembroke Drive): Here you can find big stores like Walmart, Publix and Barnes & Noble with some smaller offerings like Wildbirds Unlimited, Tuesday Morning and Pier One Imports.

BLUFFTON Off island, or the mainland, is where Tanger Outlets 1 and 2 are located (1270 and 1414 Fording Island Road). Because you are making your purchases directly from the manufacturer and avoiding the middleman, brand name merchandise can be purchased at up to 70 percent below retail prices. Looking for something very unique? Head to Old Town Bluffton.

Comprised of one-square mile, Old Town Bluffton includes Calhoun Street, which runs from scenic Highway 46 to the May River, and the newly built, but looks old, Promenade. This is a fun and interesting area to shop. Calhoun Street is home to the Bluffton Farmer’s Market, where you can find beautiful produce and locally made baked goods and other treats every Thursday afternoon.  SPRING 2015 51

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lowcountry

dining

GUIDE 52 VACATION hiltonheadmonthly.com

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DINING ■

WANT TO BE LISTED?

Listings are fluid and heavily dependent on your help; to submit or update email editor@hiltonheadmonthly.com BBreakfast LLunch DDinner OOpen Late SSunday Brunch

HILTON HEAD

Ruby Lee’s: 46 Wild Horse Road. 843-681-7829.

LDS

Atlanta Bread Company: 45 Pembroke Drive 843-342-2253. BLD

Skull Creek Boathouse: 397 Squire Pope Road.

843-681-3663. DO

Bella Italia Bistro and Pizza: 95 Mathews Drive in Port Royal Plaza. 843-689-5560. LD

Starbucks: 430 William Hilton Pkway in Pineland Station, 843-689-6823.

Carolina Café: The Westin Resort, Port Royal Plantation. 843-681-4000, ext. 7045. BLD

Street Meet: 95 Mathews Drive in Port Royal Plaza.

843-842-2570. LDO

Chart House: 2 Hudson Road. 843-342-9066. LD

Sunset Grille: 43 Jenkins Island Road. 843-6896744. LDOS

NORTH END

Crazy Crab (north): 104 William Hilton Parkway, 843-681-5021, www.thecrazycrab.com. LD Fiesta Fresh Mexican Grill (north): 95 Mathews Drive. 843-342-8808. BLD Frankie Bones: 1301 Main Street. 843-682-4455.

LDS French Bakery: 430 William Hilton Parkway in Pineland Station. 843-342-5420. BL Hudson’s on the Docks: 1 Hudson Road. 843-6812772. www.hudsonsonthedocks.com. LD Il Carpaccio: 430 William Hilton Parkway in Pineland Station. 843-342-9949. www.ilcarpaccioofhiltonhead. com. LD Main Street Café: 1411 Main Street Village. 843689-3999. LDS Mangiamo!: 2000 Main Street. 843-682-2444.

LD Munchies: 1407 Main St. 843-785-3354. LD New York City Pizza: 45 Pembroke Dr. 843-6892222. LD OKKO: 95 Mathews Dr. 843-341-3377. LD Old Fort Pub: 65 Skull Creek Drive. 843-681-2386.

DS Outback Steakhouse: 20 Hatton Place. 843-6814329. LD Pan Fresco Ole: 55 Matthews Dr. 843-681-5989.

LD Plantation Café and Deli: 95 Mathews Drive. 843342-4472. BL Reilley’s Grill and Bar (north): 95 Mathews Drive. 843-681-4153. LDSO Relish Cafe: 430 William Hilton Parkway, Pineland Station. 843-342-4800.

Tapas: 95 Mathews Drive, Suite B5, Hilton Head Island. 843-681-8590. D TJ’s Take and Bake Pizza: 35 Main Street. 843681-2900. LD

Carolina Seafood House: Hilton Head Island Beach and Tennis Resort, 40 Folly Field Road. 843842-0084. D Coco’s On The Beach: 663 William Hilton Parkway; also located at beach marker 94A. 843-842-2626.

LD CocoNutz Sportz Bar: Hilton Head Island Beach and Tennis Resort, 40 Folly Field Road. 843-8420043 DO Conroy’s: Hilton Head Marriott Beach and Golf Resort, Palmetto Dunes. 843-686-8499. DS Dye’s Gullah Fixin’s: 840 William Hilton Parkway, Atrium Building. 843-681-8106, www.dyesgullahfi ins.com. LD

Turtles Beach Bar & Grill: 2 Grasslawn Avenue at the Westin Resort. 843-843-681-4000. LDO

ELA’s Blu Water Grille: 1 Shelter Cove Lane in Shelter Cove Harbour. 843-785-3030. www.elasgrille.com. LD

WiseGuys Restaurant and Lounge: 1513 Main Street. 843-842-8866. DO

Flora’s Italian Cafe: 841 William Hilton Parkway in South Island Square. 843-842-8200. D

Yummy House: 2 Southwood Park Drive. 843-6815888. LD

Gator’z Pizza: HHI Beach & Tennis Resort. 843-8420004. D

HILTON HEAD

Giuseppi’s Pizza and Pasta: 32 Shelter Cove Lane in Shelter Cove. 843-785-4144. LD

MID-ISLAND

843: 890 William Hilton Parkway, Fresh Market Shoppes. 843-686-8843. LD Alexander’s: 76 Queens Folly Road. 843-785-4999.

LD Alfred’s: 807 William Hilton Parkway, #1200, in Plantation Center, 843-341-3117, www.alfredsofhiltonhead.com D Arthur’s Grille: Arthur Hills course, Palmetto Dunes. 843-785-1191. LD Big Jim’s BBQ, Burgers and Pizza: Robert Trent Jones course, Palmetto Dunes. 843-785-1165. LD Bistro 17: 17 Harbourside Lane in Shelter Cove. 843785-5517. www.bistro17hhi.com. LD Bonefish 890 William Hilton Parkway. 843-3413772. LD Carrabba’s Italian Grill: 14 Folly Field Drive. 843785-5007. LD Café at the Marriott: Oceanside at Marriott Beach and Golf Resort, Palmetto Dunes. 843-686-8488.

BL

Harold’s Diner: 641 William Hilton Parkway. 843842-9292. BL HH Prime: Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort in Palmetto Dunes. 843-842-8000. BLDS Island Bagel & Deli: South Island Square. 843686-3353. BL Jamaica Joe’z Beach Bar: Hilton Head Island Beach and Tennis Resort, 40 Folly Field Road. 843842-0044.

La Fontana Grill & Pizzeria: 13 Harbourside Lane, Shelter Cove. 843-785-3300. LDO Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar: 841 William Hilton Pkwy, Unit A, South Island Square. 843-681-3474. www.luckyroosterhhi.com. DO Mediterranean Harbour: 13 Harbourside Lane, Unit B, Shelter Cove Harbour. 843-842-9991, mediterraneanharbour.com. DO New York City Pizza: 45 Pembroke Dr., Ste. 105.

843-689-2229. LD Old Oyster Factory: 101 Marshland Road. 843681-6040. www.oldoysterfactory.com DO SPRING 2015 53

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DINING ■

Orange Leaf: 38 Shelter Cove Lane, 843-6895323, orangeleafyogurt.com.

Bomboras Grille: 101 A/B Pope Avenue, Coligny Plaza. 843-689-2662 LDO

Fiesta Fresh Mexican Grill: 51 New Orleans Road.

843-785-4788. LD

Pazzo: 807 William Hilton Parkway in Plantation Center. 843-842-9463. LD

Bayley’s: 130 Shipyard Drive. Sonesta Resort. 843842-2400. BD

FlatBread Grill: 2 North Forest Beach Drive, 843341-2225, flatbreadgrillhhi.com.

Pelican’s Point Seafood & Steakhouse: 18 Harbourside Lane in Shelter Cove. 843-785-4442. www.kingfisherseafood.com. DO

British Open Pub: 1000 William Hilton Parkway D3 in the Village at Wexford. 843-686-6736. LDO

French Kiss Bakery: Coligny Plaza, 1 North Forest Beach Drive. 843-687-5471. BL

Bullies BBQ: 3 Regents Pkwy. 843-686-7427. LD

Poseidon: 38 Shelter Cove Lane, Shelter Cove Towne Centre. 843-341-3838, poseidonhhi.com LDO

Callahan’s Sports Bar & Grill: 49 New Orleans Road. 843-686-7665. LDO

Frozen Moo: Coligny Plaza, 1 North Forest Beach Drive. 843-842-3131

Ruan Thai Cuisine I: 81 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island. 843-785-8575. LD Scott’s Fish Market Restaurant and Bar: 17 Harbour Side Lane. 843-785-7575. D San Miguel’s: 9 Shelter Cove Lane in Shelter Cove Harbour. 843-842-4555. www.sanmiguels.com. LD Santa Fe Café: 807 William Hilton Parkway in Plantation Center. 843-785-3838. LD Sea Grass Grille: 807 William Hilton Parkway. 843785-9990. LD Starbucks: 32 Shelter Cove Lane. 843-842-4090

Captain Woody’s: 6 Target Road. 843-785-2400. www.captainwoodys.com. LDO Carolina Crab Company: 86 Helmsman Way, Palmetto Bay Marina. 843-842-2016 LD Casey’s Sports Bar and Grille: 37 New Orleans Road. 843-785-2255. LDO Catch 22: 37 New Orleans Plaza. 843-785-6261. D Charbar Co.: 33 Office Park Rd., Suite 213. Park Plaza, 843-85-CHAR (2427).

Charlie’s L’Etoile Verte: 8 New Orleans Road. 843785-9277. www.charliesgreenstar.com.D

Up the Creek Pub & Grill: Broad Creek Marina, 18 Simmons Road. 843-681-3625. LDO

Chow Daddy’s: 14B Executive Park Road, Hilton Head Island, 843-842-CHOW, chowdaddys.com.

XO Lounge: Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort in Palmetto Dunes. 843-341-8080.

Coast: Sea Pines Beach Club. 843-842-1888 LD

YoAddiction!: 890 William Hilton Parkway. 843341-3335

HILTON HEAD

Coligny Deli & Grill: Coligny Plaza. 843-785-4440.

LD Corks Neighborhood Wine Bar: 11 Palmetto Bay Road. 843-671-7783. LD

SOUTH END

CQ’s: 140A Lighthouse Lane.

843-671-2779. LD

Amigos Cafe y Cantina: 70 Pope Avenue. 843785-8226. LD

Crane’s Tavern and Steakhouse: 26 New Orleans Road. 843-341-2333. D

Angler’s Beach Market Grill: 2 North Forest Beach Dr., 843-785-3474. LD

Crazy Crab (Harbour Town): 149 Lighthouse Road. 843-363-2722. LD

Annie O’s: 124 Arrow Road. 843-341-2664. LD Asian Bistro: 51 New Orleans Road. 843-686-9888.

LD

DelisheeeYo: 32 Palmetto Bay Road in the Village Exchange. 843-785-3633. www.delisheeeyo.com.

Aunt Chilada’s Easy Street Cafe: 69 Pope Avenue. 843-785-7700. LD

Daniel’s Restaurant and Lounge: 2 North Forest Beach Drive. 843-341-9379. www.danielshhi.com.

LD

Beach Break Grill: 24 Palmetto Bay Road, Suite F. 843-785-2466. LD

Dough Boys: 1-B New Orleans Road. 843-686BOYS. doughboyshhi.com. LD

Bess’ Delicatessen and Catering: 55 New Orleans Road, Fountain Center. 843-785-5504. www. bessdeli.com. BL

DryDock: 21 Office Park Road. 843-842-9775.

LDO

Big Bamboo Cafe: 1 North Forest Beach Drive, Coligny Plaza. 843-686-3443, www.bigbamboocafe. com.

Black Marlin Bayside Grill and Hurricane Bar: 86 Helmsman Way in Palmetto Bay Marina. 843785-4950. LDS

Earle of Sandwich Pub: 1 North Forest Beach Drive in Coligny Plaza. 843-785-7767. LD Electric Piano: 33 Office Park Road. 843-785-5399.

O Fat Baby’s: 1034 William Hilton Parkway. 843-8424200. LD

Frosty Frog Cafe: 1 North Forest Beach in Coligny Plaza. 843-686-3764. LDO Gringo’s Diner: E-5, Coligny Plaza. 843-785-5400.

Gruby’s New York Deli: 890 William Hilton Parkway in the Fresh Market Shoppes. 843-8429111. BL Harbourside Burgers and Brews: Harbour Town, Sea Pines Resort, 843-842-1444, www.seapines. com. LD Harbour Town Bakery and Cafe: Harbour Town, Sea Pines. 843-363-2021. BL Heyward’s: 130 Shipyard Drive. Sonesta Resort.

843-842-2400. BD Hilton Head Diner: 6 Marina Side Drive. 843-6862400. BLDO Hilton Head Brewing Company: 7C Greenwood Drive (Reilley’s Plaza), Hilton Head Plaza. 843-7853900. www.hhbrewingco.com.LD Hilton Head Ice Cream: 55 New Orleans Road, #114. 843-852-6333.

Hinchey’s Chicago Bar and Grill: 36 South Forest Beach Drive. 843-686-5959. LDO Hinoki of Kurama: 37 New Orleans Road. 843785-9800. LD Holy Tequila: 33 Office Park Rd., Suite 228. 843681-8226. LD Hugo’s Seafood & Steakhouse: 841 William Hilton Parkway. 843-785-HUGO. LD It’s Greek To Me: 11 Lagoon Road in Coligny Plaza.

843-842-4033. LDO Java Burrito Company: 1000 William Hilton Pkwy.

843-842-5282. BLD Java Joe’s: 101 Pope Avenue in Coligny Plaza. 843686- 5282. BLDO Jazz Corner: Village at Wexford. 843-842-8620.

DO Jump and Phil’s Bar and Grill: 7 Greenwood Drive, Suite 3B. 843-785-9070. LDO Kenny B’s French Quarter Cafe: 70 Pope Avenue in Circle Center. 843-785-3315. BLDS Jersey Mike’s: 11 Palmetto Bay Rd., Island Crossing. 843-341-6800.

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Kurama Japanese Steak and Seafood House: 9 Palmetto Bay Road. 843-785-4955. D

Pino Gelato: 1000 William Hilton Parkway, Village at Wexford. 843-8422822.

La Hacienda: 11 Palmetto Bay Road.

843-842-4982. LD

Plantation Café and Deli (south): 81 Pope Avenue in Heritage Plaza.

843-785-9020. BL

Land’s End Tavern: South Beach Marina, Sea Pines. 843-671-5456.

BLD

Pomodori: 1 New Orleans Road.

843-686-3100. D

Links: Harbour Town Golf Links Clubhouse, Sea Pines. 843-3638380, linksamericangrill.com

The Porch: Beach House hotel. One South Forest Beach Drive. 843-7855126. BLD

Live Oak: 100 North Sea Pines Drive, 843-842-1441, liveoaklowcountrycuisine.com

Porter & Pig: 1000 William Hilton Parkway, The Village at Wexford. 843715-3224. www.porter-pig.com D

Lowcountry Backyard: 32 Palmetto Bay Road at The Village Exchange. 843-785-9273. BLD

Quarterdeck: 149 Lighthouse Road, Harbour Town, Sea Pines. 843-8421999. LDO

Lodge Beer and Growler Bar: 7B Greenwood Drive, Hilton Head Plaza.

843-842-8966. DO

Red Fish: 8 Archer Road. 843-6863388. www.redfishofhiltonhead.com.

LD

Mellow Mushroom: 33 Office Park Road in Park Plaza. 843-686-2474. www.mellowmushroom.com. LDO

Reilley’s Grill and Bar (south): 7D Greenwood Drive. 843-842-4414.

LDO

Mi Tierra (Hilton Head): 130 Arrow Rd. 843-342-3409. LD

Rita’s Italian Ice: 1 North Forest Beach Drive, Coligny Plaza. 843-6862596, ritasice.com.

Market Street Cafe: 12 Coligny Plaza. 843-686-4976. LD Marley’s Island Grille: 35 Office Park Road in Park Plaza. 843-6865800. DO Michael Anthony’s: 37 New Orleans Road. 843-785-6272, michael-anthonys.com.

New York City Pizza: 81 Pope Avenue. 843-842-2227. LD Nick’s Steak & Seafood: 9 Park Lane. 843-686-2920. D Ombra Cucina Rustica: Village at Wexford. 843-842-5505. www. ombrahhi.com. D One Hot Mama’s: 7 Greenwood Drive, Hilton Head Plaza. 843-6826262. LDSO Palmetto Bay Sunrise Café: 86 Helmsman Way in Palmetto Bay Marina. 843-686-3232. BL Philly’s Café and Deli: 102 Fountain Center, New Orleans Road.

843-785-9966. L

Salty Dog Cafe: South Beach Marina Village, Sea Pines Resort.

843-671-7327. www.saltydog.com.

LD Sage Room: 81 Pope Avenue, Heritage Plaza. 843-785-5352. D Sea Shack: 6 Executive Park Drive.

843-785-2464. LD Signals Lounge: 130 Shipyard Drive, Sonesta Resort. 843-842-2400.

Signe’s Bakery & Cafe: 93 Arrow Road. 843-785-9118. BLS Skillets Café: Coligny Plaza. 843785-3131. BLD The Smokehouse: 34 Palmetto Bay Road. 843-842-4227. BLDO Smuthiland: 11 Palmetto Bay Rd. in Island Crossing shopping center.

843-842-9808.

Southern Coney & Breakfast: 70 Pope Avenue in Circle Center. 843689-2447. BL

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Spirit of Harbour Town: 843-843363-9026. www.vagabondcruise.com.

Stack’s Pancakes of Hilton Head: 2 Regency Parkway. 843-341-3347.

BLD Starbucks (south): 11 Palmetto Bay Road. 843-341-5477 Steamers: 28 Coligny Plaza. 843785-2070. LD Stellini:15 Executive Park Road.

843-785-7006. D

BLUFFTON Amigos Belfair (Bluffton): 133 Towne Drive. 843-815-8226. LD Backwater Bill’s: 20 Hampton Lake Drive. 843-875-5253. LDO Bluffton BBQ: 11 State of Mind Street. 843-757-7427, blufftonbbq. com. LD Bluffton Family Seafood House: 27 Dr. Mellichamp Drive. 843-7574010. LD

Stu’s Surfside: 1 North Forest Beach Drive, Coligny Plaza. 843-686-7873.

LD

The Bluffton Room: 15 Promenade Street, 843-757-3525, www.theblufftonroom.com D

The Studio: 20 Executive Park Road.

843-785-6000. D

The Brick Chicken: 1011 Fording Island Rd. in the Best Buy Shopping Center. 843-836-5040. LDO

Sweet Carolina Cupcakes: 1 N. Forest Beach Drive. 843-342-2611.

Tiki Hut: 1 South Forest Beach Drive at the Beach House. 843-785-5126.

OLD Topside Waterfront Restaurant: Harbour Town, Sea Pines. 843-8421999. D Trattoria Divina: 33 Office Park Rd. 843-686-4442. D Truffles Cafe (Sea Pines): 71 Lighthouse Road. Sea Pines Center. www.trufflescafe.com LD Urban Vegan: 86 Helmsman Way, Palmetto Bay Marina. 843-671-3474.

LD Vari Asian Seafood and Sushi Buffet: 840 William Hilton Pkwy.

843-785-9000. LD Vine: 1 North Forest Beach Drive in Coligny Plaza. 843-686-3900. LD Watusi: 71 Pope Avenue. 843-6865200. www.islandwatusi.com. BL Wild Wing Café: 72 Pope Avenue.

843-785-9464. LDO Wine and Cheese If You Please: 24 Palmetto Bay Rd. Suit G. 843-8421200.

Wreck of the Salty Dog: South Beach Marina Village, Sea Pines. 843671-7327. D YoAddiction!: 890 William Hilton Parkway. 843-341-3335

The British Open Pub: 1 Sherington Dr., Suite G, 843-8156736. LDO Buffalos Restaurant: 476 Mount Pelia Road inside Palmetto Bluff. 843706-6500. LD Cahill’s Market & Chicken Kitchen: 1055 May River Rd. 843757-2921. LD Captain Woody’s: 17 State of Mind Street in the Calhoun Street Promenade. 843-757-6222. www. captainwoodys.com. LDO The Carolina Tavern: 5 Godfrey Place. 843-757-9464. thecarolinatavern.com LD Cheeburger Cheeburger: 108 Buckwalter Parkway. 843-837-2433.

LD Chipotle: Tanger I Outlet Center.

843-836-2442, chipotle.com. LD Choo Choo BBQ Xpress: 129 Burnt Church Rd. 843-815-7675. LDO Claude & Uli’s Bistro: 1533 Fording Island Road. 843-837-3336.

LD Coconuts Bar & Grille: 39 Persimmon Street. 843-757-0602.

DO Corks Neighborhood Wine Bar: 1297 May River Road. 843-815-5168.

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Corner Perk Cafe: 1297 May River Road, Downtown. 843-816-5674, cornerperk.com. BL The Cottage Cafe, Bakery and Tea Room: 38 Calhoun Street. 843-757-0508. www.thecottagebluffton.com. BL

Longhorn: Inside Tanger I. 843-705-7001. LD Los Jalapeno’s Mexican Grill: The Bridge Center.

843-837-2333. LD Lowcountry Flower Girls: Berkeley Place. 843837-2253.

Crescent City Cafe: 4490 Bluffton Park Crescent, 843-757-7771, crescentcitycafe.us. LD

May River Grill: 1263 May River Road. 843-7575755. LD

Dolce Vita: 163 Bluffton Rd. Unit F. 843-815-6900, veritasbluffton.com. D

Mellow Mushroom: 33 Office Park Road in Park Plaza. 843-686-2474. www.mellowmushroom.com.

LDO

Downtown Deli: 27 Dr. Mellichamp Drive. 843815-5005. BL El Super Internacional: 33 Sherington Dr. 843815-8113. LD Firehouse Subs: 32 Malphrus Rd., #109. 843-8157827. LD Fiesta Fresh Mexican Grill: 876 Fording Island Road (Hwy. 278), Suite 1. 843-706-7280. LD Giuseppi’s Pizza and Pasta: 25 Bluffton Road.

843-815-9200. LD Hana Sushi and Japanese Fusion: 1534 Fording Island Road. 843-837-3388. www.hanasushifusion. com LD Hinchey’s Chicago Bar & Grill: 104 Buckwalter Place Suite 1A. 843-836-5909. LD HogsHead Kitchen and Wine Bar: 1555 Fording Island Rd. 843-837-4647.

Mi Tierra: 27 Dr. Mellichamp Drive. 843-757-7200.

LD Mi Tierrita: 214 Okatie Village Drive. 843-7050925. LD Moon Mi Pizza: 15 State of Mind Street. 843-7577007. LD Moe’s Southwest Grill: 3 Malphrus Road. 843837-8722. LD Mulberry Street Trattoria: 1476 Fording Island Road. 843-837-2426.LDS Napoli Ristorante and Pizzeria: 68 Bluffton Road, 843-706-9999. LD NEO: 326 Moss Creek Village. 843-837-5111. LD Old Town Dispensary: 15 Captains Cove. 843837-1893. LDO

Honeybaked Ham: 1060 Fording Island Road.

843-815-7388. BLD

Orobello’s Bistro & Pizzeria: 103 Buckwalter Place, Unit 108. 843-837-5637, www.orobellosbluffton.com. LDO

The Infield 9 Promenade St., Suite 1201-2, 843757-2999. LD

Outback Steakhouse: 100 Buckwalter Place. 843757-9888. LD

Island Bagel & Deli: Sheridan Park. 843-8155300. BL

Panda Chinese Restaurant: 25 Bluffton Road.

843-815-6790. LD

Jameson’s Charhouse: 671 Cypress Hills Drive, Sun City. 843-705-8200. LD

Pepper’s Porch: 1255 May River Road. 843-7572522. LD

Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q: 872 Fording Island Road.

843-706-9741. LD

Pino Gelato Gourmet Cafe: 1536 Fording Island Road (Bridge Center), Bluffton, 843-837-2633, pinogelatogourmetcafe.com. BLD

Katie O’Donald’s: 1008 Fording Island Road (Kittie’s Crossing). 843-815-5555. LDO Kelly’s Tavern: 11B Buckingham Plantation Drive.

843-837-3353. BLDO Kobe Japanese Restaurant: 30 Plantation Park Drive. 843-757-6688. LD

Plantation Cafe & Deli: 1532 Fording Island Road.

843-815-4445.

Pour Richard’s: 4376 Bluffton Parkway. 843-7571999. DO

The Pub at Old Carolina: 91 Old Carolina Road.

843-757-6844. D R Bar: 70 Pennington Drive. 843-757-7264. LD Red Fish: 32 Bruin Road, 843-837-8888. LD Red Stripes Caribbean Cuisine and Lounge: 8 Pin Oak Street. 843-757-8111. LDO River House Restaurant: 476 Mount Pelia Road in Palmetto Bluff. 843-706-6500. LD Ruan Thai Cuisine II: 26 Towne Drive, Belfair Town Village. 843-757-9479. LD Saigon Cafe: 1304 Fording Island Road. 843-8371800. BLD Sake House: G1017 Fording Island Road Ste 105.

843-706-9222. LD Sigler’s Rotisserie: 12 Sheridan Park Circle. 843815-5030. D Sippin’ Cow Cafe: 1230 May River Road. 843-7575051. BL Squat N’ Gobble: 1231 May River Road. 843-7574242. BLD Stooges Cafe: 25 Sherington Drive. 843-706-6178.

BL Truffles Cafe: 91 Towne Drive Belfair Towne Village.

843-815-5551. trufflescafe.com. LD Vineyard 55: 55 Calhoun Street. 843-757-9463. D Walnuts Café: 70 Pennington Drive in Sheridan Park. 843-815-2877. BLS Wild Wing Café (Bluffton): 1188 Fording Island Road. 843-837-9453. LD Zepplin’s Bar & Grill: Inside Station 300. 25 Innovation Dr. 843-815-2695. LDO Zoes Kitchen: Tanger I Outlet Center. 843-8375410. LD

DAUFUSKIE ISLAND Eagle’s Nest: 56 Fuskie Lane, Bloody Point, 843341-5522.

Marshside Mama’s Cafe: 15 Haig Point Road on County Landing. 843-785-4755. LD  editor@hiltonheadmonthly.com

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â– LODGING

WHERE TO

stay

PHOTO BY ARNO DIMMLING

V

The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa

BY JEREMY GRACE

isiting the Lowcountry? First you need to determine the right type of place to stay. There are a variety of accommodation types on Hilton Head Island. From intimate boutique inns to sprawling timeshare resorts, oceanfront rental homes and four and five-star hotels, accommodations on Hilton Head Island have enough variety to please every travel style and budget.

HOTELS

Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort

Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island

Usually located oceanfront, the full service hotel offers a wide array of services, housekeeping, room service, full service in house restaurants and a variety of shops, along with concierge services and various spas, recreational facilities and children’s activities. The Westin in Port Royal Plantation, Marriott and Omni in Palmetto Dunes Plantation, Sonesta in Shipyard Plantation and the Holiday Inn Beach House by Coligny circle are examples. Prices vary by the season.

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A number of Hilton Head hotels have just undergone major renovations, refreshing the look and feel of the popular resorts. The Westin underwent a $30 million renovation with an improved pool, deck and fitness studio.

The Sonesta also underwent a $30 million renovation resulting in an expanded pool deck and terrace surrounding a lagoon-style pool, a shade pool as well as new cabanas, outdoor beds and umbrellas.

Other major oceanfront resorts have recently completed extensive renovations, including the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Hotel’s $17 million renovation adding a third pool and renovations to all 323 guest rooms.

The Beach House completed a $5 million renovation of its 202 guest rooms and public spaces. The Hilton Head Marriott Resort and Spa underwent a renovation as well. Others resorts have plans to begin renovations in the near future.

If you are looking for something a bit smaller, boutique inns located in Sea Pines at Harbour Town and South Beach in Sea Pines offer the same level of service though a bit further from the beach, offer a charm all their own. Perfect for a romantic getaway or a peaceful week away.

Traditional chain hotel/motels are located mainly along the 278 corridor, and are outside of the plantations. Prices are lower than the full service hotels, but you will not have the same amenities as the larger resorts.

RENT A HOME Vacation home and villa rentals are available in most of the South End plantations. From ocean front homes and villas to off-the-beaten-path destinations you can decide based upon your budget and desired amenities, beach, tennis, golf, fis ing. Don’t be afraid of the larger 6-8 bedroom homes as they can be split by multiple families and the prices won’t work out as high as you might think.

Or, look for a vacation villa. Here, you can rent a fully furnished home, enjoy the extra space to spread out and the full size kitchen. If you are a tennis or golf lover, you can often rent a villa close to the course.

Several rental companies on the island specialize in helping you find the perfect vacation home, whether it is a cozy villa for one or two persons or a seven-bedroom spacious home for a family. Be sure to give them a call, they are very knowledgable to the different areas and can help you find the perfect rental.

In fact, it’s very common for families to use rental homes on Hilton Head Island as the perfect place for a family reunion where they enjoy the extra space, kitchen facilities and a personal pool.

Hilton Head rental homes can offer an oceanfront view, pet-friendly accommodations or condos and villas with golf course views. No matter your preference — hotel or rental home — there is something for everyone.  SPRING 2015 61

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■ REAL ESTATE

RELOCATE TO OUR

paradis

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REAL ESTATE ■

1. PEACE OF MIND As the world around us seems to get more turbulent, there is something very reassuring about living in Bluffton, Hilton Head or anywhere in between Beaufort and Savannah. Our world in the Lowcountry seems pretty darn normal, and for once, that is a really good thing.

2. NATURAL BEAUTY

dise

BY MARC FREY PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN

M

any Hilton Head Island and Bluffton residents were once visitors, like you.

They just never left. And why should you? The quality of life here is very high.

Here are 10 reasons why you should consider making this your new home.

There are only a few places in North America that can rival the beautiful surroundings we live in. Mother Nature blessed us with incredible beaches, pristine tidal creeks, calming marshes, pluff mud and Spanish moss. Great vision and planning allows us to live in harmony with all the natural beauty.

3. CLIMATE Winter here is unpredictable. It can be 80 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next.

Compared to the road-blocking snowstorms just a few hours to the north though, we’ve got it pretty good. Conditions greatly improve in April and stay really nice through the end of October. We also have many nice and sunny days November through March. You will have to travel south of Vero Beach to find warmer weather.

4. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY Direct flights from SAV now include 13 major destinations: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Memphis, Miami, NYC, Newark, Philadelphia and Washington. Within driving distance we can access three growing metropolitan areas — Atlanta, Charlotte and Jacksonville. We can escape to

acres and acres of nature in the rural areas of South Carolina and the charms of the mountains of North Carolina. We are nestled between the two most historic and architecturally beautiful cities in the south — Charleston and Savannah. With the widening of U.S. 17, access is becoming easier than ever.

5. GROWING ECONOMIC DIVERSITY We still heavily depend on the two main drivers of our economy — tourism and retirement. But new trends are emerging. Young people and families in their prime choose the Lowcountry as their nesting grounds. They bring with them their talents, ideas and energy; combined with the ability to work remotely, this will create a more diversified economic picture and will drive the median age down. The Don Ryan Center for Innovation (also referred to as Bluffton incubator) is just one example of how the region is actively trying to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship and make it part of what will drive the future.

6. SAVANNAH HOSTS 12 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR Savannah’s relatively recent surge as a major getaway destination will have a trickle-down effect for our regions as millions of people who haven fallen in love with the “Southern Charm” will be looking for a different experience and/or consider a longer vacation.

7. CULTURAL, RECREATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL CHOICES It was only 10 years ago when our choices were very fairly limited when it came to active sports, cultural and edu-

cational choices. No longer so.

Regardless of what you want to learn or do or experience, chances are you can find an event, a place or club, a class or a teacher to make it happen.

8. THE MAKER AND LOCAL MOVEMENT Tired of the cheaply mass produced and imported stuff, there is a resurgence of “do it yourself and sell it” going on all over America, and the Lowcountry is a fertile ground for such endeavors. You would be amazed of all the interesting products that are produced right here or within a 100 mile radius.

9. 10,000 BABY BOOMERS A DAY RETIRE Yes, these are the official statistics and it will continue at this pace for almost two decades (begging the question if it will bankrupt Social Security). The profile of the typical retiree however has changed. Not only will they live longer, they are vibrant, still wanting to change the world and become an important part of the fabric of our community, bringing with them not only their assets, but experience, connections and in some cases attract the following generation to move here as well.

10. WELCOMING PEOPLE AND INTELLECTUAL DIVERSITY One of the reasons people have chosen the Lowcountry as their place of choice is because we are a very welcoming community attracting a wide variety of people who have lived all over the world before moving here, which simply makes it a more interesting place to live than many.  SPRING 2015 63

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Hilton Head Vacation Guide

■ DIRECTORY ART GALLERIES Art League of Hilton Head. . . . . 843-681-5060 Artist Uncorked . . . . . . . . . . 843-837-4700 Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. . 843-686-3945 Camellia Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 843-785-3535 Fastframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843-342-7696 Four Corners Art Gallery - Bluffton 843-757-8185 Gullah Sweetgrass Basket Gallery 843-304-4178 J Costello Gallery . . . . . . . . . 843-686-6550 Jacob Preston Pottery - Bluffton . 843-757-3084 Karis Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 843-785-5100 Maye River Gallery – Bluffton. . . 843-757-2633 Red Piano/Morris & Whiteside Galleries . . . . . . . . 843-842-4433 Old Town Vintage Posters – Bluffton . . . . . . . . . . . . 843-837-3311 Picture This Gallery . . . . . . . . 843-842-5299 Pink House Gallery . . . . . . . . 843-681-5169 Pluff Mudd Art – Bluffton . . . . . 843-757-5590 Smith Galleries . . . . . . . . . . 843-842-2280 Society of Bluffton Artists . . . . . 843-757-6586 BAIT, TACKLE SHOPS Blue Water Bait & Tackle . .

Coligny Truevalue Hardware Hilton Head Boathouse . . .

Lowcountry Outfitters . . . .

Mid-Island Bait & Tackle . .

Palmetto Bay Water Sports .

Shelter Cove Harbour . . . .

South Beach Sport Fishing .

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843-671-3060 843-785-2429 843-681-9557 843-837-6100 843-681-2556 843-785-2345 843-842-7001 843-671-3060

BIKE RENTALS AAA Riding Tigers . . . . . . . .

Adventure Bike Rentals . . . . .

All American Bike Rental . . . .

Bicycle Billy’s . . . . . . . . . .

Bicycle Rental Hilton Head . . .

Bike Doctor . . . . . . . . . . .

Bluffton Bike Shop . . . . . . .

Bubba’s . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Coconut Bike Rentals . . . . . .

Forest Beach Surf & Cycle . . .

Harbourtown Bicycle Rentals . .

Hilton Head Bicycle . . . . . . .

Hilton Head Outfitters . . . . . .

Island Cruisers Bike Rental . . .

Lowsea Bike Rental . . . . . . .

Outside Hilton Head . . . . . . .

Palmetto Bike Barn . . . . . . .

Palmetto Dunes Bike Rentals . .

Paradise Beach Bikes . . . . . .

Patriot Bike Rentals . . . . . . .

Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Peddling Pelican Bike Rentals .

Pelicancruiser.com . . . . . . .

Riding Tigers Bike Rentals . . .

Road Fish Bike Shop . . . . . .

Sea Pines Bicycle Rentals . . .

Simmons Bike Rental . . . . . .

South Beach Bike Rentals . . .

Sundance Bikes . . . . . . . . .

Vacation Comfort Bike Rentals .

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843-686-6833 843-290-1622 843-842-4386 843-785-7851 843-686-6888 843-681-7531 843-706-2453 843-785-3971 843-686-5055 843-384-3727 843-785-3546 843-686-6888 843-686-9097 843-785-4321 843-384-9322 843-686-6996 843-686-6068 843-785-2449 843-715-9889 866-921-3510 843-842-5522 843-785-5470 843-785-3546 843-686-5833 843-686-2981 843-842-1890 843-842-3464 843-671-2453 843-785-8737 843-354-6673

BOATING, CRUISING Advanced Sail . . . . . .

Adventure Cruises. . . . .

Broad Creek Marina . . . .

Calibogue Cruises. . . . .

Capt. Hook Party Boat. . .

Cheers Charters . . . . . .

Commander Zodiac . . . .

Dolphin & Nature Cruise .

Dolphin Discoveries . . . .

Dolphin Safaris . . . . . .

Drifter Excursions . . . . .

H20 Sports . . . . . . . .

Hilton Head Outfitters . . .

Island Explorer . . . . . .

Island Times Charters . .

Live Oac . . . . . . . . . .

Low Country Nature Tours.

MarshGrass Adventures. .

Monty Jett Cruises. . . . .

Outside Hilton Head . . . .

Papa Bear Charters . . . .

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843-686-2582 843-785-4558 843-681-3625 843-342-8687 843-785-1700 843-671-1800 843-671-3344 843-681-2522 843-684-1911 843-785-2345 843-363-2900 843-671-4386 843-686-9097 843-785-2100 843-261-2410 888-254-8362 843-683-0187 843-684-3296 843-415-2798 843-686-6996 843-816-3474

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Pau Hana & Flying Circus.

Pirates of Hilton Head. . .

Sea Pines Eco Tours. . . .

Harbour Town Adventures.

Shelter Cove Marina. . . .

Vagabond Cruise . . . . .

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843-686-2582 843-363-7000 843-842-1979 843-363-2628 843-842-7001 843-785-2662

FAMILY ACTIVITIES Adventure Cove . . . . . . . .

Aerial Adventures . . . . . . .

Art Café . . . . . . . . . . . .

Artist Uncorked . . . . . . . .

Coastal Discovery Museum . .

Harbour Town Lighthouse . . .

Island Recreation . . . . . . .

Heyward House . . . . . . . .

Hilton Head Outfitters . . . . .

IDEA Studio . . . . . . . . . .

Island Playground . . . . . . .

Legendary Golf . . . . . . . .

Kayak Hilton Head. . . . . . .

Main Street Youth Theatre . .

Move & Motion . . . . . . . .

Outside Hilton Head . . . . . .

Pirate’s Island Adventure Golf Station 300 . . . . . . . . . .

The Sandbox . . . . . . . . . .

ZipLine Hilton Head . . . . . .

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843-842-9990 843-682-6000 843-785-5525 843-837-4700 843-689-6767 843-671-2810 843-681-7273 843-757-6293 843-686-9097 843-342-5439 843-837-8383 843-686-3399 843-684-1910 843-689-6246 843-681-6683 843-686-6996 843-686-4001 843-815-2695 843-842-7645 843-682-6000

FISHING CHARTERS Broad Creek Marina . . . . .

Bulldog Fishing Charters . .

Capt. Hook Party Boat. . . .

Dolphin Discoveries . . . . .

Drifter Excursions . . . . . .

Fishin’ Coach Charters . . .

Hilton Head Outfitters . . . .

Island Marine . . . . . . . .

Live Oac . . . . . . . . . . .

Lowcountry Charter Fishing .

Off The Hook Fishing . . . .

Outside Hilton Head . . . . .

Papa Bear Charters . . . . .

Runaway Fishing Charters .

Sea Wolf Charters . . . . . .

Shelter Cove Marina. . . . .

Southern Drawl Outfitters . .

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843-681-3625 843-422-0887 843-785-1700 843-684-1911 843-363-2900 843-757-2126 866-380-1783 843-681-2628 888-254-8362 843-816-4441 843-298-4376 843-686-6996 843-816-3474 843-384-6511 843-525-1174 843-842-7001 843-705-6010

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GOLF - COURSES YOU CAN PLAY Bloody Point Golf Club . . . . . . 843-341-3030 Country Club of Hilton Head . . . 843-681-4653 Crescent Pointe Golf Club. . . . . 843-706-2600 Eagle’s Point Golf Club . . . . . . 843-757-5900 Golden Bear at Indigo Run . . . . 843-689-2200 Hampton Hall . . . . . . . . . . . 843-815-8720 Harbour Town Golf Links . . . . . 843-363-8385 Heron Point By Pete Dye. . . . . . 843-842-1477 Hilton Head Lakes . . . . . . . . . 843-208-5353 Hilton Head National Golf Club . . 843-842-5900 Island West Golf Club . . . . . . . 843-815-6660 May River Golf Club . . . . . . . . 843-706-6580 Melrose Golf Club . . . . . . . . . 843-422-6963 Old Carolina Golf Club (9 holes) . 843-757-8311 Old South Golf Links . . . . . . . 843-785-5353 Oyster Reef Golf Club . . . . . . . 843-681-1764 Palmetto Dunes courses . . . . . 843-785-1138 Palmetto Hall courses. . . . . . . 843-342-2582 Pinecrest Golf Club . . . . . . . . 843-757-8960 Port Royal courses. . . . . . . . . 843-681-1760 Rose Hill Golf Club . . . . . . . . 843-757-9030 Shipyard courses . . . . . . . . . 843-686-8802 Sea Pines Ocean Course . . . . . 843-842-1477 Sun City - Argent Lakes . . . . . 843-645-0507 Sun City - Hidden Cypress . . . . 843-705-4999 Sun City - Okatie Creek . . . . . . 843-705-4653 HEALTH CLUBS - HILTON HEAD Advanced Nutrition & Metabolic Therapies. . . . . . . .

Beach City Health & Fitness . . .

Bikram Yoga Hilton Head . . . . .

Breakthrough Fitness Center . . .

Center for Health Fitness and Sports Performance . . . . . . .

Core Pilates . . . . . . . . . . . .

Crossfit Rebok Center . . . . . . .

843-671-5400 843-681-6161 843-689-9642 843-341-2166 843-842-3359 843-681-4267 843-686-9348

Cross Fit Hilton Head . . . . . .

Custom Built Personal Training Energize Personal Training . . .

Esmeralda's Pilates/Massage .

Fabulous Fitness . . . . . . . .

Fiddlers Cove Beach Club. . . .

The Fitness Center . . . . . . .

Jiva Yoga Center . . . . . . . .

Lava 24 Fitness . . . . . . . . .

Live In Fitness Enterprise . . . .

LM Shape . . . . . . . . . . . .

Muscles Fitness & More. . . . .

Odyssey Health Club . . . . . .

Palmetto Athletic Club . . . . .

Pilates of Hilton Head . . . . . .

Progressive Health & Fitness . .

Sea Crest Surf & Racquet Club .

Sea Pines Fitness Center . . . .

Serendipity Medical Spa Inc. . .

Villamare Health Club . . . . .

Westin Health Club . . . . . . .

Z4 Fitness Studio . . . . . . . .

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843-682-3600 843-837-3128 843-842-6867 843-785-9588 843-415-5790 843-842-4126 843-785-3024 843-247-4549 843-842-3225 843-341-5433 843-247-7666 843-837-5400 843-715-0806 843-842-3225 843-341-2166 843-842-3359 843-842-4210 843-842-1979 843-342-2639 843-686-6429 843-681-1040 843-681-4646

HEALTH CLUBS - BLUFFTON Benchmark Fitness Center . .

Berkeley Hall Fitness . . . . .

Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cynergy Fitness . . . . . . . .

Dancing Dogs Yoga . . . . . .

Muscles Fitness & More. . . .

Planet Beach . . . . . . . . .

Powerhouse Gym . . . . . . .

Shaping Concepts. . . . . . .

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843-757-5115 843-815-8985 843-706-2844 843-837-2040 843-263-5864 843-837-5400 843-815-4826 843-706-9700 843-757-8626

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KAYAK, CANOE, WATERSPORTS RENTALS Palmetto Bay Water Sports . . . . 843-785-2345 Island Water Sports . . . . . . . . 843-671-7007 Kayak Hilton Head. . . . . . . . . 843-684-1910 Kwake Watersports . . . . . . . . 843-422-7830 Harbour Town Adventures. . . . . 843-363-2628 Hilton Head Outfitters . . . . . . . 843-686-9097 H20 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 843-671-4386 Outside Hilton Head . . . . . . . . 843-686-6996 Jarvis Creek Water Sports . . . . . 843-681-9260 Water-Dog Outfitters . . . . . . . 843-686-3554 MARINAS Broad Creek Marina . . . . .

Harbour Town Yacht Basin .

Hilton Head Boathouse . . .

Palmetto Bay Marina . . . .

South Beach Marina . . . .

Shelter Cove Marina. . . . .

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843-681-3625 866-561-8802 843-681-2628 843-785-3910 843-671-6699 843-842-7001

MOVIES Cinemark Bluffton. . .

Coligny Theatre . . . .

Northridge Cinema 10 Park Plaza Cinema . .

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843-757-2859 843-686-3500 843-342-3800 843-785-5001

MUSEUMS Coastal Discovery Museum .

Gullah Museum . . . . . . .

Heyward House – Bluffton .

The Sandbox . . . . . . . .

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843-689-6767 843-681-3254 843-757-6293 843-842-7645

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PARASAILING H20 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 843-671-4386 Parasail Hilton Head . . . . . . . 843-686-2200 Sky Pirate . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843-842-2566 SHOPPING CENTERS - HILTON HEAD Beach Market . . . . .2 North Forest Beach Drive Bridge Shops . . . . . . . 24 Palmetto Bay Road Circle Center, HHI . . . . . . . . .70 Pope Avenue Coligny Plaza . . . . .1 North Forest Beach Drive Crossroads Shopping Center 40 Palmetto Bay Rd Festival Center . . . . . . . . 45 Pembroke Drive Fountain Center . . . . . . 55 New Orleans Road Fresh Market Shoppes . 890 William Hilton Pkwy Gallery of Shops . . . . . . . 14 Greenwood Drive Harbour Town . . . . . . . .149 Lighthouse Road Heritage Plaza . . . . . . . . . . .81 Pope Avenue Hilton Head Plaza . . . . . . . 7 Greenwood Drive Island Crossings Shopping Center . . . . . 11 Palmetto Bay Road

Main Street Village . . . . . . . 1411 Main Street Northridge Plaza . . 435 William Hilton Parkway Orleans Plaza . . . . . . . 37 New Orleans Road Palmetto Bay Marina . . . . . 86 Helmsman Way Park Plaza . . . . . . . . . . 33 Office Park Road Pineland Station . . . . 430 William Hilton Pkwy Plantation Center . . . . 807 William Hilton Pkwy Port Royal Plaza . . . . . . . . 95 Matthews Drive Sea Pines Center . . . . . . 71 Lighthouse Road Shelter Cove Harbour . . . . . .Harbourside Lane Shelter Cove Plaza . . . . .32 Shelter Cove Lane Shelter Cove Towne Centre . . 40 Shelter Cove Ln Shipyard Galleria . . . . . . 1 New Orleans Road South Beach Marina Village . . . . . 232 South Sea Pines Drive South Island Square . . 841 William Hilton Pkwy Village at Wexford . . . 1000 William Hilton Pkwy Village Exchange . . . . . 32 Palmetto Bay Road SHOPPING CENTERS - BLUFFTON Belfair Town Village . . . . . . . . 71 Towne Drive Berkeley Place . . . . . . . .102 Buckwalter Pkwy Bluffton Commons at Belfair . . . 20 Baylor Drive Bridge Center . . . . . . 1540 Fording Island Rd Kitty’s Crossing . . . . . 1008 Fording Island Rd Moss Creek Village . . . 1533 Fording Island Rd Old Town Bluffton . . . . . . . . . Calhoun Street The Promenade . . . . . . . . .Promenade Street Tanger Factory Outlet I . 1270 Fording Island Rd Tanger Factory Outlet II . 1414 Fording Island Rd SPAS - HILTON HEAD Ahh Green Spa . . . . . . . .

All About Me . . . . . . . . . .

Carolina GurlSpa . . . . . . .

Esmeralda's Pilates/Massage Faces DaySpa . . . . . . . . .

Fountain Spa . . . . . . . . .

Heavenly Spa by Westin. . . .

Le Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Serendipity Medical Spa . . .

Hilton Head Marriot Spa . . .

The Art of Massage . . . . . .

The Sanctuary, A European Day Spa . . . . .

SPAS - BLUFFTON Ambiance Day Spa & Salon.

An Image by Temekia . . . .

Bellis Waterless European Pedicure . . . . .

Colorewerks Salon and Spa .

Dead Sea Spa . . . . . . . .

Escape Massage Center . .

Inner Peace Massage . . . .

Kenergi Spa . . . . . . . . .

Massage Envy . . . . . . . .

Pretty Woman Day Spa . . .

Spahh Central . . . . . . . .

Spa Vino on Calhoun . . . .

SKINZIN . . . . . . . . . . .

Village Spa . . . . . . . . .

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843-715-2643 843-785-2558 843-682-3915 843-785-9588 843-785-3075 843-353-0006 843-681-1019 843-363-6000 843-342-2639 843-686-8420 843-422-8378

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843-227-1410 843-836-3440 843-837-4772 843-757-0479 843-368-8854 843-474-1937 843-837-3689 843-815-2200 843-422-4570 843-705-0811 843-368-2660 843-815-4811

TENNIS CENTERS Palmetto Dunes . . . . . . . . .

Port Royal Racquet Club . . . .

Sea Pines Racquet Club . . . .

Shipyard Racquet Club . . . . .

Smith Stearns Tennis Academy.

South Beach Racquet Club . . .

Van Der Meer . . . . . . . . . .

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843-785-1152 843-686-8803 843-363-4495 843-686-8804 843-363-4789 843-671-2215 843-785-8388

THEATRE Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. .

Main Street Youth Theatre . . . .

May River Theatre Co. - Bluffton .

South Carolina Repertory Company . . . . . . . .

843-686-3945 843-689-6246 843-815-5581 843-342-2057

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