first time visit

We are two couples middle aged but young in outlook coming to Hilton Head for the first time in May, we would like to explore the wider area also during our visit. Not into golf or tennis but like to eat well and walk (not neccessarily in that order) and not adverse to driving a few miles. Any tips would be most welcome.

first time visit

May is a great time of the year to go. Take a day and go over to Daufuaski Island and explore. If you don%26#39;t mind driving a few miles, go to Savannah (very historical city) for a day. Other than that enjoy the great restaurants and beautiful beaches of Hilton Head.

first time visit

We stayed in Hilton Head last week but used it mainly as a base for exploring the area.

If you are flying into Savannah, you will know it%26#39;s only an hour away and offers quite a few things to see. Take one of the hop off/on trolleys for an overview. A wonderful city to walk in.

We also spent an overnight in Charleston (2 hours drive from Hilton Head) and were very glad we didn%26#39;t miss seeing that beautiful city. Again, gorgeous gardens, lovely historic homes and interesting sites. We particularly loved Middleton Place Plantation (middletonplace.org) just 14 miles north of Charleston.

Also enjoyed the drive to Hunting Island State Park through Beaufort, and spent the afternoon on the beach walking. The town has some lovely little waterfront cafes if you stop for lunch.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Pildot,

Here a few suggestions for places to explore and activities to enjoy in and around Hilton Head. Have a great time! Hilton Head is a wonderful place to vacation.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Daufuskie Island Historical/Cultural Tour

Daufuskie Island is like stepping back in time. Just a one hour boat ride from Hilton Head Island. Daufuskie Island Historical/Cultural Tour Accessible only by boat, this tour takes visitors to The Island锟斤拷锟絪 winery, church, plantation, and light House. Golf carts available for self-guided tour. 50 Bush锟斤拷锟絪 Branches Rd., Bluffton.

Call 342-8687

Palmetto Dunes Junior Golf Academy

This 5-day program is the perfect learning environment for all skill levels. The small class size guarantees personalized and specific attention to the needs of each student. Teachers are professional and encourage the students to learn and love the game of golf. For students 17 and under. Reservations required.

Available Beginning June 2005 Schedule : Monday - Friday, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Cost: $600.00

Toll-free 800.827.3006 or local 843.785-1138

Fireworks at Shelter Cove

Every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. - barring rain or lightning threats - through Aug. 24

Summertime festival each Tuesday through Aug. 24 at Shelter Cove Harbour on Broad Creek.

Fireworks are launched from a barge by vendor Pyrotecnico. Shelter Cove is off William Hilton Parkway, across from Palmetto Dunes, near the middle of Hilton Head Island.

Habitat For Humanity

Donated furniture outlet located on Burnt Church Road in Bluffton, SC. Proceeds made from the sales of furniture support Habitat For Humanity programs in the area. Find some great bargains

Monday 锟斤拷锟?Friday 10 锟斤拷锟?5 pm Sat 10 锟斤拷锟?2 pm.

Please call (843) 757-9995 for more information .

184B Bluffton Road (Highway 46) Bluffton, SC

Shell Ring Tours

The native Americans once occupied Hilton Head and left their history in large rings and shell mounds. Sea Pines Forest Preserve - Sea Pines Plantation. You will find 7 miles of trail, a fishing pond, Waterfowl Pond %26amp; Indian Shell Ring. This is a self-guided tour guided nature walks on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.(Meet at East Entrance on Lawton road.)

The Museum of Hilton Head

The museum has archaeological digs and has gathered a collection of more than 75,000 artifacts relating to the Island%26#39;s history and culture. Nature walks around the Island, loggerhead turtle watch protection program, lectures and an oral history project are among its many offerings.

843-689-6767. 100 William Hilton Parkway.

information courtesy of hiltonheadislander.com

http://www.hiltonheadislander.com

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies. We will be visiting Savannah and Charleston after your recommendations and enjoying some excellent food on Hilton Head Island by the sound of it ! !

We also might try to catch some football (not soccer I take it) at Charleston.

Sorry! its%26#39; too late in the year for football. It%26#39;s baseball season. Charleston and Savannah both have teams, but may not be playing at home when you are visiting. Walking at Hilton Head will be mostly on the beach. Are you interested in shopping? If you are, there are some outlet stores near Hilton Head that might be of interest. Middleton Place and Magnolia Plantation near Charleston are worth the trip if you like gardens.

check this out:

http://www.middletonplace.org/

PB

I%26#39;m so glad you%26#39;re going to Charleston and Savannah. Both are great destinations. We usually do HHI, Charleston, and Savannah since we can%26#39;t pick which destination we love most. I also agree that the Middleton Place Plantation is great. I would pay the extra money for the house tour and horse-drawn wagon ride around the property, as we liked this part of our tour best. Unfortunately when we went it was late in the summer so the gardens were not so lovely, but I would imagine it would be gorgeous in may.

If you get the chance to stay overnight in Charleston may I suggest the Charleston Place Hotel. It%26#39;s a bit pricey, but the property is gorgeous. And if you stay on the concierge floor they spoil you with delicious breakfasts, afternoon tea, light dinner appetizers, and dessert before bed. The spread is so unbelievable that we%26#39;ve come back twice. And the staff that work at the hotel are great for first time visitors. They can help you determine what you ought to see and give great insider tips.

In Savannah I recommend Mrs. Wilke%26#39;s Dining Room. I%26#39;m not from the South so I cannot say if her cooking is truly authentic, but everytime we went the line outside has stretched down the block. It is southern comfort food served family style so the experience is amazing. Often times we%26#39;ve been seated at a table with strangers and have ended up sharing vacation tips before the meal was over. You can check the place out online at http://www.mrswilkes.com/. The only thing we have found is that there are actually fewer meat choices per day than are listed on the menu, so if you are picky I would recommend calling ahead to see what is being served that day.

Have fun!!! I am jealous to be not going back with you.

Thanks for your great comments. I can%26#39;t believe how helpful everyone has been. We%26#39;re staying at the Royal Dunes, Wimbledon Court, it%26#39;s a vacation share type of thing. We have used the company in Europe and the UK several times and if they are any benchmarks it will be excellent. We are so looking forward to exploring some more of our favourite country, after the UK of course, and tucking into some huge portions of superb food (unlike the UK).

If you are interested in US history, there are two Civil War forts on the Savannah River. I enjoyed visiting Ft. Pulaski near Tybee Island off of US 80. It is a little bit of a drive from downtown Savannah, but it is not a bad drive at all. There is also a lighthouse on Tybee Island, unlike the short, fake lighthouse in Sea Pines.

We just returned from Hilton Head. We had never been there and do not golf so I was a little worried about what we were going to do. Especially since we did not want to spend a lot of money. Don%26#39;t worry we ate good food and found a lot of things to look at and filled all our time.

I think the best meal we had for the price was at Plantation Cafe and Deli at 81 Pope Ave.. I thought it was just going to be like cold deli meats by the name but I was way wrong. Go to www.restaurant.com and buy a gift certificate for $ 3.00 and it is worth $ 25.00 in food and drinks. It tasted like home cooked food especially the mashed potato and gravy. It was really good and cheap even if you don%26#39;t get the g/f. Go next door to Kickin%26#39;Gator for same quality shirts and hilton head stuff the prices weren%26#39;t as bad as at the places closer to the beach.

Also, at the same website there are certificated for many other places but not knowing places I only bought from ones that had recommendations. The other one I bought was for Stacks pancake house. It was wonderful for breakfast.

Check the places for discounts for early seating we at the Cafe Europa under the Lighthouse at 5:00 with a reservation that we made that day and they have a full meal for $ 25.00. They have the same deal at many other restaurants but we ate at our room for most other meals.

Check out the outlet malls they had great prices on things. Don%26#39;t miss the lighthouse I thought it would be a waste but at only $ 1.50 a piece the look out was great and the steps aren%26#39;t bad you have enough places to stop and read stuff on the way up. Savannah is ok if you are into those things. Do not waste your money on the tours they are expensive. The historical district is only 1 mile by 1 mile. You can park at the visitiors center for $ 1.00 an hour. Plus, there is a lot of street parking with meters. I thought parking would be a nightmare it is not bad. Also the visitior center will give you plenty of free maps and directions to all parking and sites. We did take the horse and buggy ride it was ok. There are discount coupons at the visitior center. Make sure you follow the signs for the true visitor center we mistakenly pulled into a place right off the interstate that said welcome they are just selling the expensive tours.

We had a good time and never went to golf there are a lot of places to go for cheap or free. Good luck and have fun.

We went to CQ%26#39;s restaurant in Harbourtown on our honeymoon %26amp; it was fantastic. There is also some place that is recommended for listening to jazz (I don%26#39;t remember the name, sorry!) if you enjoy going out to listen to music. Don%26#39;t forget to rent bikes; there are bike paths all around the island. Enjoy!

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