Over the July 4th weekend, we decided to take a little trip to Hilton Head Island, which is a beautiful resort town in South Carolina. We wanted to get away for a few days because Hilton Head holds a special place in our hearts! We visited for the first time last year during COVID because we knew we wanted to get away to somewhere within driving distance. Since Olivia is too small to remember any of our other vacations, she always talks about going back to Hilton Head, so we really wanted to make that happen for her. From Atlanta, it’s just under 5 hours and always worth every minute!
We arrived at Ocean Oak Resort and immediately hit the beach. The hotel is located near Coligny Beach on HHI. The island itself has a healthy mix of hotels, condos and homes which are all situated in different neighborhood areas of the island. The one thing I love about Hilton Head is that it’s not very commercialized and there are no big, bustling high rise hotels. It’s a very quaint, laid back little island. It’s not pretentious or fancy. The Hilton-brand hotel we stayed at was great, the staff was so nice and it’s location is right on the beach. It really has a boutique feel to it – not too big, but not small enough where we ever felt crowded. They have two pools which was ideal considering my kiddos sometimes tire of the beach (although they didn’t this trip!). The hotel even has an outdoor Starbucks and bar & grill! That made for our new tradition of coffee, bagels and beach walks.
Speaking of beaches, Hilton Head has incredibly clean and expansive shorelines. The compact sand is great for kids to run around on, but soft enough to build sand castles. People ride bikes along the beach, and there is room for everyone so it never feels crowded at all! I love that! You can also use personal umbrella and pop up tents without restrictions, something that can get tricky in places along 30A, which our family also loves! The water temperature was perfect too and thankfully the ocean wasn’t too rough. The kids spent 99% of their day in the water.
For our first dinner, we ate at Hudson’s On the Docks. We sat outside and the ambiance was perfect. The restaurant is casual and they don’t take reservations, but after 45 minutes of waiting we had a delicious meal right on the water watching the boats go by. I highly recommend eating here! For ice cream, we headed over to Sea Pines to the The Salty Dog Cafe which is also a great lunch/dinner spot! We also had to update our Salty Dog wardrobe swag and enjoyed shopping in the small stores along the wharf.
The next day was Independence Day, and I can’t think of a better way to spend it than on the beach! For dinner, we ate at Skullcreek Dockside (not to be confused with Skullcreek Boathouse next door). We opted for this restaurant because it was July 4th and they had availability on OpenTable which came in so handy! We were seated right away, and caught the most amazing sunset. If you opt to eat here, definitely make reservations! They have a view that’s not to be missed! We headed over to a family friends house to watch a beautiful fireworks display to end the night. It was perfect!!
For our last full day, we spent all day at the beach and had an early dinner at Poseidon’s in Shelter Cove. The clam chowder was incredible and the pimento cheese dip was the best I’ve ever had! They also take reservations via OpenTable and their direct website! It also happened to be right near cute stores and the outlets, so you know we had to shop a little! We came home with a few small goodies and a Christmas ornament, which I get after every vacation!
A few other places I recommend, but didn’t end up eating at are the following:
- One Hot Mamas
- Skullcreek Boathouse
- Ela’s On The Water
- Marley’s Shrimp & Burger Shack
If you are planning to visit Hilton Head, let me know if you have any questions! We truly love the area and cannot wait to return!
