Most years, the Traveling Igoe’s take a trip with my parents and brothers, the original traveling Igoe’s. My mom usually picks the location and books the house, and it is then on the rest of us to get there. This year, mom picked Hilton Head. We have actually all been to Hilton Head before, and South Carolina several times, but a trip to the beach is a trip to the beach. There are few beaches as nice as Hilton Head.
This trip turned out to be a fine adventure, and every adventure starts with a first step. Prior to disembarking, we bought a few beach/kid specific provisions. Boogie boards and a collapsible wagon from Dick’s Sporting goods were essential parts of our vacation. The wagon will come in handy with the new baby, Mardi Gras and just about every car trip. The boards were under $10 a piece, and will probably not make it back with us from our upcoming trip to Gulf Shores. For $20, two trips worth of entertainment for the kids was well worth it.
We left at around noon from New Orleans traveling east, and made it all the way to Columbus, GA. This part of the trip was at the same time quite easy and quite disappointing. For those of you who do not know, our family loves the National Parks and everything associated. Between NOLA and Columbus, one has the chance to pass through Tuskegee, Alabama. Tuskegee is home to two parts of the National Parks Service, the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site and the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site. Both of these sites offer really interesting looks at some very pertinent parts of America’s history, and both were closed.
We were aware of this going in, as the coronavirus has temporarily shuttered a lot of doors, but it was still hard to pass through knowing we were missing two cool stamps for our passport books, and two more Junior Ranger badges for the kids. Unfortunately, this is just part of the deal when traveling during the time of COVID.
We made it easily to Columbus and got dinner at a local BBQ shop, Country’s Barbecue. A very family friendly establishment, Country’s was very affordable, and the portion size was absurd. While we enjoyed the BBQ, it had little to do with the reason we actually stopped in Columbus. Less than an hour south is Providence Canyon State Park, one of the country’s truly unique canyons. We spent several hours there on Sunday morning, but all of that is detailed in another post.
The next leg of our journey got us quickly into Hilton Head, arriving before the rest of the Igoes. We did a quick grocery run for the essentials, and headed straight for the beach. While our house was not directly on the water, it was only four rows back and less than five minutes by foot. I would recommend, if possible, trying to get a house on the water. The difference in price is not insignificant, but neither is the difference in the experience. Our house four rows back had a pool, a ping pong table, a game room, all sorts of amenities, but the one experience it did not offer was the ability to sit on the porch and do nothing.
A house that has a water-front view is an activity in-and-of itself. Sitting on the porch, listening to water, reading a book or watching a storm roll in is one of the most amazing parts of going to the ocean. While this house was great, in that respect, it was lacking.
We arrived on a Sunday afternoon and left early the next Saturday, so had five full days to enjoy the beach, and anything else in the area that was open. Every morning between 9 and 10 am, we made our way down and stayed by the water for at least two hours. The Hilton Head beaches are truly something special. While our beach access was not private, it was far enough from the nearest public parking that it was populated by local residents only.
There are two things that we found remarkable about the Hilton Head beaches. The first is that the current is different every day, or even at different times of the day. Our first day in the water, the kids were getting pulled to the south at a rate so rapid that either Alyson or I had to stay close the entire time. Other days, the surf was so mild that we could spend two hours going in and out with waves without having drifted more than a few feet.
The other thing that I found fascinating was the vast difference in the water line between high and low tides. When the water goes all the way out, it leaves behind a vast stretch of wet but firm sand, almost the length of a football field. At this time, the sand is perfect for riding a bike.
The kids, my brothers, my brother’s girlfriend and my parents, we all spent at least half of our time at the beach. We brought chairs and umbrellas, read books, road waves, threw an Aerobie, threw a baseball, basically spent every morning being beach bums. As the days went on, we even spotted several different types of wildlife. Unfortunately there were jellyfish, but only JR got a significant sting. My brother the Monk (Dan), actually stepped on a ray, but was fortunate that it just swam away. Most impressively of all were the dolphins.
We saw several dolphins surface each day, but on Thursday, three of them put on a rare show. Eileen and JR were swimming with Uncle Jim and his girlfriend, Andalee, when we noticed a small pod dolphins much closer to shore than normal. Eileen said that they were so close that if she had dived, she might have been able to reach them. As they approached the kids, one of them ‘porpoised’ and launched itself five feet out of the water.
Several beach-goers noticed and ran to the water’s edge when out of nowhere, it happened again. Twice in less than a minute, a dolphin launched itself into the air and made splashdown within a few feet of my kids. After the second flip, everyone in the crowd had their phones out, but the show was over, and the dolphins moved on. My wife and I were fortuitous enough to see both jumps from the beach, but my kids were within a few feet, and were awestruck for the next several minutes.
While my kids love the beach, they are not the type that can spend all day at one. Each afternoon, we tried to plan at least one activity to get the kids out of the house. On Monday, we found a great mini-golf course and arcade called Adventure Cove. There are actually two courses at this park, and the whole family played both (I shot 3 under par). Afterwards, our family stayed and played in the arcade for about another hour.
Tuesday afternoon, I took the kids to play tennis while Alyson rested at home. There are over a dozen tennis courts on Hilton Head, many of which are open to the public without reservations. This was a nice way to give my wife a few hours to relax and to get the kids some exercise.
On Wednesday, Alyson, Eileen, JR and I packed up and drove the two-plus hours to Congaree National Park. This is a rarely visited but really cool park in the heart of South Carolina. It was home to many Native Americans and also was a place where runaway slaves could find sanctuary. The park was not completely open, due to COVID, but if you are interested in learning more about it, please read our Congaree-specific post.
On Thursday, we took a dolphin sightseeing tour. The tour was provided by Hilton Head Dolphin Tours, and it was definitely worth the money. We saw a lot of wildlife, and although none of them flew through the air, simply getting to ride around the intercoastal waterways with a guide was a great time.
On our last full day, we drove into Harbortown and visited the lighthouse. We also went to the Salty Dog Cafe where my daughter got a sweatshirt and we all got ice cream. If this is to be part of your trip, I recommend that you keep in mind that there are two Salty Dog shirt shops within about 30 feet of each other. I suggest you go to the second one, as the line was far shorter.
Every night we dined at home, with different family members taking turns cooking. On our night, we did a play on a low country boil that one can do on a grill. This is a tradition we have taken to recently, each family cooking on a different night. It takes the pressure off of one individual, and makes planning and cooking an activity within itself.
As many local businesses were still closed due to the pandemic, our lunch options were limited. We did find two nice local restaurants that we really enjoyed. The first, Stu’s Surf Side, was within biking distance of our house, and had some really good sandwiches. The food was solid, but the best part of this meal was that one the way back, we saw several alligators in the wild, lurking around their hometown marshes.
The second place we ate out, The Skull Creek Boathouse, was about a fifteen minute drive from our rental, and had a great waterfront patio. The food and atmosphere were really unique; we sat a few feet from the water, and my son actually ordered the surf and turf off of the kids’ menu.
On the way back, we stopped at the Coastal Discovery Museum. While the museum itself was closed, there are several boardwalks that lead to really unique views of the local marshlands. Under normal circumstances, they offer a lot of our programs that our kids would really enjoy.
We left on Saturday morning, and in another effort to fill our passports, stopped at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park. This site preserves over ten millennia of Southeastern Native American culture. While their website said they were open, on a limited basis, their locked gate said that they were only open from 1 pm to 5 pm, so all we got to see was the sign. If we ever go that way again, we will try for a full tour, but for now, I am letting the kids count it.
Following our lack of success there, we traveled down past the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (which was closed) to the Andersonville National Historic Site. At Andersonville, the Visitors’ Center was closed, but you could still download the online driving tour. If you have never visited Andersonville, I highly recommend it. It is the site of a Confederate prison where over 45,000 Union soldiers were held captive, and where over 13,000 of them died.
We all found the rows and rows of headstones extremely moving, and were actually able to find a few with my wife’s maiden name (White) from the region where her family lived at the time (Kentucky). If you are interested in learning more about Andersonville, please read our Andersonville-specific post.
This post concludes as we arrive at the house of our college roommates, Matt and Dorothy, who are also married and live in Fairhope, AL. They just had their second child, but I made sure to let my goddaughter, Eleanor, know that she is still my favorite. If you are ever passing through the Fairhope area, I strongly recommend staying at their house; the hospitality and amenities are hard to beat.
Our trip to Hilton Head was a great one. While the availability of unique and amazing things to do was limited by the coronavirus, we still had a great time. Considering the circumstances, a beach trip was the perfect option. Since we were road warriors on this trip, I have attached a playlist, and as with every trip we take, we have attached a list of great things to do with kids in Hilton Head.
While we have been traveling our whole lives, this was our first trip as The Traveling Igoe’s. Please be patient as we improve our blog and help to offer more insights into how we travel as a family unit and with our extended families. Please send us any messages, comments or questions, and we will do our best to respond. Thanks for reading, and if you are interested in seeing more, please check out my son’s YouTube channel (keep in mind that he is eight).