Traveling to Hilton Head Island with Kids

Have you ever thought about going to Hilton Head Island? If you’ve got young kids like us, it was the perfect destination to spend Spring Break last year. With our extended family of nine, with kids ages 2-14, there was something for everyone, including the adults! Here’s how we got to the island and what we did while we were there.

Getting There

Getting to Hilton Head Island with kids was a bit trickier than some places we’ve been before, but only because there wasn’t a direct flight from Minneapolis to Savannah, the airport closest to the Island. We chose to fly Southwest on miles borrowed from our father-in-law (while we wait for our next Southwest bonus to hit!), and it cost us roughly 100,000 miles for our two daughters and me to fly. My husband was in Atlanta for work, so he met us in Savannah a few hours after we arrived. After picking up our minivan and waiting for my husband, we made the hour's drive to Hilton Head Island.

Where We Stayed

When looking for a place to stay for our group, we checked out Airbnb, our usual go-to lodging choice when traveling. Based on the number of bedrooms/beds needed as well as a pool/hot tub, we couldn’t find what we were hoping for on the site, however. Thus, we turned to VRBO. There were lots more options on the site for us to choose from, and eventually, we narrowed down our choices and picked a 6-bedroom house on the southwest side of the island. It was within walking distance of the beach, had plenty of room, and had a hot tub. We decided not to heat the pool for extra money, so it served as our cold therapy tub for the week! We had an excellent stay and would highly recommend the VRBO (4 Firethorn Way) to others.

Just a few minutes out the door of our VRBO to this beautiful view!

What We Did

There’s lots to do on Hilton Head Island, especially if the weather is nice!

The Beach

The first few days in Hilton Head were in the mid-70s, so we spent the majority of our days at the ocean. Between soaking up the sun, playing beach soccer, splashing in the waves, and building sand castles, we had a blast! There was a outdoor bar a 10 minute walk down the beach, so occasionally one of the adults walked down to grab a round of drinks for the adults. The kids loved jumping waves and looking for seashells too.

Hi my name is Katie and I like long walks on the beach.

Salt in the air, sun in my face, and children playing in the sand make for a perfect morning.

Mini Golf

On the third day the weather called for rain, so we loaded into our vehicles and headed out to mini golf. There are three mini golf courses nearby one another on the Island (Adventure Cove, Legendary Golf, and Pirate’s Island Adventure Golf) Being we had young kids with, we thought that Pirate’s Island sounded the most fun. We played a round of 18 holes, winding in and out of the pirate-ship themed course. At the end of the kids got a paper pirate hat and little plastic flag, a big hit with our 4- and 2-year old. The rain held off too - which was nice!

Excited for mini golf!

Jamming to Live Music

One of the best parts of the island is the amount of live music you can find on any given day! After our round of mini golf, we headed to Coligny Beach Park, a popular shopping area right outside the beach. There are public restrooms and a few restaurants alongside the ocean, including the Tiki Hut. The Tiki Hut is an outdoor bar situated right on the beach. We grabbed a round of beverages and listened to the two musicians jamming out on their guitars.

A delicious IPA from local Westbrook Brewing Co. enjoyed with a view of the beach - nothing better!

Just a dad dancing with his two girls at the Tiki Hut.

Exploring Savannah

With Savannah only an hour's drive away, we took the last day we were in town to check it out. We walked down the old cobblestone roads, popped into a few stores, and grabbed drinks before walking alongside River Street. Before our dinner reservation that night, we lounged in Forrest Gump Park, starting at the Spanish Moss and old commemorative statues. Next, I took the kids into an old bookstore and grabbed a children’s book by a local Hilton Head author.

While in Savannah, we ate at Husk, one of my husband and I’s favorite restaurants out of Charleson. We love the importance they place on sustainability and local ingredients, and the unique take on Southern food is hard to beat. Their menu changes with the seasons but I can say with certainty that everything is delicious. And do yourself a favor. If they have it, order the Carolina Gold rice.

The brick walkways and Spanish moss hanging from the trees made everything so picturesque.

Where we Ate

There is certainly no shortage of delicious food on Hilton Head. But by far, our favorite thing was the fresh seafood. There are many local restaurants to enjoy, but here are a few of our favorites.

The Old Oyster Factory

While in Hilton Head, we tried to eat at as many waterfront places as possible, and The Old Oyster Factory did not disappoint. We sat inside, with the beautiful wood beams, elevated ceiling, and large windows overlooking their private pier. The Old Oyster is located on the northeast side of the Island, inland, but situated on the creek. We enjoyed a handful of seafood dishes, and the Southern Fried Catfish was surprisingly delicious. As someone who hadn’t had much catfish before, I thought it was delicate inside and crispy outside, just like a fried fish should be. My husband enjoyed the raw oysters, and we all shared a few appetizers, including the hushpuppies. Being from the Midwest, the local seafood dishes were a top priority and hit the spot.

Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks

Situated in an old 1920 seafood processing plant, Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks is one of Hilton Head’s oldest restaurants. Located in the far northwest corner of the Island, on Skull Creek, Hudson’s serves up local shrimp, crab, oysters, crabs, and fish. You can order your seafood prepared in various ways, including blackened, broiled, pan-seared, fried, or steamed. I had the delicious She Crab soup to start, one of my favorite South Carolina eats, and the catch of the day, filleted in-house. Our group also split a basket of hot-from-the-oven hushpuppies as we were on a mission to try as many different ones as possible. Needless to say, Hudson’s were some of the best.

Skull Creek Boathouse

Right next to Hudson’s, Skull Creek Boathouse had a gorgeous outdoor patio area overlooking the docks on the creek. We dined later in the evening and ate by the light of the lit tiki torches. Featured on Food Network’s Diners, Dine-ins, and Dives, Skull Creek Boathouse is heavily awarded. Known on the Island for its raw bar, Skull Creek offers something for everyone. I had their Avocado Bombs, which were avocados filled with spicy tuna and crab salad, topped with eel sauce, crispy wontons, and spicy mayo.

Coast

We also enjoyed one night at Coast at the SeaPines Resort, which had the best dining views we had seen all week. They, too, had live music outside with ocean views. The drinks and food were tasty. Add the live music and ocean views; it was the perfect dinner.

Live music outdoors is our happy place!

Bonus: Stop at Bluffton

If you’re in Hilton Head and driving to or from Savannah, take a few hours to explore Bluffton. Bluffton, South Carolina, is a town of fewer than 30,000 people with incredible charm. We visited on our way back to the airport and fell in love with the quaintness and history of the place. Local shops and restaurants fill the main strip of Bluffton, housed inside historic buildings with their own story. While there, we had lunch at the Old Town Dispensary, a tavern with elevated bar food and local taps. They also have live music, outdoor seating with fire pits, and corn hole. Their nachos and pulled pork sandwich were both delicious and so was the local brew.

Lunch at Old Town Dispensary in Bluffton, South Carolina.

An example of one of the historic buildings in Bluffton.

Trying new local brews/breweries is one of my favorite things to do while traveling!

That’s a wrap on traveling to Hilton Head Island with kids! If you have questions or want to chat about anything travel related (including credit card rewards!) leave me a comment or message me Instagram @katieoelkermedia, where you can see more of our family’s travels. Thanks for reading and happy traveling!

Katie

How to Spend 4 days in Charleston, SC

The hubby and I just spent four marvelous days in Charleston, South Carolina. It was a much needed break from the regular grind of our everyday lives. With a new puppy and baby on the way, a few days away from responsibility, agenda, and the Minnesota cold were exactly what the doctor (or midwife in my case!) ordered. 

We chose Charleston because we heard it was a laid-back city with a great food scene. And the weather is obviously warmer than it is back home for us. That was all we needed to book the trip and go. Between my flight voucher I still had to use up and the husband's frequent flier miles, we were able to fly basically for free, which is always a bonus. In addition, staying at AirBnB's over hotels freed us up some money to use towards eating delicious food. Which you can sure bet we ate a lot of!

Here's a rundown of our itinerary, including and most importantly, what delicious morsels we devoured along the way:

4 Days in Charleston, South Carolina 

Day 1 (Saturday):

Arrived late and took a Uber to our AirBnb in Mount Pleasant. Was a one bedroom decorated in the most elegant way. According to the husband, it had one of 'prettiest bathrooms' he had ever seen. There were not one but TWO chandeliers in the bathroom! 

I was loving on the marble statue in the center. This bathroom is more elaborate than my entire house combined!

I so wish I would have taken advantage of this bathtub - it's so big and beautiful!

After sleeping for a few hours we got up and took an Uber to Sullivan Island. There we walked along the beach. It was sunny and in the 70s, and my heart was rejouicing! 

Look at those curly bangs!

After our nice stroll we had lunch at The Obstinate Daughter. Highly recommend for the food, atmosphere, and service. We split the shrimp roll with geechie grit frites and the shrimp arugula pesto pizza with olives, grilled artichokes and lemon. Both were delicious, but the shrimp roll and those frites were out of this world!

Fries made of grits, who would have thunk?!

Helloooo herby shrimpy deliciousness.

After another walk on the beach, we took another Uber up to Boone Hall Plantation. We took a open-air tractor ride (well that's what we would call it here in MN!) around the grounds to see all of the crops they still plant. It's still a major farm, and was really cool to see where they put everything and how it grows. Afterwards we toured the house, which was featured in the Notebook as well as a few other TV shows/movies. It was interesting to hear all about the history of the plantation, who it's owners were/are, and learn more about the role slaves played during different periods of time. 

Do you remember this house from the Notebook?

I captured a picture of the sunset and this tree, which is between 400-500 years old!

After our trip to Boone Hall Plantation, we took another Uber back to our place and got ready for the night. We had dinner reservations at Butcher and Bee. We ordered the warm bean dip  with their homemade pita bread, cauliflower with green tahini, curried cashews, and pickled raisin, and bacon wrapped dates for starters. First course was crispy sweet potatoes with tamarind chutney, yogurt, and cilantro. Main course we split the Whole Grilled Sea Bass with turmeric coconut curry, chickpeas, and Israeli couscous. The fish and that curry sauce was some of the best I've had. But I could have even just had the chickpeas and couscous with the curry, it was that good. We also had a custar-like dessert with local strawberries and meringue drops that was fabulous. 

Day 2 (Sunday):

We moved Airbnb locations this day, so after we got up/ready we took an Uber into downtown Charleston where we were staying to drop off our bags. From there we went to brunch at Poogan's Porch. We had the she crab soup (crab soup with sherry vinegar- our Uber driver told us we had to try it once!) and biscuits and gravy to start. The biscuits were so fluffy and light and the gravy was not too thick with big chunks of sausage in it. Best biscuits and gravy to date. 

She crab soup. Not to be confused with He crab soup. :)

Are you drooling yet?

After that we split the Tennessee Hot Chicken and the Shrimp and Grits. The chicken was perfectly crisp on the outside and so juicy on the inside. It was served with blue cheese Brussels sprouts slaw and a brioche bun and was so SO good! Of course we didn't snap any pictures as we dug right in. 

From there we walked the downtown area to explore. So many beautiful homes and so much history in that area. We stumbled upon Christophe Artisan Chocolatier-Patissier and indulged in some drinking chocolate and treats. The hubby had these fruit bites made of pureed fruit (apricot and strawberry) and rolled in sugar, and I had a earl grey dark chocolate truffle. 

Forgot to snap a pic till after I took a bite....naturally. Look how pretty the shell on this earl grey dark chocolate truffle is!

After making it home, we got ready and headed out to an early dinner at Rodney Scott's BBQ. They were out of a chicken, ribs and cornbread (what I really wanted!), but we had some pulled pork, mac and cheese, coleslaw, hush puppies and beans. The beans were phenomenal, but other than that, nothing I would go back for. We've had just as good of BBQ here in Minneapolis. It's likely you could find other/better places in Charleston, and I'm sure there are some good ones out there. Either way - if you go, I wouldn't necessarily waste your time/money at this place.

From dinner we headed to Charleston Pour House which had a funky hippie vibe. The outdoor bar was open and there was a great band playing. People with dreads and bell bottoms everywhere. The best part? You can bring your dog! There were several dogs running around chasing/playing with one another. My dog loving hippie spirit was in heaven. 

Day 3 (Monday):

Monday we woke up and stopped at the famous Callie's Charleston Biscuits for a few biscuits. We sampled almost every kind they had (6 total) but our favorite weren't the buttermilk biscuits themselves, but the shortbread ones. Especially the shortbread with blackberry preserves inside. One of the most delicious bites of biscuit I've eaten. Hubby seconds that.

Of course this was the only picture I took of the place/actual biscuits!

After that, we walked down to the ocean where we caught the ferry just in time to see Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter was were the first shots of the Civil War were fired. It was chock full of history, but the best part (for me at least!) was the dolphins that rode our wake the entire ride back. 

Once back to shore, we were starving and headed to 167 Raw. They are famous for their lobster roll, but the waiter we had suggested the scallop po'boy (as did the lady next to us!) and so I went with that. Best decision ever! One of the best seafood sandwiches I've ever eaten, and that's not a joke. Scallops were cooked perfectly (I'm not usually a big scallop fan due to the texture) and they were topped with beet reduction, some sort of green sauce (sorry - that's the best I can do!) and microgreens. The hubby and I shared some shrimp cocktail to start and he had a swordfish taco that he loved.

Scallop Po'Boy with beet reduction. On a perfecly toasted buttery bun. Heaven indeed!

From there we made our way to the Rooftop Bar at The Vendue. Enjoyed a few drinks (basil strawberry lemonade for me) and some good people watching. You could see the ocean from afar, and the weather was perfect. Recommend checking out if you're looking to soak up the sun and kill some time. 

We continued walking from there and stopped to get some happy hour deals at Pearlz Oyster Bar. The hubby had 1/2 dozen oysters, pork rinds, and I had the corn fritters dusted with powdered sugar. The food was good, but nothing spectacular. Hubby loved the pork rinds (not my thing) and I enjoyed the take on corn fritters. Was a good place for a quick/cheap bite to hold us over till dinner. 

For dinner we had reservations at Husk, the James Beard award winning chef Sean Brock's restaurant. Every ingredient is sourced from the South (even the olive oil is from Texas!), which was really unique for us. We started with some drinks (I had a non-alcoholic drink made with shrub which was fantastic) and the pig-ear lettuce wraps. They were mentioned as a must-try in Charleston, and the waitress recommended them as well. Although good, I couldn't quite get over the texture of pig ear (I also felt like my dog!) and wouldn't eat them again. However, it was one of those unique things you just kind of have to try!

Crunchy, salty pig ear lettuce wraps. By far the most interesting dish I ate this trip.

For the main course I ordered the pan-fried catfish with Carolina gold rice, and the hubby had the pork shoulder with pork belly inside. They were both really good, and really unique. The catfish was done perfectly and the husband drooled over his pork ("one of the best pork dishes I've had ever" - can you sense a theme going on here this trip?!).

Catfish and Carolina gold rice with a side of rapini.

Overall the food was a bit on the salty side for me, but my husband likes to remind me that I have a low salt tolerance (or so he thinks!). The dessert was my favorite part. Olive oil cake with local strawberries and fresh whipped cream. If you would have asked me before this pregnancy if I wanted dessert I would have answered "no, I'm not much of a dessert person". Boy how things have changed.

That cake was so perfectly moist and delicious. I am currently obsessing about how I can make a version of it here at home.

Outside Husk. Can't you just feel the Southern Charm oozing from this place?

Day 4 (Tuesday):

On our last day in Charleston we rented a car so we could take a day to explore on our own terms (and it was cheaper than taking multiple Ubers throughout the day!). Our first stop was breakfast at Early Bird Diner, which had been featured on one of our favorite shows: Diners, Drive-In's and Dives. I ordered the Chicken and Waffles and the husband had the biscuits and gravy. The chicken and waffles is what they are known for, as the chicken is drizzled in honey mustard dressing and the combo of the two are spectacular. Although the fried chicken wasn't as good as the Hot Tennessee Chicken we had at Poogan's porch, the combo of the dressing and the syrup was so scrumptious. The waffles were so light and fluffy on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. I don't order waffles out a lot, but these were some of the best.

Look at that plate of fattening goodness!

We enjoyed the biscuits and gravy more at Poogan's porch as well, just because this gravy was a bit on the thicker creamier side and we preferred the chunks of sausage in our gravy. Either way though, still a good taste of Southern home cooking. 

Rich, creamy gravy atop light biscuits. There's even a homemade sausage patty buried under there!

After breakfast we made our way down to Folly Beach for a walk along the ocean and a stop for a drink at one of the hotel beachside bars. It was cloudy all day, but still magical for us to be on the ocean.

We stopped at Roadside Seafood to split a basket of fried shrimp and fried green tomatoes. I love fried green tomatoes, and both were served with excellent dipping sauces. 

Finally, we headed back to our hotel to nap and get ready for our final meal at FIG (Food is Good), also known for their use of local seasonal ingredients. FIG was by far the fanciest place we dined at, and we were also the youngest people in there! It was one of my favorite dining experiences of the trip. We shared the ricotta gnocchi with lamb bolognese and beet soup with buttermilk and pumpernickel breadcrumbs. I had the seafood stew and the hubby the swordfish with orange, greens, and spiced granola (very unique - and very good!). We also shared the dessert with fresh strawberries (we kept having to order them as they were so good down there!), lavender shaved ice, and strawberry panna cotta. It was wayyyy too fancy in there for me to feel comfortable snapping any pictures, so we dined and chatted our way through the night without any distractions. HIGHLY RECOMMEND this place and making reservations beforehand.

Our last stop of the night was to catch some music at the Tattooed Moose. They are known for their duck club, but being we had just eaten, we split a side of duck fat fries with garlic aioli before leaving (definitely not needed - but worth it!). 

And that my friends, sums up our 5 days in Charleston. It was a wonderful city filled with extremely friendly people, beautiful architecture, hard-to-believe history, delicious food, and a old-world charm you just can't find around here.  

We will definitely be back. But until then, we'll be here. Enjoying the fresh snow and 30-degree weather. Is it spring already?!