Adventures in Hilton Head: Last trip as a family of three (Part I)

This weekend we hopped in the car and headed south to spend a long weekend on Hilton Head Island, SC. It was probably our last family vacation before baby makes four, so we wanted to go somewhere we could just relax and enjoy each other.

We chose Hilton Head because, despite having flown with Cricket more times than I care to recall, surviving another flight with the combination of my newly giant belly and her toddler desire never to sit still seemed nearly impossible. Hilton Head is within driving distance from us (our directions said it would take five hours but it took more than six with a few stops...) and offers plenty of family-friendly activities, such as kayaking, extensive bike and walking trails, boat tours and good restaurants. Given the circumstances, we knew we wouldn’t be able to partake in most of those activities but could at least check them out for future vacations.

We booked a two-bedroom condo at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, which we loved. Our place sat a few hundred yards from the beach, a few feet from the resort’s little general store (morning coffee and bin candy!) and right on a biking and walking trail that winds through the island.

The weather could have been more agreeable, but we managed to play on the beach, where we learned seashells are a toddler’s best friend (below) and dead eels can still look scary (above); take long walks; tour one of the marinas (bottom left for classy boat-naming inspiration); and find some good eats, including Ruan Thai Hut and A Lowcountry Backyard.

(We also spent an afternoon and evening in Savannah, which is less than an hour from Hilton Head. Check back later this week for a separate post on Savannah.)

Best of all, we escaped our pre-baby to-do list for a few days and were able to focus on the delightful task of relishing our current little family.