Hilton Head, South Carolina | #1 Island in America

Hilton Head Island, located in South Carolina, is the perfect place to take your family or go on a romantic getaway. It has so much to do and has been voted #1 island in America by Conde Nast. Find out what this island has to offer by watching this video.
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[@LittleBurchie]

We've visited 18 times since 1997, so we know the areas of the island that are accessible to the public quite well. I totally agree with you: the ice cream at Hilton Head Ice Cream Company is unquestionably the best I've had anywhere in the world (it's the Banana Pudding ice cream for me!). There's one place on the island I absolutely love that rarely gets mentioned in KZbin videos: the Jazz Corner in the Village at Wexford. It's not a cheap date by any means, but we plan in advance and budget the necessary funds for an expensive but extraordinary night out (typically birthday or anniversary), because it's one of the top 100 jazz clubs in the world with superb Cajun cuisine and top-drawer musicians. My only regret is that the room is too dark to get quality photos of the magnificent food presentations. And the owner always greets us at the door like family even though we are only there one night a year. It's clear that she remembers us by the way she interacts with us, even though she doesn't know us by name. As an avid birder, I've gotten some incredible photos of osprey, herons, egrets, bald eagles, wood storks, spoonbills, pelicans, and many other species that inhabit the island. Fish Haul Beach Park, Jarvis Creek Park, and Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge are my favorite public places to visit for birding (and all three are free). Also, I get up early every morning and go to the beach for the spectacular sunrise photos over the Atlantic Ocean. You hit some good high points on the island. I saw several of our favorite restaurants in your video. Our top three are The Crazy Crab at Jarvis Creek, the Black Marlin Bayside Grill at Palmetto Bay Marina, and Skull Creek Boathouse. We always intend to visit them when on the island, plus other favorites such as Marley's Shrimp and Burger Shack, Up The Creek Pub, Bullie's BBQ, San Miguel's Mexican, The Sea Shack, Harbour Town Bakery in Sea Pines, The French Bakery in Shelter Cove, One Hot Mama's, and others. I've had bad experiences at two specific restaurants, but I'm not in the habit of taking cheap shots online; I just don't mention them by name. We've stayed in various rental properties in Palmetto Dunes, Barrington Park, Deer Island in Sea Pines, South Forest Beach, and Villamare. It's hard to choose what to do when you only have a week on the island, because invariably you leave out some things you later regret omitting. We always intend to get out on the water somehow, whether for a dolphin cruise, a sunset dinner cruise, crabbing, or on those little two-seater catamarans. And this past May we discovered the Salty Dog picnic boat (!), which took our family for a wonderful private sunset cruise on Calibogue Sound past Daufuskie Island and into the quiet backwaters north of Daufuskie, with delicious menu items from the popular Salty Dog Cafe. It's one of the most memorable nights of my life. The Island Explorer boat tours that leave from the Old Oyster Factory (pictured in your video) on Broad Creek get you up close and personal with the sights, sounds, and scenes of the island. And the Island Skiff Adventure Tours leaving from Broad Creek Marina are an ideal way to see dolphins sometimes from no further away than an arm's length or two. To spot *BIG* alligators (keep your distance!), check the pond adjacent to Lawton Stables in Sea Pines, or the large pond in the middle of the golf course in Shipyard Plantation. The only downsides are (1) it is a two-day, 16-hour drive for us to get there, and (2) a week's vacation is at least 25-30% MORE expensive since the pandemic (our favorite rental property in Palmetto Dunes has DOUBLED in price from 2018 to 2023, so that's no longer an option for us). In my opinion, there is a lot of price gouging and profiteering going on as a result of the pandemic, just like the rest of America. Having said that, if you do some online research you can still find affordable rentals that are close to the beach. For me it's still definitely worth the trip. My only advice to first-time visitors is this: instead of resort hotels, choose a rental home or condo. It's a much more personable and enjoyable experience that makes you feel like you live there instead of just being a visitor. We use Island Getaway Rentals on New Orleans Road to book our vacation each year. There's so much more I could say. Thanks for your good video! PS. There is no conflict of interest here with any of the businesses mentioned by name. I don't know anyone on Hilton Head Island other than a couple of birders I've met who are in the local Audubon group, and no one who lives there or promotes it has paid me to say nice things about the island (or ever even heard of me, for that matter). These are simply my personal observations after 25+ years of visiting our family's favorite vacation spot in America.

[@thesavvysightseer]

Wow! Thank you so much for all the extra information. You have given me some more places to visit and try out when we are there next. Thanks, again!

[@marioborkowski5894]

I agree,moved here 14 years ago..I'm a local now. Beautiful paradise!

[@LittleBurchie]

@@marioborkowski5894 Color me envious!

[@xine91468]

We visited HHI last year for the first time and really loved it. So we rented a house for all of February 2024. That time solidified our love for HHI and we bought a place in Sea Pines. Winters, here we come! 😊

[@thesavvysightseer]

That is amazing! What a beautiful place to have a home!

[@Iamglitch243]

I also went to Hilton head! Really cool fact my friends and I found treasure in Hilton head!

[@thesavvysightseer]

@@Iamglitch243 Wow! That's really cool!

[@user-bl6tp3wy6h]

@@thesavvysightseer Yeah if you're a billionaire.

[@user-bl6tp3wy6h]

I was living on Hilton Head Island in 1975. Nobody even heard of Hilton Head Island in those days. We had no traffic, no street lights and no police (not needed).There were mornings where I felt like I had he whole Island to myself. My rent was $150 a month. Spent my days at the beach and worked nights at the Plantation Cub at Sea Pines.

[@thesavvysightseer]

That must have been amazing!

[@ronjohnson8119]

Now it sucks!

[@user-bl6tp3wy6h]

@@ronjohnson8119 Billionaire playground? Looks pretty expensive.

[@ronjohnson8119]

@@user-bl6tp3wy6h Hilton Head blows chunks now. I will be ecstatic if I never come here again. I am currently on Hilton Head. Don’t waste your time or money on this place.

[@user-bl6tp3wy6h]

@@ronjohnson8119 I was a waiter, and it was not easy. Rude customers with no respect. I can only imagine what a nightmare it would today, be to be a waiter at Hilton Head Island.