You’re going to wish you had another month of summer with everything there is to do on Hilton Head Island.
For years, decades even, Hilton Head Island developed a reputation as a summer fun hotspot based on three things: golf, tennis and the beach. And to this day, if you come to Hilton Head Island looking for that trinity of outdoor bliss, you will find it in spades.
Our golf is among the best in the world, with 24 courses on-island and dozens more in the Lowcountry beyond. It’s still one of the top reasons to come to Hilton Head Island, and for good reason. Whether you’re teeing it up at Harbour Town Golf Links, where the pros play the RBC Heritage, or immersing yourself in the lush scenery and challenging layout at Oyster Reef, you’re going to find something for your skill set.
Here for the tennis? Of the top 100 tennis resorts in the world, you’ll find eight of them here. Just want to spend a day at the beach? We have 12 miles of white sandy oases ranging from the blissful serenity of Mitchelville Beach Park to the family fun of Coligny Beach Park.
But what of those of you looking for something more? Fortunately, Hilton Head Island has grown and evolved over those decades to encompass much more than golf, tennis and the beach. You’ll find them here, certainly, but your itinerary can run anything from sky-high fun to brain-teasing escape rooms. Here are a few that you must try this summer.
Get Elevated
Located just off of Marshland Road is a sprawling complex of high-flying activities that incorporate two vastly different experiences.
One half of the fun, Zipline Hilton Head, has you flying among the treetops on a two-hour eco-adventure that adds a punch of adrenaline to an elevated tour of the marshes and water along Broad Creek. If you’re looking for something with a little less velocity, they also offer Aerial Adventure, a set of 50 challenges set high off the ground. For high-altitude fun, it’s hard to beat it.
Into The Wild Blue Yonder
Of course, there’s more than one way to take to the skies. If you’re looking to get some real air between you and terra firma, you have to do it over water. Several outfits around Hilton Head Island run parasailing, with most of the runs taking place along the Intracoastal Waterway.
If you’re in Sea Pines, you can check out H20 Watersports inside Harbour Town Yacht Basin. In addition to parasailing they offer jet skiing, sailing, stand up paddle boarding and kayaks. Along Broad Creek you’ll find Sky Pirate Parasail where you can get lifted or take a boat out skiing, tubing or on a relaxing sunset cruise. Across the creek, you’ll find Island Head Watersports, where you can parasail as well as rent banana boats, jet skis and stand up paddle boards.
Get Made in the Shade
If the summer heat has you sweating it out, there are still plenty of ways to pursue some fun and adventure inside.
Those traveling with youngsters will want to stop by The Sandbox for room after room of fun, educational activities. Try your hand at some arts and crafts, strap into the cockpit of a real airplane, climb aboard William Hilton’s ship “Adventure,” or just explore to your heart’s content. We won’t tell them they’re learning if you don’t.
Want to stay cool and put your puzzle-solving skills to the test? HHI Escape offers a pair of fun mysteries you and your group can solve, all while trying to escape the room. Opt for the 60-minute “Wall Street Revenge” room, and piece together clues as you help the FBI escape a crooked Wall Street tycoon who is hiding out on Hilton Head Island. Or for a shorter adventure, try the 30-minute “Basement Lab” as you race the clock to stop the spread of a deadly disease.
Reel in the Big One
The only thing more abundant than the sportfish in our waters are the many qualified charter captains available to take you out and help you land that trophy fish (or that tasty fresh-caught dinner). Depending on the time of year, you can pull in kingfish, cobia, mahi-mahi, tarpon, red fish and many more. There are sharks aplenty out there – you’ll more than likely reel in a hammerhead at some point. Just catch and release, then keep on enjoying the pursuit.
Be sure to ask your captain about the infamous “shark hole” in the ICW.
Take in some Gullah Culture
Before the development of Sea Pines in the 1960s ushered in Hilton Head Island’s modern era as a resort paradise, the island was a rustic, untamed island populated almost entirely by native Gullah.
The descendants of freed slaves, this amazing culture draws heavily from its African roots to create a heritage all their own. While the Gullah and Geechee people call the sea islands of the Southeast their home, Hilton Head Island is still one of the best places to encounter the unique traditions of the Gullah people.
And the best way to learn about them is on a Gullah Heritage Trail Tour. This fascinating bus tour stops at such culturally important sites as Mitchelville, The Gullah Museum and several tabby ruins of old plantation homes.
There are far more ways to enjoy Hilton Head Island than on the links, the courts and the beaches. Get out there and explore – you’ll find there’s so much more to summer here on Hilton Head Island.
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