Hilton Head Offseason

I’ve been thinking about Hilton Head Offseason.  Just last week our family spent a glorious week on Hilton Head Island — soaking up the sun and sand, visiting wildlife preserves, savoring seafood, and sightseeing on beach bikes. Sometime during the week I started daydreaming about an autumn vacation on the Island and realized all the things we love to do in August would be just as — or even more — enjoyable during the offseason. Hilton Head offseason has so many benefits!

Update: We just spent Spring Break on Hilton Head Island and it was everything we hoped it would be!!  Offseason is great!! I’ve updated a few things with opinions on what to do and what to see.  

Beautiful Weather

Summer weather it hot, humid, and hazy with temps in the mid-90s with humidity hitting 70% or more.  By mid-September, the heat and humidity are gone with pleasant daytime temps. The weather from Labor Day to Thanksgiving is still perfect for all the things we love to do like explore and ride bikes.  Daytime temps rarely dip below 60 degrees!  April and May claim the same weather.  April weather was beautiful.  Low 50s in the morning and mid-70s in the afternoon. You still need sunblock to avoid getting burned.  

Lodging is more affordable

Fewer tourists bring lower prices and affordable packages to stay on the Island.  Some resorts offer freebies such as the use of bikes, kayaks, fitness centers and tennis courts.  Private owners lower their prices drastically. During peak season most rental units are booked for a week at a time from Saturday to Saturday unless it’s a hotel.  During offseason renters won’t face the 7-night stay or peak prices.  I checked out VRBO.com and found most rental units are 30-40% lower starting the 2nd week of September.  Hotels are great for a day or two but condos and houses are much roomier plus you can prepare your own meals, do laundry, and have private rooms for the kiddos.

Fewer People

The tiny island has 40,000 year-round residents but this island paradise is the host to 2.5 million visitors a year. That’s a lot of visitors!  Hilton Head offseason finds minimal wait time at restaurants, shops, and attractions, less traffic, and fewer people everywhere.

So my daydreaming of Hilton Head in October continues.  This is what I’d do:

Beach Time

Hilton Head Island means strolling the beach, frolicking in the ocean, building sand castles, and soaking up a little sun.  Offseason weather lets all that happen without the heat and crowds. The best offseason beach weather is during September and October and March and April.  Water temperature will be in the upper 70s (compared to mid-80s in summer).  Take a morning to walk along the beach to see the sunrise or take an evening cruise to watch the sunset.  Spectacular!

Biking

Hilton Head Island caters to bikers with over 60 miles of public bike trails plus resorts have miles of bike trails too.  There are bike racks everywhere!  Maps of trails are located at major intersections.  Bikes share the path with walkers.  It’s a safe environment for bikers but bikers to need to yield to cars when crossing roads.  Rumor has it that there are over 15,000 bicycles for rent!  We have rented from Hilton Head Bicycle and The Bike Doctor (we actually purchased bikes from the Bike Doctor a few years ago!)  You can also bike on the beaches especially during low tide when the sand is hard-packed so it’s easy to ride along the shore.  Pack up your bikes and head to Beaufort County and ride the Spanish Moss Trail which follows 10 miles of the old Magnolia Rail Line. For info visit: Spanish Moss Trail. We drove the 2-hour round trip to Beaufort specifically to ride the Spanish Moss Trail – it’s a nicely paved trail with views of marshes and nature. But, not worth the drive from Hilton Head where you can see all of that without leaving HHI.  However, we did enjoy the shopping, historic houses, and dining of Beaufort.  If you want to visit Beaufort go there before or after your time on HHI.  

Coastal Discovery Museum

The Coastal Discovery Museum is a great place to visit to get a better understanding of the Lowcountry’s culture, heritage, history, and ecology.  The main museum is actually the original plantation house known as Honey Horn.  The 68 acres include trails leading to marshland boardwalks, a butterfly habitat, a dragonfly pond, early buildings and an old cemetery. The museum has a hands-on children’s room, historical information and photo displays of life at Honey Horn over the last 300 years, and often has an exhibit on some aspect of ocean life.  Be sure to check out the calendar of events and register for special events.  Many of the tours take you to various places on the island such as nature preserves, historical sites, or boat tours.  There is no charge to visit the museum. The events and tours are affordable.  Coastal Discovery Museum

Daufuskie Island

Daufuskie Island feels old. The Island is the historic home of the Gullah people.  It’s a place to enjoy nature, discover historic sites, stroll white sandy beaches, and wander through trails lined with ancient oaks dripping with Spanish moss. It’s a small, quiet island with a handful of stores, restaurants, hotels, condos. and multi-million dollar homes of the rich and famous. The best way to learn about the island is through the eyes of local tour guides.  Visit Daufuskie Island: Paradise Beyond

Daufuskie Island is accessible only by boat or ferry from Hilton Head Island and Bluffton. Round-trip tickets are about $35 and that includes taking your bike. Once you arrive, golf carts and bicycles are the main modes of transportation. Both are available to rent but rent them ahead a time through the Daufuskie Island Ferry.  You can probably see and enjoy the island in 6-8 hours.  Visit Daufuskie Island Ferry to make reservations, view time schedules, and to rent golf carts and bicycles.  We spent six hours exploring Daufuskie Island and unfortunately we did it on bikes. Only the perimeter roads are paved with the inner “roads” being sand. To see all the historic buildings you will be on these sandy paths. It was very difficult to bike in the sand and often we had to push the bikes. No fun! Knowing what we know we’d take our dog (instead of boarding him for the day) and rent a golf cart. 

Explore Wildlife Refuges

Unless you grew up along the coast you can’t comprehend the amazing ecosystem of the Lowcountry.  You’ll see all kinds of wildlife like birds, alligators, wildflowers, butterflies, and things that live in the marsh I don’t even have names for! The wildlife refuges around Hilton Head Island are the perfect place for hiking, biking, bird watching, photography, and learning about water ecosystems.

A person can spend hours exploring the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge. This Refuge has informational signs showing you what to look for. Ride a bike and bring water because there are 14 miles of trails and no bathrooms. You can arrange for guided tours on kayaks too.  You can also explore the Sea Pines Forest Preserve and the Audubon Newhall Nature Preserve.  The Audubon can be explored in less than an hour and is the only preserve that allows dogs.

Harbour Town

You don’t have to stay at Sea Pines to enjoy all Harbour Town has to offer. This is the go-to place for cruises (pirate, dolphin and deep-sea fishing). You can explore Harbour Town which has boutiques, shops, art galleries and a playground; Lawton Stables which offers a petting zoo, pony rides for kids, and horseback riding tours of the area; Sea Pines Forest Preserve, a 605-acre preserve with hiking, fishing, picnicking, and wildlife-viewing opportunities, plus a 4,000-year-old Indian Shell Ring that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and Stoney-Baynard Ruins, the only tabby ruins of a main plantation house on Hilton Head Island, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Other Activities

Hilton Head Island offers so many options that it’s hard to choose what to do:

• • Golf 18 holes — Hilton Head ranks in the Top 10 for golf with 25 golf courses.  Don’t forget all the putt-putt places!
  • Play a little tennis — The island has over 500 tennis courts and FYI Pickleball was created on the Island.
  • Go on a Pirate or Dolphin-watching cruise. We took Captain Mark’s dolphin tour this year.
  • Get adventurous and try any water sport (trimaran, catamaran, zupping, kayaking, Waverunner, paddle board, or parasailing).
  • Go fishing, crabbing or shrimping.
  • Visit a Lowcountry plantation, historic fort, or cemetery.
  • Zipline Hilton Head has an awesome 2-hour eco-adventure plus ropes courses. ZipLine Hilton Head
  • Heritage Library offers tours of Fort Mitchell on Thursdays and the Historic Zion Cemetery on Fridays.  They also offer a bike tour (which includes the bike and helmet) along Squire Pope Road that transports you back to the Civil War era.  Book these tours at Heritage Library 
  • Join a Gullah Heritage Trail Tour to Helena Island, Bluffton, or stay on Hilton Head Island visiting former Gullah sites and learning about the Gullah people.  Gullah Tours 
  • Visit Historic Bluffton, a charming Southern town known for its great food and quirky art community. 12th annual Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival
  • Visit any of the harbors or marinas (Coligny Circle, Shelter Cove, Palmetto Bay, Harbour Town, Sunny South Beach, Broad Creek Marina) to book excursions, eat out, shop, or people watch.

A fall trip to Hilton Head isn’t going to happen this year … however, my husband does have a 3-day business trip in Charleston, SC.  Stay tuned to learn about Charleston!!