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Road trip to the beach
Being a California girl, born and raised, moving to the Midwest opened up a seemingly endless number of destinations to explore. Hilton Head Island in South Carolina was a spot several people mentioned in our early days as Hoosiers. Soooo…
We packed up the car and headed southeast with a list of things to do in Hilton Head Island. Before leaving home, we made reservations for dinner the first night at a stop along the way, as well as a week-long hotel stay on Hilton Head Island. Beyond that, we planned to let our adventures unfold.
☞ Travel tip: When going on a road trip, a “go with the flow” plan can add to the fun, but it helps to do a little research beforehand. Join the Wander for Days community and we’ll send you our handy Trip Planning Guide. You can use the guide to make a list of fun things you might want to do, then pick activities as you go.
Planned stops & day trips
Mills River, NC
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is near and dear to our hearts because Todd and I met on a blind date at their California location. Besides that, they have great beer! Both locations are amazing – focused on environmental sustainability, community and farm-fresh food to pair with your favorite craft brew – but the North Carolina location added a bit of WOW with the beauty they put into it.
When taking a road trip through North Carolina, plan to stop for dinner, catch a concert in one of their three entertainment venues, or just enjoy a pint and game of bocce ball on the back porch.
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Hilton Head Island, SC
Hilton Head Island is one of the barrier islands located at the southern tip of South Carolina. While you can easily spend an entire week (or more) at the beach, instead we filled our days exploring. Hilton Head is rich in wildlife and culture definitely worth experiencing.
Things to do
- Rent a bike and go for a ride. YES! You really CAN ride on the beach, just don’t try to ride along the path into Sea Pines. For reasons unknown to us, bikes weren’t allowed past the gate when we were on the island, but cars were. Rent ahead of time with Viator.com or rent when you get there. While walking to the beach our first day on the island, we found a local rental shop setup alongside the trail.
- Take a hike through the Audubon-Newhall Preserve, a beautiful little nature preserve with easy walking paths
- Learn about the oyster beds, marshlands and marine wildlife surrounding the island up close on a guided kayak tour
- Enjoy a sunset catamaran tour along the Hilton Head coastline
- Shop for local produce and other treasures at the Hilton Head Farmers Market, then tour the Coastal Discovery Museum
- Attend one of the island’s many festivals. In November, we caught the Lantern Parade, a parade of lights along the beach, and the annual Oyster Festival
More tour opportunities
Places to eat
Hilton Head Island offers up everything from casual beachside cafes to fine dining. There is also a local winery and distillery, each offering unique tasting opportunities. Here are some of our favorites:
- Do a tasting at the Hilton Head Distillery or Island Winery
- Casual dining by the water at the Salty Dog Cafe in Sea Pines and Tiki Hut, a beachfront patio restaurant and bar. Both featured live music.
- Fine dining (Hilton Head Island style) seafood experience at Hudson’s Seafood House. Make sure to save room to try one of Ms. Bessie’s famous desserts!
Charleston, SC
Charleston is about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Hilton Head Island, making it a very accessible day trip. It’s also a very walkable city with a lot of history and culture, making it a great destination.
Read our blog post, Charleston, SC | A Rich History & Welcoming Culture, for details about our visit and ideas to help plan your visit.
Savannah, GA
Our last day, we left Hilton Head Island and headed south to Savannah, Georgia. It might seem like the opposite direction from home in Indiana, but it’s just an hour drive from Hilton Head Island and added just that much time to our total road trip home (and another state to our “been to” list!).
On the suggestion of someone we met during our Hilton Head stay, we started with an amazing breakfast at Treylor Park. Definitely recommend! This location doesn’t accept reservations, and the line can be long, but it’s worth the wait.
There’s a lot you can see and do in Savannah, and it definitely warrants an overnight stay if you have the time. We didn’t though, so we narrowed things down by following the Historic Savannah Adventure scavenger hunt from Let’s Roam. Digital scavenger hunts are a fun way to learn about new destinations.
Other things to do in Savannah include:
- Visit the American Prohibition Museum and enjoy a cocktail their retro speakeasy
- Stroll along Savannah’s Waterfront, enjoying river views, street performers and historic monuments; including Waving Girl, A World Apart, The Old Harbor Light and more
- Dine on Southern cuisine; including shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes or Brunswick stew
Bonus destinations added along the way
Caw Caw Interpretive Center
Between Hilton Head Island and Charleston, SC, is the Caw Caw Interpretive Center. The area was once covered in rice fields, but now is a low-impact wildlife preserve and bird sanctuary. Take a stop here to wander the more than six miles of trails and learn about local wildlife with the many trail-side exhibits.
Carvers Gap
The drive from Savannah to Indiana takes about 12 hours, so finding stops along the way to break up the miles is a good thing. Plotting our route home, we headed first to the Carvers Gap Trailhead on the Tennessee/North Carolina state line.
This hike wasn’t easy (but not exactly hard) and after spending a week on the warm South Carolina coast was unexpectedly cold due to the higher elevation. But, the views along the Appalachian Trail (AT) were stunning.
You can take a short (1.5-mile) hike to the first of three balds – Round Bald – or continue all the way to Grassy Ridge Bald where you’ll find a marker dedicated to Cornelious Rex Peake for a roughly 5-mile out-and-back hike.
Red River Gorge, KY
Roughly halfway between Carvers Gap and Indianapolis is the Natural Bridge State Resort Park, nestled within Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. During parts of the year, you can take the Skylift to the top of the Natural Bridge trail. Or go for a hike along one of the many trails leading to the sandstone rock bridge that stands 65 feet high and 78 feet in length.
Road Trip Stats
By the time we arrived back home in Indiana, we’d traveled roughly 2,000 miles and explored parts of five states. Your road trip might look different, but using these destinations as a starting point can help shape an adventure that you won’t forget.