Beach Biking, Oyster Eating | Hilton Head Island Road Trip

Road TripUSASouth CarolinaHilton Head Island

Feb 23

Bicycling on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA — Bike Riding on 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. We made dinner reservations for the first night at Sierra Nevada Brewery in Mills River, North Carolina, and a week’s hotel stay on Hilton Head. Beyond that, we planned to let the adventures unfold.

☞ Tip: When taking a trip with a “go with the flow” attitude, it helps to do a little research beforehand. Use our handy Trip Planning Guide to make a list of fun things you might want to do, then decide on the fly depending on your mood of the day.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is near and dear to our hearts because my husband 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. We had dinner that first night in the Taproom, then detoured back on our way home to spend some time on the back patio, listening to music from the amphitheater and playing bocce ball next to their estate agriculture garden. Definitely worth the extra stop!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links for products and/or services we love. If you decide to make a verified purchase through the links in this post, I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for choosing to wander with us. We hope your adventures are filled with as much joy and awe as we’ve experienced!

The next day, we stopped in Columbia, South Carolina, for dinner and a walk around the state’s capital. Then, on to the coast. Hilton Head Island is one of the barrier islands located at the southern tip of South Carolina. While we could have spent the entire week at the beach, instead we filled our days exploring. Hilton Head is rich in wildlife and culture definitely worth experiencing. Here are some things you can do with your days on the island:

Rent a bike and go for a ride. YES! You really CAN ride them 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, but cars were. You can rent e-bikes or look for beach cruiser rentals. 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, just beware of the resident alligator, Big Al
Learn about the oyster beds, marshlands and marine wildlife surrounding the island up close on a guided kayak tour
Admire the sunset with the dolphins on one of the boat tours departing from the Harbor Town Lighthouse
Shop for local produce and other treasures at the Hilton Head Farmers Market, then tour the Coastal Discovery Museum
Do a tasting at the Hilton Head Distillery or Island Winery
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
Enjoy a meal by the water. Two places we found casual dining by the water - both with live music - were the Salty Dog Cafe in Sea Pines and Tiki Hut, a beachfront patio restaurant and bar. For a fine dining (Hilton Head Island style) seafood experience, Hudson’s Seafood House was amazing. Make sure to save room to try one of Ms. Bessie’s famous desserts!

Being the wanderers we are, we decided to take advantage of the island’s close proximity to a couple of historically rich cities. We spent one full day making the two-hour drive north to Charleston, South Carolina, stopping on the way for a hike at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center. The area used to be covered in rice fields, but now is a low-impact wildlife preserve and bird sanctuary. Our last day, we left Hilton Head Island and headed south to Savannah, Georgia where we started with an amazing breakfast at Treylor Park. With so much to see and do in Savannah, we narrowed things down by following the Historic Savannah Adventure scavenger hunt from Let’s Roam.

The drive straight from Savannah to home in Indiana would have taken 12 hours, but instead we broke it up with a hike at Carvers Gap along the Appalachian Trail at Roan Mountain, and a surprise hike to the Natural Bridge in the Red River Gorge.