It's true. Hilton Head with its 24 championship golf courses, is a magnet for golfers, but the second largest barrier island on East Coast is also a draw for families, who come not only for its 12 miles of beaches but also for its rich natural assets.
This 42-mile sea island located about 45 minutes from Savannah, was first settled in explored in 1521 by the Spanish, then settled by the Irish in 1698, and later was used as a defense site during WWII, before becoming a resort area in the mid-1950s.
Families flock to Hilton Head for easy access to the best of the Southern Sea Islands, which are ripe with windswept dunes, musky marshes and peaceful inlets, where bald eagles, herons, osprey and pelicans are more plentiful than people.
And what family can escape the pleasures of watching dolphin frolic? Hop aboard one of the island's many catamarans to see them in the wild on one of the many dolphin tours that launch from the island.
To fully experience the natural beauty of the area, book a seat aboard one of Outside Hilton Head's boats, which can take you to Page Island. En route to this unpopulated chain of islands linked by rustic footbridges and paths, flung out in the middle of the ocean, you're all but certain to see pods of dolphin arcing from the water and following your boat. The plus here is that you also get to visit a deserted island, experiencing what Hilton Head must have been like when the first Spanish explorer stumbled upon the barrier island. This place is all about low-key pleasures, like chasing land crabs that scurry across mudflats, casting old-school shrimping nets for bait to use while fishing from the pier. Families will love navigating the small trail system, swinging in hammocks slung between palm trees and, on cooler days, gathering round a bonfire.
There are many choices of where to stay on Hilton Head. After all, it's home to a hundreds of condos and villas. In fact, these types of accommodations provide the bulk of housing for families who wish to do their own cooking and want the convenience of laundry on premises. However, the Westin Hilton Head is a good alternative, especially for those parents and grandparents looking to outsource the cooking and cleaning, as it caters to families with everything from kids surprises in the evening (an in-room teepee anyone? How being greeted with a giant floor game of tic-tac-toe?) The kids club is spunky, offering a creative roster of activities like scavenger hunts, cooking classes and evening beach walks. There are also three pools, the Westin's new healthy menu (fresh smoothies every day, edamame and hummus snacks) and (kid-friendly) yoga classes. As for the famed Hilton Head beach bicycle ride? Well, locals claim the beach out front of the Westin has one of the best (most packed) sandy beaches on Hilton Head.
Finally, no trip to Hilton Head is complete without a pilgrimage to the island's tip. There are shops and restaurants along the dock here, but the biggest attraction is the Harbour Town Lighthouse, an iconic candy-striped lighthouse. Its 114 steps is a must climb. Kids love clamoring up to the top just because they can. (The gift shop is also a pretty decent motivator.) But adults should mount the stairs because the reward up top is great: A 360-degree view of Hilton Head, the surrounding islands (including Tybee Island, Savannah's knock-about beach escape) and the ocean which stretches as far as the eye can see, a reminder of just why this fragile barrier island bravely thrust into the Atlantic is so special.