Saw dolphins feeding behind these shrimp boats while at lunch at the Crazy Crab
My beloved Low Country
Commercial docks on the North side by several restaurants
Looks exactly like Botswana, except there were Elephants in the water in Africa!
Looks lovely, but don't touch, there may be Gators in that water!
Live Oaks and Spanish Moss
Michael and Max watching the kite surfers
An evening stroll, with the wind whipping waves into swirls of white, brings something else spectacular: a dark canvas set with countless diamonds of brilliant stars. There is little ambient light to interfere with the panorama and no better ending to a day than resting in the sand and staring at the endless sky above.
Our house, not far from the ocean, is nestled against one of the lagoons that wind through more than twelve miles of Hilton Head. Our first morning there, while walking our small puppy, Max, I stood near the water's edge and something caught my eye. A something that moved slowly and dipped beneath the surface. I returned to the house, grabbed a flashlight and camera, and--without the puppy--returned. As the rising sun brought the morning into focus, I watched as a five-foot alligator broke the surface and slithered through the water. Linda came outside, watched the creature's powerful tail undulate, and compared the size of its snout to Max. She advised me that we would not be taking the canoe out this trip.
There are several great day trips that can be taken from HH, including visits to Charleston and Savannah. Both are great, but for a slower pace check out Daufuskie Island or the Old Sheldon Church ruins and the town of Beaufort.
Charlestown
Strolling towards Savannah's Forsyth Square
Rose Hill Plantation
Old Sheldon Church Ruins
Arranging a guided boat tour to Daufuskie is well worth the effort. The island retains vestiges of the Gullah people, enslaved African-Americans whose language and traditions were influenced by West and Central African cultures. As the barrier islands have become far more accessible over the last several decades the Gullah traditions have eroded, but efforts have been undertaken to preserve this unique aspect of American history. The island itself is worth a visit, motoring about in a golf cart along dirt roads and paths that wind around beautiful beaches, oak forests draped with that magical Spanish moss, and isolated settlements. A bar near the dock is notable for maintaining a huge pet pig that rumbles between tables hustling scraps and beer.
Approaching Daufuskie ("da fust kay" in Gullah)
The main dock you land at
The bar, Marshside Mama's, by the dock
Island Library
Haunted Gullah cemetery
Tabby ruins
First Union African Baptist Church
School Pat Conroy (Prince of Tides) taught at this school
Someone still lives here
Silver Dew Winery (closed)
Back to Harbor Town
The Old Sheldon Church ruins, near Beaufort, are definitely worth a visit. The church was burned twice, first during the Revolutionary War and again during the Civil War. The large plot of land, graced with ancient oaks and incredibly long blankets of Spanish moss, is dotted with graves over one hundred years old. The ruins rise like a sepia-toned photograph, something that calls out from the past and evokes a sense of wonder about what happened here. Little imagination is needed to picture the flames bursting through now empty windows or to wonder at the horror of the parishioners who first witnessed the smoldering ruins. The church is a place of melancholy beauty. One warning, bring your strongest mosquito spray. They are small and vicious.
Shelden Church ruins
Haunting, but...
bring your strongest bug spray!!!!!
After viewing the ruins, we stopped in Beaufort for lunch. A quiet town with antebellum mansions and a quaint downtown, Beaufort has a nice park lined with sheltered benches facing the Intra-Coastal Waterway. Find a restaurant that serves seafood--the shrimp and oysters are fresh-caught in the morning--and gaze across the Intra-Coastal while nursing a cold beer. Not a bad way to spend a day--or several.
<div style='text-align:center;font-size:11px;font-family:arial;font-weight:normal;margin:10px;padding:0;line-height:normal'><a href='http://www.dwellable.com/a/793/Hilton-Head/Vacation-Rentals' style='border:none'><img src='http://www.dwellable.com/dwellback/793.jpg' style='width:102px;height:20px;border:none;margin:0;padding:0'><br>Hilton Head on Dwellable</a></div>