Hilton Head Island: A Travel Feature

Hilton Head is an island surrounded by lovely beaches on one side and sea marshes on the other side. Old, majestic oak trees shade the island and palmetto trees give it that southern, beach-y feel. Temperatures in the area range from the 50s in the winter to the mid-80s in the summer, so it is always perfect for a year round getaway.

Hilton Head is about 65 miles north of the Savannah airport or you can easily reach it off of exit 28 on I-95 South or off of exit 5 on I-95 North. Without traffic, you can be on the island within 20-25 minutes of leaving I-95. During the summer months or rush hour, it can easily take you over an hour so consider yourself warned. However, if you do get stuck sitting in traffic, the Tanger Outlet Stores are located right before you head over the bridge into Hilton Head. They have over 45 stores there that include J. Crew, Ralph Lauren and the Gap. I've been known to stop there and "force" myself to pass the time away.

Once we are on the island, we always head straight to the Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. It is our personal favorite but there are tons of other options, including many oceanfront resorts. Disney's resort is on the sound side of the island, but they provide free access and shuttle service to their beachside club. The resort offers tons of activities to entertain the kids but our family's favorite is the campfire sing-a-long or just lying around in the many hammocks that are anchored to the huge moss-covered trees found throughout the property.