Vacation Company

Over-the-Top Vacation Fun, Off the Beaten Path!

May 9, 2011 By 1 Comment
Guided kayak tours through The Sea Pines Resort

     At the beginning of every season we, at The Vacation Company, try to come up with all new and exciting lists of things to do on Hilton Head for our guests – NOT that there is a dearth of ideas for outdoor fun, but repeat guests who have baked every day on the beach, played all the golf courses, run the lighthouse stairs, watched the sunset from the Quarterdeck, and listened to Gregg Russell under the Liberty Oak, year in, year out, sometimes on occasion ask if there is something else to do around here – NOT THAT THE AFOREMENTIONED AREN’T FUN ENOUGH – it’s just that the kids eventually grow into teenagers and don’t want to sing outside every summer night and you’re watching an even better sunset this year nightly from your OCEANFRONT BEACH HOME RENTAL FROM THE VACATION COMPANY! And nobody makes better mojitos than you while enjoying that view, right?…  wait… where was I….

Up Close And Personal on a Guided Sea Pines Resort Eco Tour

       Okay, NEW outdoor activities on Hilton Head Island; almost every year, new activities are added to the roster and it can be daunting trying to figure out which ones to make time for.  This week, I’m giving you the contact information and highlights of an under-the-radar one-stop-shop for outdoor fun that I only stumbled across while Googling for extreme activities on Hilton Head.
     Within Sea Pines Resort, is the Recreation Department, which is highly organized and with-it in the area of blazing outdoor trails and know how best to show off the island’s supreme natural beauty under the guise of entertaining activities.  After all, they do understand that you can’t tell your kids that these tours are educational while on vacation because that would sound BOORRRING, so parents can relax and fall in line without too much preparation.   The only gear suggested by the recreation coordinator that I spoke to was to wear, secured shoes; ie no flip-flops or sandals. You don’t want a creepy crawler nipping an exposed toe while trekking through the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. Other than that, all you have to do is show up on time at the designated location and the tour guide will take it from there. 

     Below are a selection of springtime Eco Tours, designed to enlighten while entertaining; these are great for the whole family.  Click here for a pdf version of the full 2011 Spring Resort Guide of tours and events.  For more information and a list of activities, call 843.842.1979, listen to the menu of activities and let them talk you through.

Alligator Boat Tours: a perfect way to see these incredible reptiles while getting a safely guided tour from  a knowledgeable professional. 843.686.5323
Kayaking Tours: a clinic is included, so experience is not mandatory for this remarkable tour through Calibogue Sound where you may see manatees, dolphins, otters, and minks.  843.671.4386
Stoney/Baynard Ruins Tour: Fascinating, informative tour of the ruins of a Hilton Head plantation home.
Sea Pines Forest Preserve walking Tour: Explore a 4,000 year old Indian trail and grounds where relics have been preserved, over boardwalked paths that take you through ancient woods.
Forest Preserve Hayride: Relax and listen to the experienced guide take you through the Forest Preserve
Beach Discovery: Stroll Sea Pines shoreline while a local guide identifies starfish, shells, and sand dollars.

     Hilton Head is home to an incredible wildlife dynamic, at once jarring and extreme with alligators, snakes, egrets, coyotes, and deer commingling, seemingly nonchalant in their meanderings over fairways, sand dunes, residential roads, and back porches, while hosting a delicate ecosystem that needs constant care and diligent preservation so that the frogs, turtles, bats, mosquitoes, and lizards can help keep it all balanced.  We often forget how fortunate we are that this lowcountry habitat thrives while undergoing constant development and traffic. Wildlife tours such as these and others – some of which have already been journaled  about in Hilton Heads Up – are numerous on Hilton Head and fun.  Take a day to learn about this amazing island while you are here.  You will be so glad you did.

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No One Knows the Truffles I’ve Seen

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Truffles Cafe’s signature tomato dill soup
    One of the many pleasures of being an on-again off-again resident, sometime vacationer, sometime just home-for-the holidays kind of islander, is getting to grow up with some of the people and businesses who have managed to stick around and do just fine – actually, they do quite well, thank you very much – like Price Beall and Truffles Cafe.  This restaurant, and it’s siblings on Pope Avenue, and Bluffton, have stood the test of time, seasonal business, and a fickle economy, for more than twenty-five years and show only signs of future growth and prosperity.  Being a hands-on businessman, employing many islanders through the years (and in my case, more than once), and participating in and contributing to many area charities, owner,  Price Beall has become a good neighbor and friend to many islanders and visitors.  
     As a business model, Truffles is certainly in a class by itself; quietly evolving with the times by redecorating periodically, adding to the menu, changing server uniforms, expanding an eclectic and thorough wine list, and opening  new venues.  All the while, Truffles turns out a stellar product, an innovative menu known for its         fresh preparation and uniqueness, yet always consistent in presentation, taste, and service.  And ALWAYS open.  
Truffles Cafe Owner, Price Beall
     As a  Vacation  Company staff member, it’s a pleasure sending business Truffles’ way because one never worries that guests or visiting family might be disappointed.  You   just know it’s one of the safest bets in town, like catching a great sunset in Harbour Town, or spotting an alligator on a golf course in June.  Duh.

    And apparently, I’m not the only one who feels that way, since Ruby Tuesday’s has recently signed a licensing agreement with Gourmet Market, Inc. (Truffles’ parent company) to replicate Truffles in other locations, such as Lenox Mall in Atlanta which opened Truffles Cafe in the fall of 2010.  Fortunately for us, Price Beall views Hilton Head as home, and Truffles will continue to flourish here, serving up long-time favorites like its signatures tangy tomato dill soup, flavorful chicken pot pie, perfectly seasoned southwestern chicken salad,  and tasty rack of ribs, and let’s not forget who put the fabulously sinful, blondie with ice cream on the map.

Locations:                                                      Phone Number:

Sea Pines Center, Lighthouse Rd.,                  
Hilton Head Island, SC                                  843-671-6136                           
Pope Avenue, Hilton Head Island, SC            843-785-3663
Belfaire Town Village, Bluffton, SC                 843-815-5551
Lenox Road, Atlanta, GA                               404-364-9050

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THE FAMILY SCENE – 7 NIGHTS A WEEK OF FAMILY FUN HILTON HEAD STYLE!

June 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Having planned to do nothing for the long-anticipated vacation week, most of you forget the perils of facing unstructured time a year after the last family getaway. So today, I play the Devil’s advocate, and remind you that just because a basketful of neglected books, cross-stitching, and Sudoku games, dances in the cockles of your heart as long-awaited downtime joys, doesn’t mean that the Family part of your family vacation will allow such delights of quiet stillness. In fact, Family doesn’t think of stillness as delightful or fun by any liberal definition of those words.

So forget R & R, say good-bye to the New York Times crosswords you’ve been hoarding all winter for this summer break, and just be glad Hilton Head Island supplies a weekly line-up of family-oriented events so you don’t have to organize that, too. Below is just a bare tip-of-the-iceberg look at family activities for each day of the week. Or, if you don’t see what you’re looking for here, check with the friendly staff at The Vacation Company who will steer you to a plethora of island family vacation fun stops.

  • SUNDAYS – Sea Pines Forest Preserve, EcoTours, 4:00 – 4:30 pm & 5:00 – 5:30 pm – Family Hayrides, $13/adult, $10/children under 12 - Explore the Forest Preserve aboard an old-fashioned hay wagon. Also learn about the numerous other nature activities taking place each week.
    For more information and reservations for EcoTours, please call the Sea Pines Forest Preserve Recreation Department, (843) 842-1979.
  • MONDAYS (through Labor Day) – Coligny Plaza, 1 North Forest Beach Dr.
    10:00 – 11:00 am – Yostie the Puppet Master, FREE –     Watch Yostie the Puppeteer perform live center stage in the kiosk area! Maybe she will ask you to come up on stage and help her with the puppets!.
    6:30 pm – The Magic of Gary Maurer, FREE – Come out for South Carolina’s Magician of the Year Gary Maurer!! In the kiosk area at Coligny Plaza.
  • TUESDAYS (April through September) – Shelter Cover Marina
    Early Evening – Kayaking – Fireworks Paddle, $25/adults, $20/chrildren under 12 -     Fun and informative 2-hour guided kayak nature tour. Then everybody will park in the marsh with the best seats in the house for the Shelter Cove Harborfest fireworks!
    Book online here or call the reservations hotline : (800) 686-6996
  • WEDNESDAYS – Two things to satisfy EVERYONE AT THE SAME TIME:
    6:00 – 9:00 pm (June 02/10 – September 01/10) – Parent’s Nite Out/Kid’s Nite In, $30/child, $25/siblings & Sandbox members*
    The Sandbox Museum.     Back by popular demand! An adult’s night out while the kids let their imaginations run wild. The night includes fun exhibits, staff- supervised crafts, pizza, and a take-home toy. Geared for children age 3-9 years. Reservations recommended 24 hours in advance.
    For more information and reservations, call (843) 842-7645, or visit www.sandbox.org, or 18-A Pope Avenue, Hilton Head, SC 29928
    *$1/minute per child late pick-up fee.
    And while the kids play at the Sandbox, adults can check this one out down the road in Sea Pines Plantation…
    6:00 – 9:00 pm (June 02/10 – August 11/10) – The Headliners, FREE, Sea Pines Center.     Hilton Head Island’s famous Headliners perform their huge repertoire of dance hits. This a rare opportunity to enjoy them al fresco AND free of charge. Begin your night by shopping the tony boutiques of the Sea Pines Center such as Palmettoes, & Forsythe’s Jewelers, dine at my personal favorite, Truffles Café, and then dance off those calories by the fountain!
  • THURSDAYS – (May 13/10 – August 26/10) The Mall at Shelter Cove
    8:00 am – 12:00 noon, Weekly Farmers Market     Center Court. Fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables available for purchase.
    For more information, call York Glover (843) 812-2919.
  • FRIDAYS – (through Labor Day) – Coligny Plaza, 1 North Forest Beach Dr.
    6:30 pm – Family Dance Party – FREE     Another night of shopping, dining, and dancing as local dj entertains with dance music from the past and present for the whole family to get in on the act. Get there early, as the plaza center fills up fast with kids of all ages.
  • SATURDAYS – (year-round) – Sea Pines Forest Preserve, CSA, 175 Greenwood Dr.
    10:00 – 11:30 am – Forest Preserve Walks – $9/adult & complimentary child, $5/each additional child.     Discover the hidden treasures of the Forest Preserve with one of our guided tours. Visit the remains of a 4,000-year old Native American village at the sacred Indian Shell Ring. Search for birds and animals hidden amid the trees as you listen to the stories behind the historic area.
  • NIGHTLY – … And the family entertainment for which Hilton Head is famous…8:00 pm nightly except for Saturdays, (June 06/10 – August 27/10) – FREE - Gregg Russell sings under the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town. For over thirty years, Gregg Russell has brought music and laughter to all by the Harbour Town lighthouse in Sea Pines Plantation.
    Beginning at 6:30 pm, 2 shows nightly Monday – Friday, and a Thursday morning cruise (June – August), Shelter Cove Marina, Shannon Tanner performs music for all age groups.
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AWESOME ISLAND VIEWS!

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Marsh View at Sea Pines Club Course 18th Green

If you’ve rented a property with the Vacation Company of Hilton Head, you have probably enjoyed a great view of one of the island’s many natural scenes; quiet lagoon or marsh, lush golf course, ocean, or the site of a wooded bike path offering tranquility and shade to joggers, cyclists, and dog walkers. You’ve walked or biked to Harbourtown for a dazzling sunset, played the Ocean Course for it’s myriad scenic angles and gator sightings, or wandered over to Jurassic Park (aka the Sea Pines Forest Preserve) to soak up the undisturbed and occasionally mutant-sized flora and fauna. How many other glorious views can you ask for?

Countless, is the answer. But to suggest a couple of favorites, I would begin with the drive over the bridges, including the Cross Island Parkway. In thirty-five years, I have not tired of these breathtaking rides that offer panoramic, moving shots of Lowcountry landscape reminiscent of a National Geographic documentary complete with pelicans dive-bombing the ocean, shrimp boats plowing through the water, marsh grasses blowing, and a vibrantly painted sky that changes daily according to the weather.

Bored? Take a drive.

My other favorite island view is the marsh sunset from the Sea Pines Country Club clubhouse. This one is spectacular and exciting because each one is vastly different from the one before it. Some evenings, the sky is brilliant orange with purple daggers flying out front and others, it is like a watercolor painting, pastel shades melting into each other. This one, I snapped Friday, 6/11/10 just after walking our dog Sam, up past the 18th green.

Do you have a personal favorite shot of a Hilton Head view? If so, send it in, and we’ll post it. Make sure you give us the name of the location and the date and time it was shot and with what kind of camera was used. Send your photos to carmen@vacationcompany.com.

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Lawton Stables: Another Sea Pines WOW!

April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Talk about a turn around! When Sea Pines began marketing real estate back in the late 1950′s, one of the facilities for new property owners the sales staff recommended was – no, not golf – a stable.

So a stable there was. It was nice, small, offered trail rides, boarding, but was, on the whole, sort of passive.

Well, excuse me! Lawton Stables is now a main attraction in Sea Pines! As it should be. Now there’s the animal farm, carriage rides, riding lessons, the Junior Saddle Club. This place is a must see for all Sea Pines’ guests. And your visit is free.

Lawton Stables has been turned into what it was originally meant to be: a one stop shop for horse folks, for island visitors who love horses, and another item for your family’s “must do” list when you come visit. At The Vacation Company, we promise to help you discover more local “must do’s.”

What used to happen with so many vacationers, whether on Hilton Head Island or any other destination, is that it was “beach, golf, out of here.” What so many visitors missed was our magnificent community and places like Lawton Stables, with its trail rides, pony rides (the little kids), lessons, summer camp, horse shows, even a gift shop.

While most of our visitors think of this island as beach and golf, we’re so much more. The island, like the name of our PGA Tour tournament, “The Heritage,” has a history. Lawton Stables was named after Lawton Plantation, where Eliza Summers and Julia Benedict came to teach freedmen (former slaves) in 1867. The stables are again, a venue for teaching, this time about horses, the environment, and our island.

Visit Hilton Head Vacation Rentals or give us a call at 1-800-845-7018.

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41st Verizon Heritage

January 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The Verizon Heritage is celebrating its 41th year at Harbour Town Golf Links, April 13 – 19. If you haven’t booked a Heritage home or villa – do it NOW. Yes, this is one of the busiest times on the island but it’s also one of the greatest. Since it promises to be another sellout (135,000+ fans), call for tickets or go on line.

Defending champion Boo Weekley has now joined Davis Love III and the late Payne Stewart as the only players in Verizon Heritage history to successfully defend their titles. And he is definitely not your typical cool and collected Tour professional. He got his nickname from the cartoon hero Yogi Bear’s sidekick, “Boo Boo Bear.” An avid hunter and fisherman, his sponsors include the outdoors apparel company Mossy Oak, which specializes in camouflage outfits, Big Buck Sports and Bass Pro Shops.

The purse this year has been raised to $5.7 million, with the winner walking away with a check for over $1 million and 25,000 FedEx Cup points. The purse for the first Heritage, which was held on Thanksgiving weekend, was a little smaller. In 1969, Arnold Palmer ended a 14-month victory drought and banked $20,000.

As tournament director Steve Wilmot likes to remind everyone, the Verizon Heritage is a charitable event. In 2008 the Heritage Classic Foundation distributed almost $1.8 million to charities, the arts, colleges via scholarships, and medical centers.

Remember, email or call us with any questions.

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Free Stuff!

July 17, 2008 By Leave a Comment
On Hilton Head Island, there are, quite literally, hundreds of choices for family fun. But for the uninformed, it seems like you have to pull out your wallet for anything you choose. Well, we’re here to tell you about the free stuff!Obviously, our beach is free. But what about when the sun goes down and the kids still need to drain off some energy. Here are four excellent choices for family fun that won’t cost you a penny.

Monday through Friday, Coligny Plaza offers a different show every night. There is even a free family movie on Saturdays at 11 a.m. That’s right – free! You can catch Elvis, enjoy a show about the Sea Island’s Gullah culture, get in a little magic, and enjoy a local Reggae band. Of course, there are over 60 shops and restaurants who would be very happy if you decided to stop in and visit, but there is absolutely no admission price for the entertainment. The kids (and you) will love it.

Now entering his 19th season at Shelter Cove Harbor, Shannon Tanner does an exceptional job entertaining young and old(er) folks with a fantastic range of songs (mostly his own), stories and humor to the beautiful backdrop of the large harbor. He does two shows, Monday through Friday, one starting at 6:30 p.m., the other starting at 8 p.m.

Of course, there’s Harbourfest on Tuesdays at Shelter Cove, too. Free fireworks over the water, all sorts of crafts, art works, you name it – and no admission!

Maybe you’ve seen one of his movies. Or maybe you’ve heard about Hilton Head Heroes, the children’s charitable organization he and his wife, Lindy founded. Or maybe you’ve seen him under the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town, rocking the socks off his jam packed audience for 30 years! Gregg Russell is about as much of a Hilton Head Island tradition as Harbour Town’s lighthouse. If you’re vacationing in Sea Pines Resort, his nightly concerts are free. Be prepared to join in the show! (If your vacation home is outside of Sea Pines, you will have to pay the $5 gate fee – but Gregg is really worth it.)

It’s all definitely (free) family fun.

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Take a Bike Path and "Go Green"

June 23, 2008 By Leave a Comment

We’ve written about new and improved bike paths on Hilton Head Island before, but a recent comment by a first-time visitor got us to thinking of the bigger picture. This visitor was staying in Sea Pines, was a jogger and cyclist, and had just returned from a 15-month tour in Iraq. This vacation was his wife’s treat.

He told us he usually ran about five miles a day but was so inspired by the beauty of the paths (“leisure trails”) in Sea Pines, he added another two miles his first day. Then he discovered the pathways outside Sea Pines and did a loop down Cordillo Parkway. He couldn’t believe all the runners he saw – to say nothing of the bikes.

His family also discovered they were, at most, a 10-minute bike ride from just about every place they wanted to go. Except for one night out, at a mid-island restaurant, their minivan remained unused for their entire stay!

Sea Pines has 15 miles of leisure trails. Palmetto Dunes has about 14 miles, including all of Shelter Cove. Shipyard has 12 miles. Of course, all of the Forest Beach area is linked by beautiful paths. In fact, now the entire island – inside and outside the gates – is connected by a pathway system. Click here for the town’s map.

No matter where you’re staying on the island, we see two very real benefits you’ll enjoy by choosing pathways, whether its by foot or bicycle. You do have time to “stop and smell the roses.” Paths allow you to alter your pace. You don’t have to hop in the car. You can walk or ride (or run). That’s good for body and soul. You’ll also see the island up close, like the alligators and turtles, the herons and osprey nests.

The second reason? You’ll be burning up calories – not gasoline!

Go for a walk. Go for a run. Go for a (bike) ride. Do your part for the environment. Pathways are very “green.”

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