I made the 5-hour drive to Hilton Head, South Carolina yesterday afternoon after spending five days in Florida visiting my family and playing hide-and-seek and “phones” with my 2-year old niece. Hilton Head Island has been my favorite vacation destination for the last 20+ years and crossing the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway feels like coming home.
My drive included my first ever stop at a Buc-ee’s, this one just off the highway in Brunswick, Georgia. It was an experience, to say the least. There are lines of cars coming off the highway, multiple entrances, a 75,000-square foot store, and 120 fuel pumps. It was also mobbed. I stopped in the massive restroom, walked a big loop around the store, grabbed a couple of snacks and a postcard for my classroom wall, and got back on the road.
My arrival on Hilton Head was perfectly timed to coincide with dinnertime, so I headed directly to Hudson’s on the Docks for a dinner of fish and chips, brandy bread pudding, and some type of berry vodka drink (x2). I love sitting at the outdoor bar at Hudson’s, but alas the temperature and wind forced me indoors to a high top table by the indoor bar.
This morning found me awake at my usual 4AM wakeup time. I enjoyed some time just hanging out in bed, watching YouTube before getting dressed and heading out for a long sunrise walk on the beach. First things first: it is COLD in Hilton Head this week. At sunrise, the temperature was only in the mid-30s, so I’m glad I decided to bring a winter coat with me. It was one of those sunrises where the color was better well before the sun actually came up. The actual sunrise was rather anticlimactic.
After breakfast, I walked to the Palmetto Dunes General Store to pick up a cinnamon roll and cappuccino for breakfast in bed. I spent a couple of hours watching YouTube, napping a little, reading my book (“The Widow” by John Grisham – so good!), and then moving to a new hotel room before heading out for the afternoon.
This afternoon I hit the outlets in Bluffton for a bit of shopping and then enjoyed a leisurely early dinner at the Burnt Church Distillery in Bluffton. I visited there last year and had amazing drinks and food. This year wasn’t quite as good, but still enjoyable. I had a mocha and bourbon cream drink followed by a key lime drink, a Buffalo chicken flatbread, and caramel peach crumb cake. The service was on the slow side, but I wasn’t in a hurry and I had my book to keep me company.
I decided to forgo a sunset beach walk in favor of a walk around the Calhoun Street Dock and Wright Family Park in Bluffton before heading back to the hotel. Bluffton is built along the May River and has many historic homes and a church (The Church of the Cross) situated on a bluff overlooking the river. The park is just at the end of Calhoun Street, across from the church. I’ve visited this area many times at sunset, but none of those visits have been as peaceful and relaxing as tonight’s.
Traveling with Laura 