Someone else might have used a different title for this post, but that sums up my impression of the weekend perfectly. It was a rainy Memorial Day weekend filled with exciting wildlife!
Where We Stayed
Hilton Head National RV Resort is not actually on Hilton Head Island, but it’s only 5 minutes away from the bridge and less than 20 minutes away from the beach.
Hilton Head National RV Resort
Bluffton, SC
May 25 – 29, 2023
Site 132
The campground has all kinds of amenities. This is not a comprehensive list, but here are the ones that stood out to us.
- a decent-sized dog park
- an impressive trail around the perimeter (and through the center) of the campground
- a pool, complete with a lazy river!
- an open, grassy field where kids could play (one night they showed an outdoor movie)
- its own restaurant
- a 21+ section of the campground with its own pool
- really nice bathrooms in the clubhouse
An unexpected bonus about the campground, for me, was the wildlife. Here are the more note-worthy critters we saw over the weekend.
- fox squirrel
- alligator
- osprey
- little blue heron (yup, that’s what it’s called)
- deer
I also learned something new! You can put your phone in front of a pair of binoculars and take a photo that’s more zoomed in. Clearly, I need more practice, but I’m just happy it worked at all.
What We Did
There is no shortage of things to do at Hilton Head National RV Resort, so we planned to stay for four nights. We figured that would be the perfect way to enjoy everything the campground had to offer. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans for the holiday weekend and gave us rain and colder-than-average temperatures. The pool was really cold, and the days never got warm enough to try for a beach trip, but we did manage to do a bit of exploring…
A GREAT LITTLE PARK
On Friday morning we went to Jarvis Creek Park. It’s a cute little park that is less than 10 minutes from the campground. There are two playgrounds, plenty of picnic tables, a small pond for fishing, and a magnificent live oak, but we went for the walking loop that wraps around the pond.
Fishing at this park comes with an added level of difficulty. We had Max and Corona on the dock to get a nice photo of the pond. Right after Jesse took the picture, he noticed an alligator in the water behind the dogs. Later, we heard two fishermen say they’d had some of their catch stolen by an alligator.
FOOD
We ate at two restaurants over the weekend. The first, Charbar Co. Burgers & Sushi, was pricey, but worth it. The burgers were cooked well and tasted great. We would definitely go back there if we are in the area again.
The other, Street Meet, did not meet our expectations. We wouldn’t go there again.
One night, we drove to a shopping plaza on Pope Avenue near Coligny Beach Park. We were surprised to find free parking across the street.
We walked around a bit and got ice cream at a place called The Ice Cream Cone. There were so many flavors! They had the usual, but also a lot of unexpected flavors. The triple chocolate was spectacular! We definitely recommend a visit!
That night, we also found a place called Hilton Island Fudge. Oh. My. Goodness. I like fudge, but I can be picky. I only eat chocolate fudge, and there are some I like and some I just don’t. I don’t know what makes the difference, but Hilton Island Fudge had the best fudge I’ve ever tasted. If you’re in the area and you like fudge, do yourself a favor and stop by. (They do offer samples, which did their job because I ordered more than I would have if I hadn’t been able to taste it first.)
AN UNUSUAL BOAT TOUR
Sunday we took a boat tour of the Intracoastal Waterway, but this was a little different than most tours I’ve seen. Instead of a tour guide steering a boat that contains all the participants, everybody has their own boat. A tour guide led the way in his boat, and Jesse and I followed in our own. A second tour guide brought up the rear in yet another boat. We saw lots of different birds and even some dolphins (including a mom with her calf)! I enjoyed the wildlife watching and scenery, and Jesse enjoyed piloting the boat. It was an interesting twist to the usual boat tour.
Happy travels!
