Hilton Head Beauty

October was our second annual visit to Hilton Head Island where we enjoyed a dazzling sunrise, gorgeous skies and fabulous flowers.

At first there wasn't much of a show due to the cloud cover.

After a short period of time we were mesmerized.

The clouds really add to the beauty.

The evening skies also have much appeal.

Some kite flying was going on.

The color was constantly changing.

Autumn still sees a delightful variety of flowers on the island.

Then there are these little guys, the sandpipers. Adorable to watch! This first cutie appeared to have only 1 functioning leg but he managed to keep up with the others with some hopping around.

Have a marvelous day/evening (wherever you are on the clock)! ~Val

The Harbour Town Lighthouse Museum

The Harbour Town Lighthouse Museum is a unique way to learn the history of Hilton Head Island.

A display of beautiful paintings of the lighthouse are here for viewing.

The history of the island is explained while you can see how many feet you have climbed. A 16 foot model of the Eagle, a 295 foot cutter which was used as a classroom for Coast Guard cadets, is along the wall. There is also the history of Coast Guard missions explained in the museum.

Hilton Head Island is notorious for golfing which the visitor can read up on here.

"Sea island cotton" was grown on Hilton Head which included the dark history of slavery. Civil War history of the island is explained. The population at the time was over 500,000 (today the permanent population is approximately 35,000). The Union troop invaded the island in 1861. It is difficult to imagine war on such a beautiful, relaxing island.

Post Civil War, the island was primarily occupied by freed slaves, many having received acreage and a mule to work the land. With fishing and farming, communities were built and the Gullah culture flourished. Gullah includes a language and culture.

It was in 1956 when the bridge from the mainland was built, changing the island forever. One of the entrepreneurs coming to the island conceived the Sea Pines Resort which is a huge area known as an environmentally friendly residential resort community. We drove through part of this area and it gorgeous with gigantic great oaks and other native plants and trees. The area features 650 acres of preserve. This is the section for the golfer of tennis lover.

Nature is another aspect of this museum.

Once you reach the top, you can enjoy the sensation of vertigo looking down.

Then the reward, the view!

Construction was going on to the adjacent restaurant make the view a little less attractive.

If you go, the museum is located at 149 Lighthouse Rd. It is open daily from 10m to sundown. The cost to climb the 114 steps is $4.95 per person.

website

Have a marvelous day/evening (wherever you are on the clock)! ~Val

Coligny Beach

 The best part of Hilton Head (besides the sunrise) is being on the beach.

Jim and I are not beach people in the sense of hanging out here all day however we both LOVE to walk on the beach (totally cliche, I know), put our feet in the water, hear the ocean and smell the sea air.

Coligny beach is open to the public and absolutely beautiful!

In mid October it was still filled with people.

I could gaze at this all day but being fair skinned, that is simply a bad idea!

These little sandpipers are so much fun to observe.

As soon as the water is right by their feet, they scurry away from it.

Occasionally they score human crumbs.

The bigger guys are are lot more like us humans, enjoying their feet in the water as well as gazing out at the gentle waves.

This free public beach has chair and umbrella rentals, bathrooms, fountains to clean off sandy feet, outdoor showers, changing rooms, swinging benches and other seating options for visitors.

Besides heading to the beach first thing in the morning and in the afternoon, we also wandered here at night.

It was extremely dark along the shore to protect the sea turtles from being confused. It is recommended to bring a flashlight so we spotted many dots of light along the beach.

If you go, this beach is located at 1 North Forest Beach (Coligny Circle) on Hilton Head Island. 

The nearby parking lot is free of charge. Many things surprised me at Hilton Head particularly the free parking (a rare thing in a tourist area), very family friendly (I used to think this island was just for golfers and older couples) and biking trails throughout the island.

Have a marvelous day/evening (wherever you are on the clock)! ~Val