20+ Reasons to Visit Hilton Head Island with Kids

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Our first Hilton Head visit was in June 2023 and this coming June will be our 4th time back in 2 years. I easily came up with these 20+ Reasons to Visit Hilton Head Island with Kids and will continue to add to this post with each amazing visit. It is my family’s happy place and I hope you love it too!

The Hilton Head Island Beaches

Of course, we have to spend a little bit of time on the beaches given this is a beach destination for many families. The beaches at Hilton Head Island are incredible! At low tide, there are tide pools for kids to splash and play while searching for starfish, hermit crabs, and horseshoe crabs.

Many beaches have lifeguards but double-check before swimming for your family’s safety. Like any beach, be careful at high tide and look out for rip currents. Overall we’ve had positive, safe experiences swimming in the ocean as a family.

The sand is not too rocky in our experience, and the beaches are truly massive. At low tide, the beaches get so large that you’ll see many runners and bikers along the beach. The hard sand is perfect for both sports and we enjoy participating when we are visiting.

If you visit the beach in the evenings, you may see local fishermen out and about. We’ve seen them catch everything from large fish to stingrays that they kindly released back into the ocean.

You will find a few seashells to admire on your walks, but I wouldn’t call it a shelling experience from what we have seen. This makes my kids and husband very happy, as there are no shells to deal with when walking barefoot! We haven’t found any sea glass yet, which is a good thing considering as beautiful as sea glass is, it stems from littering glass.

The Weather

Coming from the northeast, Hilton Head weather is vacation-friendly all year round. While the summers are hot with a June-August high temps in the high 80s-990s, there are beaches and ocean surrounding Hilton Head Island, often producing a breeze. We have been to Hilton Head in both June and August and the humidity did not feel as oppressive as the northeast, likely because we were on the beach.

As for their off-season or winter temperatures, the coldest month tends to be January, with an average low of 43°F and a high of 59°F. We vacationed there as early as April and could swim in the pool every day.

Outdoor Living

The indoor/outdoor beachy feel flows throughout Hilton Head Island, from hotels to homes, restaurants to stores. With such incredible weather and views, it’s no surprise that most Hilton Head restaurants have outdoor seating options. This is especially true for those located on the water.

The views and ambiance at the many waterfront restaurants remind you that you are on vacation. I highly recommend catching a sunset at Skull Creek Dockside, where you may see an incoming fishing boat or even a manatee swimming right under your feet on the docks.

Family-Friendly Island

Hilton Head Island is loaded with families! Many times we encountered multi-generational family trips, and brought my Mom with us on a trip too. There are kids and families everywhere, which makes the overall vibe feel safer and more inclusive of families traveling with kids.

Ease of Travel

Hilton Island is located near several large airports. The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is 45 minutes away, and a beautiful ride through the backcountry.

Charleston International Airport is just under a 2-hour ride, but also a pretty easy ride.

There is also Hilton Head Island Airport offering limited flights, mostly from the East Coast (plus Chicago and Dallas) via Delta, American, and United Airlines.

Avelo and Breeze are both on the lower-priced side of airlines and fly into Savannah. Breeze Airlines also flies into Charleston International Airport.

With all of these options, be sure to check for the most convenient flights from your hometown to Hilton Head, both in scheduling and price.

Kid-Friendly Restaurants

We have spent over three weeks on Hilton Head Island in the last 14 months and dined out every night of each vacation. We have yet to find a restaurant that is not kid and family-friendly.

To be honest, we’ve had better luck with consistently family-friendly and, specifically, kid-friendly restaurants on Hilton Head Island than we have at Disney World. And no, I am not joking.

Restaurants also offer plenty of kid-friendly meals that aren’t the same macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and hamburgers you tend to see at most restaurants marketed as “kid-friendly.”

The restaurants we have been to on Hilton Head Island go above and beyond with kids’ menus that include coloring pages and activity books to keep your little ones busy. Check out my blog post for more details on Kid-Friendly Restaurants on Hilton Head Island.

Hilton Head Island Restaurants and Food

Speaking of restaurants, the food, especially the seafood on Hilton Head, is incredible. With the exception of one steakhouse, we have never had a bad meal on the island.

I would advise making reservations for restaurants, if possible, as they can get very busy during the summer season. For example, we once had a 5:30 pm reservation at The Crazy Crab (Baby J’s favorite HHI restaurant) and arrived to find those without reservations being told they had a 3-hour wait!! Worth it for sure, but not realistic with little kids!

Many Hilton Head Island Lodging Options

There are a variety of options for where to stay on Hilton Head Island, from Hilton Head Island VRBOs to many timeshares and hotels.

We stay at the Marriott Grand Ocean, centrally located in the Coligny Beach area on Hilton Head Island. This is a timeshare, although we are not owners. We rent available weeks from timeshare owners who are unable to use them via a third-party site.

Photos of kids on vacation at Hilton Head Island. Text overlay: 20+ Reasons to Visit Hilton Head Island with Kids.

Family-Friendly Activities

While many people visit Hilton Head for a beach vacation, the beach isn’t for everyone, every day. Luckily there are plenty of other things to do, including a children’s museum, dolphin tours, miniature golf, and community events.

Kid-Friendly Museums on Hilton Head Island

The kid-friendly Coastal Discovery Museum and the Sandbox Children’s Museum are excellent choices to visit during your stay for some time off the beach. Click their respective links to read my detailed posts about visiting each museum with kids.

Hilton Head Island Miniature Golf

There are quite a few miniature golf options on Hilton Head Island. Our favorite is Pirate’s Island Adventure Golf. This mini golf offers two separate courses, to divide golfers, and moves pretty quickly. We have visited several times and always had a positive experience.

Dolphin Tours

We finally tried a dolphin tour on our most recent visit to Hilton Head Island and loved it! We chose one based out of Shelter Cove and highly recommend it. The boat ride was beautiful, the captain was kind and informative, and we were able to see dolphins and other sea creatures. It was also a new way to see Hilton Head Island from the water.

Check out the top 5 Dolphin Tours on Hilton Head Island via Viator.

Biking

We are not a biking family at home, but on Hilton Head Island we love to rent bikes and explore the island. I highly recommend considering this for your family’s visit. Hilton Head is covered in bike paths for your safety and enjoyment.

There are bike rental vendors all over the island and at many of the hotels. Most offer adult bikes, kids bikes (with or without training wheels), adult bikes with seats on the back for little guys, and tandem bikes for two people to ride together.

Every vendor we have used has included helmets for both adults and kids, along with a bike basket to hold your valuables and a bike lock. There are bike racks everywhere on Hilton Head Island, including every restaurant we have ever visited, playgrounds, parks, beaches, and shops.

Family-Friendly Community Events

In addition to all of the above day-to-day living activities on Hilton Head Island, they also offer special events, year-round, that are family and kid-friendly. We especially love Harbor Fest at Shelter Cove, offering live music, kids’ activities like painting and bounce houses, and fireworks on Tuesdays throughout the summer.

Hilton Head Island Parks and Playgrounds

If I haven’t already convinced you as to how kid-friendly Hilton Head Island is, just search the island for parks or playgrounds. They cover the island, with most catering to both young and older kids.

Check out my post 24 Hilton Head Island Parks and Playgrounds for more information on parks and playgrounds around the island.

Hilton Head Island Golf Courses

Hilton Head Island is famous for its golf courses, and there are many to choose from if your family golfs. The kids and I are starting to golf, and may give it a go on our next trip, so stay tuned!

Shopping on Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island has so much shopping to offer. From the incredible souvenir shops located in Coligny Beach Plaza (yes, there is also a playground there!) to the Southern Tide Signature store amongst the beautiful shops at Shelter Cove Harbour and Marina, there is truly something for everyone.

Harbourtown

Harbourtown is one of the better-known tourist destinations on Hilton Head Island. It is where you will find the historic Harbourtown lighthouse (shown on most HHI memorabilia), and the attached Quarterdeck restaurant. I will add we have not tried the Quarterdeck yet as it seems a bit fancy for our kids at their ages.

For dining with kids in Harbourtown, we love The Crazy Crab. Be sure to check out the Gregg Russell Playground while you’re in the area, or waiting for a table at a restaurant.

I highly recommend checking out the shops in the Harbourtown area and walking around the docks to check out the boats. We continue to spend an entire evening at Harbourtown each time we visit.

Shelter Cove

When we first visited Hilton Head Island, I had heard about Harbourtown, but not the gem that is Shelter Cove. We stumbled upon it when eating at the delicious (and kid-friendly) San Miguel’s Mexican restaurant. Shelter Cove offers restaurants, bars, shops, and even a playground!

Schedule your Shelter Cove visit on a Tuesday evening in the summer to catch Harbour Fest with tons of activities for the kids and fireworks. Check out my Shelter Cove blog post for more information about this area.

Sea Pines

Sea Pines is a large area at the southern end of the island. With a huge forest preserve, housing, shopping, restaurants, golf courses, and more. There is an entry fee to visit Sea Pines by car. Current fees for 2024 are $9 for a car, which will cover you for the entire day. As per the Sea Pines visitor pass website, you are not permitted to enter Sea Pines by bike if not a resident or staying in the area.

Please note that if visiting Harbourtown and or Salty Dog, both are located in the Sea Pines area of the island and will require an admission charge to pass into the area.