Hilton Head in April

Another beach that we wanted to try out that is not too far from us is Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.  It is only about an hour drive for us and is often an easier drive than driving to the closer beaches at Tybee Island.  Hilton Head has a lot to offer our family, including a few things we miss from our old home in NC.  Namely, Hilton Head has both a Duck Donuts and a Rita's Italian Ice.  It also has lots of other restaurants and shopping there or in the neighboring town of Bluffton so it has quickly become a favorite local spot for us to spend our weekends.  For our first visit, we were going to try a less crowded beach that was recommended by a friend.  Hilton Head has several beautiful city maintained public beaches with excellent bathhouse amenities that are so important with kids.  The main busiest beaches are at the southern end of the island so we like to stick to the northern end.  First, we tried Dresden Beach, but there was no available parking spots.  The parking is relatively easy and inexpensive here.  If you do not want to purchase a yearly parking pass, you can park in any metered space for a dollar an hour.  So we just take $4 to $5 with us to pay to park.  Since Dresden Beach was filled up, we hit the next spot down at Folly Field Beach.  Now, there is a lesser known beach past Folly Field that we were hoping would be less crowded since it was farther off the beaten path.  It is called Islanders Beach and was definitely less crowded and just perfect.  There are a couple of hotels next to it so there were still plenty of people on the beach, but it wasn't crowded.  Plus, in the summer months, there are lifeguards stationed there.  We are afternoon beach goers which is a less crowded time to go.  We like that we can lounge on the beach for a few hours, clean up and pack up the car, stop for a quick bite to eat, and head home with a car full of tired little boys who will be ready for bed when they get home.  It just works for us!

Before we hit the beach, I decided it was a necessity to try out the iconic establishment known by many called The Salty Dog Cafe.  We decided to try the one in Bluffton because I knew the one on the island could be pretty busy.  The one in Bluffton is in an outlet mall so they had a separate shop to sell their merchandise.  The boys and I looked around while we waited for a table, and Evan sweetly read to his brothers the story of the salty dog.  Mattox fell in love with the little dog so we did take one home.  

Grayson and I were happy to be at the beach again. 

This family "hearts" the beach. 

Mattox thinks it is a big sandbox. 

Evan builds a fort and directs his little brother on how to bring water to fill his moat.  He is a mess. 

But I do want to brag a little on my sweet red head.  If there is one great quality about Evan, he is just the kindest boy with the biggest heart, and I have had a couple of occasions to see how kindly he treats others.  This little girl his age was at the beach with her family, but she didn't have siblings to play with.  Evan played with her in the ocean for a large part of our stay, and I could tell they were really having fun.  He doesn't care if you are a boy or girl, he is going to extend his friendship to you.  On another instance lately, I saw him sweetly helping a female classmate at his field day events by showing her and encouraging her for their kickball event.  It is just something I rarely see in kids these days. 

My sweet boys

Evan even managed to catch a few waves.