Fishin' Lies

We talked about Shadow, the four legged resident of Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort before, but let’s really get into her story a little bit better today.

Shadow found her way to Longview Island during the construction of the resort. The golden retriever pup found her way underfoot of the construction crew, making a mess and tripping up the crew while they were busy working away on the project. Because of her ability to get under the crew member’s feet, and because of the fact that only her shadow would be seen darting around a corner after she had knocked some bucket of supplies over, the construction workers lovingly named her Shadow. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that once you started cleaning up her mess, Shadow would come over and lick you on the face as a thank you for helping her get out of trouble.

As construction moved along, all of the construction workers assumed that this cute little pup belonged to one of the Disney personnel or to one of the other construction workers. The crew would have dinners on the island every so often, much like a cross between the Edmund’s Family Low Country Boil and a cook-out you would have with your friends and coworkers, and Shadow would dine like a queen on those evenings. The day finally came when it was time for Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort to have its grand opening, and Shadow had become such a part of the resort at that point, that no one had the heart to remove her from the island she had made her home.

Shadow is the only live animal mascot for any Walt Disney World resort, although I reckon Minnie Moo was a close second when she was alive and moseying around Fort Wilderness, and has been at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort longer any other Cast Member there. You can learn more about Shadow, her story of how she got there and other tales, from B’Lou Crabbe at the weekly Shadow’s Tales with B’Lou in Big Murggie’s Den. If you stop by be sure to rub her belly, Shadow loves that, and ask B’Lou about what happens when the two of them head out on the boat for their plug inspection.

Low Country Carolina Cookin'

Let’s get down to what you really want to hear about from Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort, the food.

Being a standalone Disney destination, you would expect a variety of dining options, and you would be right, in a manner of speaking. The resort itself has a quick service window, Tide Me Over, which runs daily for breakfast and lunch, typically from 8:00am – 5:00pm. Meanwhile, over at the Beach House, the quick service restaurant Signals operates through the peak of day for lunch. Hilton Head Island, the actual island not Disney’s resort, has a ton of dining options for all budgets and when coupled with the fact that there are only a little more than 100 rooms at the resort, you can start to see why Disney opted to not have a full service, sit down restaurant added to the complex.

Tide Me Over offers traditional Disney breakfast items, such as Mickey Waffles, yogurt parfaits, has browns, and even Bounty Platters. While given the localized name of Hilton Head Biscuit Sandwich, what you’re really looking at is the basic, but tasty, biscuit with sausage or bacon, cheese, and egg. Just as Disney has been doing with all of their properties, however, there is a menu item here that offers up something I’ve not seen elsewhere, the Salted Caramel Banana Bread French Toast. I got a hint of caramel, but not enough to perhaps include it in the name of the dish, but it is most certainly a thick slice of banana bread that has been battered and fried up on the griddle! This French toast will stick with you, especially on the blustery days when there is a stiff breeze coming off of the intercoastal marsh.

Late in the morning, Tide Me Over switches over to a lunch menu. Yes, chicken fingers can be found here, along with some basic sandwiches, but they also offer up their version of some local favorites. You can grab a pulled pork barbeque sandwich, a burger topped with fried green tomato, or even a fish sandwich that has been grilled. The two latter offerings, the Hilton Head Burger and Grilled Fish Sandwich are unique enough that you should definitely consider stopping by Tide Me Over at least once during your stay for lunch.

Next, let’s head on over to Signals and grab some grub while we dine with views of the Atlantic Ocean. Again the assorted chicken fingers and cheeseburgers are available to quell your appetite after a long morning of swimming in the ocean or sunning yourself on the Beach House’s pool deck. There are some unique sandwich offerings here as well, the Grilled Fish Sandwich has made its way across the island to join the Captain Steak and Cheese Melt, and Vegetable Burger. You can also pick up an ale or amber from a local brewery here if you were so inclined. Oh, and for those of you that are missing your vacation staple, the Dole Whip, they also serve up Pineapple Soft Serve at Signals!

Remember how I told you that Disney’s Hilton Head Island doesn’t have a sit down dining option? While that is entirely true, at special times during the year they offer up some unique dining events. In the high summer season it is a pirate party, but in the spring and autumn the once a week event is the Edmund’s  Family Low Country Boil. Served up between the campfire and the recreation area, the buffet includes just about everything you would want in a boil! The corn-on-the-cob, shrimp, sausage, and red potatoes have all been cooked up together, and are served alongside pork tenderloin, green beans, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, gravy, gumbo, sweet cornbread, hushpuppies, salad, and individual pieces of corn on the cob. For dessert there are lemon squares, brownies, and turtle bars.

While everything at the Edmund's Family Low Country Boil is served up buffet style, they staff at Disney’s Hilton Head Island go above and beyond with guests’ dietary concerns. I can’t do shellfish, or seafood of any kind for that matter, and they brought me my own serving of corn, potatoes, and sausage prepared in the same way, but just without the shrimp. When paired with all of the great side dishes, it was actually far too much for me to even conquer. Oh, and did I mention the entire evening is presided over by B’Lou Crabbe playing some of the best plantation standards from the days gone by?

Disney’s Hilton Head Island has a ton of great dining options for the guest on the go, and even the occasional opportunity to just sit down and relax with some good, old-fashioned home cooking! While not every item on the menu is a unique treasure, there are plenty of those to be found tucked away on the menus. Also, if you’re in a hurry in the mornings, take advantage of the fact that you can call down to Tide Me Over and place a take-out order, so it is ready to go when you are. It doesn’t matter if your view overlooks the seashore, the fishing pier, or is on the go to some other point on the island, Disney’s Hilton Head does its earnest best to give you something that will enhance your trip’s memories!

Always in Search of New Horizons

In 1981, the Palmetto Dunes area of Hilton Head Island started taking shape. This came after almost a decade of planning and construction to bring an idea to fruition. Meanwhile, across Highway 278 the marina for the Palmetto Dunes section of the island, known as Shelter Cove Harbour, still needed work on the banks of Broad Creek.

Once the Shelter Cover area had completed development, the small marina of transient watercraft found a great natural barrier in Longview Island. You can see the finished product right here.

If the shape of that island looks familiar, it should! Longview Island would also undergo some renovations and, on March 1, 1996, it would open as the lowcountry fishing lodge known as Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort! This photograph, showing the island before the transformation, can be found in the laundry facilities in the Live Oak Lodge of the resort.

East Coast's Best

When we talk about Walt Disney World, with the friends or family that don’t necessarily understand why we visit so often, we talk about how the parks, resorts, and recreational facilities offer more to do than we could ever cover in a single trip, and that there are always new things to experience. The same case could be made for other world-class destinations such as Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, or Disney Cruise Line, but does that argument hold up when talking about a specific resort with no ties to a park, such as Vero Beach or Hilton Head Island? It’s high time, and tide, that we examine this issue for Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort!

For those that don’t know a ton about Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort, here’s what you need to know. It is comprised of two different compounds, one that houses the resort and its one-hundred and nineteen rooms in the intercostal area and a second facility across the island directly on the Atlantic Ocean. It is on Hilton Head Island, in South Carolina around three-hundred and thirty miles north of Walt Disney World on Interstate 95. That means the resort is roughly five hours away from the nearest attraction that has been imagineered by Disney.

You’re not going to get on a runaway Himalayan train here, you’re not flying over Never Never Land, and you’re not catching up with the latest festival to make its mark on Epcot. What you are getting, however, is a small resort that packs a big punch and, just like the larger Walt Disney World, it always has something new to experience and new things to discover.

The resort offers a ton of activities to take part in, whether you are looking to hit it out on your own or looking for some guided action. Guests can rent bicycles to run back and forth between the resort and Beach House, although there is a shuttle as well, or anywhere else on the island they wish to pedal off to. Fishing poles are also available for rent, and you can even grab a trap for scrounging up your own crabs. Scattered around the resort are games of all sorts; shuffleboard, cornhole, foosball, ping pong, and horseshoes. Oh, and swimming, did I mention that there are pools at both the resort and at the Beach House?

For those who need a little guidance, there are a wide array of tours and excursions. Whether a guests wants to explore the ecology of the marsh, learn to kayak, or catch up with some dolphins, there is a tour for you. Want to improve your golf game? There’s a lesson for that too. Need something for the kids, Community Hall is always hosting art activities to keep those little hands busy!

Due to Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort’s size there are only two quick service locations, one of which runs seasonally at the Beach House, and no sit down dining options. Of course, there are tons of dining options around the island, many within walking distance. That said, depending on the time of year, there are special dining events that you can take advantage of, but that is a story for another day.

Perhaps the one thing that you can find at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort that you cannot find elsewhere is the personal touch you can get from a resort with just over one hundred rooms. The restaurant staff remember you when you come back and want to know how your food was. The front desk and recreation staff know you and your family and check in with you, and the activities you have been taking part in. Then there is B’Lou Crabbe and Shadow, the heart and soul of the resort. Again, we’ll talk more about this later this week, but I cannot talk enough about how vital this pair is to the resort.

With all of these activities, tours, and recreational activities you won’t miss the action of the big city cousin, aka Walt Disney World! Okay, maybe you will, but I’m willing to bet that you’ll be so busy that you won’t have enough time to really miss it. That said, the ability to relax and not feel the pressure to run out to the next park is also a breath of fresh air. May I recommend, for those times when you just want the world to wash away, a lounge chair at the Beach House or a hammock under the live oaks?

Silent Saturday - The Dino Institute (May 2013)

Silent Saturday - Fantasia Gardens Pavilions (May 2009)