Two weeks in the Lowcountry

After sitting in the same place for 4 months (the longest we have stayed in the same place since the beginning of the pandemic), it was time for a mini vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina. We had made reservations at the Hilton Head Motorcoach Resort at one of our favorite sites, #214. This place has extra special meaning to us as it’s the first place we ever took an RV to camp when we rented one back in 2017. We have returned every year since then, making it our most visited campground.

This park is very well forested and landscaped with huge live oaks covered with Spanish moss. Each site is individually owned and most have been upgraded with pavers, furniture and other hardscape improvements. Our site was at the back of a loop with no site on one side which makes it extra spacious. Most of our time there we had excellent weather.

After relaxing at our site for a day, we headed over to the town of Bluffton on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, to see what was going on. The visitor center was not open (only by appointment??) but we enjoyed walking around the grounds before heading over to the weekly farmers market (where we forgot to take any pictures). We found some great veggies and other delights before heading on to walk around the town and enjoy some of the sites before finding a place for a late lunch.

Realizing it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend, we made sure Lola was showing the right colors at night

Every day we would ride our bikes around the resort, covering 2 miles each trip. Since we were camped during March Madness, we also took advantage of the great weather to watch some games outside.

Our next adventure took us to the Coastal Discovery Museum right on Hilton Head Island. This encompasses a large parcel of land that used to be a plantation and still has some of the buildings from that timeframe. The main house has been turned into the museum where you can learn all about the history of the island as well as the inhabitants. There is also info on the flora and fauna of the area. We enjoyed a quiet walk along the trails which included views of the marshes and a camellia garden.

Some people may know that Hilton Head is very big for golfers. In fact, they hold a PGA tour at Sea Pines Plantation every year. There are many golf courses scattered across the island and over the bridge on the mainland. We decided we couldn’t spend two weeks on the island and not partake in the sport so one nice afternoon, we decided to play a round of 18 holes. It was a tough course but Jill and Dan remained neck and neck with the score thru all 18 holes. However, Dan stumbled on the back 9 and Jill ended up victorious by one stroke. It was a great but exhausting day given the fact that we walked the whole course, no golf carts used! Luckily, we found a great watering hole to recover after the grueling round of golf.

Daufuskie Island Day Trip:

As many times as we have visited Hilton Head, we have never taken the time to visit Daufuskie Island. This is an island rich in Gullah history that has remained somewhat isolated from the modern world due to the fact that no bridge connects it with the mainland. The only way to reach the island is via one of the ferry services that make the 45-60 minute ride several times a day. We opted to rent our own golf cart on the island and tour at our leisure.

During the Civil War, plantation owners and slaves fled Daufuskie Island as Union Troops occupied the island. Once the war ended, the Gullah people (freed slaves) returned to the island to work in oyster canneries and the logging industry. Life was often hard, made more so by being cut off from the mainland, and as a result Daufuskie Island’s residents grew to create a close-knit, tightly bonded community that crossed racial lines—a rarity for the time.

Eventually, pollution closed the oyster beds in the 1950s and the island’s economy faltered and by the 1980s the Gullah population had dwindled from over 2,000 to roughly 60. Around this time developers started making plans to make Daufuskie Island a residential development destination and Bloody Point, Melrose, Haig Point, and Oakridge were born. Despite this newfound progress and development, the island’s historic district has remained untouched to preserve the Gullah culture and today the entire island is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Rice and cotton were the traditional crops found on plantations throughout the Carolina Lowcountry. And the cotton grown on Daufuskie Island—Sea Island cotton—was considered to be the best in the world. In fact, Sir Ian Flemming wrote that 007 himself preferred Sea Island cotton shirts. The cotton was originally harvested and tended to by slaves from West Africa.

The Gullah language is a legacy of the original slaves and later laborers who remained once the plantations folded. The Lowcountry was remote until the mid-20th century, but add the isolation of an island and it created the perfect climate for the language and manners of the Gullah people to remain remarkably well preserved. The language is a colorful and rhythmic blend of West African and rural English dialect that is becoming increasingly rare to hear.

Local metal working artist

Our trusty transportation and driving around the island – typical road.

The remainder of the week was spent relaxing, riding bikes and not doing much of anything. On one of our last days, we returned to one of our favorite restaurants which happens to be within a short bike ride of the resort. The restaurant is called Lowcountry Backyard and literally has an outdoor area like someone’s backyard. We have visited this place every time we have visited since 2017. Ironically, on this visit we sat at the same table and Jill was wearing the same jacket and similar shirt (she swears it is not the same) from 2017. You can check out the two picks below and decide which one is from now and which one is five years old. A hint – Dan thinks she looks even better now than 5 years ago 😉

On March 29th, we headed back to our regular hang out in Dallas, Georgia to spend some time visiting and preparing for our next adventure. On April 25th, we’ll be heading out on a 2-month trip. We’ll leave you with a picture of our newest shirt as a hint to the itinerary.