Hilton Head Island – The Best Way to Spend 24 Hours There

Only have 24 hours to explore Hilton Head Island? Here’s how I made the most of a quick solo trip—from scenic beach runs to iconic eats.

I happened to be driving through South Carolina and had extra time (thanks to the military changing my s/o’s plans), so I rented a car, booked a hotel, and took a detour driving around 3 hours from Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia to Hilton Head Island.

I only had about 24 hours to explore, but the quick trip did not disappoint, and I would be happy to return someday!

It just so happened that I arrived on a Saturday morning around spring break time when there was a wing festival going on, so it was quite busy. Getting over the bridge to Hilton Head Island took some extra time, but once I got over the bridge onto the island, I was ready to explore.

I don’t think most people make it a point to spend only 24 hours on Hilton Head Island but hey, if you’re in the area for work or passing by in route to somewhere else then I highly suggest taking some time to explore the island, even if you have to do so quickly like I did. I actually was only there for about 20 hours and found that there was so much to do. 

First Impressions

Everyone is riding bikes, like literally everyone. There are tons of biking paths throughout Hilton Head Island, and it feels like you stepped right into a movie. There are tons of trees and greenery, too, and it definitely has a lot of southern charm. 

Right as you get into town, you’ll be greeted by cute shops and restaurants right off Pope Ave, the main road that runs through the town. I love that Pope Ave is a straight shot to food, entertainment, and the beach. Of course, you’ll also find all the main hotels there as well. 

I honestly couldn’t decide where to start as far as food and entertainment go. I went to the hotel, changed, took a breather, and decided that The Salty Dog Cafe would be my first stop. I then went back and forth about whether to rent a bike and ride it there or to drive. Since I had limited time on Hilton Head Island, I decided to drive to start out.  

Where to stay

There are tons of places to stay on Hilton Head Island, and there is pretty much something for every budget-ish. I definitely wouldn’t say that this is the best location for budget travel, but there are a variety of accommodation options. 

DoubleTree Hilton Head Island

I decided to stay at the Double Tree because I had some Hilton points that were ready to be used! I hadn’t looked too much into the actual rooms, and boy was I surprised. The hotel and room were beautiful. 

While this hotel isn’t directly on the ocean, it is located in a row of hotels behind the row of hotels on the beach, so it’s close enough. You won’t have the beach views, but luckily, the beach is only about a 10-minute walk away, so I say it’s worth it to save a few bucks and take the short walk. 

There are also bike rentals available literally in the hotel parking lot, so you can easily rent one of those and get to the beach is like 5 minutes. If I recall correctly, it’s about $25 a day for a bike (cheaper than a car, but honestly, that’s a little pricey for my taste). 

What to do

Oh man, where do you even start with the to-do list? There is SO much to do, but if you only have 24 hours in here, then let’s start with a few good places to eat and visit and go from there. I am definitely happy with where I decided to spend my time when I was on Hilton Head Island. 

I feel like I saw all the iconic things and was able to get a feel for the vibe of the island as well as enjoy some good food and views, which is plenty for me! I wish I had had time to rent a bike and go explore that way, but I did get in an 8-mile run on the beach, which was quite satisfying.

There is plenty more to do than just what I touch on here, but these are some great places to start. I would have loved to explore more of the local shops and walking trails. While the beach on Hilton Head Island is beautiful, there are also a lot of other ways to explore nature, such as horseback riding, fishing in the harbour, and taking nature walks through the Sea Pines Forest Preserve and the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge.  

Visit Harbour Town

Harbour Town is known for its iconic red and white lighthouse, but there are plenty of other great things about the little town. The first thing to be aware of is that it’s located within a gated community, and you have to pay a $9 fee to enter. While there is a gate that has a card reader, the one you will most likely be directed to enter through is cash only, so make sure you have some on hand!

There is a workaround to this fee, though. Many people rent beach cruisers and ride down the beach (it’s hard-packed sand, so super easy to do this) and then enter that way. You only have to pay if entering by car, so if you’re planning to rent bikes, then I highly suggest this option. Make sure to get one with a basket for all your souvenirs because Harbour Town is a great place to buy them!

Once you enter the gate, there are tons of beautiful multi-million dollar homes to look at (I definitely hopped on Zillow to see the prices of them and… WOW!). There are also many walking and biking paths to enjoy. There are many ways to access the beach off of Sea Pines Drive, but most access points are private, so keep that in mind. 

Once you get to Harbor Town, you will know because it’s full of energy. There are tons of little shops for both cliche souvenir shopping as well as more high-end items and clothing to purchase. I loved looking around all of the shops and bought my fair share of magnets and keychains.

I recommend walking over to the pier with the cute Harbor Town sign to take pictures. They also offer various types of excursions that take off from this point, such as some time out on a yacht or dolphin watching tours. This would be a great option for families, but I didn’t have time for one. This part of Hilton Head Island opens up into a harbor and has a beach full of crushed seashells and some dead jellyfish. You can easily take a nice stroll along it. 

There are a few restaurants near the lighthouse that are packed full of people and smell so good! I was still full from lunch, so I didn’t end up eating at any of them, unfortunately. I did, however, enjoy some live music in the main area and a glass of wine at the cutest little British tea shop. 

There’s a playground for kiddos in the area as well as a bakery, so you can grab a snack and let the kids play while you decompress! You could easily spend 3 hours or more here, so make sure to set aside some time. It’s a fairly small area, but it’s entertaining. 

Explore the city on a bike

There are bike rentals literally everywhere on the island. My hotel had a bike rental service right outside the entrance. I didn’t end up having time to rent one and explore on it, but I would love to go back sometime and do so. It truly is the thing to do on the island. It’s a key part of the Hilton Head Island experience.

You can rent anything from a cheap beach cruiser to a fancy electric bike, depending on your preference. There are even tandem bikes and bikes with child carriers. 

Enjoy the beach, sunup to sundown 

The beaches on Hilton Head Island are unmatched. One of the best parts about the 12 miles of continuous beach is that there is hard-packed sand all along it, which means you can keep your sneakers on and go for a nice, long walk, bike ride, or run.

I enjoyed a lovely 8-mile run along the beach. I started at Coligny Beach, ran down 4 miles, and then ran back. I highly recommend doing this at sunrise! 

If you’re not into exercising on the beach, you should grab a camera and have a photo shoot, which I also did! The sunset and sunrise make for a remarkable backdrop. I took a selfie stick so I could capture some photos by myself, and some turned out pretty great.

There are also beach volleyball courts set up in some areas, and you could bring beach games to enjoy as well. Kites, balls, and ring toss would be fun options. 

Of course, you can also enjoy the beach in the daytime. There are chairs available for use in a lot of locations, but bringing your own is recommended since availability is never promised. There are places to rent beach chairs as well if you’re traveling to the area and don’t want to buy any for temporary use.

The beach is a great place for kids to play in the sand and water, and there are also ample opportunities for exploring marine biology. 

Where to eat

I love food, and I especially love trying new food when traveling. There are a lot of great places to eat at on Hilton Head Island, from what I’ve read on blogs, and I unfortunately only got to try a couple of them, but the ones that I tried were excellent. It was honestly hard for me to choose which ones to go to since I could only eat so much within a 24-hour period. 

Salty Dog Cafe

I knew from what I had read online that not going to The Salty Dog Cafe while on Hilton Head Island was not an option. I loved everything about this place. The vibes, the menu, and the extras, like the gift and ice cream shop, were great. 

I am a huge bloody mary fan, and the specialty at the cafe when I was there was noodles, so they had various noodle features, including a spaghetti and meatball bloody mary, so I had to try it. I will be honest and say I wasn’t impressed with this particular drink, but it was a fun idea, and there were tons of other fun adult drink options. 

As far as food goes, I had a hard time choosing what to order. I have a shellfish allergy, so a lot of the food was not an option for me. However, since I was having lunch near the ocean, I felt like I had to at least get some type of seafood. 

I ended up ordering the fried flounder, fries, and hushpuppies. I was very impressed. The breading was light, it wasn’t greasy, the fries were crisp and fresh, and the hushpuppies were moist and airy. I had also really wanted to try the alligator bites, but I didn’t have enough room for them! I posted a TikTok, and someone commented and said that the seafood potpie is absolutely delicious, so if that’s your thing, I would recommend that. 

Whether you want fried seafood, pasta, a salad, a sandwich, or something totally off the wall… you’ll find it at The Salty Dog. The restaurant is also very kid-friendly, so if you have young ones in tow, don’t worry, you can still enjoy a meal. There are tons of outdoor seating and a lovely harbor to look out at. 

After you eat your food, you’ll want to head into the gift shop to buy a shirt, saltwater taffy, and even some gifts for your pups. They have some fun Salty Dog swag, and the logo is so cute, I’m obsessed. I brought salt water taffy back to my family, and they swear it tastes better than the West Coast salt water taffy we’ve had.

After hitting up the gift shop, I stopped by the ice cream shop. They make all of their own ice cream and have fun flavors. I got a s’mores waffle cone even though I was stuffed to the brim, and I had no regrets. It was so dang good. 

The Sandbar Beach Eats

After enjoying the sunset from start to finish, I was finally hungry again after my massive lunch. I had read about The Sandbar Beach Eats prior to my trip to the island, and it just so happened to be only a slight detour on my way back to the hotel from the beach. It was packed when I got there, and I had to wait briefly, but I am so glad I did. 

I sat outside and enjoyed some great live music. It was a great experience, and the service was also good despite the crowd. Once again, I had quite a hard time choosing what to eat. I had plenty of fish for the day, so I went with chicken nachos. 

They use homemade tortilla chips, beer cheese, and Mexican street corn. The portion was huge, and the taste was divine. The beer cheese and corn combo was delightful. The chicken was also plentiful and loaded with flavor. I was super pleased with my choice and super sad when I forgot my leftover nachos in the fridge when I left the hotel the next day. 

The true star of the dinner show at The Sandbar was the peach Pina Colada I got. I can’t remember the exact name of what I got, but I do remember it said they make their own pina colada mix, and my goodness, it was delicious. One of the best, most delicious cocktails I’ve ever had, and it was super affordable. In fact, most food on the island was pretty affordable from what I saw. 

Wrapping up

I loved my whirlwind of a trip to Hilton Head Island. I arrived around 1 PM on a Saturday and left Sunday around 11:30 AM, and I am pretty impressed with how much I accomplished in my short time there. I hope to visit again someday.

Hilton Head Island would be a great family vacation destination, but it’s equally as great for a girls’ or guys’ weekend or a couple’s getaway. 

I love exploring new destinations, whether solo or with my favorite people and I’m glad this one happened to stumble its way onto my destination list. I first fell in love with traveling and sharing my travels when I visited Strasbourg, France. That unforgettable trip lit a traveling fire within me, and I can’t wait to share future travel adventures and hopefully inspire others to seek out their own. 

FAQs

Are hotels on Hilton Head Island Expensive?

While there are some extremely expensive hotels and short-term rentals on Hilton Head Island, there are some pretty affordable options. I was lucky enough to have 60,000 Hilton points, which scored me my beautiful room at the DoubleTree.

I would recommend checking to see if any of your travel credit cards have travel deals or points that can be used when staying on the island. My room would have been around $250 for one night without the points. Using websites like Trip.com to search lodging options is a great way to compare prices.

Is going to Hilton Head Island for a day worth it?

Yes! If you are in the area and have the time to pop over there, even briefly, I would say it’s absolutely worth it. Whether for an overnight trip or a day trip, there is plenty you can do in the short amount of time. The great thing is that Hilton Head Island is fairly small, so it’s not too time-consuming to get from one place to the next. 

What’s the best way to explore Hilton Head Island?

While you can definitely explore Hilton Head Island by car and will likely need one to get there, once there, you can easily get around by car or on foot. It’s very common to explore by bike. There are tons of bike rental locations and even options where they’ll drop a bike off at your hotel for you.

However, you can basically find a bike rental company on every corner. Biking allows you to get to all the great beaches, and you can access Harbour Town for free rather than paying the $9 fee you’d have to pay to get in by car.