Everything you need to know before heading to Hilton Head’s first outdoor go-kart track
Hilton Head Island’s first go-kart track opened to the public Friday at Adventure Hilton Head, just in time for the Labor Day weekend holiday.
The outdoor track, located at 33 Broad Creek Marina Way, is 1,250 feet long and is designed for one-person and two-person electric karts.
General manager Nate Jones said the highly anticipated track has been well received by those who had the chance to test it during the business’ soft opening earlier in the week.
“A lot of comments are about the beauty of the course and how much it fits in with what we have going on,” Jones said. “Everybody has loved it.”
The go-karts are a new addition to Adventure Hilton Head’s existing zipline and aerial ropes courses. Both of those have been refreshed with new obstacles and safety improvements and are now open as well.
Go-kart race tickets are $15 for a single kart and $20 for a double kart per race. One race involves 20-30 karts and lasts 5-6 minutes.
Single kart drivers must be at least 54 inches (4 1/2 feet) tall and weigh no more than 265 pounds. Double kart drivers must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license and meet the same height and weight requirements. Passengers in the double carts must be at least 3 years old, 36 inches (3 feet) tall and weigh no more than 150 pounds.
Hours for the go-kart track are 1 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and reservations are recommended via myadventurehiltonhead.com or 843-682-6000.
In addition to the go-karts and ziplines at Adventure Hilton Head, the adjacent Broad Creek Marina offers kayaking, skiff tours, parasailing, jet skis, dolphin tours and charter boats.
The path to opening
Adventure Hilton Head’s go-kart track has been years in the making.
Neighbors who didn’t want the expansion of the business to create more noise on Marshland Road challenged Freedman’s application to the town from the start in fall 2018.
The town’s Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved the outdoor track in July 2019 after supporters packed a public meeting and advocated on behalf of a new activity for locals and visitors.
Just a month later, opponents at a Town Council meeting shared their concerns about the noise the track would create in an otherwise residential area. One speaker compared the plans for the go-kart track to Myrtle Beach’s tourist district. Others worried the property would become an amusement park.
The neighboring gated community Indigo Run filed a zoning appeal in the Beaufort County Court of Common Pleas in fall 2019, but Judge Marvin Dukes denied the appeal in January 2020.
