Summer (sorta) begins today. Some do’s and don’ts to keep the Lowcountry vibe alive

It’s here again.

Today is the unofficial (but totally real) first day of summer for both year-round Beaufort County residents and tourists alike.

The seasonal snowbirds have loaded the last of their Teslas on transports headed back to their traffic woes, spending hours in over-leveraged cedar-planked houses from Long Beach Island, New Jersey, to Kennebunkport, Maine. This leaves the rest of us locals behind to welcome a glorious onslaught of eager-for-a-break visitors to our Lowcountry oasis. (No Ohio jokes in this story. Seriously!)

This is the week we need to set and circulate through the interwebs some ground rules of do’s and don’ts that only The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette can deliver. We’ve been here for while, and we are here to help. (That is, unless you are an elected official with a brand new, really big boat. Your experience may vary.)

From our staff of Hilton Head, Bluffton, Port Royal and Beaufort reporters, we offer the following (totally random) do’s and, more importantly, never-do-no-matter-what guidelines for enjoying life here.

Most importantly

• Don’t: Get too caught up in the day-to-day. Whether you’re stressed about cramming everything into your vacation, nervous in traffic, hate driving at night or have never driven through a traffic circle before, don’t forget where you are. The Lowcountry is unique and has maintained a lot of natural beauty and life that tends to be overlooked.

• Do: Take a moment to look around, breathe in the scent of salt marsh and pluff mud, and enjoy one of the most beautiful places on Earth. And be thankful you aren’t in Myrtle Beach (more on that later).

Getting around

• Don’t: Get stuck in traffic. If you’re trying to get onto Hilton Head in the morning, traffic usually starts building just after 7:15 a.m. and won’t ease up until after 9:30 a.m. Plan accordingly.

• Don’t: Try to go from Bluffton to Hilton Head on Friday or Saturday afternoons unless you want to recreate the experience of being in the kind of traffic you came here to get away from. Why? Most hotels on the island have a 3 or 4 p.m. check-in time, so traffic can also get busy on the days running up to the weekends.

• Do: Try to think of yourself as fortunate if you are stuck in traffic between Beaufort and Lady’s Island when the Woods Memorial swing bridge opens to let a boat through. The bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. This traffic experience is a history lesson!

• What would Cliff from “Cheers” want to know? The first bridge drivers cross eastbound from Bluffton to Hilton Head is the Karl S. Bowers Bridge. (There’s a sign.) His claim to fame was serving as S.C. State Highway Commissioner and then as the Federal Highway Administrator. The second bridge is The J. Wilton Graves Bridge. (There’s another sign.) He was a member of the state assembly and a champion of highways. Say hello to Karl and J. Wilton on the way onto the island. J. Wilton really liked highways.

The Beach

• Do: Push down sandcastles before you leave the beach, even if they are beautiful and took all day to build.

• Do: Give sea turtle nests a wide berth, and if you are fortunate enough to see a mama sea turtle on the beach doing her thing, enjoy it from a distance.

• Don’t: Dig holes deeper than 12 inches unless you want a hefty fine. (Pro tip: Shovels must be wood/or plastic and less than 30 inches long and 6 inches wide.)

• Don’t: Kill sand dollars! If a sand dollar is grayish-brown and covered with short hair-like spines, it’s still alive. Only collect those that are dried and sun-bleached.

• Don’t: Assume everyone loves your dog. Follow the rules for dogs on beaches!

Nightlife

• Do: Remember that nightlife has a different definition in these parts. If you’re looking for a “nightlife” scene, this is not the destination you’re looking for. (Pro tip: Choose a designated driver for the short trip to Savannah at least one night during your vacation.)

• Don’t: Get too rowdy. If you’re staying in a short-term rental during your trip, you’re probably next door to multiple permanent residents who are not afraid to use the town’s new short-term rental ordinance to rein in any out-of-control partiers. Locals have a fixation on pointing out this fact: Hilton Head is NOT Myrtle Beach.

Something to see

• Do: Experience Hunting Island State Park, but get there early to avoid a full parking lot and a long wait time to enter. It’s a great place for wildlife watching if you’re into that sort of thing. (Also, yes, it’s a real lighthouse.)

• Do: Spend some time in the swings at Beaufort Waterfront Park. You can’t beat the view.

• Do: Walk around Old Town Bluffton and visit some of the shops before spending some time looking for dolphins from the banks of the May River. (Pro tip: Look for a sign that says a docent is on duty to give you a tour of the historic Church of the Cross.)

• Do: Take advantage of free or inexpensive entertainment. There are fireworks on Tuesday nights at Shelter Cove, where you also can catch one of Shannon Tanner’s shows. Or, pay the gate fee to get into Sea Pines for a Gregg Russell concert under the Liberty Oak at Harbour Town. It’s a classic!

• Don’t: Complain about the gate fee at Sea Pines. Everyone pays to get in. There’s plenty to do and see elsewhere on the island if you’d rather not shell out the $9.

Driving challenges

• Do: Wear bright clothing if you are walking, running or bicycling after dark. The island’s push to stay close to nature means even its major roads have little in the way of lighting.

• Do: Use your turn signal when leaving a traffic circle. It’ll keep traffic moving more safely. If you’re in the wrong lane, don’t cut lines. Eventually, you may get the hang of it. (Pro tip: Watch this video if you are nervous about navigating the two-lane traffic circles in Bluffton.)

• Do: Keep an eye out for all types of vehicles. The best-selling vehicle in many Bluffton neighborhoods is not a Ford F150; it may be the golf cart. Don’t look surprised when someone wearing an American flag shirt and blaring ‘70s classic rock whizzes by, leaving you and your car in a cloud of dust. On Hilton Head, the preferred method of transportation is on one of the 400 million bicycles that call the island home.

Eat (and drink) like a local

• Do: The Hilton Head Island food and drink pentathlon starts with a fresh lime margarita at Java Burrito then a cheeseburger at Gringo’s Diner or Earle of Sandwich Pub in Coligny Plaza. Or you could enjoy the sunset during happy hour at Hudson’s before picking up fried chicken at Palmetto Dunes General Store.

• Do: North of the Broad, grab a sandwich or salad at Lowcountry Produce for lunch and enjoy a stacked burger from Fat Patties in Port Royal for dinner. Agave Mexican Grill in Port Royal is another longtime staff favorite. End the day with a drinks and apps from Hemmingway’s on the Beaufort Waterfront.

• Do: Eat as much local seafood as you can. There are enough great restaurants on both sides of the river that you could pick a different one every meal and still not hit them all. Look for shrimp and grits, she crab soup or a Lowcountry boil (also known as Frogmore Stew).

Cheers to summer in the Lowcountry!

This story was originally published May 30, 2023 at 6:00 AM.