# Hilton Head in mid December?



## tartanwood (Feb 27, 2014)

We are considering an exchange to Hilton Head in December 12-19, 2014.

What weather might we expect?
I assume this is off-season, so will most restaurants, shops, galleries, etc. be open at that time of year?

We have never been to HH so wonder what other activities or cultural events are available on HHI or in nearby areas.  

My elderly father-in-law lives in Beaufort which is the reason we are considering an exchange in this area.  We would go into Beaufort a few times during the week and also hope to go to Savannah one day.  We would spend the rest of the time on the island.   If it is an interesting place to visit at that time of year, we might invite cousins from Charleston to join us for a day or two.


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## talkamotta (Feb 28, 2014)

We go to HHI in October.  Last time we went the weather was perfect.  Ocean was warm.  In December it will be cooler.  Good walks on the beach but water might be too cold.  You will love your day trip to Savannah.  I loved Charleston.  So much history.   

Most things were open in October,  Im thinking it will be the same and  the Christmas decorations will be very nice.  

I noticed you are from Oregon so I would say dress in layers.


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## tschwa2 (Feb 28, 2014)

Our favorite times are April or October.  If you could push your trip to one of these times, I think you would love it more.  I asked about winters and was told that some years are just cold (40's-50's) but most years you might have a few cool/cold days but in the same week would have at least one or two days that get in the 60's or even lower 70's. 

There are definitely business that stay open year round but maybe a 1/4 if not more will be closed or have restricted hours.  They also may be more likely to have specials and discounts.


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## jeffwill (Feb 28, 2014)

The locals prefer Nov/Dec to mid year months.  The restaurants, golf courses, and cultural sites will be open and well attended.  Enjoy.


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## pedro47 (Feb 28, 2014)

jeffwill said:


> The locals prefer Nov/Dec to mid year months.  The restaurants, golf courses, and cultural sites will be open and well attended.  Enjoy.



The weather should mild enough to walk the beaches. The tourist season is over and the  restaurants and the golf courses should be less crowded.  December is a great month to take pictures all over the island and especially  at  Sea Pine Plantation in my opinion. 

Enjoy your week on the island.


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## hjtug (Feb 28, 2014)

*average weather*

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USSC0155


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## Steve (Feb 28, 2014)

When I visited Hilton Head Island the second week of December one year, I was a bit disappointed.  The Christmas decorations were very nice, but the island was rather sleepy.  Although a few restaurants and stores were closed, most were open.  But it just wasn't as fun as visiting during other times of the year.  

The weather was mixed.  One day was sunny and 60 degrees, but the other days were cooler, and we had several days of rain.  In my opinion, Florida is much nicer in December.

Steve


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## tartanwood (Feb 28, 2014)

Thank you for comments.

While we would prefer to visit in the spring or fall, we have to work around my husband's teaching schedule.  We also have to work around exchange availability.  

We have been procrastinating and suddenly realized that a week banked with DAE is due to expire next weekend.  Last night we put a hold on a 3-bedroom unit in HH at the beginning of my husband's winter break.  It is fairly close to my father-in-law in Beaufort and only a few hours from cousins in Charleston, so we decided to take it.  I just confirmed today.

Now that the exchange decision has been settled, I can turn attention to activities, restaurants, etc. All recommendations will be welcome.


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## cpnuser (Mar 7, 2014)

*Weather- HH*

We were at HH the first 2 weeks of Jan., 2014.  The weather was cool some days, a bit warmer on others.  We're from FL, so we enjoy the off season months & look forward to the cooler temps.  If you find you need an extra jacket or a  pair of shorts, check out the great thrift shops in HH or Bluffton- http://www.thethriftshopper.com/ 

 Krogers has just built a large grocery store at the mall there (mid island) that is very nice.  Krogers has a gas station(in parking lot near Belk's) that has good prices.  Sign up for the Kroger card online.  Harris Teeter, Fresh Market, BiLo, & Super Walmart also have groceries.

Sign up to have groupon send you discounts on attractions, restaurants, etc. for HH, Savannah, & Beaufort.  We did the Beaufort Movie tour http://beaufortmovietour.com/about/   in January & thoroughly enjoyed it.   Savannah also has some great tours.  

When you are visiting in Beaufort, you might want to eat at Moondoggies http://moondoggiescafe.net/ in Port Royal.  Food is excellent & the service is great.   Pazzo's & Santa Fe on HH are also very good.  Check out  http://restaurant.com for a GC for moondoggies or Pazzo's(Hilton Head).

If you have any  Marines in your family, they might like to visit the USMC museum on Parris Island.

Enjoy!


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## jjluhman (Mar 17, 2014)

We were just there last week.  We really enjoyed this food tour on one of the colder days:

http://hiltonheadislandfoodtours.com/

You get a TON of food on the tour so don't eat lunch and expect to just have something light or not dinner at all that night.


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## tartanwood (Mar 27, 2014)

Thanks to everyone who has shared advice.  I'll keep checking in coming months to see if there are any other suggestions.

I checked the calendar for the food tours.  At this point the website is not listing any tours in November or December.  I don't know if they are not scheduling this far in advance or if they always close down the tours at that time of year.


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## jjluhman (Mar 28, 2014)

They are probably just not listed this far in advance.  It is owned by one lady at this point and she runs all of the tours.  She is super nice, and the tour is very informative about island history and fun.  Try to do it in the beginning of the week so that you can go back to some of the restaurants later if you desire.  We went on Thursday and only had one day left on the island.

We also really enjoyed the Island winery.  We went there before the food tour for wine flights and cheese before the tour.  http://www.islandwinery.com/daily-happenings.html

Have fun!


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## Pens_Fan (Mar 28, 2014)

We spent Christmas vacation on Hilton Head a couple of years ago.

The weather was fair.  There were days that it was downright cold to walk on the beach, and others where it was fine.

Most of the sotres and restaurants were open although nothing was particularly busy.


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## talkamotta (Mar 28, 2014)

I took my kids to Hilton Head a couple of years ago and I asked where they wanted to go next year and they said Hilton Head again.  We are going in October so the kids will enjoy the beach but the main reason is for the great day trips to Charleston and Savanah.  So much history.  My sil wants to spend 2 days in Charleston.  Ive tried to get trades for Charleston with no luck, so we will do the easy drive.  

Have a wonderful time.  The south has a lot of areas to explore and its as pretty as Oregon.


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