Heart Eyes for Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head has got to be one of the most undervalued places in all of the East Coast. If you like to walk like I do, let me tell you - HH| is a walking paradise. A mecca for movement— Golf courses landscaped to Disney levels, tennis courts… many tennis courts. Over 350 tennis courts, over 12 miles of wide, flat beaches and, more than 60 miles of bike trails. It’s warm, fresh, lush, and invites rest. Heaven for cardiovascular health, maybe even be the real garden of Eden.
Its quiet for how busy and beloved it is.
Finding shade is easy on the island under the tree lined trails and boardwalks where you can wander from brunch to beach and back with a Frosty Frog special in hand. What's Frosty Frog? Its like Willy Wonka’s factory but for daiquiris. Over 20 different brightly colored machines line the bar and eatery nestled in Coligny Plaza. It's the perfect stop before or after sun and surf. I've been on an orange kick (my whole life) and the Creamsicle daiquiri was the icing on the cake for a perfect beach day with its creamy citrus bliss, each sip reminded me of sunshine and joy. Adam and I shared a 32 oz large slushy and we still thought it would never end.
And then… there was… Farm Bluffton. The kind of restaurant that makes you close your eyes after every bite. Where is their Michelin star?The food was thoughtful, seasonal, and prepared with that rare kind of precision where every bite feels like a story. Elevated without being pretentious- just good, soul-nourishing food made by people who care.
It's not even trying to be fancy, it just is. Upon arrival, I just had butterflies and when I asked if they had gingerale to settle me, well of course they made their own ginger soda in house. The drink was sublime especially because we got to enjoy it on their breezy shaded patio while we waited for our food. Looking back, I think the nerves came from having a premonition about the spectacularness of our dining experience. I’m such a ham on vacation.
We very much enjoyed local clams alongside crunchy toasty baguette, tuna crudo, a perfectly fashioned pork chop on corn succotash, and a warm brown butter cornbread skillet served in a cast iron that doubled as our dessert. Every dish felt like someone's Southern grandma went to culinary school in Europe. I don’t know what the chefs are getting paid but they need a raise and a bonus.
After that meal— after that week — I kept thinking of this verse:
“Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart… Enjoy life with the wife whom you love…” —Ecclesiastes 9:7-9
Just swap out the wine for an XL orange slushy and bam. We were behaving pretty biblically if you ask me.
