Dateline Dayton — Continuing to share with you highlights from our recent trip to Hilton Head:
Sunday started with church and a visit to Stacks for a great breakfast and the purchase of a mug for my collection. After completing the delicious breakfast, with more food than any of us could eat, we proceeded to the grocery for necessities for the week.
After shopping and finding the right location at home for the purchases, we drove over to the beach (could have walked), to check it out. The Hilton Head Beach is clean, with soft sand. The water temperature was warm, much to my liking.
Strolling the beach, putting our feet in the water, we checked out the pool, a pleasant setting where the deepest portion was only four feet. The water, however, was cool. Some, like me, would say cold. The pool area contained a spa, which I enjoyed, and a children’s pool. Lots of lounge chairs in the area. Ray and I used them to full advantage, sleeping. Later we drove around the island, trying to determine where things were. We made a few wrong turns. Sunday evening, I grilled hot dogs for dinner.
Hot Dog, Here We Go
We slept in on Monday, and went to the beach after breakfast. After a couple hours it became really windy. Sand blew everywhere. Time to head home, where we fixed snacks, rested and cleaned up for the evening’s activities. Darlene and Ray were taking us to the Salty Dog for some of their famous hot dogs to celebrate our wedding anniversary, which was Sept. 1. Upon our arrival, we learned, sadly, this Salty Dog never had heard of the famous “salty dog’s hotdogs.” They must not be connected with the Old Salty Dog in Siesta Key and other areas. The hostess suggested we might enjoy the Land’s End, on the other end of the short pier.
Accepting her suggestion, we enjoyed another delicious meal. The women ordered all the crab legs and shrimp they could eat. Ray and I settled for fish and chips. We checked out a small shopping area on the pier. I found postcards and, of course, a mug from the Salty Dog.
En route to the Salty Dog, we had stopped at Harbor Town, checking out the lighthouse and stores. I did purchase additional postcards but no mugs. They were pricey.
On Tuesday, we drove to Savannah. The first stop was Paula Dean’s restaurant, “The Lady and Son’s” to make a reservation. We were able to get seating for 12:15, and while waiting, we took a carriage ride around town. Lots of construction (probably Obama dollars at work), making it difficult to hear. Afterward, we visited shops, and yes, I purchased postcards.
Following a great meal at Paula’s (three of us had the buffet and Ray got a burger), we went back to the car. On our tour, the guide pointed out the cathedral, so beautiful on the inside, and a docent provided us with the church’s history.
Tuesday evening we went to Antonio’s for a tremendous Italian dinner. They weren’t busy, and so our waiter was shared stories about other tasty places to eat on the island. He asked where we were staying and said if we wanted the best ribs on the island, try the General Store, in our plantation. Every Tuesday and Friday, the owner fixes ribs, starting the day before. He was 100 percent correct. On our way home, we purchased a slab, which was Wednesday lunch. Ray went back on Friday and purchased another slab.
Beach to Pool to Restaurant and Back
For the balance of the week, after sleeping in each morning, we spent our time at the pool or the beach. All the while, Ray and I were saying we were going back to the Hilton Head Diner. Wednesday night dinner was at Scott’s Fish Market, Thursday’s at Marley’s Island Grill. Friday we had dinner at Bonefish Grill. We gave up with to find the Crazy Crab even with the help of Mapquest, a GPS, two telephone calls and two stops for directions. It is on the main road. Everywhere we ate, including the pizza lunch on Thursday, was just great. Suthern service also was excellent.
On Saturday we started for home. Our original plan was to spend the night in Gatlinburg; however, there was a car show, and traffic was terrific. We settled on early dinner at the Applewood Grill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge, and proceeding to Knoxville, where we spent the night.
Pauline and I had a great time relaxing, seeing the Biltmore House, enjoying Hilton Head Island, and thank you for allowing us to share vivid memories of our trip.
Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net
