Because the sun rises on the beach side and sets on the creek side, Hilton Head skies at sunset offer a lot more than just sand and waves (though we love those too!).
Long docks, lush marsh grasses teeming with life, fishing boats, winding rivers, marinas and lighthouses all make up the vistas that have captured the hearts of generations of visitors. Here are some of our favorite places to catch a bite to eat while taking in some of the Lowcountry’s most spectacular views, and three of them have patios where you can bring your dog along!
Shelter Cove Marina Restaurants:
- 1 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head, SC
- www.sheltercovehiltonhead.com/shopping-dining
- Shelter Cove Marina offers 8 waterfront dining choices ranging from a local ice cream shop to fine dining.
Skull Creek Boathouse:
- 397 Squire Pope Road, Hilton Head, SC
- www.skullcreekboathouse.com
- The award-winning Skull Creek Boathouse boasts an outdoor bar, summertime beer garden, on-point Lowcountry cuisine and excellent sushi. Luckily for us, this walk-in only spot overlooks Hilton Head’s western marshes and offers some of the best sunset views on the Island! With plenty for the kiddos to enjoy and an open invitation for the furrier members of the family, the Boathouse is an excellent choice for getting that quintessential technicolor sky.
Skull Creek Dockside:
- 2 Hudson Road, Hilton Head, SC
- www.skullcreekboathouse.com
- Just on the other side of the Shrimp Boat playground and the General Store from the Boathouse is an old-style river house called Dockside. With the classic long dock leading out to the water, the silhouette against the setting sun is like something straight out of Forrest Gump. Large windows, a covered patio for dining. A full outdoor bar and a newly rebuilt dock provide top-notch sunset viewing. There are a number of premium spots for you and your pets! Dockside is also famous for its ribs, smoked chicken, and fresh seafood.
Shelter Cove Towne Centre:
- 40 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head, SC
- www.sheltercovetownecentre.com
- Shelter Cove is so beloved at this time of day, there’s an official Sunset Celebration there every Friday night between mid-June and mid-August! From 7-10pm, you can relax with a picnic and listen to Lowcountry musicians. Kids get their wiggles out in a bouncy castle, have their faces painted or watch the jugglers. Overlooking the beautiful Broad Creek, Shelter Cove is a wonderful spot year-round to behold the boats out on the water and to watch the progression of a Lowcountry sunset overhead!
Harbour Town Lighthouse and Marina:
- 149 Lighthouse Road, Hilton Head, SC
- www.seapines.com/recreation/harbour-town/
- There’s a reason visitors pay a small fee to gain access to this attraction in the Sea Pines Resort. The Harbour Town Yacht basin was modeled after a famed harbor in Portofino, Italy, and is one of the top yachting destinations on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Red rocking chairs dot the marina and the Harbour Town Lighthouse is an iconic landmark. With live music, shopping, dining, boats to watch and frequent dolphin sightings, this is a spot where you can plan to spend some time. As for Lowcountry sunsets, the combination of all the above makes for incredibly dramatic silhouettes!
The Old Oyster Factory:
- 101 Marshland Rd, Hilton Head, SC
- www.oldoysterfactory.com
- For most of the 20th century, the Old Oyster Factory was an old cannery called the Broad Creek Oyster Factory! Now, with a pet- and family-friendly atmosphere, excellent food. The OOF offers sme of Hilton Head’s best panoramic marshland views. It’s one of the Island’s most popular seafood and sunset joints.