What's New on Hilton Head Island

This page will be updated frequently for the returning visitor.  This page will show four years of changes on Hilton Head. We will not attempt to keep up with the rapidly changing events in Bluffton.

Restaurants and Nightlife

Red = closed, at least for now.   Blue = new  The dates are just so I know when to remove old entries.

Dunston's Changed name to Calibogue Cafe and Trading Company. It looks the same as before. 02/07

Stu's Surfside II has opened in Port Royal Plaza. This is the second location for this Coligny based sub shop. 01/07

Dye's Gullah Fixin's is a new restaurant located in Pineland Station behind the water wheel. 01/07

Danielle's in Park Plaza has closed. 01/07

Camellia Grill, a Southern food restaurant has opened where Danielle's was in Park Plaza, behind Mellow Mushroom. 01/07

Bullfeathers Char House has opened beside Shag's on Lagoon road. 01/07

Moe's Southwest Grill in Park Plaza has closed. 01/07

Shrimp Michaels, a new seafood restaurant opened February 21 in Port Royal Plaza, where B5 Bistro was. Owner and chef Crawford Campbell was with the Sage Room 01/07

Café St. Tropez is a new name for La Normandie, which continues under the same management and with the same chef. 01/07

Horny Hooter , the late night eatery, has moved from Shag's to Rider's Lounge. They do not yet have a sign in front. 01/07

Azteca has reopened in its original location on Marshland Road - serving Mexican cuisine. 02/07

Hemingway's in the Palmetto Bay Marina has changed their name to Black Marlin as the result of a letter from the attorneys for the estate of Ernest Hemingway. Someone needs to get a life. 02/07

The Hilton Head Brew Pub has reopened with a new owner, new management a new brewer and a new menu. 02/07

Café Europa has changed name to The Waterfront Café to better reflect the ambiance and menu. 02/07

Ichi Sushi, a Japanese restaurant specializing in sushi and other Japanese dishes has opened in Pineland Station. Open for lunch and dinner. Mon. - Sat. 3/07

One Hot Mamma's has opened in the Barmuda Triangle, across from The Lodge. Specialize in barbeque, serve continuously from 11 AM 'till late. 06/07

The Santa Fe Café has been acquired by long time employees Sean Crosby and Marshall Sampson. 03/07

Reilly's on the North end has completely remodeled and is vastly improved. 05/07

Montego Bay has announced they will close after the night of June 30, 2007, but Target  will perform most Saturdays at  the Regatta Lounge in the Hilton hotel. 6/07

Teache's, a new restaurant in Park Plaza has opened where Moe's Southwest Grill was briefly. They advertise entertainment five nights a week and a full menu 'till closing. Open at 4 PM, happy hour 4 to 7.08/07

Truffle's have opened their second island location (there is one in Bluffton also) at the Executive Park Road off Pope Avenue. It is where the Hoffbrau House was. It is open for dinner only.  09/07

Land's End Baha Grill, has changed it's name back to Land's end Tavern. 09/07

Scratch Kitchen has closed. Rumor has it a deli has opened in it's place - see below. 09/07

Plantation Deli has opened where Scratch Kitchen was in Port Royal Plaza. 10/07

Beach Break Grill has opened at 24 Palmetto Bay Road (next to Pappa John's). Open 11AM to 9PM, serving light fare, mostly seafood. 09/07

Imperial Gardens restaurant in Park Plaza has changed it's name to Hong Kong Gardens. 10/07

Prescott's/Remy's has closed.  See Remy's, below. 10/07

Mostly Seafood at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort has closed due to weak performance. 10/07

Regatta's Lounge at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort has closed to be replaced (see below). 10/07

XO Wine and Champagne Bar at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort is scheduled to open December 8. It is said to have music and dancing as at the Regatta but more intimate. It will be located where Mostly Seafood was. 10/07

Fireside Steak and Seafood will open at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort February 7 where Regatta's was. Ocean View dining and an open kitchen will be featured and outdoor dining will be available. 10/07

Flamingo House of Doughnuts has changed hands and is now just Flamingo. The new owner has added a line of Eastern Mediterranean lunch dishes. 10/07

Trinity Restaurant and Bar has opened in The Gallery of Shops, where Rendezvous was. Advertised as having "big city decor". Lunch Mon. - Fri. 11Am to 2 PM, dinner seven days, 5 to 10 PM. 10/07

Riviera Oaks Café opened on New Orleans Rd, where Olivier's was. Offering a tapas menu, bar menu and regular dinner menu. Rumor on the street is it's owned by Chef Olivier of the original restaurant. 11/07

Remy's like the proverbial Phoenix, has reopened at their new location in Heritage Plaza next to Murphy's Irish Pub. They advertise live music nightly.  12/07

The Barmuda Triangle, actually more of a square bounded by Reilley's, the Hilton Head Brew Pub, One Hot Mamma's and the Lodge, with Jump and Phil's at one corner, now provides a place for smokers to hang out. There are outdoor bars and a centrally located fireplace to keep you warm on chilly nights. 12/07

Moneypenny's has closed due to complaints of rowdiness. 01/08

Twister, a martini bar has opened where Monypenny's was in the Village Exchange. They serve 28 different martinis, including one at $1,000. It is billed as alternative-friendly, apparently to attract gay patrons. 01/08

Monkey Business has reopened as Stages. 02/08

Burger King on the south end (near Sea Pines circle) has closed. 03/08

Panera Bread is scheduled to open at the site of the former south end Burger King. It's planned opening is in July. 03/08

XO Lounge has opened in the Hilton Ocean Front Resort in Palmetto dunes. Live entertainment by well regarded local musicians, cocktails, wine and appetizers are featured. Hours are 5PM to 1AM. 05/08

Camellia Grill is now Kwizen with the same personnel but a different menu. 05/08

Homeport has closed and the building was torn down to make room for townhouses. 05/08

The Shoreline Ballroom has opened. They will present entertainment by name bands from around the country. 05/08

Spice was closed when we stopped by July 31. It appears we have lost one of the island's sexiest bars. 07/08

Eat! Hilton Head has opened where Spice was in the Village at wexford. 10/08

Twist..The Bistro has opened where Moneypenny's was in the Village Exchange on palmetto Bay Rd. Cheryl Christine performs there on Wednesdays. 10/08

Rider's Lounge closed. The owner said it was losing money. 11/08

Wise Guys, a restaurant specializing in wines by the glass and appetizers/Tapas style food opened next to Frankie Bones at the North end. They ues the wine dispensing system the replaces air in the bottle with Nitrogen to keep the wine from oxidizing. Can be pricy. 11/08

Prana International is the island's newest nightclub. It is said to be a real party place, with plenty going on. There is dancing, live music and occasionally Jello wrestling, volleyball, mechanical bull riding and other such activities. Sunday's is Live Latin night, on ladies night the ladies get paid $5 to attend and there are $1 vodka and 25 cent beer nights. 04/09

Sticky Fingers has closed, strangely just before the peak tourist season. 06/09

Other Businesses

Island Bookseller, Hilton Head's last independent book store has closed. 02/09

Adventure Cove Family Fun Center at Hgwy. 278 and Folly Field Rd. was closed while residential units are being built. It has now reopened without the driving range, with two much improved miniature golf courses, and with indoor activities a mere shadow of what they once were. 01/07

A new boat, the Captain Rudy Thomas, is providing transportation to Daufuskie Island from Broad Creek Marina. It is a large boat accommodating up to 149 passengers on two decks. Wed. and Fri. trips include dinner at the Old Daufuskie Crab Company restaurant. Their web site is here. It takes forever to download. 05/07

Palmetto Ferry Company has established an experimental ferry from Hilton Head to Bluffton and to Beaufort. Trying to get more information. 06/07

The Waterfun Park  has closed, to be replaced by condominiums. (08/07)

Cheryl Christine, a long time Island favorite entertainer has moved to CQ's, where she performs Sunday through Thursday from 6:30 to 10:30 PM. 09/07

The Ocean Course in Sea Pines has reopened after extensive reconstruction and is now named Heron Point. 09/07

Sea Pines is now charging $3.00 for admission to the lighthouse and for the privilege of buying something from the gift shop at the top. You can get complimentary tickets on the trolley or at the concierge desk(2 per family).10/07 Thanks Alison

The Coastal Discovery Museum has moved to Honey Horn Plantation. 12/07

The bike paths between Sea Pines Circle and the beach have been moved away from the street and now incorporate boardwalks across the lagoons. Bike paths like that are being built along Mathews Drive from Marshland Rd. to Hgwy 278.

The Cross Island Expressway toll  increased from $1.00 to $1.25 on March 31. 2008.

The Hilton Head comedy Club has opened. It will provide comedy every night and they say they will have well known comedians from TV and other national venues. Closed on Sunday and Monday. Currently admission is $12 weekends and $10 weekdays with no drink minimum. Must be 18 to get in. 07/08
 

Real Estate News

MLS reports for Hilton Head Island:

¹This statistic is deceptive because many listings renew after six months, therefore could be this many days plus six months.
²The average price of villas was inflated by the sale of one property at more than $3 million. Without that sale the average would have been $393,936.

Note these figures apply to homes sold through real estate agents, not those sold by developers of new housing, and do not include properties in Bluffton.

Once again, fewer high-end homes sold, which lowered the average price. Prices remain strong for villas.

*Statistics courtesy of Felice LaMarca.

Also of Interest

Smoking Ban: the Town of Hilton Head island has passed an ordinance prohibiting smoking in public buildings effective May !, 2007.  Most of Beaufort County already has such a ban in place. Specifically, the law bans smoking in businesses but not homes, tobacco shops, hotels and motels and businesses with only one employee if they do not share space with other businesses. Some restaurants with outdoor tables permit smoking there - Reilly's, Shrimp Michaels, and some in the "Barmuda Triangle" are examples.

Fishing license required for salt water fishing
A new law requires a license to fish in salt water even from the beach or a pier. This was done to preempt a Federal fishing license requirement. Fees are $5 for in state 14 day license, $11 for 14 day out of state license.

Wingfest 2009. 

Judge's choice: 1. L'Woods, 2. Westin Hotel 3. Pinecrest Golf Club

People's choice: Smokehouse was the sole winner

2009 Hilton Head Kiwanis Club’s Rib Burn Off Results

Judges Awards Professionals

1st Place Ribs - Smokehouse
2nd Place Ribs - Montana's (Bluffton)
3rd Place ribs - One Hot Mamma's

1st Place BBQ - The Smokehouse
2nd Place BBQ - Plantation Station
3rd Place BBQ - Applebees


Popular Vote Awards, Professionals

1st Place Ribs - Montana's (Bluffton)
2nd Place Ribs - One Hot Mama's
3rd Place Ribs - Smokehouse
 
1st Place BBQ - Smokehouse
2nd Place BBQ - One Hot Mama's
3rd Place BBQ - Montana's (Bluffton)

Results of  the Chili Cookoff 2008 were:

The Island Packet recently took a poll of locals, who voted on their favorite businesses in various categories. Hilton head Monthly magazine did the same. Some excerpts from the  list of winners for 2009 :

Best:
Hamburger - Harold's Diner
Day Spa - Faces Day Spa & Boutique (also best manicure/pedicure, best massage)
Bakery - Signe's Bakery
Deli -Gruby's New York Deli
Wings - Wild Wings
Pizza - Giuseppi's (5th consecutive year)
Fitness Center - Breakthrough Fitness Center
Barbecue - The Smokehouse
Ice Cream/ Yogurt - Hilton Head Ice Cream
Live entertainment venue - The Jazz Corner
Wine Shop - Reilley's Wine & Spirits
Bar/Tavern - Wise Guys
Hair salon - Salon 5200 and best stylist Danielle Keasling
Best breakfast restaurant - Palmetto Bay Sunrise Café

A report by a consulting firm studying growth in this area estimated Hilton Head Island population at 38,931 in January 2005.

At long last the liquor mini-bottle law has been rescinded. Bars may free pour or use the minis - their choice. The advantage to the public is drinks don't have to be so strong. Hopefully some bars will reduce the pour from 1.7 Oz. to something more reasonable and reduce prices accordingly (or am I being naive?).

Traffic Advisories

With Rt. 278 now completed to I 95 and with changes made to the Savannah airport access roads, the best route to/from the airport is using I 95.  Exit 8 is the appropriate I 95 exit for Hilton Head, despite misleading signs. The old route to the Savannah airport is no longer an option. It will now take you to downtown Savannah. The road (Rt. 46/170) that went straight at the Shell station is gone.

The main route between Hilton Head and Beaufort (and Charleston), Rt. 170, has been widened to four lanes and the bridges at Lemon Island have been replaced. This is now a much safer and faster way to get to Beaufort (and Charleston).

Construction is finished on Sea Pines Circle. The purpose of the construction was to add barriers so drivers cannot change lanes. In other words, if you enter from a right lane, you can no longer "cheat" and cross the former solid line to avoid exiting.  All right lanes must exit.   New Advisory:  Office Park Road has been realigned to come out at the New Orleans Rd. traffic light on Pope Avenue. Now you can easily avoid the backups at Sea Pines Circle. Click here for a map.

We try to keep this site current and reasonably detailed, but you can get complete updates as to road conditions from the South Carolina Department of Transportation here.
Also, you can actually see the traffic in the area on web cams set up by Beaufort county here. This may be especially helpful to visitors who bring their computer for help in planning to go to greater Bluffton to shop.

New Traffic Laws
South Carolina has passed a law allowing police to stop and ticket any driver with an unbelted occupant in a vehicle. It went into effect December 9, 2005. Also currently in effect is a law prohibiting tinted automobile windows blocking more than 27% of visible light. It doesn't matter if you're from out of state - our cops don't like to approach a vehicle in which they can't see the occupants.

 Updated 07/02/2009

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