2020, you were not what I expected. To be fair, you weren’t what ANY of us expected, and I am so grateful to have a healthy family who has been safe from this crazy pandemic that is affecting the entire world. We certainly didn’t plan on heading back to Hilton Head Island this year, as we had trips planned to Hawaii and Norway. As you can probably guess, neither of those were able to happen and while I definitely mourn the loss of the missed memories we were unable to enjoy this year, I am feel so lucky that we were able to take this trip instead! It may have just been the perfect place to visit amidst a pandemic; from Washington, DC, it’s just over an 8-hour drive which means we were able to do it all in one day without having to stop overnight at a hotel. It’s also somewhere we’ve visited on several difference occasions (you can view a few of those trips HERE, HERE, and HERE!), so we were familiar with what activities and areas on the island would be safe and allow us to social distance.

The past few years, we’ve rented a home in Palmetto Dunes, which is a community that offers a private beach. This is AMAZING because, even on a “regular” year, the beach is nearly empty! You easily have 50-100 yards between and the next group, so whether you’re playing in the sand or jumping in the waves,  you feel completely alone! Here are some of our favorite beach and pool days!

 

 

Of course, the photographer in me made everyone dress up for some quick beach photos! I know I’m biased, but how handsome is this toddler!?

 

 

As I mentioned, we mostly stayed at our rental home, but we did go on a boat ride to see dolphins and saw SO MANY! There was a pod of about 6, including two babies, and they kept popping up to say hello!

 

 

A few of our other favorite things: bike rides, visiting the butterfly house, seeing/chasing/riding the wildlife (we saw a tiny gator and Landon was obsessed!), and finally getting to spot the baby turtles hatching!

 

 

 

We may have missed small things like visiting some of our favorite restaurants in person, but in the end, it actually allowed us more time at home and on the beach which was okay with our wild toddler who loves the water! Given the uncertain of how things will unfold over the coming year, we’ve already planned for our trip back in 2021 and I think we are all looking forward to another trip to our favorite beach! See you in 2021, HHI!