I’m listening to a new podcast called Hilton Head is Still Fun. Heather Rath and Caitlin Lee, two longtime locals in the marketing biz, have taken to the mic and are reminding residents how fortunate we are to call this place home. And yes, there is more to do here than play golf and go to the beach.
I agree with them. Hilton Head Island is fun, and there are many things off the beaten path that I’ve gotten to experience because of this magazine.
As July is our biggest month for tourism, we tailored this issue around interesting things for our visitors to do. How about a journey into the Sea Pines Forest Preserve for an alligator tour with Anthony Savarese? Not only do you get to see these prehistoric creatures from a comfortable, covered boat, but Anthony will also teach you about the history of our area and, if you’re lucky, snag a green tree snake for an up-close encounter. Read the story on page 56.
You know what else is pretty special that our tourists take full advantage of but our locals probably don’t? HarbourFest, in Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina, back for its thirty-fourth year. We get a front row seat show to fireworks as the sun sets over a gorgeous marina every Tuesday in the summer months. The event includes fun activities for the kids, face painting by Cappy the Clown, and an entertaining nightly show by Shannon Tanner. Check out this story on page 40.
This past month, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with beekeeper David Arnal and his 250,000 employees. My interest in bees and honey-harvesting was piqued last October when we spent the day at Whippoorwill Farms with Marissa. She opened her bee box, took out a honeycomb and urged us to try some. I guess I was fascinated by her calm while thousands of bees buzzed around, not bothered at all by her. I wanted to learn more about the process, and so this month I did. Cruise on over to page 64 to read all about why we should save the bees. I did get stung right in the face—probably my first sting in over 20 years. It was worth it.
As I was cruising through Tik Tok a few weeks ago, I saw that Vogue did a gorgeous spread on Margot Robbie in pink couture to celebrate the Barbie movie coming out on July 23. I was inspired to do the same but make it local. Shout-out to Kaila Jeffcoat, my talented stylist and Julia Rockett, my Barbie look alike who helped my dream come to fruition. This month, pink is my favorite color, and you can buy all of “Barbie’s” looks at local boutiques.
There’s so much good stuff in this issue; be sure to check out Chow Daddy’s new location in Sea Pines (page 94). Our new contributor Liz Mayhew covers activities for kids on the water (page 51). I hope you remember to get out and enjoy the island if you live here—and if you don’t, I’d like to welcome you to the Lowcountry. Please enjoy your stay here. We’re glad you came!
Maggie Washo, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
