Take a Bike Path and "Go Green"
We’ve written about new and improved bike paths on Hilton Head Island before, but a recent comment by a first-time visitor got us to thinking of the bigger picture. This visitor was staying in Sea Pines, was a jogger and cyclist, and had just returned from a 15-month tour in Iraq. This vacation was his wife’s treat.
He told us he usually ran about five miles a day but was so inspired by the beauty of the paths (“leisure trails”) in Sea Pines, he added another two miles his first day. Then he discovered the pathways outside Sea Pines and did a loop down Cordillo Parkway. He couldn’t believe all the runners he saw – to say nothing of the bikes.
His family also discovered they were, at most, a 10-minute bike ride from just about every place they wanted to go. Except for one night out, at a mid-island restaurant, their minivan remained unused for their entire stay!
Sea Pines has 15 miles of leisure trails. Palmetto Dunes has about 14 miles, including all of Shelter Cove. Shipyard has 12 miles. Of course, all of the Forest Beach area is linked by beautiful paths. In fact, now the entire island – inside and outside the gates – is connected by a pathway system. Click here for the town’s map.
No matter where you’re staying on the island, we see two very real benefits you’ll enjoy by choosing pathways, whether its by foot or bicycle. You do have time to “stop and smell the roses.” Paths allow you to alter your pace. You don’t have to hop in the car. You can walk or ride (or run). That’s good for body and soul. You’ll also see the island up close, like the alligators and turtles, the herons and osprey nests.
The second reason? You’ll be burning up calories – not gasoline!
Go for a walk. Go for a run. Go for a (bike) ride. Do your part for the environment. Pathways are very “green.”
Labels: bike, sea pines, tips
Bring Your Bikes!
If you haven’t been to our island this year, we think you’ll be in for some surprises when you visit. Everywhere you turn things are looking .... better!
Pope AvenueIf you’ve been a regular island visitor you know Pope Avenue, it’s the main thoroughfare on the south end of the island, leading straight to the Coligny Beach Park, home of the famed
Tiki Hut (see below, more good news). If you ever tried to ride a bike along the “paths” on Pope Avenue there was a good chance you could reach out and shake hands with the passenger in the car right next to you.
As of February
new pathways opened with a big buffer between you and traffic. And the pathways are definitely done in “Hilton Head style.” They’re much wider and part of them go over wetlands on classy wooden bridges with safety railings capped in copper. Even though you’re ten feet from cars going by, you feel like you’re traveling through the wilds of the Lowcountry. What you won’t see are power lines overhead. They’ve been buried.
By this summer, you’ll also be able (if all goes as scheduled) to take a rest at the new Compass Rose Park. It features terraced plazas, sitting areas highlighted by a sculpture created by local artists, wall features and fountains. One of the original brass Compass Rose symbols that hung from the original Sea Pines gate (now the Ocean Gate) is part of the entrance fountain. This is the town's first foray into public art. The park and its centerpiece, a statue of
Charles Fraser, were designed to pay tribute to Sea Pines and the founder of the island's first modern planned community.
Tiki HutWhile the fate of the much beloved beach bar is still up in the air (watch here for more news), it opened a few weeks ago to the cheers of many (younger) local residents. It is the first sign of spring on the island. The new owners of the Holiday Inn Oceanfront hotel, where the
Tiki Hut is located haven’t announced what will happen to the beachfront landmark. Until then, volleyball anyone?
The island’s 25th
St. Patrick’s Day Parade is scheduled for March 16 at 3:30 p.m. Can you make it?
Labels: bike, hilton head, tiki hut, tips
