Summary
I went to Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina during the summer of 2023 in August for a long weekend trip (4 nights) with my wife and our two young children (8 son, 5 daughter) along with our close friends with children of similar ages. Along with places we have been throughout the US like Jackson Hole, Aspen and Big Sky, Palmetto Bluff is a beautiful community with lots to do and see – the summer activities, surroundings and weather are warm and welcoming. The community is in southern South Carolina just a 40 min drive north of Savannah (that is where we flew into). From New York, it’s a very easy flight and drive. We had an incredibly memorable visit filled with outdoor activities that were family friendly, great dining and everything felt safe and simple. We rented a car for our stay which was very helpful because we needed to drive between our hotel and various activities / dinners / excursions. The weather in this part of the country is very warm this time of year (high 70s – high 80s). The motto we heard all weekend was that if you are in a rush, you shouldn’t come to the “lowcountry” – this was a perfect way to live differently for all of us for a few days.
Accommodations
During our trip, we stayed in the planned Palmetto Bluff community at the wonderful Montage Palmetto Bluff (Carmela is an amazing Concierge!). The destination is a beautiful enclave just outside of old town Bluffton with several hundred homes (and growing), a village with shops, groceries, a shooting club, restaurants, outdoor activities, water sports etc. This is our second visit to a Montage – we recently were at the one in Big Sky – and we had a wonderful stay. The service is world class, the care for children is great (daily cookies/lemonade in the daytime + daily smores at night), the accommodations fit nicely into the surroundings and the rooms are well-appointed. There are tons of activities to keep busy and shuttles/golf carts to take u everywhere in the community so nothing feels out of reach. Overall, a truly wonderful visit.
Select Favorites
- Dining
- For Lunch, we stayed in Palmetto Bluff and just incorporated dining into the day as it fit. We visited Canteen (sandwiches/salads), RT’s Market (grab-n-go grocery), Buffalo’s (nice sit-down sandwich place on the waterfront) and Fore and Aft (Mexican pool-side casual spot).
- For Dinner, we explored in and around Palmetto Bluff – In Old Town Bluffton, we visited Bricco (Italian); In Hilton Head, we visited Olive and Fig (Mediterranean/Middle Eastern); at the hotel in Palmetto Bluff, we did Pizza Truck – Flame (special dinner option on the weekends); in Savannah, we visited the Plant Riverside District and had a nice Mexican dinner at Savannah Tequila Company; on a future visit, we will check out River House (steakhouse with a nice ambiance) at the Montage
- Dessert: Our favorites included Melt Ice Cream Shop (in Palmetto Bluff), Leopolds and District Gelato (in Savannah/Plant Riverside District), S’mores/Cookies (at the Montage Inn itself – smores at night, cookies during the day), Joe’s (Old Town Bluffton)
- Drinks: Our favorite spots included Octagon and Hush (at the Montage) and next time we visit Savannah we will try outdoor drinks at District Seafood and District Smokehouse (since most cocktail bars don’t allow children)
- Activities:
- All of the activities we did were organized by the Montage and took place around Palmetto Bluff – a shuttle/golf cart service can bring u anywhere. See here for the lost list of things to do in general recreation but we loved visiting the Shooting club (archery/rifling are available for ages 6+ and axe throwing and more sophisticated shooting is 12+); we went for a family-friendly fishing trip through Outside Palmetto Bluff (shoutout to Captain Boo); we went Biking to the magnificent 5-Story Treehouse and enjoyed the Pool / Hot tub each day. On a future trip we may also play Tennis and Golf.
Recommendation
We would highly recommend Palmetto Bluff for a future visit and would love to come back. We loved everything about the visit and everything was as wonderful as advertised. Make reservations everywhere early because the planned community of Palmetto Bluff is small as is the Old Town and surrounding areas – dining fills up especially for big groups! Also make sure you check the weather ahead of time and check which says of the week many establishments are closed. I can see us returning possibly as part of an expanded trip to experience the many activities we didn’t get to given what an easy short flight the trip is from NYC. Enjoy!
