Coastal Discovery Museum — Attraction in Hilton Head Island

This is a review specific of the sweet grass basket class they hold there for 2 hours every month. It is $65 per person. The basket is already started for you and is about 2 inches big for the start. The person running the class comes from Charleston. She arrived over an hour late just when they were ready to refund all of us. They staff kept calling her with no response. She showed up with a almost full iced tea from Wendy’s in hand (why stop and buy food when you are so late?). We expected a little history lesson, to see samples, and hear about her work and the basket making tradition. What we got was her complaint about the sun and heat. She also could not explain any of the history even when asked. She could not consistently tell us about the 3 natural materials we were using and kept changing the names each time asked. Everyone’s palm fronds which is used to weave kept breaking. She explained it was because they were over a week old. She knew she came without appropriate materials for a very expensive class. She walks around to each person to get them started on weaving. 6-7 per class and since our table was last we waited another hour to even do anything (yup, 2 hours to even start). We all expected to do a super tiny basket and we all left with maybe getting around our tiny circles one time weaving. We asked questions about the harvest of sweet grass. She was unable to explain locations and how. She just said it was not for her. I grew to appreciate the difficulty of this art in the mostly 4 hours of waiting and her just saying the palm is too old. I would not ever recommend this class to anyone. It is a sad and embarrassing this event exists in a place that has been home for me for 6 years. I hope this prevents any local or tourist from wasting your...

What a great outdoor museum. This museum is full of history, nature, exploring and fun. Inside the museum is a well put together history and ecology display for all ages. I especially loved the Children's area in the main house. Outside they have many other things to see and the boardwalks are especially great for birding.

The bird was are a great place to sit and wait for nature to appear. I really enjoyed the covered boardwalk as this made waiting more enjoyable. I saw Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Anhinga, a nest for a Green Heron, Black Crowned Night Heron, Wood stork, White Ibis, Osprey, Spoonbill and even an Eagle flew over. I was on board walk for about an hour to see all of these. Oh I almost forgot a alligator swimming down between the reeds.

I LOVED the butterfly pavilion too, wow! This was amazing, everting was up close and well done. I also enjoyed learning about the plants and which plants which butterflies liked to lay eggs on as well as which Caterpillars eat which plants. It’s amazing how God made a plant for a specific kind of caterpillar to keep it all in balance.

I also enjoyed the trails with more gardens to see along the way. Oh don’t miss the Osprey nest in the middle of the large field.

The staff was helpful and friendly, you could tell the really cared about visitors and their museum.

Most people will probably speed through the museum in 2 hours, but to really enjoy it, you need to take your time and move slowly though each area. This is a place I could stay all day and it was a real treasure. It is also free and a suggested...

I can’t believe I haven’t posted about Coastal Discovery Museum already. My family has been enjoying this place as a regular part of our annual HHI vacation traditions for six years.

The Coastal Discovery Museum is a hub of activity on Hilton Head, but never too crowded. Located at historic Honey Horn, the museum is such a rich experience for visitors, whether your interest lies in history, animals, plants, the marsh, art, or even just shopping.

The museum is free to browse both inside and outside the house. Just that can fill quite a bit of time. The galleries inside contain history, art displays, interactive nature lessons and hands-on activities for kids. There is also a gift shop containing both your traditional “touristy” souvenirs and more enriching items, along with some local goodies (canned foods, cookbooks, etc.). Outside, plants abound. There are observation piers to look for wildlife, and there is an enclosed butterfly sanctuary garden that is a truly special experience.

And that’s just the free stuff! The classes and events at the CDM are some of my family’s favorite things to do on the island. Their website is my first stop when planning our vacation activities. We’ve enjoyed the indigo tie-dye class, hands-on animal encounters (both the critter meet & greet and the discovery lab classes are great), and the farmers’ market. The cost of educational events varies but is always 100% worth it. My kids are now 11, 9, and 3, and they all look forward to coming to the...