CD indicates that The Coastal Discovery Museum offers guided tours or walks.
The tour includes a walk of a mid-island beach to the Folly, a tidal inlet creek. Along the way, participants will learn about the forces shaping the beach, the importance of the dunes, the roles played by many sea creatures and lots of time for hands-on studying of the shells and other denizens of the beach. CD
Pinckney Island Walking Tour
A walking tour of this National Wildlife Refuge allows participants to view maritime forest, salt marsh and fresh water pond ecosystems and the wildlife associated with each area. The rich history of the island is discussed in relation to its current use as a refuge. Wildlife management techniques can also be seen which allows a better understanding of how the government is trying to preserve these areas for the future. CD
Education programs
At the heart of the Museum is the goal is to educate visitors of all ages about the history and ecology of the area through hands-on activities and resources. The Education Program is led by two curators who specialize in history and biology. CD
Wildflower & Butterfly Garden CD
The Coastal Discovery Museum in conjunction with The Hilton Head Island Council of Garden Clubs and The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc., developed the Dream Stop Garden to introduce island visitors and residents to the beauty and diversity of the region, both through the flowers and the butterflies that visit them.
This wildflower garden is planted with the essential nectar flowers and host herbs and plants used by a variety of butterfly species and their caterpillars, or larvae, for food.
Parks
For all information contact this site.
Sea Turtles Special Tour CD
As the summer months approach, the threatened loggerhead sea turtles nest on the 14 miles of beaches on Hilton Head. The Coastal Discovery Museum conducts the Sea Turtle Protection Project in conjunction with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The purpose of the project is to monitor the nesting of these large reptiles by patrolling the beaches from May through October. If nests are found in unsuitable locations, they are moved for the safety of the baby turtles, called hatchlings. After the hatchlings leave the nests, the Sea Turtle Protection Project inventories each nest to determine how many eggs successfully hatched. Thus, data is collected that aids in determining the population trends for this species.
A special tour offered during the summer months is the Turtle Talk & Walk . As the loggerhead sea turtles nest on the beaches of Hilton Head, the Museum offers guided evening beach walks. This tour is designed to give participants information about the nationally threatened species, loggerhead sea turtles.
Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
This 4,000 acre wildlife refuge was the plantation of Gen. Charles, a signer of the United States Constitution. Pinckney fought in the Revolutionary War, was an ambassador to France and twice ran for presidential office. After the Civil War, the land was used as a hunting preserve and was donated to the Federal government as a wildlife refuge in 1975. It has miles of trails for walking or biking. Contact
Birds
It is possible to see over 200 species of birds in the Hilton Head area over the course of a year. Beaches, marshes, lagoons, bike trails, harbours, docks, golf courses throughout the island are areas for birding. Contact
