Wedding & Event Venue near Hilton Head Island, SC

Several great white sharks have recently pinged off the South Carolina coast, according to the latest tracking data from OCEARCH, an ocean research nonprofit that tracks hundreds of marine animals.

Many great white sharks in the west Atlantic make their way south to spend the winter months off the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida waters.

Of all the sharks tracked by OCEARCH in the last few days, three have recently pinged off the South Carolina coast, stretching from the Grand Strand all the way down to the Lowcountry.

Where are these sharks swimming?

Among the most notable is Webster, one of the largest of the group. The adult male white shark, weighing 1,008 pounds and measuring 12 feet, 2 inches, pinged near Charleston at 8:25 a.m. on Jan. 6.

Webster was first tagged on Sept. 29 in Nova Scotia and has spent much of the fall swimming off South Carolina waters. His previous ping was just north of the state line on Dec. 2.

Also drawing attention is Cayo, a 10-foot-3-inch juvenile female white shark weighing 689 pounds, who last pinged around 1 a.m. on Jan. 7 outside Myrtle Beach.

Cayo was first tagged on July 29, and her previous ping off South Carolina was on Dec. 15 near Georgetown.

Lastly, Bella, had her most recent ping on Dec. 29 near Georgetown. Bella is a juvenile female, measuring 10 feet, 2 inches and weighing 729 pounds. She was tagged on July 18, also near Nova Scotia.

Have there been other shark sightings in SC this winter?

Back in December, a few more of these sharp-toothed friends were pinged swimming out in the Palmetto State’s waters, bringing the state’s total number of visitors this winter to seven. Recent updates included:

Cross, a 9-foot-1-inch, 377-pound juvenile male, last pinged near Myrtle Beach on Dec. 28. Swimming nearby, Brookes, an 8-foot-10-inch, 456-pound juvenile female, had her last ping near Georgetown on Dec. 28, too.

Nori, an 8-foot-1-inch juvenile female weighing 423 pounds, last pinged near Edisto Island on Dec. 22 after previously pinging off near Georgetown on Nov. 30. Nori began her southbound journey in early October.

The biggest of the bunch, Baker, a 12-foot-10-inch white shark weighing 1,429 pounds, had his last ping near Charleston on Dec. 11.

Seasonal migration continues

White sharks commonly migrate south during the colder months, following food sources and warmer waters along the Atlantic coast. South Carolina’s coastline often sees increased great white shark activity from winter through March.

Some areas of the Palmetto State got an early sighting of the great whites this year, too, when one was spotted on Nov. 30 off of Hilton Head Island.

Shark populations have also increased this year, meaning that more sightings and pings may be on the way.

Folks can continue to keep an eye on Webster, Bella, Cayo and all the other South Carolina-bound sharks on OCEARCH’s online tracker.

Anyone who drives a car understands the sting of having to fill up their tank and pulling into the gas station, only to discover that gas prices have skyrocketed. Paying extra for gas means you have less to spend on other things, which, over time, can really put a crimp in your budget.

Cheap Insurance explored some of the reasons behind major changes in gas prices, and compiled a list of the cheapest gas stations in Hilton Head Island using data from Gas Buddy.

Gas prices fluctuate based on several factors, including the cost of the key ingredient, crude oil, as well as the available supply and demand for gasoline. If the price of oil rises, a major refinery goes offline, or more drivers are hitting the road, for example, then the cost will increase.

In the first half of 2022, a unique confluence of events led to a surge in gas prices. The increased demand stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and a slowdown in oil production all contributed to a national all-time high of $4.93 per gallon on average in June 2022.

Seasons also affect gas prices. Demand tends to drop in winter, but the cost also falls because gas stations switch to a different blend of gasoline that's optimal for lower temperatures—and has cheaper ingredients.

Location also matters. The South and Midwest tend to have the lowest gas prices, while the West, including Hawai'i, has the highest. Californians, in particular, pay more for gas on average than any other state. That's because of its high state excise taxes; its isolation from the country's major pipelines, which causes supply issues; and its requirements that mandate a more environmentally friendly blend of gas that costs more to produce and adds to the price per gallon.

No matter where you live, read on to see if you can get a deal on gas near you.

#1. Parker's- Address: 469 Buckwalter Pkwy, Bluffton, SC- Price: $2.14

#2. Parker's Kitchen- Address: 5 Oliver Ct, Bluffton, SC- Price: $2.24

#3. Enmarket- Address: 4372 Bluffton Pkwy, Bluffton, SC- Price: $2.29

#4. Parker's- Address: 307 US-17, Hardeeville, SC- Price: $2.35

#5. Circle K- Address: 1565 Fording Island Rd, Bluffton, SC- Price: $2.39

#5. Circle K (tie)- Address: 1380 Fording Island Rd, Bluffton, SC- Price: $2.39

#5. Parker's (tie)- Address: 9227 Evan Way, Bluffton, SC- Price: $2.39

#5. Kroger (tie)- Address: 115 Innovation Dr, Bluffton, SC- Price: $2.39

#5. Enmarket (tie)- Address: 501 Island West Park, Bluffton, SC- Price: $2.39

#5. Shop N Go 2 (tie)- Address: 57 Sams Point Rd, Lady's Island, SC- Price: $2.39

Hilton Head Restaurant Week, an annual event that gives local eateries a boost during the post-holiday lull, is back this month.

More than 80 restaurants in Bluffton and Hilton Head are expected to participate in this year’s event, scheduled for Jan. 31 to Feb. 7, according to the Hilton Head Island and Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. Restaurants traditionally offer prix-fixe menus, so patrons can enjoy a taste of what the area has to offer for a less-than-usual price.

With so many options, it can be a little confusing to know where to start. In no particular order, here are the 10 best Restaurant Week deals at eateries in and around Hilton Head as of Jan. 5.

Crab galore for $38 at Carolina Crab Company

Carolina Crab Company in Palmetto Bay Marina is offering a prix-fixe menu for $38 — and, to no one’s surprise, crab is prominently featured.

Crab cakes and crab-stuffed tiger shrimp are featured entrées, and poblano crab queso, crab salad crostini and crab and chorizo chowder are possible appetizers. But non-crab lovers also have some options, like red wine pear salad to start and short ribs or blackened shrimp and scallops for an entrée.

Dessert offerings include brownie sundaes, key lime pie and blueberry bread pudding.

All-you-can-eat meats at Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse for $42.50

Sixteen “prime” meats. Thirty fresh salads. Six hot dishes. Endless portions. Kids under five eat free, kids ages six-12 pay their age and adults pay $42.50 per person.

That’s how Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in the Village at Wexford is advertising its Restaurant Week deal. Who can argue with that?

Three courses for $25 at Fish Casual Coastal Seafood

An entrée at this Coligny Plaza restaurant can cost up to $36. But during Restaurant Week, patrons can get an appetizer, dinner and dessert for $11 less.

Customers can choose a house salad, a Caesar salad or crab and shrimp bisque to start, followed by either Lowcountry boil, fish and chips or pesto shrimp pasta for dinner. Dessert options include key lime crumble, Snickers brownies or banana pudding. Not bad for $25.

Luxe three-course meal at Driftwood Rum Bar

You won’t find rum on the prix-fixe menu at this restaurant inside the Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island, but you can still get a three-course meal for $36.

Diners can start with whipped ricotta, drunken mussels or she-crab soup, choose from entrées like wild mushroom risotto, braised chicken leg, ahi tuna steak or beef ragu and end with either mango crème brûlée or flourless chocolate torte for dessert.

For that price, adding on a $13 mai tai or painkiller doesn’t seem so bad.

$20.99 pizza and wings at Local Pie

Pizza and wings for under $25? In this economy? Unheard of. But customers at Local Pie in Hilton Head and Bluffton can get any large, one-to-two topping pizza and an order of wings for $20.99 during restaurant week.

If wings aren’t your thing, that’s OK too. Local Pie is offering any two medium pies for $15.99, any two large pizzas for $29.99, any two large one-topping pizzas for $21.99 and any 10-inch pie and a salad for $17.99. The deals are available for both dine-in and takeout customers.

Lots of options for $43 at Nunzio Restaurant + Bar — plus $30 wine flight

Nunzio Restaurant + Bar at 18 New Orleans Road might win the prize for most options on its $43 per person Restaurant Week menu.

The menu includes six appetizers like beef carpaccio and mozzarella caprese salad, seven dinners like tagliatelle alla bolognese and branzino puttanesca and five desserts like tiramisu, affogato borghetti and Sicilian cannoli.

Diners can add a “tour of Italy” wine flight for an additional $29.99. The deal starts Jan. 11, a full 20 days before Restaurant Week officially begins.

$14 meal at Slow Country BBQ & Grill

Sometimes you just need a sandwich, fries and a Coke, and at Slow Country BBQ & Grill, that’s what you’ll get during Restaurant Week.

The Coligny Plaza eatery will offer diners a sandwich, side and a drink for $14. Customers can choose from “any” sandwich on the menu, whether that’s a burger or a fried chicken, brisket or pulled pork sandwich, and sides like potato salad, coleslaw, fries and mac and cheese. Simple, yet effective.

Three courses for $22 at Street Meet

Street Meet’s prix-fixe menu is one of the lowest priced at $22, and its offerings are simple but just flashy enough to give them the extra Restaurant Week pizzazz.

Diners at the Port Royal Plaza restaurant can choose a Caesar salad, garden salad or Italian wedding soup to start, followed by prime rib cheesesteak, a gyro or a Cuban sandwich. Everyone gets a mini brownie sundae for dessert, drizzled with hot fudge.

Cool weather drinks at Origin Coffee Bar

Origin Coffee Bar at 35 Main St. on the island says it is participating in Restaurant Week and offers a list of seasonal drinks for its menu. It’s unclear if this is just the regular winter menu or exclusive to the chamber event.

Drinks include the 12-ounce nitro brown butter mocha for $6, the peppermint mocha for $6, the “crosby” which is pistachio, white chocolate, espresso and milk for $5.75 and the filthy animal with cranberry, rosemary, sage, espresso and tonic for $6.25.

Free soup or dessert with purchase at the Patio Bar & Deck

The Patio Bar & Deck at the Sonesta will offer diners a free soup or dessert with a purchase of a burger, sandwich or “patio favorite.” Qualifying dishes include short rib chili, four cheese pizza, chicken bacon croissants and redfish sandwiches.

See another great restaurant week deal that we missed? Email lfinaldi@islandpacket.com to have it added.

About 14 years after it closed an underperforming Hilton Head store, Food Lion is planning to open a new location on the island.

Plans have been submitted for a new Food Lion at the former Sam’s Club site at 93 Mathews Drive in Port Royal Plaza. Most recently, a 20-year memorandum of lease was signed Oct. 9 between the grocery chain and landlord Barony Fund I Investment LLC for a 41,000-square-foot store.

The Sam’s Club property is owned by Hilton Head businessman J.R. Richardson, who bought it in February 2024 for $5.8 million. Part of the site has already been redeveloped into Dill Dinkers Pickleball.

Food Lion operated for almost 22 years on the island, from May 1990 to early 2012. When it closed, Hilton Head was one of 113 underperforming stores shuttered by the North Carolina-based supermarket chain.

Now Food Lion is trying again on Hilton Head, hoping to breathe new life into a retail space considered by many to be a mid-island eyesore. And it’s coming to a space where projects have been promised in the past, only to never materialize.

Sam’s Club packed its bags on Hilton Head in 2017 to move across the bridge to Bluffton. This set off years of trouble for the Port Royal Plaza space, where much has been promised over years of vacancy.

About two years after Sam’s closed in 2019, Florida-based Bealls Inc. submitted a proposal to put two of its stores — Burke’s Outlet and Home Centric — in the space. Two years later, Go Store It self-storage facility planned to fill the space, but ultimately withdrew the plans after pushback from the community and town officials.

Most recently, “homegrown” grocer Lowes Foods filed plans to move into the space. Lowes is expanding its presence in South Carolina; the Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based company said in May that it will convert a Kj’s Marketplace in John’s Island into one of its stores. But Hilton Head never materialized.

Richardson’s purchase of the plaza was an indication that things were getting serious. His company, the Richardson Group, is a Hilton Head stronghold, and Richardson’s father James Norris “Big Daddy” Richardson is responsible for the shopping center that eventually became Coligny Plaza.

JR Richardson created the gated Windmill Harbour community along the Intracoastal Waterway, as well as the South Carolina Yacht Club. Richardson also opened Westbury Park in Bluffton and pizza restaurant Local Pie.

The pickleball facility at the site opened in May 2025.

Lee Lucier, COO at the Richardson Group, did not respond to requests for more information.

Other tenants at Port Royal Plaza include Street Meet tavern, OKKO Japanese Sushi & Hibachi Restaurant and Planet Fitness.

Food Lion is a regional supermarket chain with locations mostly scattered throughout the southeast, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. It is one of 17 companies owned by Ahold Delhaize, a Dutch-Belgian food retail group that also owns northeast-centric chains like Stop & Shop, Giant Food and Hannaford.

Although it’s based in Europe, the U.S. is Ahold Delhaize’s largest market, with 2,017 stores in the third quarter of 2025. The company seemed to indicate Food Lion was performing relatively well in the third quarter; the chain reported 52 consecutive quarters of comparable store sales growth and was the driver of a 15.4% increase in U.S. online sales.

Food Lion also began work on 92 store remodels in the Greensboro, North Carolina, area in the third quarter, and launched 153 omnichannel remodels at 153 Charlotte, North Carolina-area stores. Ahold Delhaize is also building a new North Carolina distribution center to meet “growing capacity demands,” the company said in its report.

In the Lowcountry, the company currently has one store in Bluffton, one in Okatie, two in Beaufort, one in Lady’s Island and one in Shell Point near Parris Island.

A Food Lion spokesperson said that over the years, the company has worked to evolve its store format, product assortment and omnichannel capabilities to meet the needs of the communities it serves.

“We’re confident this approach positions us well for success in this market,” the company said of its future Hilton Head store. “We look forward to building lasting relationships and helping customers easily access the food they need to nourish their families.”

Hilton Head Island residents have a new option for starting the New Year strong with the opening of a new 24-hour gym, Anytime Fitness at Festival Centre at Indigo Park.

The gym officially opened its doors on Sunday, Dec. 28 and 24-hour access began Monday, Dec. 29. The facility is located at 45 Pembroke Drive, Suite #150, in the former Blockbuster space in the shopping center with Publix and Corner Perk.

Owner Matt Bauman said construction began in August, transforming the vacant space into a modern fitness center designed to serve both beginners and experienced visitors.

Holding to its name, members can access Anytime Fitness at any time and are able to visit any location nationwide with a membership.

What does Anytime Fitness offer?

The facility hosts a wide range of amenities, including cardio and strength training equipment, a turf training area and a physical therapy clinic located inside the gym.

Additional features include private restrooms and showers, a red light therapy bed and nutritional products and supplements available on site.

Personal training and group training are available, with programs scheduled to begin after the New Year.

Membership plans are now available for the new Hilton Head location. Options include a 12-month plan at $25.99 billed bi-weekly, or a 6-month plan for $350.50 due on the first day. Members are able to access a free mobile app to help track workouts and have a fitness consultation once they join to plan goals.

Where are other Anytime Fitness locations?

The Hilton Head gym joins nearby locations in Savannah and Rincon, with two additional Lowcountry locations already planned.

One location is coming to Hardeeville, across from the University of South Carolina Beaufort, in the New River Crossing shopping center, and the other on James Island.

Bauman said the new gyms are scheduled to open by summer 2026.

Other nearby gym options on this area of the island include The Exercise Coach and CrossFit Coastal Carolina & Tidal Training.

For more information about Anytime Fitness, folks can visit its website or Facebook page.