This week I’m vacationing at Hilton Head Island.  And while I did play golf a few days, I find that the best times I had so far are the free or close to free activities!

So I decided to compile a quick list of all the free (or again close to free) activities that we have done.

Cheap things to do at the beach:

• Body Surfing, is my one of the favorite things to do at the beach.  As you can imagine, it’s just riding a wave without a surfboard by using your body in place of the surfboard…  I had a lot of fun doing this, but even better is that fact that I was able to teach both my son and daughter how to do it today!  My son was tough because he has been stung multiple years at the beach by jellyfish, so naturally he had a strong fear of the ocean.  But once he did it once, he was hooked!  My daughter was the most fun to watch though!  She rode a wave all the way onto the beach!  I wish I had filmed it…
• Walking the beach.  Is there anything cooler than walking the beach with the cool sea breeze blowing as you and your significant other (or solely) walk miles away from your hotel?
• Building sand creations.  They aren’t just sand castles anymore!  When we went to the beach earlier today, there was an alligator sand creature that formed a loop, effectively forming a sand castle too!  Okay, my kids still build sand castles, but there are alternatives!
• Searching for shark teeth: One of my friend’s parents always came back with a small bucket full of shark’s teeth.  I never figured out their trick in finding them, but it always amazed me!  Perhaps you know the magic trick, if not, read what this site has to say about it.
• Renting a bike for the week: The cost usually runs in the $20 dollar range, or even better you could bring your bikes with you.  Since the beach is flat, you can ride for hours and hours without really getting tired.  On Hilton Head, there are over 100 miles of bike trails and paths, so it’s a very bike friendly Island.  If you are an avid biker like the blogger at Little House In The Valley, you would love it!
• Sun Bathing: Okay, it’s 2010 and we all know that sun bathing isn’t such a great idea anymore.  But why not sit on the beach with an umbrella (really called a parasol) and read a great novel or some other fun activity and people watch!  Or maybe lay out of 15 minutes then go for a walk with plenty of sun lotion on with plenty of SPF protection!  Make sure you get a safe sunscreen lotion (I heard not all sunscreens are that good for your skin!)
• Flying A Kite:  We buy a cheap kite every year.  After getting the kite up in the air, my son always buries the kite handle in the sand and just lets the kite fly high above…  It always amazes me that the kite doesn’t rip the kite handle out of the sand.  It’s a quick fun thing to do.
• Sand crabbing: We use plastic shovels and buckets to dig Sand Crabs (also called Sand Mole Crabs) out of the ocean’s edge when the tide is going out.  My kids are still a bit afraid of them, but still get excited when the sand crabs are uncovered.

There are many other fun things to do at the beach, but I need to go to bed so that I can go on a dolphin sightseeing tour tomorrow.

Do you have a favorite free fun thing that I may have missed?  If so, please do tell!

-MR