I was happy to discover that the island had just started a Friday farmers market. Although market day happened to be near the end of my week's visit, I couldn't resist checking it out.
The market is held on Honey Horn Road, near the Coastal Discovery museum. Despite being early in the season (even for down south), there were several vendors selling produce, including "local" strawberries. But for those not looking to buy more groceries to take back to the beach house, there are plenty of other interesting items.
Like fancy jewelry. When's the last time you saw pearl necklaces for sale at your local market? Or a guy in a toga (the vendor from Castra Rota Gourmet Foods was in costume)? I even ran across a vendor that also is present at my local market in Westchester! How weird is that?
Even if you're not in the market for food to take home, the Hilton Head Farmers Market is a great place to dine. Seriously, there were vendors selling everything to pot stickers to pork, beignets to baked goods. And many offering free samples! I tried deep fried peanuts and vegetable scones. We ended up buying a savory crepe from Claudine's Creperie and multiple pastries from The Midnight Bakers, including a pineapple strawberry danish I devoured on site.
In my experience, while restaurants on Hilton Head can be hit or miss, everything at the farmers market was a hit. In fact, I would plan a trip next year just to go back.
If you go:
The market address, as listed on the website, is 70 Honey Horn Plantation Road. My GPS could not find the address (tried to take me through a gated community) so if using a navigation device, try plugging in "Coastal Discovery Museum" as a point of interest instead.
