Travelers to Hilton Head now have a new restaurant to dine. It’s called Skull Creek Boathouse (397 Squire Pope Road; Tel: 843-681-3663) and promises, “One bite & you’re hooked.  The former Boathouse II restaurant opened in January 2010 and offers dinners delicious views of Skull Creek visible either from a booth, seat at the bar, The Dive bar, outdoors on the patio, or at the Market 13 Buoy Bar.

What to eat when dining on Hilton Head? Seafood, silly. And Skull Creek Boathouse is serving up plenty of freshest treasures from the sea. The menu includes raw and chilled creations such as the “tako salad” appetizer (octopus, conch, jicama, bamboo shoots, red onions and kimchi vinaigrette) and the “shellfish cocktail sampler” (blue crab knuckles, shrimp and lobster cocktail with mustard and cocktail sauces. A raw bar and beautiful sushi creations are served up, too.

For those who prefer their seafood cooked, you can have that, too. Whether its shrimp in its purest form you crave, Skull Creek Boathouse serves it steamed, chilled, fried, and many other ways (yup, almost sounds like a scene from Forest Gump). Unique seafood creations and traditional American comfort food with a modern twist are served up for lunch and dinner. Don’t worry, landlubbers will find plenty to choose from the extensive menu.

Skull Creek Boathouse is part of The SERG Restaurant Group which operates these Hilton Head restaurants, too: Giuseppi’s Pizza and Pasta on Hilton Head; One Hot Mama’s American Grille on Hilton Head Island; Frankie Bones Restaurant & Lounge on Hilton Head Island; The Black Marlin Bayside Grill & Hurricane Bar at Palmetto Bay Marina on Hilton Head Island; The Lodge Beer and Growler Bar on Hilton Head Island; and WiseGuys Restaurant and Wine Bar on Hilton Head Island.

When it comes to golf, Hilton Head has got it goin’ on which is why March 1 through 7, 2010, is designated Chamber Golf Week. The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce has joined up with Lowcountry Golf Course Owners Association to celebrate golf. Activities range from putting contests to a golf fashion show. Check out the Chamber Golf Week Web site for a complete calendar of activities.

And, all activities support the Verizon Heritage PGA Tour tourney, which rolls into Hilton Head’s Harbour Town Golf Links April 12 – 18. Now celebrating its 42nd year, the Verizon Heritage tournament continues to be South Carolina’s only PGA Tour event.

There are several opportunities for golf fans to participate including the Pro-Am opportunities where golfers can play alongside skilled pros and improve their golf game. These will be held:

* Harbour Town Cup Pro-Am; Monday, April 12
* Verizon Heritage Pro-Am Opp; Wednesday, April 14

Some golf enthusiasts will want to take advantage of the Arnold Palmer Pass which includes weeklong tournament access and access to two private entertainment venues at the golf tournament. Tournament badges are also available providing various levels of access to the seven-day tournament. Check out the Verizon Heritage PGA tournament Web site for specifics and to purchase tickets or call (800) 234-1107.

Brian Gay took top honors in 2009, will he successfully defend it this year? Only the golf gods know but wouldn’t you like to be there to find out first-hand? Check out the fabulous availability of Hilton Head accommodations with Resort Rentals.

‘Tis the season to feast on Lowcountry flavor during upcoming Hilton Head culinary festivals made with just the right ingredients to satisfy every taste bud. Here are some tasty morsels of what’s cooking in Hilton Head over the next few months:

Succulent oysters on the half shell are bountiful these days in Hilton Head and visitors with a hankering for the tasty bivalve mollusk will find them as well as shrimp, chowder and hamburgers (for those squeamish about shellfish) during the Hilton Head Oyster Festival, Nov. 14 – 15, 2009 at Shelter Cove Community Park.

Cooking demonstrations, Lowcountry cuisine prepared by regional guest chefs, brewers and vintners from across the country, live music, wine and food tastings, and private events are the ingredients Tyler Florence’s Palmetto Bluff Lowcountry Celebration is made of. Sponsored by Coastal Living magazine, this culinary festival takes place Nov. 18 – 22 in various places in Palmetto Bluff. For those not in the culinary know, Tyler Florence he’s a celebrated celebrity chef on the Food Network, cookbook author, husband and father.

Ef oonah yent hab hawss fuh ride - ride cow. (That’s Gullah for: If you don’t have a horse to ride, take the cow!) The Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration takes place Feb. 2010 and although a schedule of events hasn’t been released, we know something Hilton Head visitors won’t want to miss is the Ol’ Fashioned Gullah Breakfast, which will feature stewed oysters, shrimp and grits, fried fish, homemade biscuits and beverages prepared by native islanders. Gullah people are descendants of West Africans brought in bondage to Georgia and South Carolina.

Set to celebrate 25 years is the Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival and details are still being finalized but planned events include Wine Centered Women, Uncork the Festival, International Wine Judging and Competition, and Great Chefs of the South. Save the Date for the March 1 – 15, 2010 with activities taking place throughout the island.

Visit the Hilton Head Island – Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Web site for updated culinary festival information and let Resort Rentals Intl. find a bed to rest your head in Hilton Head.