There’s never ‘nothing to do’ during a Lowcountry summer

By Amy Coyne Bredeson CONTRIBUTOR

It’s summertime in the Lowcountry. That means two things: the kids are out of school, and it’s hotter than H-E-double-hockey-sticks outside.

When you have young children, you send them to day camps, or keep them busy with trips to the pool and the beach, or crafts at home. But when they reach their teenage years, it’s suddenly less cool to spend the day with Mom and Dad, and parents will inevitably hear, “There’s nothing to do here.”

There’s only so much time teens can spend – or parents want them to spend –playing video games or making TikToks. Thankfully, we live in a place where most people only dream of living. People travel far and wide to enjoy the tranquil beauty of our Lowcountry.

While some teens are working summer jobs, others are going away to camp

ONLY ONE STEP AWAY or traveling with their families. But in their down time, when nothing is on the calendar, what are local teenagers doing for fun?

Sixteen-year-old Addy Powell of Bluffton is enjoying working as a barista at The Grind Coffee Roasters, but she wants to be sure to maintain a good balance between work and fun this summer.

“Summer is supposed to be fun,” Addy said. “It’s a break. I love the freedom that comes with summer. I like that I can drive now, and I can hang out with friends.”

When she’s not serving coffee at The Grind, Addy plans to spend a lot of time at the beach, doing Bible studies, and watching sunset with friends.

Fourteen-year-old Jocelyn Hastilow of Bluffton has a long bucket list for her last summer before starting high school.

“Getting close to the end of the school

SUMMER FUN from page 12A year, you start looking forward to summer,” Jocelyn said as she recalled her long list of summer plans. “It’s a lot of fun.”

So far, she has checked off thrift shopping, boating on Lake Murray, and camping with her family. By the time this story is printed, her family will have gone on their second camping trip of the summer and possibly attended a summer festival, which is also on Jocelyn’s list.

Jocelyn is looking forward to attending Passion Camp with her church in July in Daytona Beach. Also on her list are going to a farmer’s market and attending a concert.

But what she is most looking forward to this summer is having water balloon fights and paint fights with her friends.

I mean, what says summer more than some messy outdoor fun with friends?

Well, ice cream certainly does, and most teens I know love ice cream. There are plenty of places to buy locally made ice cream and other frozen treats in the area. In Bluffton, stop by the Rolling Cow Creamery at Tanger Outlets 1,

Kilwins at Tanger Outlets 2 or Dago’s Snacks in the Village at Sheridan Park. On Hilton Head, there are many more options, including Hilton Head Ice Cream in Fountain Center and the Ice Cream Cone in Coligny Plaza Shopping Center.

If your teens are wanting something other than ice cream to cool them down, check out Palmetto Pops, sold at various locations in Bluffton and Hilton Head Island. Visit palmettopopshhi.com for details.

Some other fun activities on local teens’ bucket lists include: having a picnic at the beach, having a bonfire, and playing miniature golf. Some enjoy watching fireworks on Tuesday nights at Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina’s HarbourFest celebrations. (Younger siblings will enjoy singing along with Shannon Tanner and making balloon animals with Cappy the Clown before the fireworks.)

On rainy days, there’s always bowling and playing in the arcade at Station

300 in Bluffton; or watching a movie at either Cinemark Theater in Bluffton, Northridge Cinema or Park Plaza Cinema on Hilton Head. Teens might also enjoy the batting cages, ninja course and escape rooms at The Zone in Bluffton, and indoor go-kart racing at Indy Karting & Amusement, also in Bluffton.

If none of those ideas sound appealing to your teens, a short road trip might do the trick. There’s roller skating at Star Castle Family Entertainment Center in Savannah, go-karts at Fun Zone in Pooler and water slides at Splash in the Boro in Statesboro.

Whatever your teens end up doing this summer, don’t let them tell you there’s nothing to do in the Lowcountry. They just might not be looking in the right places.

843-815-7796

Representatives of Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head and Mental Health America Beaufort Jasper were invited to speak at the annual national conference of Mental Health America held in Washington, D.C., June 7. The meeting was attended by representatives from the 300 Mental Health America affiliates in the United States. The national organization extended the invitation in recognition of the collaborative program that was developed by the Hilton Head and Bluffton VIM Clinics and MHABJ to provide mental health counseling for the Hispanic community in our area. The new program is the only program presently in the state of South Carolina and is believed to be one of only a few in the nation. Speaking at the conference were, from left, Steve Caywood, Maria Josey, and Dr. Beth Snyder with MHABJ; and Dr. John Newman from Hilton Head VIM.