A tour for all ages, learn from museum guides about the importance of the Atlantic Blue Crab. Learn the crab’s life cycle beginning with millions of microscopic eggs eventually developing into an active predator with powerful claws. Blue Crabs are important members of the coastal ecosystem playing a role as both predators and prey. They’re also important to local history for all communities living in the Lowcountry. The tour will teach participants how to harvest, cook, clean and eat the Blue Crab.

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30–11:30 a.m. April–October
$15 adult; $10 child (ages 4-12)
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

Learn about the local native butterflies found on Hilton Head Island, their life cycle and specific host plants. A guided nature tour of the Karen Wertheimer Butterfly Enclosure will offer you the opportunity to get up close and personal with native butterflies. See butterflies in all four stages of their life cycle (egg, larvae, chrysalis and adult butterfly). Learn the best ways to attract butterflies in a garden and what you need to know to increase butterfly numbers in the wild.

Wednesdays from 3 – 4 p.m. in May, September, and October; Mondays & Wednesdays 3–4 p.m. June–August
$10 adult; $5 child (ages 4-12)
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

The Civil War is one of the most important events in the history or our country. South Carolina played a key role in the development and ending of the war. Hilton Head Island was home to thousands of Union soldiers during the Civil War. Find out why they were here and how they spent their time. Historic photographs, maps and artifacts tell the story of Hilton Head from 1861-1865.

Thursdays from 3–4 p.m.
$7 per person (ages 7+)
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

Explore the Coastal Discovery Museum’s NEW Discovery Lab!! Visiting the lab is a fun educational experience for all ages. Get a closer look at some live lowcountry animals like fish, horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, frogs, lizards, snakes, and a friendly alligator. Discover unique and fascinating stories about the lowcountry’s history and environment through hands-on, interactive displays and games.

Open every Monday from 2pm-4pm in September, October, and November.

There is no fee to visit the Lab. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Please check in at the Discovery House (main house) before you visit the Lab.

Experienced professional photographer Scott Moody provides an opportunity for a unique family portrait experience at the Coastal Discovery Museum. The beautiful Honey Horn setting with its majestic live oaks, salt marsh boardwalks, and historic buildings is a great alternative to the beach for your family’s portrait. The fee includes the photography session and printable high resolution images.

Scott Moody has worked as a professional photographer for over 30 years in the Lowcountry. He provides professional portraits captured digitally. The customer then has the ability to print products and images on your own.

Time vary with the sunset. Portraits are offered Sunday through Friday. All reservations must be made over the phone. Please call 843-689-6767, ext. 223 to arrange your session.  $300 per session.

The Honey Horn property has over 200 years of history, from the time when it was used as a working plantation for indigo and cotton to the Hunting Era when the property was a retreat for wealthy northern hunters. Learn about the Honey Horn cemetery and the people buried there. Visit the Museum’s Heritage Garden to see some of the historic crops grown in the Lowcountry; and learn about the Hacks who lived at Honey Horn from 1950 until the late 1990s. This walk takes you past the sites they lived and worked.

Thursdays 10–11:30 a.m.
$10 adult; $5 child
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

See it all! This tour will take you on a guided tour of the Coastal Discovery Museum’s grounds focusing on the natural history of the property. Explore the Salt Marsh on our three boardwalks. Dependent on the season, visit the Karen Wertheimer Butterfly Enclosure to see native butterflies at all stages of their life cycle. Visit the Carnivorous Plant Bog Garden, the Heritage Garden, and the Honey Horn Camellia Garden with over 120 camellia varieties. Participants will also be able to learn about the Museum’s two marsh tacky horses, descended from Spanish Colonial horses and used locally for generations.

Wednesdays at 10 AM
$10 adult; $5 child (ages 4-12)
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

With its tough, helmet-like body, and long, pointed tail, the horseshoe crab is one of the most intriguing and misunderstood marine invertebrates found in our marine waters. Dive in with us as we investigate the adaptations that have allowed these animals to successfully survive in the ocean for millions of years. Discover the importance of this living fossil and how their blue blood protects humans. See live juvenile horseshoe crabs. Explore the horseshoe crab’s life cycle, learn about their spawning behavior, and find out where and when you can find horseshoe crabs spawning in the Lowcountry!

These special presentations are coordinated in conjunction with horseshoe crab spawning season. After this indoor presentation you will be provided with information about where you can find spawning horseshoe crabs. You can begin your quest to find horseshoe crabs spawning just hours after the presentation. (This program does NOT include a field trip to the beach to see active spawning.)

2017 offerings: 4/11, 4/25, 5/11, and 5/25

6 PM (Approx. 1 hour)

$7 per person
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

This is a casual “Meet and Greet” to learn more about the alligators, snakes and other critters that share Hilton Head Island with us. Joe Maffo, owner and founder of “Critter Management” will bring along some of his “friends” to share with everyone. Take this opportunity to walk-in and see these animals up close, take a picture and learn more about them. No reservations are required.

Program offered March through November – times vary. Please check the event calendar for more information.

Wednesdays and Fridays from 10-2  – 6/2 through 11/29

$10 adults, $5 child (ages 5-12), No charge under 5 years
No reservations are required.

All ages are welcomed at this Workshop hosted by artist Amiri Farris at the Coastal Discovery Museum.  Sit with us a while and enjoy the company of other budding artists as we take a step-by-step adventure into the world of painting!  Well-known artist Amiri Geuka Farris will guide you along the way as you create your own masterpiece.

We will be painting with acrylics, which will dry quickly, so you will be able to take your painting with you to show all your friends and family, and to serve as a reminder of what a wonderful day you spent making new friends and discovering your inner artist!

Select Fridays 11 AM – 1 PM 8/4 – Sea Turtles, 8/11 – Birds, 8/18 – Dolphins, 8/25 – Alligator, 9/8 Sea Turtles, 9/22 – Birds, 10/6- Gullah Life – Cast Net, 10/13 Gullah Life – Dancers

Saturdays at 11 AM – 9/9 – Gullah Life – Cast Net, 9/23 – Sea Turtles

$45 per person (ages 8 and up)
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online. A minimum of 4 participants for this program.

Alligators, snakes, and turtles oh my! Take a closer look at the fascinating and unique characteristics of local reptiles and amphibians. Interact with a few live critters and discover the importance of these often misunderstood animals. Learn how to protect these amazing creatures and safely enjoy sharing the lowcountry with them.

This family friendly indoor experience is also a nice escape from the afternoon heat!

Every Thursday from 2:00pm-3:00pm in June, July, & August – Reservations required.

$10 Adult / $5 Child (ages 4-12) / Children under 4 are free

The Salt Marsh is a unique environment with a fascinating tale that is often overlooked. Most coastal creatures depend fully or partially on the Salt Marsh. The role the Salt Marsh plays as a filter for water and a nursery for many of the creatures that inhabit the coast is vital for the functioning of the coastal ecosystem. Learn from an expert how and why this particular environment is so important. Considered one of the most productive ecosystems on earth, the Salt Marsh is a place worth visiting and exploring while on Hilton Head Island.

Fridays at 10–11:30 a.m.
$10 adults; $7 child (ages 4-12)
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

Sea turtles live an extraordinary life. Explore the amazing journey of Loggerhead Sea Turtles from egg to adulthood. Discover just how easy it is to help protect these fascinating sea creatures. You will not see live sea turtles but this is a hands-on, eye-opening, experience filled with unique educational materials to see, touch, and interact with.

This family friendly indoor experience is also a nice escape from the afternoon heat!

Every Tuesday from 2:00pm-3:00pm in June, July, & August – Reservations required.

$10 Adult / $5 Child (ages 4-12) / Children under 4 are free

Want to learn about nature and have fun at the same time? Take a narrated Segway tour! Travel through the property, traversing wooden boardwalks over the salt marsh, winding through the Live Oaks draped in Spanish moss. Catch a glimpse of historic Marsh Tacky horses. All while standing tall on your off-road, pollution free, Segway. Great for seniors, families, and friends. Ages 8 and older. Tours range from 1 ¼ to 1 ¾ hours, including training. Extended tours (14 and older only) leave the plantation to nearby Jarvis Park. $69 to $89 per person depending upon the length of the tour.

All booking for these tours is arranged through Segway of Hilton Head. Book online by clicking here or call 800-800-0424. If you don’t find the tour online, please call for availability.

Learn about the history of the Sweetgrass basket, one of the Lowcountry’s best known art forms, from a local Gullah basket maker. Then, try your hand at starting a basket of your own using locally found natural materials.

Basket Classes scheduled at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays. Please note: A minimum of 5 participants is required for this class to occur.

Upcoming classes:   10/28, 11/11, 11/25, 12/2, 12/16, 12/23, 1/6, 1/20, 2/3, and 2/17 (December Classes will be Sweetgrass Wreath making)

Please call the Museum if you have a group interested in a Sweetgrass Basket Class on a day that is not on the schedule. Special arrangements may be possible.

Please call the Reservations office (843-689-6767, ext. 223) to find out about additional dates.
$65 per person and reservations are required.
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

Hilton Head Island has a fascinating history, from the earliest Native Americans inhabitants that harvested oysters and hunted Black Bear to the modern day residents and visitors who flock here to play tennis and golf. The island has gone through numerous changes and uses by diverse groups of people, from logging to farming, to hunting and finally today mostly as a tourist retreat and home to over 35,000 full time residents. Learn from a museum docent about these changes, and the tale of its participants from Native Americans, to Gullah islanders to modern day residents.

Tuesdays at 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. (September through May)
$7 per person (ages 7+)
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

Join a museum naturalist on a nature tour of the wonders and creatures that inhabit our local beaches. Ever wonder who lives in those holes in the sand? Or, when sea turtles come ashore to nest on Hilton Head Island? Learn about the horseshoe crab that has been lurking in our coastal waters for millions of years. Come explore our ever-changing marine environment at hidden Mitchelville Beach along Port Royal Sound. With its mud flats and sandy areas, this beach is ideal for finding beach creatures, shorebirds, and sea shells. Learn about how our beaches are formed and changed with each cycle of the tide. Meet docent at the picnic tables near the beach pathway for an orientation before heading to the beach.

Tuesdays at 10 a.m. June– August
Tuesdays at 2 p.m. September– May
$12 adult; $7 child (ages 4-12).
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

A tour for all ages, learn from museum guides about the importance of the Atlantic Blue Crab. Learn the crab’s life cycle beginning with millions of microscopic eggs eventually developing into an active predator with powerful claws. Blue Crabs are important members of the coastal ecosystem playing a role as both predators and prey. They’re also important to local history for all communities living in the Lowcountry. The tour will teach participants how to harvest, cook, clean and eat the Blue Crab.

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30–11:30 a.m. April–October
$15 adult; $10 child (ages 4-12)
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

Learn about the local native butterflies found on Hilton Head Island, their life cycle and specific host plants. A guided nature tour of the Karen Wertheimer Butterfly Enclosure will offer you the opportunity to get up close and personal with native butterflies. See butterflies in all four stages of their life cycle (egg, larvae, chrysalis and adult butterfly). Learn the best ways to attract butterflies in a garden and what you need to know to increase butterfly numbers in the wild.

Wednesdays from 3 – 4 p.m. in May, September, and October; Mondays & Wednesdays 3–4 p.m. June–August
$10 adult; $5 child (ages 4-12)
Reservations required: call 843-689-6767 ext. 223 or register online.

Explore the Coastal Discovery Museum’s NEW Discovery Lab!! Visiting the lab is a fun educational experience for all ages. Get a closer look at some live lowcountry animals like fish, horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, frogs, lizards, snakes, and a friendly alligator. Discover unique and fascinating stories about the lowcountry’s history and environment through hands-on, interactive displays and games.

Open every Monday from 2pm-4pm in September, October, and November.

There is no fee to visit the Lab. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Please check in at the Discovery House (main house) before you visit the Lab.

This is a casual “Meet and Greet” to learn more about the alligators, snakes and other critters that share Hilton Head Island with us. Joe Maffo, owner and founder of “Critter Management” will bring along some of his “friends” to share with everyone. Take this opportunity to walk-in and see these animals up close, take a picture and learn more about them. No reservations are required.

Program offered March through November – times vary. Please check the event calendar for more information.

Wednesdays and Fridays from 10-2  – 6/2 through 11/29

$10 adults, $5 child (ages 5-12), No charge under 5 years
No reservations are required.

Alligators, snakes, and turtles oh my! Take a closer look at the fascinating and unique characteristics of local reptiles and amphibians. Interact with a few live critters and discover the importance of these often misunderstood animals. Learn how to protect these amazing creatures and safely enjoy sharing the lowcountry with them.

This family friendly indoor experience is also a nice escape from the afternoon heat!

Every Thursday from 2:00pm-3:00pm in June, July, & August – Reservations required.

$10 Adult / $5 Child (ages 4-12) / Children under 4 are free

Sea turtles live an extraordinary life. Explore the amazing journey of Loggerhead Sea Turtles from egg to adulthood. Discover just how easy it is to help protect these fascinating sea creatures. You will not see live sea turtles but this is a hands-on, eye-opening, experience filled with unique educational materials to see, touch, and interact with.

This family friendly indoor experience is also a nice escape from the afternoon heat!

Every Tuesday from 2:00pm-3:00pm in June, July, & August – Reservations required.

$10 Adult / $5 Child (ages 4-12) / Children under 4 are free