Plantation Mentality

Once I had a coworker named Vivien who claimed that "the worse you treat a man, the better he likes it." This went against everything I'd been taught but I suspected that it was true in some cases. I thought of it when we went to Hilton Head -- the tourists are not welcomed, but they come in droves.

I'd been to Hilton Head once, 30-something years ago on a trip to Charleston. I was disappointed in it then but I couldn't remember why, although I had a vague feeling that the place was elitist. Our visit this week clarified why I had that impression: tolls, guardhouses, prohibitions. To be fair, Hilton Head has several planned communities that tried to protect wildlife from the get-go. Limiting tourist traffic is part of the way they try to do that. But as a visitor, I don't like having to stop at a gatehouse and pay five dollars on my way to a restaurant.

The restaurants aren't cheap either, and not necessarily all that great. We had dinner at the Wreck of the Salty Dog, partly because it was supposed to have a great view and partly because the other restaurants in the area had long waits. The view was mediocre (a bunch of docks and boats); I've seen much better water views on Virginia's Eastern Shore where the food is better too. Frank said his ribs were tasty but they took a long time to prepare (over 20 minutes). I had scallops which were edible but tasted more salty than fresh.

Our second meal on the island was lunch at a small place in Shelter Cove. My food was fair, the waitress was very nice, so I can't complain. That night we had dinner at a sure-thing outside the pay-to-enter zone: Outback. It was the best meal I had on Hilton Head. I like the fact that I can get a gluten-free dairy-free meal that's both delicious and filling.

Back to the exclusive aspect of Hilton Head. I wanted to visit Fort Walker, a Civil War site. We drove around a while trying to find it but kept seeing private communities. Finally I stopped at the management office for Port Royal. An employee explained that only homeowners can enter the road to the fort. Like many places on the island, the area is protected by a guarded gate.

Later I learned that there is another Civil War site with earthworks that supposedly you can obtain permission to see, but by that time I had lost interest in returning to the island. It was Friday and traffic had gotten very heavy, and the weather was uncomfortably hot. 

Many of the developments on Hilton Head Island are called plantations. I suspect that the sort of people who feel that the plantation lifestyle was highly desirable are inclined to accept elitism, wanting to separate themselves from commoners. Frank thinks I am overly-sensitive about this.