By Mike Dojc – Columbia based travel writer Mike Dojc slings copy for a diverse roster of editorial and corporate clients.

A lot of Cola peeps head to Palmetto Bluff to pop the question or tie the knot. But you don’t need to wait for a “put a ring on it” moment to enjoy this drop-dead gorgeous property sprawled over a 20,000-acre nature preserve. I came here to shoot, kayak, and play some golf. A two and a half hour drive from Columbia, eleven miles shy of Hilton Head Island lies Montage Palmetto Bluff. Accommodation options run the gamut from super luxe AAA 5 Diamond Inn rooms with ritzy marble bathrooms equipped with clawfoot deep soaking tubs to dreamy lagoon and riverside cottages decked out with wet bars and steam showers.

Get on the Water

It’s sunrise and I’m taking in nature’s morning sun salutation, paddling along a stream that feeds the May River. My kayak glides by a mound of mollusks in the middle of a performance of Oysters Got Talent. The bivalves, exposed due to low tide, are entertaining passing sea life by taking turns spitting jets of water. It’s a mesmerizing show but my attention to the natural phenomenon is unglued five minutes later when a playful bottlenose dolphin surfaces and I give chase in a vain attempt to get a flipper and me selfie. Later on a motor boat ride navigating the maze of spectacular waterways around Bluffton, I peep meat, potato, and corn island while sipping on some Hogwash rose wine. Amateur marine biology and day drinking can tire one out so it was now time to hit the spa before turning in.

Habitat Hoedown

The Palmetto Bluff Conservancy has a team of six nature gurus on staff eager to school guests. Their recent research initiatives have included everything from a bat blitz to take a census of the winged mammals to documenting the gator, turtle, and white-tailed deer populations.

Take a gander at the conservancy’s 2019 Calendar for planned hikes and classroom spiels.

Target Practice

Ready. Steady. Aim. Fire. Disintegrating flying orange clay discs with a pull of a Remington's trigger sure a bleary-eyed thumb tapping session of Call of Duty. Palmetto Bluff Shooting Club has a thirteen-stops sporting clay circuit spread over a 40-acre expanse of forest. You take a golf cart from station to station. Never hollered “pull” before? Let the eagle-eyed staff show you the ropes on their five-stand course. You’ll be dusting clay pigeons in minutes.

Another old school aim game to try your hand at is bocce. There are multiple courts on the property. It’s a snap to learn and games can get pretty heated. If taking a mighty lash at dimpled ball is more your poison, the May River Golf Course (a Jack Nicklaus signature course) is immaculately maintained and well worth the green fee. With your caddie giving you the aim points off the tee and doing the green reading heavy lifting all you got to do is dial in and swing away. Pro tip: even if you don’t need to hit the restrooms at No. 6 and No. 15 holes walk on over. The course comfort stations have fridges stocked with complimentary hardboiled eggs. There are packs of Texas Pete and everything else you may feel the need to sprinkle on top.