Disney Vacation Club's Hilton Head Island Resort

Don't assume that the only thing to do at the resort is to be awed by nature. When you check in, you are given a Recreation Activities Calendar that is packed full of activities and tours for all ages. There are also two pools at the resort: one at the resort itself and one at the Beach House which is located on the other side of Route 278 (otherwise known as the William Hilton Parkway, the Island's main drag), to which you can either take a resort shuttle or drive your car.

Each day, we alternated where we spent our pool time. At the Beach House, we actually enjoyed the other amenities as much as we enjoyed their large pool. When my husband took our younger daughter back to our villa for a nap, my older daughter and I played a fierce game of ping pong and then retreated inside to the cool and comfortable Surfman's Station for board games. The Big Buoy Arcade is also located at the Beach House, but outdoor activities kept us too busy. We also spent time on the beach where a fellow vacationer taught us how to rescue starfish from the pools that formed on the beach after high tide and return them to their rightful place in the ocean. My daughter is still talking about saving those starfish.

The resort pool, The Big Dipper, is located next to The Pool House which is home to the Broad Creek Mercantile, Tide Me Over snack bar, the Community Hall, Bend & Stretch Exercise Room, and the Recreation Activity Sign-Up Window. In addition to a large pool, there is also a winding water slide for the more adventurous and a baby pool, The Little Dipper, for the tikes in your party. A shuffleboard court and ping pong tables are also located nearby for when you are ready for a break from the pool. Within steps of the pool, a 300-foot pier stretches out over the marsh where you can fish or just take in the beauty of day.

The fun doesn't stop at this resort when the sun goes down. Our older daughter looks forward to the nighttime activities the entire day. She and her dad participated in the Campfire two nights enjoying songs and s'mores. They are still singing the songs that they learned those nights!

Her favorite activities starred Disney's biggest commodity in Hilton Head: B'Lou Crabbe. You will not find Mickey or Minnie at this resort, but B'Lou Crabbe is Hilton Head's answer to these Disney counterparts. He is not a character in the Disney sense of the word; instead, he is a gentleman of character who is a jack-of-all-trades and a lover of magic, music and folklore.

One night he entertained my older daughter and me with a magic show and then, two hours later, he thrilled my husband and daughter with ghost stories. Hearing my six-year-old daughter dramatically recount a ghost story of local legend from my own childhood was pure magic for me.

One of the biggest highlights of our trip came about from my daughter's obsession with a certain dog named Shadow. Shadow is to B'Lou Crabbe what Pluto is to Mickey. She is the mascot of the resort and has quite a following. As the legend goes, she belonged to the owner of the land on which the resort was built and she had free reign over that piece of property. When Disney purchased the land, Shadow did not want to leave her home and kept popping up during construction. Shadow's owner finally gave her to Disney since she seemed to belong to the land more than any one person. You can even see "paw prints" in the foyer of the villas -- an homage to the mischievous Shadow.

Shadow is a beautiful golden retriever who is getting a little older, but is still the sweetest dog you will ever meet. She endures hours of b