Step back in time at the historic Honey Horn Plantation. These are the only remaining historic buildings on the island. Discovery House museum has natural history and cultural heritage exhibits. It follows island history from pre-European natives, to plantation history and other islanders who lived, worked or hunted on Hilton Head Island.
Exhibits at Discovery House
Passenger Pigeon
The extinction of the Passenger Pigeon will be remembered forever as an example of the destructive power…
Carolina Parakeet Exhibit at Discovery House museum at Honey Horn Plantation
Ivory Billed Woodpecker Exhibit at Discovery House museum at Honey Horn Plantation
Ivory Billed Woodpecker Exhibit at Discovery House museum at Honey Horn Plantation & Coastal Discovery Museum
Booths China Plate,
Lowestoft Deer Pattern
This china pattern was used during the Thorne and Loomis era (1930-1949) and can be seen in photographs of the era. Native islanders worked as cooks at Honey Horn, creating elaborate meals from local produce, seafood and game.
There is a gift shop with some nice jewelry, books and other things.
Historic buildings date back to 1859. The horse barn houses Marsh Tacky horses, sturdy island horses that have been living on the island since the 16th century.
Spend time peering into the water from the boardwalks, into the salt marshes and oyster beds. Three boardwalks over Jarvis Creek have signs to help you identify the crabs, fish, birds and plants.
Explore Hilton Head as it was hundreds of years ago on trails through fields and forests. Don’t miss the massive Live Oaks, draped in Spanish Moss, the small Butterfly Garden and the Camellia Garden, blooming November to March.
Honey Horn spreads over 68 acres. It is covered with huge Live Oak, Sea Pine, Bald Cypress, Red Cedar, Dogwood, Ginkgo and Southern Magnolia trees. Some were planted in the early 1800s. A Southern Red Cedar tree is believed to have been growing on the grounds since 1595. There are groves of fruit and nut trees. Many of the trees have identification plaques.
The name “Honey Horn” probably came from “Hanahan” after John Hanahan, the owner in the late 1700s.
