Any suggestions for casual and fairly affordable places for dinner on Hilton Head. I've done some searches here and elsewhere and not come up with much. Also what are your favorite things to do on/near Hilton Head? Any insights would be much appreciated.

I like the British Open Pub.

Hilton head is full of eateries. New ones open/ close all the time. Stop at the visitors center and pick up the guide books. You can see the menus, prices, specials, many have early bird specials.
We like to visit Harbourtown in the evening and hear Gregg Russell sing. Savannah is a great day trip also. Bike riding in Sea Pines is wonderful.

I have not been to HH since 2000, and restaurants come and go, but FWIW...

Alligator Grill, casual not too pricey, have had several really good fish dishes there.

Charlie's Crab, a little too corporate for my taste, but better than expected and a big place which always makes a place seem casual to me. Moderate price.

I would avoid eating at Harbor Town if I were you. Have a drink at Salty Dog Cafe at South Beach. Try the Bananna Cabanna - it's desert!

I agree with bike rides. HH is full of paths for easy cruising. You can forget about real mtn. biking (I looked) Good place to rent some roller blades, too.

The best thing about HH is after about 3 days when you get on "island time" and suddenly you stop looking for anything to actually "do", and the 35 mph speed limit seems like a reasonable pace

LiteSpeed Chick,

Sad news, Alligator Grill ans Skillets burned down yesterday.

Nemo, for casual food, try Marley's Grill at the entrance to Sea Pines. For Cuban/Caribbean fusion, try Redfish on Palmetto Bay Road. For nice jazz and pretty decent food, try The Jazz Corner in Village of Wexford shopping center. When you get here, get a copy of the local paper, The Island Packet, as The Jazz Corner is running some 2 entrees for the price of one coupons.
More formal: Jean Louis off Main Street on the north end of the island (7 miles from Sea Pines circle -- not far)
Plates full of food: Stripes near the Sea Pines entrance.
Funky French bistro: Charley's L'Etoile Verte near the entrance to Palmetto Dunes.

If you play golf, try the courses at Palmetto Dunes and Old South or Hilton Head National just off the island.

Of course, there is tennis all over the places, too.

And you have to rent a beach bike and take a ride on the beach. Make sure you go at low tide.

Head to Savannah for a carriage ride through the squares.

I agree with Jam-Man on Charlies Etoile. I have been going to HH for over 15 years and we always have a meal there each year. Another one in the same category is Oliviers which is also a little more upscale. We were at Skillets 2 days before it burnt down. It was also one of our stops for lunch. We tried the Jazz club this year (with the discount coupons) mainly for the jazz but the food was better that I expected. Other favourites, in the same strip mall as Charlies Etoile are Santa Fe (now have an outdoor patio upstairs which was very nice) and the Taste of Thailand (also used those packet coupons here - 50% off 2nd entree)
Hope this helps

If you want an inexpensive restaurant totally unique to the Low Country, try Abe's. Your veins may explode from the cholesterol, but the food is great and the service excellent. Favorite things to do are riding bikes on the beach, kayaking and having a drink at the Salty Dog.