Hilton Head Island General Information


Choose a Topic of Interest:
- Beaches
- Bicycling
- Bird Watching
- Car Rentals
- Fishing
- Getting Back to Nature
- Historical Places
 - Island Dining
- Island History
- Kayaking
- Motorcyles, RV's, Boats
- Movie Theaters Stage Shows
- Shopping
- What to Do


BEACHES

Hilton Head Island's official beach season is April 1st through September 30th of each year.

Public Beach Accesses
All of the beach is public, from the ocean to the high water mark. Access to the beach, however, is often private. The Town of Hilton Head Island provides beach accesses at the following locations: Alder Lane Beach Access, off South Forest Beach Drive; Coligny Beach Park, off Coligny Circle; Fish Haul Park, at the end of Beach City Road; Driessen Beach Park, at the end of Bradley Beach Road; Burkes Beach Access, at the end of Burkes Beach Road; Folly Field Beach Park, off Folly Field Road; and Islanders Beach Park, off Folly Field Road.

Parking & Facilities
There are metered spaces at all of the public beach accesses. In addition, there is a parking lot providing a daily rate for visitors at Coligny Beach Park and Driessen Beach. If using the lots on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, you may come and go all day with your paid receipt. Handicap parking is available at no fee at all beach parks. Restrooms, changing areas, sand showers, and vending are available at the beach parks.

Designated Swimming Areas
Official swimming areas have been designated at various locations along Hilton Head's beaches. During the beach season lifeguards are stationed in each of the designated swimming areas and other heavily populated beach areas for assistance and beach information. Please ask a lifeguard before entering the water if the yellow caution flag is flying.

BICYCLING

The Town of Hilton Head Island offers over 10 scenic miles of public pathways so bicyclists and pedestrians may travel about the island in a safe and enjoyable environment. It's a popular and healthy way to take in the natural sights and beauty that Hilton Head is known for. The Town is also planning to build additional pathways to link community parks and major activity centers. The hard-packed beaches are also popular for bicycling at low tide. Bicycle rentals are available to our guests through Hilton Head Bicycle Company. They may be reached at 1-800-995-4319 or e-mail your request to request@hiltonheadbicycle.com. Visit their website at http://www.hiltonheadbicycle.com.

BIRD WATCHING

If you include all resident, transient, and migrant birds on Hilton Head Island, you'd count over 247 different types of birds! Birdwatchers can capture glimpses of these winged creatures by sitting on the beach, visiting the area's nature preserves and even walking along the miles of pathways and trails.

Among the most notable of species are the Snowy Egret, the Large Blue Heron and the Osprey, but bird watchers will also discover the White Ibis with its unique beak that curves downward. In addition, smaller Cattle Egrets that first arrived on Hilton Head Island in 1954 from their South American habitat, may be observed following Island cows, horses and tractors. Be sure to bring your binoculars and cameras!

CAR RENTALS

If you are arriving by plane and need transportation while you vacation on Hilton Head, the major car rental companies are just a phone call away. Check on-line for Avis, Enterprise or Thrifty - they have locations at Savannah and Hilton Head Airports.

FISHING

For those looking to catch the 'big one,' Hilton Head fishing opportunities range from deep sea fishing excursions to throwing your line in any one of the stocked ponds.

From boat, beach, land, or dock, there are several ways to spend a day fishing. Hilton Head Island pole rentals and chartered fishing trips are one way to go, or bring your own poles from home and fish from designated fishing areas along the beach. A Hilton Head fishing license is needed for fresh water and salt water fishing. South Carolina Fishing Licenses may be obtained at Walmart or the Harbour Town Yacht Basin (671-2704). Or, you may apply online at http://www.dnr.sc.gov. You will need a credit card and your social security number. If you have any questions, don't forget - our Guest Relations Coordinator (at 843/842-5583) is always available to assist you.

GETTING BACK TO NATURE

Outdoor adventures in Hilton Head offer visitors plenty of opportunities to encounter hundreds of species. Hilton Head Island has carefully nurtured and protected its environment. As a result, outdoor adventures in Hilton Head allow visitors to swim in waters where bottle nose dolphins play, catch glimpses of a loggerhead sea turtle on guided turtle tours, walk or horseback the woodlands where bobcats prowl, or watch a flock of seabirds swoop over a sandy shore.

Hilton Head Island outdoor adventures include guided nature tours, historical walks and exhibits offered on the Island by The Sea Pines Forest Preserve, the Newhall Audubon Preserve, Fish Haul Park and the Pinckney Island Preserve. Several area companies offer guided tours of the area for a fee. A multitude of outdoor adventures in Hilton Head await you! Our Guest Relations Coordinator or front office staff can be a great help in planning your adventure!

HISTORICAL PLACES

Scattered throughout the beautiful resort and residential areas of Hilton Head Island are an array of historic sites and structures. PLEASE NOTE: Not all are currently open to the public. Check with our Guest Services Coordinator at 843/842-5583 for further information. From Civil War forts and plantations to historic churches and cemeteries, we invite you to revisit the story of Hilton Head Island before the bridge.

  • Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge: This 4,000-acre wildlife refuge was the plantation of Gen. Charles, a signer of the United States Constitution. Pinckney fought in the Revolutionary War, was an ambassador to France and twice ran for presidential office. After the Civil War, the land was used as a hunting preserve and was donated to the Federal government as a wildlife refuge in 1975. It has miles of trails for walking or biking, and is free and open to the public.
  • Green's Shell Enclosure: Green's Shell Enclosure was built along the edge of Skull Creek and was occupied by Native Americans during the Irene Period, 1300-1450 A.D. While the primary function of this two-acre embankment was farming, the shells that make up the enclosure were utilized to make jewelry, tools, and also used for religious rituals. As you walk along the bank, you can still see the remnants of this Native American village. The Green's Shell Enclosure is free and open to the public.
  • Fort Mitchel: Fort Mitchel, named after Major General Ormsby M. Mitchel, was the northernmost Union outpost on Hilton Head Island during the Civil War. This earthworks fort was designed to defend the Port Royal Sound supply route from Confederate attacks. However, the fort was never fired upon, nor did fire come from behind its walls. Today the sight consists of walkways, vintage cannons, and interpretive labels detailing the history of the fort.
  • Honey Horn: Honey Horn is the only plantation on Hilton Head Island that has an original plantation house standing today. While Indians hunted and fished here in the 1700's, its earliest documented use was as a working farm in 1805. Most of the existing structures date from 1920 to 1930 when the property was used as a hunting club. The name Honey Horn was derived from a corruption of the name of one of the property's first owners, John Hanahan. For more information on guided tours of Honey Horn, please contact our Guest Relations Coordinator at 843/842-5583.
  • Queen Chapel: The Queen Chapel AME Church dates back to May 12, 1865, when James H.A. Johnson and James Handy arrived on Hilton Head to wait out a storm while en route to Charleston. While on the Island, they began their own services with singing and worship under an oak tree. This event marks the beginning of African Methodism in South Carolina. In September 1892, the church building was erected. The current one was built in 1954. The Queen Chapel is free and open to the public.
  • Fort Howell: Fort Howell, named in honor of Gen. Brigadier Joshua B. Howell, is an earthworks fort created in 1864 on the Civil War era plantation of Captain William Pope. Its primary function was to protect Mitchelville. This fort covers three acres of land and was erected by Union troops, the 32nd Colored Regiment from Pennsylvania. Fort Howell is free and open to the public.
  • Mitchelville & First African Baptist Church: Mitchelville, established in 1862 and named in honor of Maj. Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel, provided housing for the United States' first settlement of Freedmen, former black slaves. The community, comprised of 1500 residents, was the first exercise in black citizenship prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. Residents elected their own officials, passed their own laws, and established South Carolina's first compulsory education law. Concurrent to the founding of Mitchelville, the First African Baptist Church, the oldest continually operated church on the Island, was established. Mitchelville and the First African Baptist Church are free and open to the public.
  • The Cherry Hill Schoolhouse: The Cherry Hill schoolhouse was a one-room school built in 1933 to educate the Island's black students, most of whom were the descendants of Freedmen of Mitchelville. Beaufort County paid teachers to come to the Island only three months per year.
  • Fish Hall Plantation Ruins: The 1100-acre Fish Hall Plantation is one of the most significant archeological sites on Hilton Head Island. Once it was a plantation with an adjoining cemetery and slave quarters, and was the home of Confederate General Thomas Drayton. Today all that remains are chimneys from the slave's quarters. Fish Hall Plantation Ruins is free and open to the public.
  • Port Royal Plantation Forts: During the Civil War's Battle of Port Royal Sound, fifteen Union warships bombarded Fort Walker on the morning of November 7, 1861. This Confederate post was built in 1861 under the command of Col. William Heyward, and was captured by some 12,600 Union troops that same afternoon. Fort Sherman, built nearby in 1864, was an earthworks encampment to further strengthen the defense of the Island. For information on guided tours on the Port Royal Plantation Forts, contact our Guest Relations Coordinator at 843/842-5583, or speak with any of our front office staff.
  • Zion Chapel of Ease Cemetery and Baynard Mausoleum: The cemetery and mausoleum are all that remain on what once was the site of the Zion Chapel of Ease, built in 1788 and destroyed in 1868 by islanders seeking wood. The ghost of William Baynard, distraught by the death of his wife from yellow fever on their wedding night in 1830, is said to haunt the cemetery during storms. The Zion Chapel of Ease Cemetery and Baynard Mausoleum are free and open to the public.
  • Leamington Lighthouse & Camp McDougal: Built in 1879 by the US Coast Guard, the Leamington Lighthouse was originally for guiding shipping vessels into Port Royal Sound. In 1937, the Lighthouse was the site of Camp McDougal, which later became a World War II US training station. For information on guided tours for Leamington Lighthouse and Camp McDougal Coastal Discovery Museum at 843/689-6767.
  • Shell Ring: Semi-nomadic Native Americans constructed this 150-foot diameter ring 4,000 years ago during their annual fall migration. The ring, or midden, is refuse from food sources that were thrown outside of their circular encampment. It is comprised of oyster, mussel, and clam shells, with fragments of animal bones and deer antlers. The Shell Ring is located in Sea Pines Forest Preserve and has a public access fee.
  • Stoney-Baynard Ruins: The Stoney-Baynard Ruins are the remnants of a grand antebellum plantation home built 1793-1820 by Captain John "Saucy Jack" Stoney. The original house was 1885 square feet, built of timber and tabby; a mixture of oyster shells, lime and sand. In 1837, the Stoney family declared bankruptcy and William Baynard acquired the property from the bank. The home was raided during the Civil War and Union forces made it their headquarters. It burned down shortly after the Civil War. The Stoney-Baynard Ruins is located in Sea Pines Plantation and has a public access fee.
  • Simmons Fishing Camp & Ferry Dock: In the 1920's, local Gullah resident Charlie Simmons, Sr. operated the first mechanical ferry on Hilton Head Island. Native Islanders would tear pictures of merchandise from the Sears & Roebuck catalogue and give it to Mr. Simmons who would shop for them at the store on the mainland. Charlie Simmons opened the world to the islanders. Simmons Fishing Camp & Ferry Dock is free and open to the public.

ISLAND DINING

Hilton Head Island Restaurants...So Much on the Menu

With more than 250 Hilton Head restaurants, and more being cooked up every day in nearby Bluffton and Daufuskie, it's hard to go hungry.

Choose from a variety of Hilton Head Island restaurants and dining experiences, from an exquisite dinner by candlelight to a casual outdoor meal with the kids to a friendly ta-t-ta at a trendy bistro. And no matter what the cultural influences of area Hilton Head Island restaurants may be, you're sure to find plenty of seafood on the menu.

No visit to the Island would be complete without trying the local catch. The waters off Hilton Head Island teem with shrimp, oysters and soft-shell crabs, and the talented chefs who work their magic in Hilton Head restaurant kitchens are never at a loss to come up with creative and tasty ways to incorporate local seafood onto their menus. Our front office staff or Guest Relations Coordinator will be happy to give you some suggestions!

ISLAND HISTORY

Native Americans, English, Spanish, and French colonists, pirates, African-Americans, and soldiers - all part of South Carolina history - have all left their footprints on the sands of South Carolina's Treasured Coast.

Evidence of early Hilton Head Island, South Carolina history dates to 1450 B.C. with The Indian Shell Ring in the Sea Pines Forest Preserve.

In 1663, Sir William Hilton lent his name to the Island while searching for the entrance to Port Royal. His glowing report of the ideal farming conditions promoted British colonization.

Daufuskie Island, Bluffton and Hilton Head Island have all played important roles in American history - from the American Revolution through the Civil War and the Reconstruction.

KAYAKING ON HILTON HEAD

Meander the pristine waterways and inlets off Hilton Head Island and the rivers surrounding Bluffton in your personal kayak. Take a guided tour or adventure off on your own. There's a world of marine wildlife to discover out on the wide open water! Call our Guest Relations Coordinator at 843/842-5583 for more information - it's a passion of hers!

MOTORCYCLES, MOTOR HOMES, BOATS

The plantations on Hilton Head Island prohibit motorcycles, motor homes, and trailered boats. Please call our office at 843/842-5583 for further information.

MOVIE THEATERS, STAGE SHOWS, AND VIDEO RENTALS

Just because we are an island, that doesn't mean you can't see the latest movies! Hilton Head offers first run movies at the Northridge Cinema 10, the Park Plaza Cinema, or the new Sea Turtle Theater in Bluffton. If you enjoy something a little different, the Coligny Theatre (http://www.colignytheatre.com) located in Coligny Plaza is a great experience. Videos to rent while vacationing are available at Blockbuster Video, Hollywood Video, or Island Club Video. If it's a stage show you are interested in, please call the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina's box office (842-2787) for a schedule of their performances. Don't forget to check with our Guest Services Coordinator for special happenings and any discounts available to our guests.

SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES

Bluffton and Hilton Head shopping offer a variety of unique boutiques and some of the nation's most recognized retail chains. Whether you're hunting for a deal on your favorite brand of clothing or trying to find that unique souvenir of your Island vacation, you're sure to find a superb selection in the more than 200 stores and outlets. Need suggestions, contact our front office staff or Guest Relations Coordinator at 843/842-5583.

WHAT TO DO ON HILTON HEAD

Opportunities for Hilton Head activities and outdoor recreation overflow on the Island, Bluffton, and Daufuskie. The area features fun family-friendly Hilton Head attractions and tours that deliver an entertaining time. Experience all that Hilton Head attractions have to offer! Our Guest Relations Coordinator and front office staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Our clean coastal waters and our commitment to a natural environment make for the perfect playground to enjoy Hilton Head attractions, beaches, sailing, boating, golf, tennis, nature and ecological tours, festivals and much more!

Hilton Head attractions range from bowling to an indoor amusement center to miniature golf courses to the Coastal Discovery Museum to the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. Several areas of the Island offer evening outdoor concerts and fireworks displays during the summertime, and of course, a visit to the Island's Harbour Town lighthouse is a must!

Hilton Head Island and the Lowcountry celebrate our area's vibrant arts community and diverse cultural heritage through visual and performing arts events, cultural activities and programs during the month of May each year. For more information about activities schedule during your visit, visit the Chamber of Commerce Event Calendar at http://www.hiltonheadisland.org/eventcalendar.aspx