Overview

Imagine a country club by the sea and miles of sandy beach for watersports, low-tide biking, or just relaxing under the southern sun. Welcome to Hilton Head.

Here in South Carolina's Low Country, the world moves at a slower pace - but it sometimes takes visitors a while to discover that, simply because there are so many things to do. An abundance of great golf courses and more tennis courts than you can shake a racquet at ... nature walks through Sea Pines Forest Preserve (bring binoculars for a look at pelicans and herons, deer and alligators) and a network of paved fitness trails (rollerbladers, bikers, joggers all welcome)... and beaches where surfers can practice their cutbacks while watching parasailors, kayakers, and waterskiiers also at play.

Shopping and gallery walks can also be a part of the daily calendar, along with tours of Civil War fortifications and the Hilton Head Museum with more than 75,000 artifacts relating to the island's history. When the sun finally sets (and the last grown-ups' toys put away for the day), you can look forward to the best in local cuisine, a Low Country barbecue.

 Plan Your Trip

BEACHES

Check your tide tables. At low tide, the island's beaches (12 miles of them) can be up to 600 feet wide. That's plenty of room for beach towels, fishing, and jogging or biking on the hard-packed sand. Two of the most popular strands: Coligny Circle (plenty of parking) and Folly Field at the northern end of the island.

GOLF

Hilton Head's oldest course is now its newest. The championship Ocean Course, which opened in 1962, was redesigned in 1995. However, the island's landmark course has to be Harbour Town, set against a backdrop of Harbour Town's lighthouse; its twisting fairways and small greens culminate with the 478-yard 18th hole that borders the marshes of Calibogue Sound.

TENNIS

Finally a chance to perfect that backhand! With some 300 courts (grass and clay among them), you'll have all the court time you'll need. Among Tennis Magazine's Top 50: the Sea Pines and Palmetto Dunes Resorts courts, and those at the Shipyard Plantation (with 20 courts, including the island's only 3 indoor courts).

 Forums

 News & Events

 Related Articles