Home > Hilton Head Island, SC

Hilton Head, South Carolina invites high praise. Over the past four decades, Hilton Head Island has reinvented itself as one of the foremost vacation destinations in the U.S. Nicknamed "The Golf Island," Hilton Head, South Carolina is celebrated for its more than two dozen golf courses, many of them designed by such well-known names as Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Pete Dye, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Perhaps the most famous of Hilton Head Island's layouts is the Harbour Town Golf Links, the long-time host of the PGA Tour's MCI Heritage.

Hilton Head, South Carolina offers far more than year-round golf. As one of the Sea Islands located along the Atlantic coast of South Carolina, Hilton Head Island is home to 12 miles of beach offering a host of recreational opportunities. Visitors may enjoy everything from sailing, surfing, and scuba diving to fishing, crabbing and dolphin-watching. Other outdoor activities at Hilton Head, South Carolina include tennis, cycling, horseback riding and nature tours. Among the wildlife that can be spotted on the barrier island are 200 species of birds, the loggerhead sea turtle, deer, otter, mink, wild boar and bobcat. With such a large variety of activities available, Hilton Head Island makes a satisfying choice for a family vacation. Even history buffs will find something to appreciate at Hilton Head, South Carolina - which was the site of the Battle of Port Royal in 1861.

Hilton Head Island boasts a colorful history that began long before Union forces took control of the Island during the Civil War. Its earliest inhabitants were Native Americans, with Spanish, French and English explorers laying claim to the land centuries later. The Island takes its name from Captain William Hilton, who claimed the land for the British in 1663. In the years that followed, Hilton Head, South Carolina gave rise to a number of Southern plantations, which thrived on the slave labor needed to harvest such crops as Sea Island cotton, rice and indigo. It wasn't until the 1950s that Hilton Head Island began to chart a new course when developer Charles Fraser introduced the Sea Pines Plantation, a master planned community designed to blend into the environment rather than dominate it. Today, the most recognizable symbol of Hilton Head, South Carolina — the red- and white-striped Harbour Town Lighthouse — lies within Sea Pines.

Approximately 35,000 people are permanent residents of Hilton Head Island, which plays host to more than two million visitors each year.

Hilton Head Island Fees
Visitors wishing to enter The Sea Pines Resort, located on the southern end of the Island, must pay a $5 day-use fee (per vehicle) at the gate

Hilton Head, South Carolina Contact Information
Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce Visitor & Convention Bureau
P.O. Box 5647
Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
(843) 785-3673 or (800) 523-3373
info@hiltonheadisland.org

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