Hilton Head: (843) 842-4400
Bluffton: (843) 815-6800
Beaufort: (843) 379-2411

Tools And Guides

Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island Hilton Head may be the best-known island in the southern Carolina Lowcountry. It is famous for its many gated plantation communities, its championship golf courses and tennis courts, its 12 miles of beaches, and the tasteful way in which development has been harmonized with the environment.

It has been only 30 years since a young timberman, Charles Fraser, initiated development of the island. Back then it was harvested for pine, and before that indigo and sea island cotton. During the Civil War the island was used by the Union to block the Port of Savannah, preventing the South from conducting commerce with Europe.

Fraser’s vision was to develop the island in such a way that residents and visitors could take advantage of the sea and the climate while protecting the natural appeal. Roads were gently curved, architecture encouraged to blend with the environment. Commerce was partially hidden from view and commercial visibility was minimalized.

Forest Beach Hilton Head Island now attracts visitors and residents all year around. The real estate market is hot, with people buying homes for primary residences and for investment/rental/vacation use. Homes run the gamut from modest cottages to immense, beachfront, modern mansions. The island is ranked one of the ten best for a golfing vacation. Lessons and equipment are available for every conceivable water sport, and tennis facilities dot the island.

Hilton Head has an active art league with its own gallery, music and theatric performances, night spots with entertainment, great restaurants featuring every kind of specialty cuisine, a big library, a branch campus of the University of South Carolina, and philanthropic and special interest organizations of all kinds. The hospital and medical facilities are excellent.

Getting in and out of Hilton Head is easy. The island has its own small airport with direct commercial flights to Charlotte, N.C. and seasonally to Washington, DC. The Savannah/Hilton Head airport is just 50 minutes away and offers non-stop flights to 17 destinations, most of them international hubs. I-95 is about a 40-minute drive.