Harbour Town Lighthouse and Museum
The red-and-white emblem of Hilton Head: climb 114 steps through a small island-history museum to a wraparound view of Calibogue Sound, Daufuskie and the 18th green of the RBC Heritage. Open daily inside Sea Pines.
South Carolina
Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island is the Lowcountry's great barrier-island escape: a foot-shaped island at the southern tip of South Carolina with about a dozen miles of wide, hard-packed Atlantic beach, more than seventy miles of public pathways under live oaks and pines, and a salt marsh so alive with dolphins, egrets and fiddler crabs that a kayak paddle can feel like a nature documentary.
It was largely a Gullah community of farmers and fishermen until the first bridge arrived in the 1950s, and then Charles Fraser's Sea Pines turned it into the model for the modern American resort island, with the red-and-white Harbour Town Lighthouse as its emblem. This guide books the island properly: the lighthouse climb and the Harbour Town waterfront, Coligny's family beach, the forest preserve and the wildlife refuge, dolphin cruises out of the yacht basin, and the Gullah story told at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, the first self-governing town founded by formerly enslaved people in the United States. Then it widens the lens to the places that make a Hilton Head trip special: Old Town Bluffton's oyster house and galleries on the May River, car-free Daufuskie Island across Calibogue Sound, and a day in antebellum Beaufort, with its newly reopened Hunting Island Lighthouse. Finally it matches you to the right base, from Montage Palmetto Bluff to a beach-across-the-street value hotel, because on an island of gated plantations and private beaches, where you stay decides what you can reach.
Don't miss
Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn
A free, 70-acre museum campus on the old Honey Horn plantation: island-history galleries, historic buildings, gardens and trails under live oaks, plus bookable tours from sweetgrass basket workshops to marsh kayaking.
Sea Pines Forest Preserve
605 acres of protected woods, wetlands and old rice fields inside Sea Pines, with boardwalks, alligator-watching lakes and a shell ring about 4,000 years old. Open sunrise to sunset; Sea Pines gate fee applies.
Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park
The site of Mitchelville, founded in 1862 as the first self-governing town established by formerly enslaved people in the United States. Walk the grounds by Port Royal Sound or book a guided tour.
Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
A free federal refuge between the bridges onto Hilton Head: miles of flat, car-free trails through salt marsh and maritime forest to ponds busy with ibis, egrets and herons. Open sunrise to sunset; no dogs.
Things to do in Hilton Head Island
Coligny Beach Park
The island's busiest and most convenient public beach: free, with restrooms, outdoor showers, swings, a fountain boardwalk and beach matting, a short walk from Coligny Plaza's shops and ice cream.
2-4 hoursDetails →
Sea Pines Forest Preserve
605 acres of protected woods, wetlands and old rice fields inside Sea Pines, with boardwalks, alligator-watching lakes and a shell ring about 4,000 years old. Open sunrise to sunset; Sea Pines gate fee applies.
FreeCoastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn
A free, 70-acre museum campus on the old Honey Horn plantation: island-history galleries, historic buildings, gardens and trails under live oaks, plus bookable tours from sweetgrass basket workshops to marsh kayaking.
1-3 hoursDetails →
FreeHistoric Mitchelville Freedom Park
The site of Mitchelville, founded in 1862 as the first self-governing town established by formerly enslaved people in the United States. Walk the grounds by Port Royal Sound or book a guided tour.
1-2 hoursDetails →
FreePinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
A free federal refuge between the bridges onto Hilton Head: miles of flat, car-free trails through salt marsh and maritime forest to ponds busy with ibis, egrets and herons. Open sunrise to sunset; no dogs.
1-3 hoursDetails →
Gullah Heritage Trail Tours
A guided bus tour of Hilton Head's Gullah history, led by guides born and raised on the island before the bridge. About two and a half hours from the Coastal Discovery Museum; book ahead.
Vagabond Cruise Ocean Dolphin Cruise
Narrated dolphin-watching trips from the Harbour Town Yacht Basin through Calibogue Sound, plus America's Cup yacht sails, shrimp trawling, sunset dinner cruises and a day trip to Savannah.
Daufuskie Island Day Trip
A bridgeless island across Calibogue Sound with sandy roads, Gullah churches and cemeteries, a winery in an 1883 lighthouse cottage and folk-art studios. Ferry over, rent a golf cart, slow down.
Old Town Bluffton and the May River
A walkable river town just over the bridges: the 1854 Church of the Cross on the May River bluff, the Heyward House welcome center, Calhoun Street galleries and South Carolina's last hand-shucking oyster house.
Half dayDetails →
Beaufort and the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
South Carolina's second-oldest town, about an hour north: antebellum mansions under live oaks, a waterfront park, the national park telling Reconstruction's story, the Penn Center and Hunting Island's newly reopened lighthouse.
Full dayDetails →
Hilton Head Island Bike Pathways and Beach Riding
More than 72 miles of public pathways and nature trails, plus hard-packed sand you can ride at low tide along a dozen miles of beach. Rent a cruiser and see the island the way locals do.
1-4 hoursDetails →
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Montage Palmetto Bluff
Palmetto Bluff / Bluffton
The Lowcountry's grandest escape: about 200 rooms, cottages and suites on the May River in Bluffton, set within some 20,000 acres of maritime forest, with a spa, six restaurants, river boats and golf.
Check rates →The Inn & Club at Harbour Town
Sea Pines / Harbour Town
Sea Pines' 60-room boutique hotel, the only Forbes Four-Star hotel on Hilton Head Island: butler service, a serenity pool over the Harbour Town Golf Links, and a short walk to the lighthouse.
Check rates →Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island
Shipyard / South End
A freshly renovated, AAA Four Diamond beachfront resort in Shipyard: 340 rooms, a zero-entry heated lagoon pool for kids, an adults' relaxation pool, a spa and five places to eat and drink.
Check rates →Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort
Palmetto Dunes / Mid-Island
An all-suite oceanfront resort in Palmetto Dunes: 323 suites with kitchenettes and private balconies, pools by the beach, Ocean Tides Spa, HH Prime steakhouse and access to three golf courses.
Check rates →
$$$Beach House Hilton Head Island
Coligny / Forest Beach
A lively 202-room resort right on Coligny Beach, home of the Tiki Hut beach bar and its year-round live music, with a heated pool and cabanas, steps from Coligny Plaza.
Check rates →Anchorage 1770
Historic Downtown Beaufort
An intimate inn in one of Beaufort's oldest houses, on Bay Street facing the Beaufort River: piazzas, a rooftop deck, waterfront rooms with 13-foot ceilings and the Ribaut Social Club restaurant.
Check rates →Holiday Inn Express Hilton Head Island
Coligny / South End
The value pick at Coligny: a newly expanded, renovated hotel across the street from Coligny Beach and Plaza, with free breakfast, an outdoor pool, balconies and bike rentals.
Check rates →Hilton Beachfront Resort and Spa Hilton Head Island
Palmetto Dunes / Mid-Island
The former Marriott in Palmetto Dunes, rebranded as a Hilton in 2024 after a multimillion-dollar renovation: 513 oceanfront rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, Spa Soleil and four restaurants on one of the island's best beaches.
Check rates →Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort
Palmetto Dunes / Mid-Island
A 2,000-acre mid-island resort community of rental villas and homes, named the top family resort in the US by Travel + Leisure Family: three golf courses, tennis, an eleven-mile lagoon for paddling and a long, wide beach.
Check rates →Courtyard by Marriott Hilton Head Island
Coligny / South End
A modern hotel on Pope Avenue a short walk from Coligny Beach, with a rooftop pool and cabanas, the High Tide Rooftop Bar, a Starbucks and a fast-casual bistro. A 2025 Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice winner.
Check rates →Hilton Head Island Beach and Tennis Resort
Folly Field / North-Mid Island
A value oceanfront condo resort at Folly Field on the north-mid island: villas with kitchenettes, what the visitor bureau calls the island's largest oceanfront pool, ten lighted tennis courts and direct beach access.
Check rates →Hampton Inn Hilton Head
North End / Airport
A dependable north-end value hotel near the airport: free hot breakfast, free parking, an outdoor pool and pet-friendly rooms, about a mile and a half from Folly Field Beach.
Check rates →Holiday Inn Express and Suites Bluffton at Hilton Head Area
Bluffton (Mainland)
The budget pick in Bluffton: a newly renovated hotel minutes from Old Town Bluffton and the bridges, with free breakfast, free parking for cars and trailers, an outdoor pool and one-bedroom suites.
Check rates →Hilton Garden Inn Hilton Head
Bridge Gateway / Mainland
A renovated mid-range hotel on the Intracoastal Waterway just before the bridges: outdoor pool and whirlpool, rooms with microwaves and fridges, and the quickest base for Pinckney Island, Bluffton and early getaways.
Check rates →The Beaufort Inn
Historic Downtown Beaufort
A historic inn centered on a late-19th-century mansion in Beaufort's National Historic Landmark District: rooms with fireplaces and soaking tubs, porches and gardens, cottages with kitchenettes and breakfast included.
Check rates →Hilton Head Island guides
Hilton Head for First-Timers: Gates, Beaches, Bikes and the Lowcountry Code
Everything a first visit needs to make sense: how the island's gated plantations work, where the public beaches are, why you should rent a bike on day one, and the experiences that are worth booking ahead.
Where to Stay on Hilton Head: Sea Pines, Coligny, Palmetto Dunes, Bluffton and Beaufort
A neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to choosing your base, from the south end's walkable beach scene and Sea Pines' polish to mid-island resorts, Bluffton's riverfront luxury and a historic inn in Beaufort.
Hilton Head in Three Days: Lighthouse, Gullah History and Daufuskie
A balanced three-day plan that mixes the beach and bikes with Sea Pines, dolphins, the island's Gullah story and a day across the water on Daufuskie, with options for Bluffton and Beaufort.
Eating Hilton Head: Oysters, Shrimp, Lowcountry Boils and Gullah Flavors
How to eat well in the Lowcountry: the oyster and shrimp seasons, dockside seafood houses, Bluffton's hand-shucking oyster house, Gullah cooking, and where the resorts get it right.
When to Visit Hilton Head: Seasons, Events and Value
A month-by-month view of Hilton Head's weather, crowds, prices and events, from the RBC Heritage in April to summer beach season, autumn's oysters and the Harbour Town Lights holidays.
The Gullah Geechee Story: Hilton Head, Mitchelville, Daufuskie and the Penn Center
A guide to the Lowcountry's Gullah Geechee heritage: who the Gullah are, where to learn their history on Hilton Head and beyond, and how to visit respectfully and support the community.
