Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Your impression of Hilton Head depends on where you stay when you visit the island. The oldest and best known of Hilton Head's developments, Sea Pines, occupies 4,500 thickly wooded acres. It’s not wilderness, however; among the trees are three golf courses, tennis clubs, riding stables, and shopping plazas. A free trolley shuttles visitors around the resort. Other well-known communities are Palmetto Dunes and Port Royal Plantation.
The island's most popular public beach is a lot of fun, but during high season it can get very crowded. It has a splash pad fountain that delights little children, plus bench swings, sometimes a beach-toy borrowing bin, and umbrellas and chaise lounges for rent. If you have to go online, there's also Wi-Fi access. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: partiers; swimming; windsurfing.
A good destination for families, Driessen Beach Park has a playground, clean shower and restrooms, and a charming path to the beach that’s part boardwalk, part sandy path, part beach matting. It's often peppered with people flying kites, making it colorful and fun. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (metered); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.
A great place for solitude during the winter—and popular with families during the summer season—this beach has hard-packed sand at low tide, making it ideal for walking. It's accessible from the Marriott Grande Ocean Resort. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.
This beach is usually not crowded, mostly because it is a bit hard to find, and it’s a 10-minute walk from parking (at Chaplin Community Park 35 Cast Net Dr.). However, it’s a nature-lover’s hideaway on an otherwise bustling island. October through March off-leash dogs are welcome; outside of that window, they are permitted with restrictions. At sunrise, birds and deer bring the adjacent marsh to life. Time a visit around low tide—the marsh flooding during high tide can cut off access. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking; restrooms. Best for: solitude; sunrise; swimming; walking; windsurfing.
While it’s not ideal for swimming because of the many sharp shells on the sand and in the water, this secluded public beach is a terrific spot for a walk, bird-watching, or shell- and shark tooth–hunting. It is not on the Atlantic Ocean, but rather on Port Royal Sound. Bonus: It neighbors historic Mitchelville, the site of the first Civil War–era community that was built and self-governed entirely by formerly enslaved people. Amenities: parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: solitude; sunrise; walking.
Located next to Driessen Beach, Folly Field Beach Park is a treat for families. Though it can get crowded in high season, it's still a wonderful spot for a day of sunbathing and swimming. The best waves for surfing anywhere on the island break here. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.
Featuring a boardwalk, a playground, a picnic pavilion, parking, and outdoor showers and restrooms, Islander Beach Park is a great spot for families looking to spend the day at the beach. When you think of a classic family beach experience, this is the place for it. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming.
