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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.
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.
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.
