Winged, feathered, scaled or furred, Hilton Head’s natural inhabitants are all impressive and enjoyable to observe, but require the utmost respect as you come upon their terrain.

If you want to see one of the area’s most intriguing inhabitants, the American alligator, you probably need to go only as far as the nearest fresh water or brackish lagoon.

Hilton Head Island and the surrounding area have plenty of fascinating walking nature tours led by experienced guides who will let you in on the secret that residents already know – how beautiful and rich in nature this Island is.

Emerald-green fairways and sparkling waves may be the most famous enticements of Hilton Head, but the Island’s true jewels are in the air, in the marsh grass, and under the water.

In the Lowcountry, “photo ops” can be found at every turn. For an amazing nature and sightseeing excursion, take the a guided photographic tour.

Both the amateur and the avid birdwatcher quickly recognize Hilton Head as a prime place for birding. In December, 2010, the local chapter of the Audubon Society conducted their Annual Christmas Bird Count. It revealed the highest ever number of species (151) and number of birds (36,041).

Between the two bridges that join the mainland to Hilton Head on US 278, you’ll see a prominent brown sign for Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge. This wild haven, combined with picturesque views, makes Pinckney a popular place for hiking, biking, bird watching, and photography.

Many romantic moments and winning photo opportunities can be realized at any time of the year. However, the Lowcountry’s distinctive scenery combined with its mysterious light combine to make sunset viewing an enduring pastime.

When Charles Fraser and his family founded and developed Sea Pines in 1959, they had the foresight to establish the 605-acre Sea Pines Forest Preserve which you can explore at no charge.

Hilton Head Island is absolutely perfect for bike riding. Not only is it beautiful, it’s flat. Ride the miles and miles of designated bike trails; ride on the beach explore the Island’s beautiful treasures. If you can’t bring your own bike, there are plenty of bike rental companies.

Hilton Head Island’s history runs much deeper than it appears on the surface. Take a guided history tour and learn all about how our history is a microcosm of the history of the south.

Get your family or group engaged in the wonders of Hilton Head by organizing a scavenger hunt like the Amazing Race – Hilton Head style.

Your visit to Hilton Head Island would be not complete without a trail ride on horseback through the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. Pretend you are back in time, in an era before cars, exploring unspoiled forests just as the Spanish did.

Shelter Cove Harbour is a mediterranean-style village, convenient to all areas of the Island. It is ringed by a number of harbor-oriented first-class villas and condos, shops, restaurants, and activities, and is the Island’s largest deep-water marina.

Palmetto Bay Marina’s free-spirited Key West ambiance makes it a popular all-day destination. Restaurants, shops and activities will keep folks of all ages and interests busy from morning to night.

Coligny Circle and the surrounding Forest Beach area would be voted Hilton Head Island’s downtown. It is easy to find; it is freely accessible by foot, car and bike; it’s right on the most popular public beach; and there are numerous hotels, shops and restaurants within walking distance.

Located at in the Sea Pines Resort, South Beach Marina Village is modeled after a New England-style fishing village. It is a great place to congregate, people watch, and spend the day – shopping, dining, and plenty of things to do.

Harbour Town in the Sea Pines Resort is “must do.” It is a center of activity and a grand place to spend a whole day. Shopping, dining, activities, and things for kids – it’s all here.

Hilton Head dolphins are as friendly as are our local residents. They show up in all the populated places – the Atlantic beaches, the sounds, and the creeks. Their graceful, silvery bodies never fail to catch attention as they arc through the waters or pop up to grin at you with their smiling faces.

For a tranquil experience on the water, take a sail on one of the Island’s sailing catamarans. Have fun quietly sailing amongst the dolphins, taking in the Lowcountry’s green marshes and incredible wildlife.

Vaka. Ama. Aka. Proa. These are not typos. They are Polynesian terms that refer to the structural components of a trimaran, a three-hulled sailing vessel made most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Don’t miss out on taking a cruise on Hilton Head’s only trimaran.

Ferry boats are a wonderful way to travel. Skip the hassles of traffic, directions and parking. When you travel by water, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy the scenery as you make your way to the destination of your choice – Daufuskie Island, Savannah, Beaufort, or even near-by Bluffton.

Hilton Head Island offers every family the sailing experience of a lifetime aboard the “Stars & Stripes” , the original America’s Cup boat once skippered by Dennis Connor, berthed at the Harbour Town Yacht Basin in the Sea Pines Resort.

Looking for an intense and exhilarating way to explore Hilton Head? Try getting wet and wild on a jet ski – a very safe and fun water activity for all ages. Here on Hilton Head, our waters are safe and uncrowded so you can feel free to go “fast and bouncy” or “slow and cruise.”

With miles of picturesque waterways Hilton Head Island offers many ways to explore. Try renting your own boat, and be your own captain. Circumnavigate Hilton Head; sunbathe and take a refreshing deep-water dip; go fishing; cross-over to Daufuskie Island; watch a sunset or the Tuesday night fireworks.

How about a day out with family and friends, skimming across the clean, open waters that surround Hilton Head Island? As you ski from the back of a powerboat, you can enjoy, in style, the scenery and climate that has made this island such a popular vacation destination.

For an exhilarating day on the water, be sure to check out the Lowcountry’s unique rafting tours and adventures. You’ll experience both the thrill of rafting and the shear pleasure of being so close to nature.

Anthropologists guess that around 400 A.D. a form of belly boarding on wood planks was introduced in ancient Hawaii. The art, sport and culture of surfing, the “sport of kings,” has evolved to include wakeboarding, boogie boarding, skim boarding, and most recently, stand-up paddleboarding.

Old school surfers in Waikiki used outrigger canoe paddles while standing on their boards to surf the waves. This eventually led to the “hands-free” surfing style we know today. And now the fastest growing water activity in the world today is stand-up paddle boarding.

Boogie boarding was carved out of the surfing. Literally. The first commerical boogie board was made in 1971 when Tom Morey took surf board, an electric carving knife, a clothes iron, some scrap polyethylene foam, and viola – a boogie board!

Kayaking is a perfect way for the whole family to enjoy the most beautiful and natural gifts Hilton Head Island has to offer: the tidal creeks and marshes that surround this barrier island, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, dolphins covorting, and the simplicity of our scenic waterways.

Set sail and venture out on the pristine waters that surround beautiful Hilton Head Island. Slicing through the sparkling water aboard a sail boat, with the warm sun shining above and the fresh wind blowing through your hair, invigorates the senses and relaxes the mind.

Have you ever seen sailboats silhouetted at sunset and thought, “I wish that was me out there?” When better to learn to sail than during your vacation on Hilton Head Island where there are some great opportunities to learn the ropes of this exciting sport.

Parasailing is your ticket to a peaceful yet thrilling experience. Soar over Hilton Head Island and you’ll see the Lowcountry for miles in every direction. Go solo or fly tandem. Choose how high you soar, from 400 to 800 feet in the air. Get wet or stay dry.

Hilton Head Island offers plenty of charter fishing companies who will take you where the fish are biting – inshore, nearshore, or offshore. Fresh and brackish water lagoons, tidal lagoons, or estuaries. You can go inshore on the Calibogue Sound or offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.

Arrive home with the ultimate fish story – “I caught JAWS!” Perhaps this is why shark fishing is one of the most popular excursions for both family fun and serious sports fishermen alike.

Hilton Head Island has become the fly fishing mecca for the Palmetto state. Whether backcountry, inshore or offshore, most all South Atlantic game fish can be successfully targeted.

Feeling a little crabby? An easy and relaxing Hilton Head family activity, perhaps easier than fishing, is an outing to go crabbing. If you would like to learn more about crabbing, there are a number of companies in the area who can show you the ropes.

What’s a vacation without some leisurely time to kick back and drop a fishing pole into the water? If you aren’t a heavy-duty angler, you have kids in tow, or you just don’t want to spend the time or money for a charter boat, then try some fishing in one of the Island’s many lagoons and ponds.

Shrimping has always played a large role in the life of the people on Hilton Head Island and throughout the Lowcountry. Learn the secrets of catching fresh shrimp during shrimping season, which runs from June 1 to late December or early January.

In the midst of over 200 wonderful restaurants on Hilton Head Island, there is one unique dining experience offering the ultimate in beauty and romance – a sunset dinner cruise.

Hilton Head means beautiful beaches, and every year over two million visitors flock here to enjoy the warm sunshine and beautiful, sloping shores of the Island. More than 12 miles of beaches encircle Hilton Head. All beaches are public from the ocean to the high tide mark.

Take a step back in time at one of the Coastal Discovery Museum’s two locations. Nationally recognized, the Museum should be your first stop for all things Hilton Head, the place to go to gain a better understanding of the Lowcountry’s cultural heritage, history, and natural habitats.

Hilton Head Island and the Lowcountry is rich in Gullah history. More than 300 years after African slaves were brought to this land, their descendant’s culture remains fascinating. Tours and exhibits give visitors a the chance to learn more about this unique and complex culture.

The red-and-white-striped Harbour Town Lighthouse is the most recognized symbol of Hilton Head Island. A 60-foot, 114-step climb to the top is a fascinating trip through hundreds of years of island history.

Hilton Head Island and the Lowcountry is rich in history, and thanks to the ingenious masonry methods of islanders from long ago, you can walk the ruins of an antebellum mansion and give your family a history lesson they’ll never forget.

Hilton Head Island stores the remains of four Civil War forts that each played a key role in history and present-day development of the Island.

For a quick history lesson, be sure to drive or bike by any one of Hilton Head Island’s historic churches. Most of these churches served as places of worship for abandoned or freed slaves during and after the Civil War.

For the perfect day trip, you don’t have to look any farther than over the bridge from Hilton Head Island to find the quaint, historical town of Bluffton. It features a thriving art district, historical tours of antebellum homes and churches, and great antique shops.

Built around 1840 as a summer residence for plantation owner John James Cole, the Heyward House was one of 15 houses and two churches to escape demolition by Union troops during the Civil War. It is open for tours Monday through Friday.

Boo Hags, grave robbers, and the “Lady in Blue.” These are the stuff of which creepy tales are made – even on Hilton Head where, at night, golf courses and beaches give way to the haunts of “unexplained phenomena.”

Explore history and genealogy at Hilton Head’s Heritage Library where skilled volunteers will help you find records of your ancestors and learn about the Island’s history. They frequently hold genealogy classes and workshops.

Many visitors to the Island are unaware that the first Freedman’s village in the United States was established on Hilton Head Island – Mitchelville. When the Union troops invaded Hilton Head Island on October 29, 1861, it was the beginning of the Sea Island African-Americans’ road towards freedom.

Is it raining or just too hot outside? Are your kids bored and dying for something fun to do? Visit The Sandbox, An Interactive Children’s Museum, a wonderful interactive children’s museum and the Island’s only hands-on activity center for children.

It is not difficult to find a souvenir of your visit to the Lowcountry. Find a shell on the beach, a shirt in a store, a cap from a water sports company. However, to make your memory all the more cherished, make a souvenir of your own.

Nothing is as adorable and entertaining as watching a young child play with animals. Lawton Stables has Hilton Head Island’s only small animal farm where your youngsters can meet and pet a friendly collection of baby animals.

While adults are typically the ones who enjoy the world-class golf on Hilton Head Island, the entire family can enjoy our exciting and unique miniature golf courses. This is a wonderful activity for all ages and particularly good for filling time on those days when the beach is not an option.

Did you come to the Island with some kids and a dog that really need to run free? People and pets can find plenty of freedom at the Island’s numerous family- and pet-friendly parks and playgrounds.

When the tourist season swings into high gear, the night skies of Hilton Head sizzle with fireworks. Running from mid-June through to mid-August , Shelter Cove Marina hosts a pyrotechnic display visible all along Broad Creek. Admission and parking are free.

What do you do when the kids can’t go to the beach? It’s raining, they have sunburn, they want to do something different. Hilton Head has lots to offer the little ones, whether they are age three or thirteen, whether it’s indoors or out.

Whether it’s Blackbeard or Jack Sparrow, pirates always seem to excite and fascinate us. Now your youngsters have a chance to experience what it must have been like to be a pirate along the South Carolina coast with Pirates of Hilton Head, which offers pirate sails daily during the summer.

Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you want to stop your exercise regimen. With all the great restaurants and tasty treat shops around, you may find the return to your everyday life at home more daunting than you expected. Hilton Head’s climate and landscape allow for a variety of prospects for outdoor exercise year around.

Take your wellness and relaxation to a new level while vacationing on Hilton Head – treat yourself to a rejuvenating day at a spa! The Island features several world-class spas that offer you a wide variety of specialty treatments and packages to relax your mind, body and spirit.

Named one of the “100 Best Small Art Towns in America,” Hilton Head Island is nationally renowned for its vibrant arts community, encompassing everything from first-class art galleries to Broadway-style theatre to dance and musical performances.

Think Hilton Head Island and you think recreation. But we’re not just about the beach and golf courses. As a world famous resort destination, the Island offers full palette of world-class music events as well.

Owing to our distinctive scenery, our marvelous climate, and our community’s energetic support, Hilton Head Island has become a Mecca for visual artists. Painters, sculptors and photographers flock here to take advantage our magical backdrops and our year-around explosion of colors and textures.

Just a short distance across the water from Hilton Head Island is Daufuskie Island, a century removed from the upscale stores, vacation villas, and power yachts of Hilton Head’s busiest tourist destination.

If you are curious about Daufuskie Island but want more flexibility than a guided tour, design your own day trip. Visiting Daufuskie can be a completely impromptu adventure, requiring nothing more than a few dollars, lots of curiosity, and time to spend.

You’ve been on the go all day, and now you’re ravenous. Lucky for you, the Hilton Head area well over 200 restaurants serving everything from local favorites like Frogmore stew to French cuisine.

Sometimes you just can’t bring yourself to get dressed up to go out to dinner, or slug your way through another grocery store for the “usual” meal. Maybe the occasion is just right for “take out” or “take home.”

Culinary tourism focuses on the pursuit of unique and memorable culinary experiences of all kinds. The Hilton Head area offers “foody” tours to show-off our unique and authentic cuisine. Our wonderful restaurants and festivals cater to food and drink aficionados of varied interests from all over the world.

If golfing is the number one pursuit on Hilton Head, then the number two activity is the “golf widow’s revenge” – SHOPPING.  From classy boutiques and upscale stores to outlet malls and discount houses, the Hilton Head area can put an avid shopper into euphoria.

Art Cafe:  The Art Café is a truly unique combination [...]

Hilton Head has so much to do; the climate is great; Savannah and Beaufort are close by; the area is very safe; and the people are so happy, probably because almost everyone is here because they want to be, not because they have to be.

The prospect of buying a home in the Hilton Head [...]

Over 300 courts and 19 tennis clubs dot the Island. Tennis programs for every age and ability level are offered year around, and there are always tournaments and round robins.

Once you play one of these clubs you will leave with no doubt in your mind why Tennis magazine ranked Hilton Head among its “50 [...]

Hilton Head Plantation, founded in 1973, is the second oldest private gated community on Hilton Head.  It is located at the northern-most end of the Island, lying between the Intracoastal Waterway and Port Royal Sound.

The plantation encompasses almost 4,000 acres, houses about 8,000 full-time residents, and features two nature conservancies (Whooping Crane and Cypress), [...]

The elegant 750-acre Palmetto Hall Plantation, located off Beach City Road, was once the home of a 1700s cotton plantation.  During the Civil War, Union troops occupied historic Fort Howell. The fort’s foundations have been carefully preserved.

This gated community is the Island’s newest plantation and is very reminiscent of the Old South architecture that [...]

There is something for everyone at the Golden Bear Golf Club inside Indigo Run Plantation, at the Island’s North End directly across from Hilton Head Plantation.

This 1,712-acre community was started in 1985.  At the center of this exclusive waterfront neighborhood is Sunningdale Park that has an Olympic-size swimming pool, 16 tennis courts, basketball and [...]

Port Royal Plantation holds many of Hilton Head’s finest landmarks, including the old hunting and gathering grounds for Native Americans, the1663 landing point of Captain William Hilton, the site where Union troops first came ashore in 1861, and both the Confederacy’s Ft. Walker and the Union’s Ft. Sherman.

This 1,250-acre private, oceanfront community has access [...]

Palmetto Dunes is one of the most visited resort communities on the Island.  Travel and Leisure magazine has ranked it the “number one Family Resort in the Continental U.S. and Canada”.

The 2000-acre,Mid-Island location is convenient to shopping and is close to the largest deep-water harbor on the Island.  The Dunes has three miles of [...]

Shipyard Plantation, located just south of Palmetto Dunes, is one of the Island’s original community developments.  This 800-acre resort provides many amenities for residents and visitors alike.  Bike trails, an award-winning beach (ranked number three by the Travel Channel), lagoons for fishing, swimming pools, and the Crowne Plaza Hotel all lie nestled among magnificent moss-draped [...]

The legendary Sea Pines Resort is, without a doubt, the premier destination for Hilton Head visitors.  Boasting over 5,000 acres, this gated community is the oldest and largest planned community on the Island.

Charles Fraser conceived and built this first Hilton Head plantation beginning in 1956.  Over 1,300 acres of the area are devoted to [...]

The “Bluffton Corridor” runs along US 278 from I-95 to the Hilton Head Bridge.  This strip contains not only a multitude of restaurants, shops, and stores, but also outstanding golf courses open to the general public.

Old South Golf Links

The Old South Golf Links has a four-star rating in Golf Digest.  Designed by Clyde [...]

At one time or another, most backyards in the United States have been the sites of a raucous game of croquet.  Families love it as a sporting form of entertainment for all ages and types of gatherings.  Retirement communities arrange matches as an organized activity for residents.  Corporations employ it as part of their “team [...]

Legend has it that years ago a tin pie plate was thrown at Yale University and a new game was invented, eventually becoming known as Frisbee, named after the disc-shaped plastic “toy” invented and patented in 1964.  Made popular on college campuses in the late 1960’s, Frisbee throwing has evolved into a competitive game called [...]

Almost 300 years ago, Georgia’s founding father, James E. Oglethorpe, laid out the streets and squares of old Savannah. Whether you take a walking tour, carriage tour, trolley tour, riverboat tour or bus tour, you’ll see Savannah as the early colonists saw it beneath moss-draped oaks.  Experience the charm of the Old South with its [...]

“Not since William Tecumseh Sherman spared Savannah from the torch has this city been so indebted to a Yankee.”  So wrote The New York Times of John Berendt, author of international publishing and cultural phenomenon Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Since its publication in 1994 and a staggering 216 weeks on the [...]

The history, scenery and ambiance of Georgia’s First City attract filmmakers from around the world.  Savannah has been the location for over 87 movies. There are over 110 movie locations in the Historic District alone.

Among the movies filmed in Savannah are, to name just a few, Cape Fear (1962), Roots (1976), Forrest Gump (1995), [...]

From the cemeteries to bordellos to haunted mansions, Savannah has a reputation for having more than its fair share of ghosts and goose bumps.

Take the case of Alice Riley.  In 1734, she was the first person (male or female) to be executed in Georgia.  Alice was a servant indentured to William Wise, known to [...]

The paddle-wheeled riverboats sit, bobbing gently on the water with their red stripes, multi-tiered decks, and white grillwork looking like a candy confection.  They are the “Savannah River Queen” and the “Georgia Queen,” and they are both replicas of the boats that cruised America’s rivers in days gone by.  Climb aboard these beauties’s to relive [...]

Always proud of its heritage and beauty, Savannah has a long track record of historic preservation, beginning in 1839 with the chartering of the Georgia Historical Society, founded by three Savannah residents and headquartered in the city.

The fight to preserve reached national attention in 1955 when the threat of destruction of Davenport House prompted [...]

As long as you’re visiting Georgia’s First City, why not tour her in a style in harmony with her history – a horse drawn carriage.  The slow and steady pace set by old Doc takes you back to a time when ladies were elegant, men were gallant, and horses ruled.

The clip-clop sound of the [...]

Savannah is a city rich in history, Southern charm, and old-fashioned hospitality. It traces its roots back to 1733, when British General James Oglethorpe first founded the city on a bluff above River Street. What began as an experiment in communal settlement is  today an international destination offering world-class restaurants, exceptional hotels and quaint inns, [...]

Experience the excitement of a World War II combat mission or enjoy the quiet solitude of an authentic English countryside chapel at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum (912-748-8888), a treasure that offers glimpses of the past and a sense of what it’s like to be a true patriot. This Museum is one of the [...]

Tybee Island is “Savannah’s Beach”. Located 18 miles east of Savannah, this small barrier island boasts a wide, three-mile long beach that’s backed by sea oat-covered sand dunes. It is perfect for sunbathing, people watching and frolicking in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

When visiting Beaufort, founded 300 years ago, you can’t help but be curious about its history. Why are all these beautiful antebellum homes still here? Who were the people who built them, what did they do, and what was it like to live that lifestyle?

Parris Island is the training ground for some of America’s greatest heroes. The Island is open to the general public. The Parris Island Museum houses over 8,000 exhibits and photographs covering this US military training center since its beginning.

Hunting Island State Park is a truly spectacular place. Located on a 5,000-acre barrier island just 16 miles east of Beaufort on Hwy. 21, the park teems with wildlife and lush vegetation, and offers a delightful day for anyone interested in nature or history.

The Penn Center on St. Helena Island, southeast of Beaufort, was one of the country’s first schools for freed slaves and is considered one of this country’s most significant African-American historic institutions. It is a National Historic Landmark.

For a special albeit out-of-the-way experience, visit the stately Old Sheldon Church Ruins. Moss-draped trees surround towering brick and tabby columns that comprise the remains of what was once one of the South’s most beautiful churches.

The city of Charleston is one of this country’s most popular destinations. In fact, it received Condé Nast Traveler’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards as “Top U.S. City.” Visitors can choose from a number of guided tours year around. Carriage rides and harbor tours are two of the most popular.

Tour some of the south’s most iconic plantations: Boone Hall, Drayton Hall, Hampton Plantation State Historic Site, Magnolia Plantation, and Middleton Plantation.