🏖️ Destination Guide · Hilton Head Island, SC
Hilton Head Island, SC Travel Guide
Welcome to NME’s Hilton Head Island travel guide. Everything for a Hilton Head Island trip, split into three real guides instead of one giant scroll: where to stay, what to do, and where to eat — covering every named plantation from Sea Pines to Port Royal, plus Old Town Bluffton across the bridge.
📍 Sea Pines to Bluffton
✅ Verified, Not Guessed
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📍 Palmetto Dunes
📍 Shipyard Plantation
📍 Port Royal Plantation
📍 South Forest Beach / Coligny
📍 Folly Field
📍 Bluffton
Hilton Head Island is a resort island organized around a string of gated plantations rather than a single downtown — Sea Pines and Harbour Town on the south end, Palmetto Dunes and Shipyard mid-island, Port Royal further north, and the open, independent strip of hotels and shops along South Forest Beach and Coligny. Across the bridge, Bluffton is a real second base with its own May River waterfront and Old Town dining scene. This guide is built by area, not just by name, so you can match the right hotel, activity, and restaurant to where you’re actually staying.
🐕 Where to Stay
45 verified properties — oceanfront resorts in Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, Shipyard, and Port Royal, the South Forest Beach/Coligny hotel strip, Bluffton hotels, and 14 island-wide villa rental companies — no prices, just the facts.
🏅 Things to Do
82 activities across 13 categories — 19 golf courses, Harbour Town Lighthouse, dolphin tours, Pinckney Island’s wildlife refuge, and Old Town Bluffton’s galleries and May River — sorted by what you actually want to do.
🍽️ Where to Eat
52 restaurants — fine dining in Sea Pines Center, working-dock seafood houses, waterfront grills on Broad Creek and Skull Creek, and the growing Old Town Bluffton food scene.
Know the Area Before You Book
- Sea Pines / Harbour Town: The island’s signature south-end district — the candy-striped lighthouse, the marina, and the Forest Preserve, anchored by Harbour Town Golf Links.
- Palmetto Dunes: A large oceanfront resort community mid-island with 50+ named villa and condo complexes and three golf courses.
- Shipyard Plantation: A smaller oceanfront plantation with its own 27-hole golf club, mid-island near Palmetto Dunes.
- Port Royal Plantation: Oceanfront resorts further north, including a large timeshare and vacation-club presence.
- South Forest Beach / Coligny: The island’s open, non-gated hotel and condo strip next to Coligny Plaza and Coligny Beach Park — the most walkable beach area.
- Folly Field: A quieter villa and condo rental area on the island’s north end, near Driessen Beach Park.
- Bluffton: The mainland gateway town across the bridge — its own hotels, Old Town dining, galleries, and the May River waterfront.
📅 2026 Theme Weeks
Hilton Head’s calendar runs on golf and food — RBC Heritage week is by far the busiest and priciest stretch on the island — while the Wine & Food Festival and Concours d’Elegance draw a quieter, more upscale crowd worth timing a trip around, or avoiding, if you prefer the island to yourself.
❄️ Winter Focus Weeks (January – February)
- Hilton Head Island Seafood Festival (Feb 23–Mar 1, 2026): The 19th annual week-long seafood festival, with the main event at the Coastal Discovery Museum.
🌸 Spring Theme Weeks (March – May)
- Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival (March 22–28, 2026): A week-long celebration of the island’s spring season with tastings, dinners, and chef events.
- RBC Heritage presented by Boeing (April 13–19, 2026): The 58th annual PGA Tour stop at Harbour Town Golf Links, the week after the Masters.
☀️ Summer Peak Weeks (June – August)
- Fourth of July Fireworks at Harbour Town (July 4, 2026): Independence Day fireworks over Harbour Town Marina, one of the island’s largest displays.
🍁 Fall Focus Weeks (September – October)
- Hilton Head Island Shrimp Festival (September 19, 2026): The eighth annual shrimp-focused food festival at Harbour Town with local chefs and craft breweries.
- Italian Heritage Festival (October 17, 2026): The 15th annual celebration of Italian food and culture at Honey Horn.
🎄 Holiday Theme Weeks (November – December)
- Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival (Oct 29–Nov 1, 2026): A multi-day classic and rare car showcase, with the main judging day on Sunday, November 1.
- Harbour Town Lights (Nov 27, 2026–Jan 1, 2027): The island’s holiday lights display at Sea Pines’ Harbour Town, opening with a tree lighting and concert.
What’s the difference between Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, and Shipyard?
Sea Pines is the south-end plantation anchored by Harbour Town and its lighthouse. Palmetto Dunes is a large oceanfront resort community mid-island. Shipyard is a smaller oceanfront plantation with its own golf club. All three are gated with a vehicle entry fee for non-guests.
Should I stay on Hilton Head Island or in Bluffton?
Hilton Head puts you directly on the beach or inside a plantation. Bluffton is a short drive across the bridge on the mainland, with its own hotels and a well-regarded Old Town dining scene — often less expensive and less crowded during peak weeks. See our hotels guide for both.
What is Hilton Head Island known for?
Golf (19 courses across the island and Bluffton, including RBC Heritage host Harbour Town Golf Links), miles of public and resort beaches, and a large villa/vacation-rental market rather than branded hotels alone. See our things to do guide for the full list.
How does NME build its destination guides?
We verify hotels, restaurants, and attractions directly against their own official sites and policy pages rather than relying on a single aggregator list, and we flag anything we couldn’t independently confirm. Read more on our methodology page.
Know Something We Should Add?
If there’s a hotel, attraction, or restaurant across Hilton Head Island or Bluffton we’re missing anywhere in this guide, email us and we’ll take a look.
Ready to plan the trip?
Start with where you’ll stay, then work outward to what to do and where to eat.
