Hilton Head Island is a foot-shaped barrier island located off the Atlantic Coast of South Carolina, approximately 45 miles (72 km) north of Savannah, Ga., 90 miles (145 km) south of Charleston, S.C., and 30 miles (48 km) south of historic Beaufort, S.C. The 12-mile (19 km) long and 5-mile (8 km) wide island was the first Eco-planned destination in the United States. To experience the uniqueness of this charming barrier island is a pleasure and a privilege…there’s just no place like it!

Lying on the Intracoastal Waterway, Hilton Head Island has a land mass of over 23,000 acres of semi-tropical, Lowcountry geography. It is the second largest barrier island on the East Coast of the United States; only New York’s Long Island is larger. The Island's pristine natural environment offers a relaxing, hospitable atmosphere with subtle signage and no neon lights. Fertile salt marshes, networks of lagoons and creeks, forests of moss-draped oaks, magnolias, pines, palmettos and 12 miles (19 km) of sandy beaches are interspersed with championship golf courses, tennis courts, fine restaurants and luxurious hotels, resorts and private villa accommodations.

The permanent population of Hilton Head is approximately 35,000. Warmed year-round by the Gulf Stream, the Island's average daytime temperature is a mild 70°F (21°C). The average annual ocean temperature is 69°F (20°C). There are twenty-five golf courses and six notable tennis centers on the island. Hilton Head welcomes more than one-half million visitors each year, who collectively pump about $580,000,000 into the local economy. Visitors come in every season of the year, and for a variety of reasons. Although spring and summer are the two most popular seasons for pleasure travelers, the summer months see the highest percentage of visitors.

Hilton Head Island History. Hilton Head Island's history stretches back much further than its modern-day resort roots. Once the land of Indian tribes who left intriguing oyster shell mounds behind. Later the land of English colonists who cultivated indigo and rice crops. And later still, as the 19th century dawned, the land of wealthy antebellum cotton planters.

As the site of the largest naval engagement of the Civil War, Hilton Head Island also played a critical role in that conflict-and paid a devastating price-its fields, fine plantation houses, and way of life destroyed.

In 1956, Charles Fraser, son of one of the families that owned the Island, realized that Hilton Head Island had more to offer than just timber. Armed with vision, energy, modern air conditioning and investment dollars, he created a master plan for a resort community. His efforts were aided by the construction of a bridge to the mainland the same year. Sea Pines Plantation became the prototype of the modern resort community, now copied around the world.

Incorporated as a town in 1983, Hilton Head Island is now home to several environmentally planned resort and residential communities. These communities have been named "plantations," but cotton fields have been replaced by lush green golf courses, tennis courts, shimmering lakes and beautifully designed resorts and villas. Despite this development, much of the Island remains as it was when sighted from William Hilton's ship more than 300 years ago. Hilton Head Island's natural beauty, spectacular seascapes and exceptional ecology now beckon a new generation of explorers.

Keeping The Gullah Culture Alive! Handed down through generations of native African-American Islanders, the Gullah culture of the sea islands, was once in danger of extinction. But today, thanks to the efforts of groups like the Beaufort-based African-American Cultural Center and Hilton Head's Native Island Gullah Celebration-as well as individuals like nationally known storytellers Ron & Natalie Daise and Marlena Smalls, whose Hallelujah Singers are artists in residence at The Self Family Arts Center-the distinctive patois and traditional customs of the Gullah people live on across the Low country. Heritage tours, festivals and live musical and storytelling performances offer a glimpse into this fascinating-and once largely invisible-side of the sea Islands' antebellum plantation culture. Other interesting Island side trips include visits to Bluffton, just over the bridge on the mainland and Daufuskie Island, a brief ferry ride across Calibogue Sound.

Nearby areas of interest. Boasting the area's most extensive historic district and a quaint down-home Southern charm, Bluffton is a popular spot for antiquing and sightseeing. Stop first at the circa-1840 Heyward House Historic Center for information on tours and exhibits.

Daufuskie Island, once best known as the setting for author Pat Conroy's autobiographical novel, The Water Is Wide, is now known equally for its world class golf courses and beautiful beachfront. Gullah Heritage Tours offer an entertaining and enlightening introduction to the Island's native culture.