The Hilton Head Homes Blog

I have lived near the Atlantic Ocean all my life.

The beaches I have walked can be found within the borders of every state from Maine to Florida and I have enjoyed them all. However, when I first set foot on the sandy shores of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina I knew I had found a magical place.

From that day forward I told anyone who would listen, Hilton Head beaches were the most amazing on the eastern seaboard…and then I received the surprise that altered that bragging claim, (I live minutes from the Hilton Head beaches).

One day, after riding my bike from the beach at Sea Pines (semipublic) to Coligny Beach (public) and back, I was walking my bike off the beach when I was stopped by a couple walking onto the sand.

After they recovered from discovering bicycles could be ridden for miles along the shoreline (Hilton Head sand is extraordinarily fine and when packed at low tide, is almost like pedaling on a road) and being informed that they could rent bikes less than a quarter mile from where we were, the couple began to let me know how lucky I was to live near such a magnificent beach. They couldn’t say enough about the beauty and more than once repeated the phrase “Oh how we wished we lived here and were not just vacationing.”

By this point I had surmised that wherever it was they were vacationing from, they did not have available to them beautiful ocean beaches or any ocean beaches, so I queried them as to where home was.

“Southern California,” they answered simultaneously.

So now, my bragging of the grand qualities and superiority of my beaches on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, has been expanded to ‘the most amazing in the United States.’

After that buildup, you will want to come, see and try our beaches for yourself.

Come Stroll Hilton Head Island's Beautiful Beaches

There is an important fact about Hilton Head beaches, the twelve miles of ocean coastline and the beaches that border the Atlantic. From the ocean to the high tide water mark, Hilton Head Island beaches are public. It is the access to those beaches from land that occasionally are private and/or restricted.

I use the term occasionally because the greater part of the twelve miles of sand and surf are open to the public; some with day pass fees, some with parking fees and some with no fees at all. The cost is directly related to the available services.

Here is a list of some of the more popular beaches:

SEA PINES BEACH

Day visitors to Sea Pines Resort pay an auto access fee of $6 and have access to the Sea Pines Beach Club beach as well as South Beach. A total of almost five miles of beach. Chairs and umbrellas are available for a fee. Bathroom, changing rooms and showers are all available at no additional cost. There are food facilities to fit all appetites and budgets.

BURKES BEACH

Located near Chaplin Community Park, Burke's Beach has seasonal lifeguards and very limited parking.

COLIGNY BEACH

Coligny Beach is undoubtedly the most popular Hilton Head Island public beach. This premier beach offers free parking, bike rentals, free volleyball nets, water fountains, changing stations, splash pad for the kids, sand showers, lifeguards, umbrellas and free beach parking. Food is available at Coligny Plaza, a few steps from the beach.

DRIESSEN BEACH

It's a bit of a walk from parking to Driessen Beach but it’s worth it. Driessen Beach features sand showers, lifeguards, restrooms, vending machines, a playground, picnic tables, grills, plenty of metered parking and a nearby grill. The beach also offers seasonal beach rentals, including umbrellas and water craft.

FOLLY FIELD BEACH

Folly Field Beach offers lifeguards, water fountains, restrooms, sand showers, and 52 parking spaces that take quarters.

ISLANDERS BEACH

Islanders Beach has a great sandy seashore to enjoy, plus a park with a playground, picnic pavilions, grill, restrooms and sand showers.

Come join us on the most magnificent beaches in the United States, for a vacation, or, if you are a really enthusiastic beach lover, for the beginning of a new life in the Bluffton/Hilton Head, South Carolina Lowcountry. Please contact us online or call 1-843-785-9500 to speak with a local Hilton Head Island real estate specialist.