Explore
Hilton Head
The
history of Hilton Head did not start in August of 1663, when English
Captain William Hilton saw the highlands of the Island and named
it for himself “Hilton Head”. Many centuries before
that Naive Americans hunted and fished in its forest, protected
by huge oak-trees which listen to the ocean waves and breathe fresh
ocean air.
Until
the first bridge to the island was built in 1956, the area was comprised
of swamps and woods. Small farmers and hunters had to access Hilton
Head by ferry.
In
1956 the new era of Hilton Head began. Charles Fraser and Fred Hack
had a unique vision of nature-friendly community and purchased
a significant part of the island. They have established the rules
for generations of developers – the rules that minimize the
signs of human presence on the island.
You
will not see wide straight boulevards, bright store-fronts and luminescent
signs on Hilton Head. Instead, you will enjoy the wonders
of the starry night time sky and natural shade. With buildings’
heights limited by the heights of the trees, and buildings painted
in natural colors, you will get a feeling of being inside of a large
national park, rather than in the middle of the one of the best
resorts on the East Coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
It
is hard to believe that more than more than 35,000 live in and more
than 2.3 million of people visit Hilton Head every year.
To
read more about Hilton Head history, you may want to look at "The
Sands Of Time, A History of Hilton Head Island" by Margaret
Greer
Her Book is available at all Island Book Stores, and is published
by South Art, Inc. P.O.Box 5304, Hilton Head Island, SC, 29928.
It was first published in 1989.
Harbourtown
Lighthouse
South Carolina’s Harbourtown
Lighthouse is a facsimile lighthouse, meaning that it was built
as a landmark or testament to other lighthouses in the area, or
perhaps as a reminder of how important lighthouses are to the livelihoods
of many people. In the case of the Harbourtown Lighthouse, it was
built as a symbol for the Sea Pines Plantation development at Hilton
Head, SC. However, this lighthouse is operational, and it’s
bright beacon guides sailors safely to shore nightly.
Built between 1969 and 1970,
it is 90 feet tall and has red and white stripes circling it. It
was patterned after a similar lighthouse located in Lancashire,
England. The tower overlooks the Calibogue Sound and provides a
spectacular backdrop to the 18th green at the Harbourtown Golf Links.
For a small admission fee of
$5.00 to the Sea Pines Plantation, you can tour the lighthouse and
climb the 100 stairs to the top of the tower for a breathtaking
view of the Calibogue Sound. You can also visit the gift shop located
at the top of the lighthouse. The Harbourtown Lighthouse is open
to the public from 8:00 am until dusk.
For more information, you can
contact the Sea Pines Resort, P.O. Box 7000, Hilton Head Island,
SC 29938 or call them at (803) 785-3333
...offers many different programs
to dedicated to the ecology and history of the region. The tours
and cruises offered by the Museum include the following:
- Nature Tours
- Beach Tour
- Pinckney Island Walking
Tour
- History Tours
- Sea Island Plantation
Overview
- Island Trolley Tour
- History of Hilton Head's
Headland Tour
- Native Americans on
the Sea Islands Tour
- Fort Howell and Mitchelville
- Old House Plantation
Tour and Lecture
- Fort Mitchelville Tour
with Civil War Tour Overview
The Museum is located at Mile
Marker 1, North end of Highway 278
100 William Hilton Parkway
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 29925
phone (843)-689-6767
Pinckney
Island National Wildlife Refuge
Encompassing four islands
and 4,000 acres, the refuge aims to preserve and protect endangered
natural habitats and species. At 1,200 acres, Pinckney is the
largest of the refuge's islands and the only one open to the public.
Address: Lands End Drive,
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Phone: 912-652-4415
Free
Sea Pines
Forest Preserve
Walk through mushy swamps
on elevated boardwalks at this 400-acre nature preserve.You will
find 7 miles of trail, a fishing pond, Waterfowl Pond & Indian
Shell Ring. There is a self-guiding brochure; guided nature walks
on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.(Meet at East Entrance on
Lawton road.)
Audobon Hewhall
Preserve
A self-guiding brochure will
allow you to enjoy trails where native plants are labeled. Free.
Located on Palmetto Bay Road. Open to the public Sunday to Sunday
Daily. 843-671-1050.
Zion Cemetery
and Bayard Mausoleum
Built in 1846, it is the largest
antebellum structure still intact on the Island. Intersection
of US 278 and Mathews Drive.
Baynard
Ruins
Sea Pines Plantation. Take
a self-guided tour of the remains of an 1800 plantation house
and its outbuildings(much like the plantation of Scarlett O'Hara
from Gone with the Wind). The plantation house was constructed
from tabby, a popular homemade Lowcountry building material that
is produced by burning oyster shells and mixing with whole shells,
sand and water.
Fish Haul
Plantation
Off Beach City Road. The chimneys
are the only reminders to this once thriving Sea Island cotton
plantation. Federal troops once camped here from during the time
of the Union occupation in 1861.
Fort Howell
Beach City Road. The Union
troops built this earthwork in 1861 to strengthen the defense
of Mitchelville.
Fort Mitchel
Hilton Head Plantation. An
earthwork fortification built constructed around 1862, as part
of the Island's defense system.
Indian Shell
Ring
Sea Pines Forest Preserve.
The Native Americans once occupied Hilton Head and left their
history in large rings and shell middens.
Green's Shell
Enclosure Walk
Learn while exploring the
structure constructed over 500 years ago. This walk is sponsored
by the Museum of Hilton Head. Call 843-689-6767 for more details.
Fort Sherman/Fort
Walker Ruins Walk
Explore the remains of Civil
War fortifications located on Port Royal Plantation Sponsored
by Museum of Hilton Head. Call 843--689-6767
Read more
Hilton
Head Island History - From 1526 to present.
Visit Beaufort
What other
people say about Hilton Head vacations
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