Hilton Head Overview

While it may be only twelve miles long and five miles wide, Hilton Head, South Carolina is chock-a-block full of everything it takes to make a world-class island getaway. Enjoy superior golf resorts, award-winning dining and shopping, an average temperature of 70 degrees, and miles of sandy beaches warmed all year by the Gulf Stream. Add to that a generous side of history, and a heaping helping of southern hospitality, and why go anywhere else to work on that tan?

History

The bounty, beauty, and rich soil of this boot-shaped barrier island did not go unnoticed by the area's earliest inhabitants. Long before the first Europeans set foot in the Americas, the Woodland Indians used the isle as a wintering destination. The area's written history began with the Spaniards in the early 1500's when they explored the Atlantic Coast from Key West to the St. Lawrence. Sadly, by the mid-sixteen hundreds, most of the native population was wiped out by colonizing Europeans, but their legacy remains in many archaeological treasures still being discovered today.

While European exploration of the area began with the Spaniards, it was an English captain for whom the island was named. In August 1663, English Captain William Hilton saw the high bluffs of the isle while navigating Port Royal Sound on his way back from Barbados, and claimed the land for Britain while naming it for himself. The Captain poked around, checking out the uncharted area for a few days, but the distinction of Hilton Head's "first white settler" went to Col. John Barnwell, who was granted a thousand acres on the northwest corner of the island by the Lord Proprietors. Further development rapidly followed, although initially, many of the houses built there were just second homes for rich landowners from the mainland.

By the early 1800's, a plantation culture began to thrive on the island, growing sugar cane, indigo, and cotton, which flourished in the subtropical climate. In 1861, however, the island was overrun by Union troops, causing most of the residents to flee and more than 1,000 slaves to be freed. Black males were subsequently pressed into service, becoming the first Black troops for the Union army. After the war, however, many of those soldiers were able to use the money they'd earned fighting to buy land on the island.

After the war, Hilton Head was pretty much left to nature and the freed slaves who, cut off from the mainland, developed their own language and culture known as "Gullah." By 1890, though, the island again became a hotspot for mainland inhabitants, but this time for the hunting and fishing opportunities it afforded wealthy sportsmen--a portent of things to come.

Hilton Head Today

Today, Hilton Head is a mecca for golfers, anglers, water sports enthusiasts, and other folks looking for quality beach and leisure time. The island boasts 39,000+ residents, and welcomes thousands of visitors each year.

Golf is especially popular on the tiny island, which somehow manages to support twenty some-odd courses. Every April, the Verizon Heritage PGA TOUR tournament is played here, and the Hilton Head Celebrity Golf Tournament is hosted annually on Labor Day Weekend. Non-golfers are equally entertained, however, with ample shopping, miles of beaches, water sports, museums, art galleries, jazz clubs, and fine dining that will please even the pickiest foodie.

Mild weather make this a popular vacation destination year-round. In January, you can expect an average temperature of 60 degrees. Come July, temperatures rise to an average of 90 degrees. Located on South Carolina's southeastern coast, Hilton Head is just twenty miles north of Savannah, Georgia, and ninety-five miles to the south of Charleston. The island itself is split into two halves with Broad Creek serving as the natural dividing line.