Things to Do in Hilton Head Island, SC: Costs and Hours

Destinations › Lowcountry › Hilton Head Island › Things to Do

Things to do in Hilton Head Island: 16 picks, from the town's and each operator's own pages, with hours, costs as published, and notes for kids, dogs and rainy days. 4 list free entry.

Picks16each with a source
Free Entry4as the operator states
Rainy Day0indoors
Kids or Dogs Noted8 / 6only where stated

Pick by Your Situation

Quick Picks

Free
Coligny Beach Park, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn and 1 more
free entry
With Kids
Driessen Beach Park, Islanders Beach Park, Harbour Town marina and shops and 5 more
kid notes from the operator
With a Dog
Coligny Beach Park, Driessen Beach Park, Islanders Beach Park and 3 more
dog rules from the operator

Historic Sites

Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park
Free
Town park on the site of Mitchelville, the first freedmen community established during the Civil War, with exhibits, an observation deck, walking trails, interpretive signage and beach access. source
Hours
6 am to 9 pm daily; 6 am to 6 pm in winter after Daylight Saving Time ends
Cost
Free parking listed
Where
40 Harriet Tubman Way, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
Greens Shell Park
Neighborhood park with a historic shell ring, observation deck, playground and picnic pavilion. source
Where
99 Squire Pope Road, Hilton Head Island
Kids
Playground listed

Museums

Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn
Free
Museum on 70 acres with gallery exhibits, grounds and gardens, historical buildings, a Butterfly Learning Station, a Tuesday Farmers Market and Gullah Heritage Trail Tours, kayaking, dolphin and birding excursions. source
Hours
Mon.-Sat. 9am-4:30pm | Sun. 11am-4:30pm
Cost
FREE ADMISSION (as published; excursions may charge)
Where
70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926

Parks

Chaplin Community Park Dog Park
Fully fenced, double-gated dog park; dogs may be off-leash if not aggressive toward people or other dogs. The park also has tennis and basketball courts, fields, trails and a playground. source
Where
11 Cast Net Drive, Hilton Head Island
Kids
Playground listed
Dogs
Island's only dog park per visitor site
Jarvis Creek Park
Community park with a fishing dock, fitness trail, open fields, picnic shelters, playground and nature trails. source
Where
100 Jarvis Park Road, Hilton Head Island
Kids
Playground listed
Lowcountry Celebration Park
Adventure playground, fitness stations, walking trails, open pavilion and lawn and a wading pool. source
Where
94 Pope Avenue, Hilton Head Island
Kids
Adventure playground and wading pool listed
Shelter Cove Community Park
Playground, performance pavilion, picnic spots, public art, walking paths and a boardwalk with Broad Creek views. source
Where
39 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island
Kids
Playground listed

Beaches

Coligny Beach Park
Free
Town beach park with beach access, a beach wheelchair, showers, restrooms, public art and seasonal beach rentals; a Breeze trolley stop. source
Hours
Beach parks open daily 6 am to 10 pm
Cost
Free parking
Where
1 Coligny Circle, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Dogs
Town beach dog rules apply (see beaches)
Driessen Beach Park
Town beach park with beach access, beach wheelchair, picnic pavilion, playground and seasonal beach rentals. source
Hours
6 am to 10 pm daily
Cost
Parking $3/hr weekdays, $5/hr weekends in peak season
Where
64 Bradley Beach Road, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Kids
Playground listed
Dogs
Town beach dog rules apply
Islanders Beach Park
Town beach park with beach access, pavilion, picnic pavilion, playground and seasonal beach rentals. source
Hours
6 am to 10 pm daily
Cost
Parking $3/hr weekdays, $5/hr weekends in peak season
Where
92 Folly Field Road, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Kids
Playground listed
Dogs
Town beach dog rules apply
Fish Haul Beach Park
Town beach park on the north end with beach access and a beach wheelchair; a dog restriction area near Fish Haul Creek protects migrating and wintering shorebirds once Town Council adopts the code change. source
Hours
6 am to 10 pm daily
Cost
Parking $3/hr weekdays, $5/hr weekends in peak season
Where
124 Mitchelville Road, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
Dogs
Restricted area about 600 feet from the public access point, takes effect once code is adopted (page does not say if adopted)

Trails

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
Walk or bike the refuge trails to watch wildlife; the first pond (Ibis) is about a 2-mile round trip from the parking area, and the refuge has a rookery for wading birds. source
Hours
Sunrise to sunset, seven days a week
Where
Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex (no street address on page)
Dogs
Pets not allowed on refuge lands, including trails and beaches
Island Pathways by Bike
More than 60 miles of leisure pathways; nearly 30 rental shops with about 15,000 bicycles, or bring your own. source
Where
Island-wide

Attractions

Harbour Town Lighthouse
Climb the 114 steps of the red-and-white-striped lighthouse at Harbour Town in Sea Pines. source
Hours
10am-7:30pm, daily
Where
Harbour Town, Sea Pines, Hilton Head Island
Harbour Town Marina and Shops
Marina area with more than 20 locally owned boutiques, galleries and gift shops, a covered pier, year-round cruises, boat tours and fishing charters, the Liberty Oak and the Gregg Russell Harbour Town Playground. source
Where
Harbour Town, Sea Pines
Kids
Gregg Russell Harbour Town Playground listed
Breeze Trolley
Free
Free seasonal trolley to Coligny Beach and Shelter Cove area stops. source
Hours
1 pm to 10 pm daily, to 11 pm Fridays and Saturdays, early April through Labor Day
Cost
Free

More Guides Within 15 Miles

St. Phillips Island State ParkState Park, about 10 mi

Coming Up Near Hilton Head Island

Oct 30Motorcars and Music charity concert with Taylor Hicks (Hilton Head Concours weekend)Hilton Head Island · about 1 mi
Oct 31 – Nov 1Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance and Motoring FestivalHilton Head Island · about 1 mi
Nov 1Hilton Head Half & Quarter Marathon & 5KHilton Head Island · about 1 mi
Nov 6–7Hilton Head Oyster Festival (Fri all-you-can-eat night and Sat festival)Hilton Head Island · about 1 mi
Nov 74th Annual Holiday Market on Paris AvenuePort Royal · about 12 mi
Nov 7Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Oyster RoastPort Royal · about 12 mi

15 more on the full events calendar.

Events within 15 miles, measured in a straight line to the centre of the event's town. Dates come from our checked events list; confirm with the organizer.

FAQ

What is free to do in Hilton Head Island?

Coligny Beach Park, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, Breeze trolley list free entry on their own pages.

How much does beach parking cost on Hilton Head?

At Town beach parks other than Coligny, parking is $3 per hour Monday to Friday and $5 per hour Saturday and Sunday from March 1 to September 7, enforced 7 am to 5 pm. Coligny Beach Park parking is free. source

Can I bring my dog to the beach in summer?

From the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day, animals are not allowed on the beach from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; outside those hours they must be leashed or under voice control. Rules differ the rest of the year. source

Can I pay for beach parking with cash?

No. The Town says visitors pay online through a digital parking app and cash payments are no longer accepted. source

What We Could Not Confirm

Not confirmed: we looked for these on official pages and did not find them. Check with the town or operator before you rely on them.

Sea Pines visitor gate fee: looked on seapines.com home, resort-policies and harbour-town pages; none state an amount (seapines.com says CSA runs gate access). Not included.
Harbour Town Lighthouse admission price: seapines.com lighthouse page shows hours but no price (tickets via FareHarbor link). Not included.
Mitchelville guided tour times and price: Town page gives park hours only; tour price/days not read from exploremitchelville.org (not read).
Visitor center address/hours: hiltonheadisland.org home page lists only a Contact Us link; no address read.
Beach lifeguard season and hours: Town beach_parks page says 'Seasonal' without dates.
Whether the Fish Haul Creek dog restriction has been adopted by Town Council: animals page says it takes effect on adoption and does not say whether done.
The Town parking page includes a 2025 shuttle date range (May 23-September 1, 2025) and may not have been updated for 2026.
Visitor-site dog page lists Tuesday after Labor Day through Sep 30 as '1 a.m.-5 p.m.' (appears to be a typo); Town page says 10 a.m.-5 p.m., which is used above.
Airport code for Savannah/Hilton Head International not stated on the read pages; Hilton Head Island Airport code HHH is shown on the visitor site home page.
Mitchelville Town page says park is free to park; no admission price for the park itself stated.

Sources

Read on October 26, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.

Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “Things to Do in Hilton Head Island, SC”, itssouthcarolina.com/destinations/lowcountry/things-to-do-in-hilton-head-island-sc/ (updated 2026-10-26). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.

Things to Do in Hilton Head Island, SC