The Experts - Expert Advice

How do I get to Hilton Head Island?
Why use the Visitor and Convention Bureau's Services?
What Team Building Options do you Offer?
Do you have a Conference Center?
What are the island temperatures like?
When is the best time to bring a group to Hilton Head Island?
Where can I go to the beach?
Where can I visit a nature preserve?
What unique venues can I use while visiting Hilton Head Island?
Where can I play golf?

How do I get to Hilton Head Island?

Getting to the Hilton Head Island area is easy. Located at the southernmost tip of South Carolina, the Hilton Head Island area is about 20 minutes drive time from I-95, via Exit 8. Airline Service: Two airports serve the Hilton Head Island area: Hilton Head Airport, located approximately 5 miles (8 km) from all Island resorts, and Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, located approximately 45 miles (72 km) south of the Island.

Why use the Visitor and Convention Bureau's Services?

A convention bureau serves as an efficient one-stop shop, especially for meeting planners. The Hilton Head bureau can help you focus your search for just the right property, providing sales guidance and then service knowledge to help assure your meeting, conference or convention is a success. Once you've had a chance to look at our website in some detail, please contact us and so we can assist in finding the perfect venue for your event. We distribute your specifications to the various resorts, hotels and/or homes & villas (your information will only go to those properties that have the appropriate space for your needs). Once they see your information, those who have space will then submit proposals directly to you for your decision. It saves you the time of contacting all the facilities on your own - we do it for you.

What Team Building Options do you Offer?

Team building on Hilton Head can range from the fun of beach Olympics to the challenge of a private island ropes course. We can also arrange golf outings, boating, kayaking, scavenger hunts and much more. In 2010 we will roll out the Hilton Head Difference, an especially timely social responsibility program, which gives your group a unique chance to partner with local non-profits to benefit those in need. In collaboration with the local United Way, we are building two-hour, half-day and full-day itineraries designed to complement and add solid substance your conference program.

Do you have a Conference Center?

While our intimate island does not offer a tradition conference center; many of our resort hotels are conference centers in themselves with all the top-notch services and facilities of a traditional conference or convention center but in a much more relaxed setting. Our state-of-the-art resort convention facilities can handle a wide range of conferences, whether an executive retreat for 12 or a national convention for 2,000.

What are the island temperatures like?

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).

When is the best time to bring a group to Hilton Head Island?

We have four distinctively different seasons. Winter is a great time to golf with many course options and off season rates available. Spring is a wonderful time to indulge in many outdoor activities including bicycling and boating. Summer is when things heat up and the island comes alive with many family activities as well as enjoying the cooler breezes at the beach. Fall is a great time to enjoy the many island annual festivals including the Concourse d Elegance as well as the Chili Cook Off.

Where can I go to the beach?

Most of our meetings and conference guests stay at resort hotels, or condos and villas, and most of those have free and easy access to the beach. All of the distinctively clean and hard-packed Hilton Head Island beach is public, from the ocean to the high water mark. Access to the beach, however, is often private. The Town of Hilton Head Island provides beach accesses at the following locations: Alder Lane Beach Access, off South Forest Beach Drive; Coligny Beach Park, off Coligny Circle; Fish Haul Park, at the end of Beach City Road; Driessen Beach Park, at the end of Bradley Beach Road; Burkes Beach Access, at the end of Burkes Beach Road; Folly Field Beach Park, off Folly Field Road; and Islanders Beach Park, off Folly Field Road. Restrooms, changing areas, sand showers and vending are available at the beach parks.

Where can I visit a nature preserve?

Hilton Head Island was way ahead of its time in terms of ecological awareness and environmental sensitivity. As a result, several nature preserves were established early on in Hilton Head's development and the Island has stayed true to its environmental roots. You'll find a number of nature preserves on and near Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, including the Audubon-Newhall Preserve, on Palmetto Bay Road, Hilton Head Island; the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge just off US Hwy 278, Hilton Head Island, SC; the Sea Pines Forest Preserve at The Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head Island, SC; the Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve on Sawmill Creek Road, Bluffton, SC and more.

What unique venues can I use while visiting Hilton Head Island?

The Town of Hilton Head Island has many areas to utilize:

• Crossings Park, located near the Cross Island Expressway off Helmsman Way, has baseball fields, a soccer field, open space, a playground, interpretative trails, picnic areas and restrooms.
• Bristol Skate Park, located next to Crossings Park, has a roller hockey court (which doubles as a basketball court), a skate park and restrooms.
• Barker Field, located in the Fish Haul and Baygall area, has baseball fields, a multi-purpose field, a boardwalk, observation deck and restrooms.
• Chaplin Community Park, just off US Highway 278 between Singleton Beach Road and Burkes Beach Road, has tennis courts, basketball courts, multi-purpose fields, a playground, a dog park, walking trails, beach access and restrooms.
• Cordillo Tennis Courts, located on Cordillo Parkway off Pope Avenue, has three tennis courts.
• Fish Haul Creek Park, at the east end of Beach City Road, has a nature trail, boardwalk, picnic areas and restrooms.
• Green Shell Park, on Squire Pope Road, has a playground, picnic area, historic site, basketball court and restrooms.
• Hilton Head Park, off US Highway 278 across from Wild Horse Road, has tennis courts, a basketball court and a soccer field.
• Honey Horn, located at the intersection of US Highway 278, the Cross Island Expressway and Gum Tree Road, has historic structures and hosts community events.
• Jarvis Creek Park, off US Highway 278 across from Wilborn Road, has a freshwater pond for fishing (catch and release only!), a floating dock, a playground, a grass meadow, picnic facilities, grills, swings, paved pathways, mulched trails and restrooms.
• Shelter Cove Community Park, off Shelter Cove Lane, has walking trails, views of Broad Creek, picnic areas and hosts community events.
• The Island Recreation Center, at 20 Wilborn Road, has tennis courts, a pool, gymnasium, playground, multi-purpose field, restrooms, and is ADA compliant.

The Town of Bluffton has four parks:

• Shults Park at 77 Shults Road has a community center, baseball and soccer fields, picnic area and restrooms.
• The Bluffton Recreation Center at 61B Ulmer Road offers varied programming for all ages. The Bluffton Pool is located at 55 Pritchard Farms Road.
• Bluffton Linear Trail, off SC Hwy 46 near the New River, offers 3.2 miles of unpaved trail for hiking, biking and horseback riding.
• Bluffton Oyster Company Park, located along the May River at Wharf Street, offers views of the May River, picnic areas, boat launching facilities and hosts community events.

Where can I play golf?

Golf is one of Hilton Head's most prominent and recognizable identities. Dozens of golf courses dot the area, and Hilton Head is home to one of the PGA Tour's most beloved and successful golf events - the Verizon Heritage Tournament at Harbour Town Links. Thanks to Hilton Head's sub-tropical climate and predominantly sunny skies, golfers can play year-round on courses created by golf's most preeminent architects. George and Tom Fazio, Arthur Hills, Rees and Robert Trent Jones, Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, George Cobb, Gary Player, Fuzzy Zoeller and Willard Byrd have all left their distinctive mark on these championship courses.

For more information on planning your meeting email Jack Reed at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or submit your RFP online now