About Hilton Head
The Natural Beauty of Hilton Head

More than two dozen golf courses, a flourishing cultural community, 12 miles of beaches, 250 restaurants and more than 200 shops make Hilton Head Island a resort community with something for everyone. In addition to all the amenities required for a first-class Convention, Hilton Head is one of the most family-friendly resort destinations anywhere, with ample opportunities for biking, kayaking, sailing, scuba diving or hiking, dolphin-watching, shopping and much more.

Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the average daytime temperature in October at Hilton Head settles in at a gorgeous 76 degrees, with nighttime lows in the mid-50s. The island’s pristine natural environment offers a relaxing, hospitable atmosphere with fertile salt marshes, networks of lagoons and creeks, forests of moss-draped oaks, magnolias, pines, palmettos and worldclass beaches. Interspersed among this natural beauty, you’ll find championship golf courses, tennis courts, hiking trails, fine restaurants, water activities of all kinds and your resort accommodations at the Marriott Hilton Head Beach and Golf Resort.

Located off the Atlantic Coast of South Carolina, Hilton Head is a foot-shaped barrier island community of 31,000 permanent residents that plays host to 2.5 million visitors annually. The island community has been inhabited for 4,000 years, with the current settlement dating back to 1663, when English sea captain William Hilton landed on the island. The island’s low elevation and hot summers made it ideal for cotton growing, and the area was eventually dotted with plantations.

In 1861, the island became the scene of the largest naval battle fought in American waters, when more than 12,000 Union soldiers captured both Fort Beauregard and Fort Walker and forced the island families to evacuate their plantation homes. The boll weevil eventually devastated the cotton industry throughout Low Country, and Hilton Head lapsed into obscurity for more than 90 years. The island’s potential as a resort community dates to 1956, with the creation of a master plan for resort construction and the construction of a bridge to the mainland.

Despite 50 years of resort development, much of the Island remains as it was when sighted from William Hilton’s ship more than 300 years ago. Hilton Head Island’s natural beauty, spectacular seascapes and exceptional ecology now beckon a new generation of explorers and provides the backdrop for NPCA’s 44th Annual Convention.