74, Edisto Island is a historic beachfront community that features stately old plantation homes, beach houses atop stilts and ancient oak forests. Named for the agrarian Edisto Indian tribe who once lived on the Island, the first permanent settlers grew indigo during the colonial era and then Sea Island cotton after the American Revolution. During the Civil War, many of the Island’s mansions were vandalized by Union soldiers. Edisto Beach State Park offers two miles of sandy beaches that are considered to be one of the best sites for swimming and shell collecting in the state.
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina: This boot-shaped Island is the second largest sea island between New York and Florida and is widely considered to be one of the finest resort communities in the U.S. Perhaps the best know of all the sea islands, Hilton Head Island has nearly 35,000 permanent residents and hosts millions of visitors each year. With 12 miles of white sand beaches and unlimited golf and tennis, Hilton Head Island is a vacation heaven with a rich history. Indians hunted and fished on the Island more than 10,000 years ago and two shell mounds still remain today. Named for the English sea captain Sir William Hilton, Hilton Head Island featured successful indigo, rice and sugar plantations in the 1700’s and priced Sea Island cotton before the Civil War. The Island served as a Union base to blockade Southern ports during the Civil War. After the Civil War, the Island was populated primarily by freed slaves who farmed, fished and hunted on the land. A bridge to the mainland was built in 1956, the same year that developer Charles Fraser purchased 19,000 acres on the Island. Through his development of Sea Pines, which intentionally preserved much of the natural beauty of the Island, Hilton Head Island began to gain an international reputation as a resort mecca.
Hunting Island, South Carolina: The 5,000 acre Hunting Island State Park remains the Island’s primary attraction. Located 16 miles southeast of Beaufort on US 21, the Island was once used almost exclusively for hunting, first by Indians and later by early colonists. The 136-foot Hunting Island lighthouse offers spectacular views of the park and the surrounding areas. Although the Island has suffered from extensive erosion, it remains one of the most beautiful and most popular state parks in the nation, with winding paths arching through thick palm, oak and palmetto forests.
Hutchinson Island, South Carolina: Once a popular site for dueling South Carolina gentlemen in the nineteenth century, this Island just across the Savannah River from Savannah’s River Street is home to The Westin Savannah Harbor Resort, the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center and a 27-hole golf course.
Kiawah Island, South Carolina: Located midway between Charleston and Beaufort, Kiawah Island’s 10,000 acres are named for the Indians who once hunted and fished on the Island. From 1772 to 1953, the Island was owned by Arnoldus Vanderhorst, South Carolina’s seventh governor, and his descendants. In the 1950’s, the Island was purchased and then resold to the Kuwait Investment Corporation in 1974. The oil-rich investors researched the Island and decided to take steps to protect wildlife and to set aside areas from development. Today the Island features several gated communities and superb golf and tennis facilities, as well as over 150 native species including the brown pelican and the Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle.
St. Helena Island, South Carolina: This sea island is perhaps best know for Penn Center the first school for freed slaves in the South, which now serves as an educational center and museum. Gullah culture still thrives on the Island, as several hundred descendants of freed slaves still make their home on St. Helena Island.
Cumberland Island, Georgia: Georgia’s southernmost coastal island is 16 miles long and extends almost to the Florida border. Accessible by ferry from St. Marys, the Cumberland Island National Seashore features one of the nation’s most unspoiled beaches. Salt marshes, 20 m