Things to Do in Sea Pines, Hilton Head Island
Book Tours and Rentals in Sea Pines
Every operator here leaves from inside the gate, from the Harbour Town Yacht Basin or South Beach Marina, plus the resort’s own tennis, golf, fitness and seasonal events.
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Booked through FareHarbor, the island operators’ own booking system. HHI.com may earn a commission.
Most things to do in Sea Pines Hilton Head fit into a day without getting back in the car: the beach, a bike ride on the leisure trails, the Forest Preserve, and an evening in Harbour Town. The resort covers the south end of the island, with five miles of beach, three golf courses, a tennis club, a stable and a nature preserve inside one gate.
This guide covers things to do in Sea Pines, South Carolina, whether you are staying inside the gate or driving in for the day. Many Sea Pines Hilton Head activities are open to day visitors, who pay the gate fee at the entrance. Our in-depth pages come first below, then the rest of the things to do in Sea Pines, Hilton Head, SC. For the whole community, see the Sea Pines guide.
Our Sea Pines Guides
Harbour Town Lighthouse in Sea Pines: climbing the 114 steps, the museum inside, tickets, hours, the Sea Pines gate fee, and the story behind the tower.
Lawton Stables in Sea Pines: one-hour trail rides through the Forest Preserve, pony rides for small children, the animal farm, ages, weight limit and fees.
Sea Pines Forest Preserve on Hilton Head: 605 acres, trails, the Shell Ring, Fish Island, alligator tours, hours, parking, and the gate fee.
The Stoney Baynard Ruins in Sea Pines: tabby plantation house history, what remains, the address at 84 Baynard Park Drive, parking and the gate fee.
Six Oaks Cemetery in Sea Pines, Hilton Head SC: hours, address, the six live oaks it is named for, burial options and who to call.
South Beach Marina in Sea Pines, Hilton Head: the shops, restaurants, and racquet club at this waterfront neighborhood, plus the Sea Pines gate fee.
Sea Pines bike rentals: the resort bike shop, South Beach Bike Rentals (book online), delivery to your villa, the trail network and the e-bike ban.
Sea Pines Center shops, restaurants and services at 71 Lighthouse Road: a store directory, the Tuesday market, the trolley stop and the gate fee.
The free Sea Pines trolley: the 2026 schedule, the Blue, Green and Red routes and every stop, holiday service dates, rules and live tracking.
The Sea Pines Resort pool at Harbour Town and the South Beach pool: who can use each, hours, the snack bar, and why the Beach Club has no pool.
Sea Pines events for 2026: Gregg Russell concerts, the Shrimp Festival, Harbour Town Fall Fest, the Forest Preserve Bonfire and holiday shows.
The Sea Pines farmers market runs Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., March to November at the Shops at Sea Pines Center: produce, local makers, live music.
Sea Pines fitness center hours, who gets in free, day passes and memberships, classes and house rules, at the Shops at Sea Pines Center.
Le Spa is the Sea Pines spa: a day spa and salon at the Shops at Sea Pines Center for hair, nails, massage, facials and bridal. Hours and booking.
Planning a Sea Pines Resort wedding: the beach, the 18th at Harbour Town Golf Links, the Liberty Oak and ballrooms, plus catering and guest stays.
Baynard Park in Sea Pines is a private, residents-only park for the Baynard neighborhood. What it is, who can use it, and what visitors can see nearby.
The Sea Pines Beach Club on Hilton Head Island: hours, oceanfront dining, beach chair rentals, and the Sea Pines gate fee and parking rules to get there.
Harbour Town in Sea Pines is open to everyone. Pay the $10 gate fee, then climb the lighthouse, walk the marina, shop and eat around the yacht basin.
Sea Pines golf on Hilton Head: Harbour Town, Heron Point, Atlantic Dunes and Sea Pines Country Club, which are public, and how to book tee times.
23 Sea Pines restaurants across Harbour Town, South Beach, Sea Pines Center and the Beach Club, from waterfront seafood to cafés, with phone numbers.
Beaches and the Water
The main public way onto the sand is the Sea Pines Beach Club, with parking, restrooms, showers, a surf shop and oceanfront dining at Coast. At the southern tip, South Beach is quieter, with the marina, shops and the Salty Dog Cafe a short walk from the water. Boat tours and fishing charters leave from the Harbour Town Yacht Basin, and the resort runs paddling trips into the salt marsh and tidal creeks.
Nature, History and Horseback Rides
The Forest Preserve is 605 acres of trails, lagoons and boardwalk, and it holds a shell ring more than 4,000 years old. A few minutes away, the Stoney Baynard Ruins are the tabby walls of a plantation house built around 1800. It is a short stop, with no admission charge that we could find.
Lawton Stables, at 190 Greenwood Drive, runs guided one-hour trail rides through the preserve for riders aged 8 and up, plus pony rides for children 7 and under and a small animal farm. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, and rides book online or at 843-671-2586.
Sea Pines Music: Gregg Russell Under the Liberty Oak
Gregg Russell has played free, family sing-along concerts under the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town for decades. In 2026 the summer shows ran Monday through Thursday from May 27 to August 13, 8 to 9:30 p.m., with spring and Labor Day weekend dates around them. The two shows left this year are the day after Thanksgiving, November 27, and a Christmas show on December 23, both 7:30 to 9 p.m. The rest of the year’s calendar, from the Shrimp Festival to the Forest Preserve Bonfire, is on our Sea Pines events page.
The same lawn sits next to the Harbour Town Lighthouse, the shops and the marina, so a concert night usually starts with dinner at one of the Harbour Town restaurants. The rest of the district is in our Harbour Town guide.
Biking and the Trolley
Sea Pines has about 15 miles of paved leisure trails linking Harbour Town, the Beach Club, South Beach and the villas, and at low tide the beach itself is firm enough to ride. The resort’s bike shop, next to Plantation Golf Club, rents adult and kids’ bikes and can deliver them to your villa; islandwide rental companies deliver here too. Our guide to renting a bike in Sea Pines covers both shops inside the gate, and biking in Hilton Head Island covers the rest of the island.
The Sea Pines trolley is a free shuttle run by the Community Services Associates. In summer 2026 the Blue route (Harbour Town to the Beach Club), the Green route (Harbour Town to South Beach) and the evening Red route (Greenwood Drive to Harbour Town) ran from May 16 to September 7. The Red route runs again on November 27 and December 23, and all three on New Year’s Eve. Live locations are on seapinestrolley.com.
Golf and Tennis
The resort has three courses: Harbour Town Golf Links, home of the RBC Heritage, Heron Point by Pete Dye, and Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III. All three take public tee times.
The Sea Pines Racquet Club, at 5 Lighthouse Lane, has 20 clay tennis and pickleball courts, six of them for pickleball only, and it is home to the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy. Resort guests get court time included, and anyone else can book courts by the hour. South Beach Racquet Club, the other club inside the gate, is in Sea Pines tennis. For more courts around the island, see tennis and pickleball in Hilton Head Island.
Sea Pines Resort Activities for Kids and Families
The resort’s recreation department runs a list of small, bookable activities. A wagon ride through the Forest Preserve leaves from Heritage Farm on Mondays and Wednesdays ($25 per adult, $20 per child, ; under-13s ride with an adult). Crafts to Go at the fitness center, 71 Lighthouse Road, runs 1 to 3 p.m. daily, with stuffed animals, birdhouses and ceramics to make. The department also rents lawn games and posts a self-guided geocaching hunt. Call 843-842-1979 for any of them.
At the Shops at Sea Pines Center, the Farmers & Makers Market sets up on the Plaza every Tuesday from March through November, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with produce, local makers and live music. Sea Pines Pottery, a paint-your-own studio, is in the same center.
What to Do in Sea Pines Hilton Head as a Day Visitor
Sea Pines is gated, but it is not closed. Visitors pay a gate fee of $10 per day for a standard vehicle ; property owners, resort guests and anyone with a Sea Pines rental reservation don’t pay it. Some merchants at the Shops at Sea Pines Center say they refund the fee when you shop with them, so ask before you count on it.
For a first day, a good order is the Beach Club in the morning, the Forest Preserve or a bike ride after lunch, and Harbour Town for sunset and dinner. For ideas beyond the gate, see things to do in Hilton Head Island.
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated
Can you visit Sea Pines if you are not staying there?
Yes. Day visitors pay a gate fee, $10 per day for a standard vehicle. Property owners, resort guests and renters with a Sea Pines reservation do not pay it.
Are the Gregg Russell concerts in Harbour Town free?
Yes. The concerts under the Liberty Oak are free and family-friendly. You still pay the Sea Pines gate fee if you are driving in for the evening.
Is there free transportation inside Sea Pines?
Yes. The Sea Pines trolley is free. In summer its routes connect Harbour Town with the Beach Club, South Beach and Greenwood Drive, and the evening Red route also runs on a few holiday nights.
What is there to do in Sea Pines with kids?
Gregg Russell’s summer sing-alongs, pony rides and the animal farm at Lawton Stables, the Forest Preserve wagon ride, Crafts to Go, the Harbour Town Lighthouse, and the beach at the Beach Club or South Beach.
When is the Sea Pines farmers market?
The Farmers & Makers Market runs every Tuesday from March through November, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the Plaza at the Shops at Sea Pines Center.
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