Shelter Cove Park, Hilton Head

Shelter Cove Community Park, Hilton Head, is the green space in the middle of the Shelter Cove district: just over three and a half acres between the shops of the Towne Centre and the marsh of Broad Creek. The Town of Hilton Head Island and the centre’s developers built it together, and it opened on April 1, 2015. A fountain marks the way in from Shelter Cove Lane, and from there paths lead past the lawn and the pavilion to a promenade and observation deck over the water.

People come for different things at different hours. Early in the morning it is parents with toddlers at the playground and walkers on the paths; later, families who picnic here and eat at the Towne Centre’s restaurants; and in the evening, people who come for the sunset over the marsh, when water birds fly over on their way to roost. On summer nights the lawn fills for music, films and the Tuesday fireworks.

The Shelter Cove Community Park playground is the reason many families find the park. It is aimed at younger children: a wooden play structure with towers and slides, baby and regular swings, and a soft surface that is part artificial turf and part wood chips. Shade sails cover some of it, a fence runs around part of it but not all the way, and there are benches for parents with the restrooms and water fountains a few steps away.

Families who review it on Google like that it is clean and well kept and that it gets busy early, with toddlers already there by 8 a.m. One parent of a child with a physical disability notes that the turf part is flat and that the two toddler swings sit over it rather than over the wood chips. It makes a good stop on a bike ride or between errands, and our Hilton Head playgrounds guide lists the island’s others.

A path along Broad Creek links the park to the island’s Veterans Memorial at 59 Shelter Cove Lane. Its centre is four angled granite columns on a curved base around a flagpole that flies the U.S. flag and the POW/MIA flag. Finished by Veterans Day 2005, it was dedicated on Memorial Day 2006, and the island’s Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies are held here every year. Around it are a walking trail, benches, public art, including a bronze of a seated veteran on an inscribed granite bench, and an observation deck over the marsh.

The paths are laid with hundreds of memorial bricks, each bearing the name of someone who served. They are numbered in order, starting with No. 1 nearest the memorial, and the Town keeps a searchable list on its website, so you can find a name before you go. The Hilton Head Military Veterans Coalition runs the brick program with the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. The memorial keeps the park’s hours and has its own small parking area at its entrance. Visitors describe it as quiet and beautifully kept, and a good place to watch the sun go down.

In summer the pavilion stage and the lawn in front of it host three free evenings a week, from June into August:

• Tuesdays, Summer Jams (June and July, 6 to 9:30 p.m.): the Island Recreation Center’s night, with a DJ, bounce houses and face painting for a small fee, and the harbour’s fireworks over the water at about 9.

• Thursdays, movie nights (June to August): a free family film on the lawn, rain or shine, and pets are welcome.

• Fridays, Sunset Celebrations (June to August, 7 to 10 p.m.): local bands on the pavilion stage, put on by the Towne Centre’s merchants.

Bring beach chairs or a blanket, and pick up take-out from the Towne Centre’s restaurants or Kroger on the way in. The Tuesday fireworks are HarbourFest’s, set off over the harbour, and the Summer Jams crowd watches them from the lawn; our Hilton Head fireworks guide has the others, and the Hilton Head music guide the island’s other stages. The park also holds festivals and community events outside the summer, and on Saturday mornings from February to December it hosts the Hilton Head Community Market.

The Shelter Cove sculpture trail opened in May 2023. It runs from the park past the Veterans Memorial to a trailhead car park at 87 Shelter Cove Lane, on paths and boardwalk along the edge of the marsh and over a timber footbridge. Sculptures stand along the way, most of them about the island’s wildlife and landscape. Some are permanent; the temporary ones are replaced every 12 to 18 months, so there is often something new to see.

Signs along the trail explain the history and ecology of Broad Creek. It is an easy walk on a paved path, suitable for all ages, and our Hilton Head biking guide covers the island’s path network for anyone arriving by bike.

The park is off William Hilton Parkway, behind Shelter Cove Towne Centre; turn in at Shelter Cove Lane and follow it round to the fountain. Parking is free, there are bike racks by the pavilion, and the restrooms and public Wi-Fi are free too. The Town opens the park from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and closes it at 6 p.m. from the end of daylight saving time until spring. There is no gate and no entry fee, and Shelter Cove itself has no gate either.

The picnic pavilion and its lawn can be rented for parties and events. The Island Recreation Center takes the bookings, online or on (843) 681-7273; the playground stays open to everyone. For somewhere to stay within walking distance, see our Hilton Head vacation rentals guide.