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Hilton Head Island Definitions

 

Hilton Head Island has always been a unique vacation destination.  From the Carolina Beach Cottages dotting the Forest Beach and Folly Beach areas to the Sea Pines Plantation model and following gated resort -residential communities and outlying Island wide vacation spots, the Islands transition from a sparsely populated unknown to a bustling year round resort has promoted the growth of a unique vacation jargon. To help in understanding this vacation lingo we have prepared a glossary of Hilton Head Island definitions. If we have missed some, just let us know

 

Plantation: coined by Sea Pines Company when developing the Sea Pines Resort. It can stand for a gated community e.g. Wexford, Long Cove, Hilton Head Plantation and Port Royal. During the 1800s there were numerous traditional meaning plantations working the Island

 

278: the main road leading from the bridge to Sea Pines Circle, see William Hilton Parkway

 

William Hilton Parkway: the business section of highway 278. Runs from the Sea Pines Circle to the bridge


Beachwalk: the path leading to the beach, also a Shipyard villa complex

 

Beach Buggy on Demand: Palmetto Dunes free transportation system for its guests

 

Beachside: on the beachside of a street, see Oceanside

 

Beach view: able to see the beach, some oceanfront units do not have a beach view

 

Beach oriented: within walking distance to the beach, see ocean oriented

 

Beach markers: numbered signs to indicate beach location and ingress egress points

 

Blue Lady: Spirit that lingers in Deer Island CQs area

 

Barmuda Triangle: area around Park and Office Park Plaza that has numerous clubs and bars

 

Bungalow: older term used during Sea Pines development for beach vacation units

 

Circle: a roundabout, vehicles must travel counterclockwise. Three main circles are Sea Pines, Coligny, and Fraser

 

Coligny: the general area around the circle at the junction of Pope Avenue and Forest Beach Drive 2. Shopping center, closest to a down town area

 

Cross Island:  the Cross Island Expressway. It is a toll road connecting the Island's north end with the south end.

 

Cul de sac: a dead end street with a turn-a-about at the end

 

Charles: Charles Fraser , the Sea Pines founder preferred to be addressed simply as Charles

 

Carolina Cottage: a beach home style popular style in the fifties and sixties, initially built in the beach areas of Folly Field and Forest Beach. Most have been razed to make room for the mini hotels

 

Condo: vacation unit in a muti floor building, some are multi level units, often synonymous with villa

 

Dunes House: Beach club for Palmetto Dunes residents and guests.

 

Forest Preserve: 605 acre nature preserve in the middle of the Sea Pines Resort

 

Folly: a tidal inlet that cuts the beach - the island's main folly separates the Folly Beach - Burks Beach from Singleton Beach

 

Finger Streets; cul de sacs off a T street

 

Gold Coast: the Sea Pines beach area just south of the beach club fronts East Beach and South Beach lagoon roads

 

Gullah: a dialect spoken by indigenous Islanders, it is a combination of Spanish, English, and Afrikanese, melodic language.

 

Heritage: old name for the Harbourtown Golf Links and the Sea Pines golf tournament

 

Hilton Head Beach: general beach area from the Port Royal Sound to the Calibogue sound

 

HHBT: abbreviation for Hilton Head Beach and tennis Resort

 

Leamington: south side development in Palmetto Dunes on the former lands of Leamington Plantation


Lagoon: shallow body of water usually connected to a larger body 2. pond

 

Lighthouse: Sea Pines candy striped lighthouse, Leamington

 

Liberty Oak: massive old oak at the Harbourtown Marina symbolic of the original Sea Pines company's dedication to tree preservation. The resting place for Charles Fraser. Greeg Russel holds his nightly concerts underneath its branches

 

Loggerhead: sea turtle that nests each spring on the Hilton head Island beaches

 

Mariners Side: the north side of Palmetto Dunes, mainly comprised of  year round residences and vacation rental homes

 

Marsh: low land area normally below sea level and influenced by the tides (tidal marsh)

 

Marsh Tacky: small horse indigenous to the area, initially used as a farm work horse

 

Mitchelville: first freedmans town located at the end of Beach City Road
 

Mermaid money: local term for sand dollars

 

Mile markers: small numbered signs on William Hilton Parkway, designed to indicate the distance from the Sea Pines Circle to the bridge and vise versa

 

Mini hotels: the large hoes that have replaced the beach cottages

 

Oceanfront: nothing between it and the beach. A vacation villa complex can be oceanfront and yet its individual units may not have a view of the ocean
 

Oceanfront view: a direct 180 degree view of the beach and water .

 

Ocean view: you can see the ocean from it
 

Oceanside: unit is on the beachside of the primary beach road

 

Ocean oriented: unit is within a ten minute walk to the beach

 

Pathway system: Island's paved area that goes around the Island, used by bikers, walkers runners etc.

 

Outlet Malls: shopping centers off island in Bluffton

 

Paddle Lot: shape description of some oceanfront lots.. In order to maximize the number of oceanfront house lots, Sea Pines shaped them like alternating canoe paddles. The first lot would be skinny at the road with the home on the fatter beach end while the neighboring lot would have the home at the fatter street side with the skinny end beachside.

 

PD: Abbreviation for Palmetto Dunes

 

Rows: used to indicate how far a home is from the beach, e.g. a second row home is one house from the beach, not to be confused with blocks
 

Sea Oats: natural vegetation important for erosion control on the sand dunes

 

Shelter Cove: The name of the Palmetto Dunes area on the west side of William Hilton Parkway, comprises Shelter Cove Plaza, Shelter Cove Mall, and best known Shelter Cove Marina

 

Shell ring: mounds of oyster shells and other sea shels, covered with earth, Native Indians would construct their homes on top of these circular mounds

 

Sweep Out style: a home design where the main living area is on the second floor also called an upside down home


Salty Dog: out door café and bar at the South Beach Marina Village

 

Sea Pines Beach: Beach area from the Sea Pines entrance at Canvasback to the tip of Lands End often broken into three parts

 

North Beach: Sea Pines beach area from Canvasback to the beach club

 

Middle Beach: Sea Pines beach area from the Sea Pines Beach Club to Bald Eagle


South Beach: Sea Pines beach from Bald Eagle to the end

 

Stack a Shack: derogative name given in the 80s to the developments done by Columbia Management Company

 

T streets: streets that branch off the main road and make a T at the beach (see finger streets) Sea Pines was one of the first beach communities to utilize this method rather than using parallel streets.

 

Tabby: mixture of lime, sand, crushed shells, and water, used as a cement material to build the walls and foundations of early homes of the 18th and 19th centuries

 

Townhome: often two words town home, a two floor or more vacation unit with no unit above it
 

Turtle Lane Beach Club: older name for the present Sea Pines Beach Club

 

Upside down vacation home: see sweep out, designed to maximize views and to protect if there were to be a storm surge.

 

Villa: vacation property usually single level, with no units above it. Often synonymous with townhome and condo

 

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The information provided, though deemed accurate, is not guaranteed, it is subject to errors, omissions, change of price, or withdrawal without notice.


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