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| Forest Beach is a beach community on Hilton Head Island,
comprised of South Forest Beach and North Forest Beach. It is often
referred to as the “unofficial downtown district” of
Hilton Head Island. It is one of Hilton Head’s original beach
communities. Forest Beach stretches a 3 mile distance of pristine
South Carolina beach, between Shipyard and Sea Pines. It is marked
by two roads, South Forest Beach road and North Forest Beach road
that meet together with Pope Avenue and Coligny Circle. It offers
beautiful landscapes, excellent views of the ocean, and an exciting
experience for any Hilton Head vacation. It is home to some of the
Island’s largest and most luxurious vacation houses. Much
like the rest of Hilton Head Island, tropical landscaping and the
natural beauty of the Island make it a wonderful and beautiful place
to spend your vacation relaxing, playing on the beach, shopping,
or anything else your heart desires. Unlike Sea Pines and Palmetto
Dunes, Forest Beach is not a gated community. It is a welcoming
beach community offering miles of sandy beaches and fun for all
ages. |
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Accommodations
Our Forest Beach rental accommodations are sure to please both you and
your family on your Hilton Head Island vacation. All of our Forest Beach
rental homes and villas are either on the ocean or a short walk to it.
Most of our vacation rentals feature high-speed internet access and
luxurious furnishings. All of our rental homes include private pools
for your enjoyment. View our oceanfront
rental properties and our Oceanside
Forest Beach rentals. Our Forest Beach rentals range from two to
seven bedrooms. Spend your family vacation in a private rental property,
instead of trying to cram into multiple hotel rooms. Come experience
Forest Beach and Hilton Head Island, we at Destination Vacation would
love to have you as guests!
Forest Beach Activities
A vacation at Forest Beach is sure to entertain every sort of vacationer. Its location on Hilton Head Island means that it is close to every vacation activity you and your family could to take part in. Forest Beach specifically is a center of activity on the Island. Coligny Plaza offers shopping, dining, and service experiences you will find nowhere else on Hilton Head Island. It takes its name from Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, a French Admiral who sponsored two Huguenot expeditions to the New World in 1500. The first of these expeditions explored Hilton Head Island and the surrounding areas. For over 40 years, it has been the shopping center of the Island.
The plaza surrounds a duck pond, where visitors can view wildlife indigenous to the Island. It features over 50 specialty shops and restaurants that provide unique products, services, and experiences. The internet café can provide entertainment for tech-savvy individuals. Summer nights feature free live entertainment, ranging from concerts to magic shows. A main feature of Coligny Plaza is the Coligny Theater. Originally named The Island Theater, it opened in 1972 and was for many years the only theater on the Island. Eventually, as more people turned to home entertainment devices and business for theatres everywhere declined- especially single screen theaters like Coligny- the theater closed its doors in 1997. In 2001, the owners of Coligny Plaza decided that Forest Beach was in need of a theater, and renovated and reopened it as the Coligny Theatre.
They put its focus on art films, showing features
from independent producers and targeting an upscale adult audience.
The theatre also features a free family movie every Saturday morning
at 11 AM. Coligny Plaza’s location makes for a great shopping
experience and advertises itself as being exactly 73 steps from
the beach. The Wacky Bear Factory lets kids of all ages (adults
too) create their own customized plush animal. Numerous clothes
and accessory stores can keep you up to date on all the latest fashions.
Tail Waggers provides delectable treats for pets. The plaza also
has much to offer in the way of human cuisine. It features many
eateries, some unique and some familiar. Just Pasta provides exactly
what the name implies- delicious Italian food. The Island Fudge
shop has many delicious chocolate treats for you and your family.
Rita’s Italian Ice offers the same exquisite treats that the
brand name has come to be associated with. Coligny Circle and Pope
Avenue also feature boutiques, restaurants, and factory outlets
from excellent establishments such as New York City Pizza. |
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The Forest Beach area also has a 24-hour grocery store. The beaches
in Forest Beach are considered to be some of the best beaches on Hilton
Head Island. The Town of Hilton Head and the community association of
Forest Beach maintain many public beaches along Hilton Head Island.
One of these is Coligny Beach Park, in South Forest Beach. Parking is
free, and here you can rent everything you need to make your beach-going
experience great- beach chair rentals, umbrella rentals, and much more.
Down the street from Coligny Beach Park is a small water slide park.
For the tennis enthusiast, the Van De Meer Tennis Center offers lessons, workshops, and summer camps designed to hone your tennis skills. Van De Meer offers boarding tennis camps for youths aged 12-18, and daily classes for all others. For golf lovers, Hilton Head Island’s many golf courses are only a short drive away from Forest Beach.
Outside Hilton Head, a company that provides outdoor adventures is also a short drive away. This company offers kayak tours, boating excursions, kid’s activities, and more to help visitors appreciate the natural beauty of Hilton Head Island. Hilton Head Island features over 45 miles of publicly available nature and bike trails. Bike rentals are readily available on the Island, and we recommend Peddling Pelican.
Interesting Facts:
- North Forest Beach is nicknamed “the bird streets”, due to the fact that the streets in North Forest Beach are named for different kinds of birds
- Forest Beach was split in two when Charles Fraser left the Hilton Head Company in 1956
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