What are Forest Beach and Coligny?
Forest Beach is the oceanfront neighborhood along North and South Forest Beach Drive on the south end of Hilton Head Island. Coligny is its busy heart: the traffic circle at the end of Pope Avenue, Coligny Beach Park on the sand, and Coligny Plaza right across from it.
It's the part of the island most first-time visitors picture: wide, flat beach, bikes everywhere, ice cream within reach, and no gate to drive through. For guests, the big win is simple. You can park the car when you arrive and do most of your vacation on foot or by bike.
Coligny Beach Park and beach access
Coligny Beach Park, at 1 Coligny Circle, is the Town of Hilton Head Island's most popular oceanfront park, and it opens onto miles of public beach. The Town lists it as open daily from 6 am to 10 pm, with:
- Restrooms and outdoor showers to rinse off the sand
- Beach matting over the sand for strollers, wagons and wheelchairs
- Free beach wheelchairs (three at Coligny), reserved through the Town's website with a $25 refundable deposit
- Seasonal lifeguards and beach rentals
- Public art and Wi-Fi
You don't have to use the park to reach the water. South Forest Beach Drive has its own public beach paths, and the beach is open to everyone. Seaside Escape guests have three beach entrances close by.
Coligny Plaza: shopping, dining and groceries
Coligny Plaza has been around since 1955 and calls itself "Hilton Head's Downtown." It's a low-key, open-air collection of more than 60 shops and restaurants right across from the beach, with live entertainment on many in-season evenings. Plaza hours are 10 am to 8 pm April through October and 10 am to 6 pm November through March; individual shops and restaurants set their own hours.
A few places guests use most, all listed on the plaza's own directory:
- Piggly Wiggly: the grocery store for stocking the condo, run by the Martin family since 1969 and open 7:45 am to 8 pm every day.
- Breakfast and coffee: Skillets Cafe & Grill, Sweet Al's Cafe and Carolina Coffee & Crumbs.
- Lunch and dinner: Big Bamboo, FISH Casual Coastal Seafood, Slowcountry BBQ & Grill, Frosty Frog Cafe, Gringo's Diner and Earle of Sandwich.
- Treats: Coligny Ice Cream Cone, Island Fudge Shoppe, Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen Moo.
- Rainy-day browsing: Hilton Head Toys, The Shell Shop, Christmas Mouse, The Spice and Tea Exchange and a long row of beachwear boutiques.
- Bikes: Billy's Beach Club / Bikes & Things.
Looking for more? Our island guide has restaurants, nature spots and golf around the rest of Hilton Head.
Getting around
Walking and biking. Forest Beach is flat and compact, so most guests walk to the beach and the plaza. Coligny Plaza has a bike shop (Billy's Beach Club / Bikes & Things), and seasonal rental stands set up near the beach.
Parking at the beach. If you do drive, Coligny Beach Park is the one Town beach park where visitor parking is free; the main lot is at 102 Pope Avenue. At the Town's other beach parks, visitors pay $3 an hour on weekdays and $5 an hour on weekends from 7 am to 5 pm during peak season (March 1 through early September), by phone app only. Park only in marked spaces; cars outside them can be towed. In summer the Town has also run a free weekend shuttle to Coligny from overflow parking at the USCB Hospitality Campus on Sandshark Drive.
The Breeze Trolley. The fare-free Breeze Trolley's South Island route runs between Shelter Cove and Coligny Beach Park (Stop 10). In 2026 it ran April 11 through Labor Day, 1 pm to 10 pm daily and until 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, about every 30 minutes. Track it live at trackthebreeze.com (Route 505).
Beach rules and tips
Hilton Head keeps its beaches beautiful with a few Town rules guests ask about most:
- No alcohol and no glass on the beach, dunes or in the water.
- Dogs have seasonal daytime restrictions on the beach — check current Town hours before you go.
- Keep lights turtle-friendly in nesting season: after 10 pm, turn off or shield lights visible from the beach and close the blinds.
See the full Town of Hilton Head Island beach regulations.
