Know the neighborhood before you know the house.
Every community in the Lowcountry has its own character — a gated resort reads nothing like a historic river town or an active-adult village. These guides lay out the setting, amenities, home styles, and HOA structure for each, so a certified Palmetto Key home always comes with the context around it.
Hilton Head Island
6 guidesSea Pines
Gated master-planned resort community
Hilton Head's original planned community — the lighthouse, the live oaks, and 5,000 acres of it.
Palmetto Dunes
Oceanfront resort community
Three miles of beach, three championship courses, and the island's largest lagoon system.
Hilton Head Plantation
Gated residential community
The island's quiet giant — 4,000 wooded acres on the north end, wrapped on three sides by water.
Shipyard
Gated golf-and-tennis resort community
27 holes of golf, a nationally known tennis academy, and a private beach club — gated in the heart of the island.
Wexford
Private gated golf-and-harbour community
The island's lock-controlled yacht harbour — a tidal lock holds the water constant, so residents' boats float on any tide.
Long Cove Club
Private member-owned golf-and-marina community
A tightly-held Pete Dye course and a deep-water marina — a private, owner-occupant community.
Bluffton
8 guidesOld Town Bluffton
Historic riverfront district
A one-square-mile historic district on the May River — galleries, oaks, and an oyster-town soul.
Sun City Hilton Head
Active-adult (55+) master-planned community
The Lowcountry's largest active-adult community — golf, pickleball, and amenity campuses at scale.
Palmetto Bluff
Gated master-planned riverfront community
20,000 conservation-minded acres on the May River — the Lowcountry at its most deliberate.
Berkeley Hall
Private gated golf-club community
Two Tom Fazio courses and an 88,000-square-foot clubhouse along the Okatie River.
Hampton Lake
Gated master-planned lake community
Bluffton's award-winning lake community — a 227-acre freshwater lake, a low-horsepower boat fleet, and a resort amenity village where golf usually goes.
Colleton River
Private gated equity golf-club community
A Nicklaus course and a Dye course on a Port Royal Sound peninsula — the top of the Lowcountry club market.
Belfair
Private gated equity golf-club community
Two Tom Fazio courses behind a grand oak allée — Belfair's walled, member-owned Lowcountry village.
Moss Creek
Gated golf-and-marina community
Just over the Hilton Head bridge — two Devils Elbow courses, a deep-water marina, and a member-owned Lowcountry feel.
Beaufort & the Sea Islands
3 guidesHabersham
Walkable New Urbanist riverside community
A New Urbanist town on the Broad River outside Beaufort — front porches, a walkable Marketplace, and dinner a short stroll from home.
Fripp Island
Private oceanfront barrier-island resort community
A private barrier island at Beaufort's edge — miles of Atlantic beach, two golf courses, and deer on the dunes.
Dataw Island
Gated island club community
A gated Sea Island club minutes from downtown Beaufort — two golf courses, a marina, and the tabby ruins of the old Sams plantation.
Okatie & Hardeeville
3 guidesLatitude Margaritaville Hilton Head
Active-adult (55+) master-planned community
Minto's Margaritaville take on active-adult living — a bandshell town square, resort pools, and brand-new single-level homes.
Oldfield
Private gated Lowcountry river-and-golf club community
860 acres along the Okatie River — a Greg Norman course, an equestrian center, and a river outfitter, held quietly private.
Hilton Head Lakes
Gated golf-and-lake community
The quiet, mainland side of the coast — a gated golf-and-lake community in Hardeeville, at a more attainable price than the islands.
More of the Lowcountry, community by community.
We're writing guides for every community we certify homes in. Here's what's coming — grouped by area. Want yours prioritized? Tell us where you work.
Hilton Head Island
- Sea Pines Published
- Palmetto Dunes Published
- Hilton Head Plantation Published
- Shipyard Published
- Wexford Published
- Long Cove Club Published
- Palmetto Hall
- Indigo Run
- Port Royal
- Spanish Wells
Bluffton
Beaufort & the Sea Islands
- Habersham Published
- Fripp Island Published
- Dataw Island Published
- Cat Island
- Lady's Island
- Historic Beaufort
Daufuskie Island
- Haig Point Published
- Melrose
Okatie & Hardeeville
Selling in one of these communities?
Get the home Palmetto Key certified and it earns a place in its community guide — in front of buyers who are already reading up on exactly where they want to live.