40 Folly Field Road, explained
The address you keep hitting when you search this end of the island. It is a resort, a convention center, and the only cluster of restaurants for a mile.
The short answer
40 Folly Field Road is the Hilton Head Island Beach & Tennis Resort, which also houses the Convention Center of Hilton Head Island.
If you have been researching this end of the island, that address has come up repeatedly and probably without explanation. It is worth knowing even if you are not staying there, because the restaurants and bars on the site are open to the public and they are the closest food to every house on this end of Folly Field Road.
We wrote this because we own a house three blocks away and this is the answer we give guests most often.
On the site
What is actually there
| Hilton Head Island Beach & Tennis Resort | Oceanfront resort on the Folly Field stretch, with its own beach access, tennis courts and pools |
|---|---|
| Convention Center of Hilton Head Island | The island's convention and event space. The reason a share of north-end visitors are here for a conference rather than a holiday |
| CocoNutz Sportz Bar | Sports bar with a long covered deck over the lagoon. Open to the public |
| Gator'z Pizza & Wingz | Pizza by the slice or the pie, wings, casual. Open to the public |
| Jamaica Joe'z | Oceanfront beach bar behind the dune line. Open to the public |
| Beach access | Resort access on site. Folly Field Beach Park, the public access with a metered lot, is a short distance along the same road |
Eating and drinking
The three places
CocoNutz Sportz Bar
Games on every screen, a full menu, and a long covered deck running along the lagoon with ceiling fans and a fountain in front of it. In practice it is the default when a group of twenty cannot agree on anything, because it seats everyone and there is something for all ages.
The deck is the reason to go. It is shaded, it catches the breeze off the water, and it usually has a table when everywhere else on the island does not.
Gator'z Pizza & Wingz
Slices, whole pies and wings, in the same building. This is the answer to feeding a house full of children who have been in the sun since nine in the morning and have stopped being reasonable. You can carry it back to the house, which is often the better plan.
Jamaica Joe'z
The oceanfront bar, tucked behind the dune line with a hand-painted mural, a tin roof and no pretensions at all. Sand on your feet, a drink in your hand, and no drive home if you are staying nearby. It is seasonal and the hours move, so check before you walk down.
The real question
Stay at the resort, or in a house nearby?
Both put you on the same stretch of sand. They are different holidays.
| The resort | A house on this end | |
|---|---|---|
| Beach | On site, behind the dunes | A short walk or golf cart ride |
| Food | Downstairs | Cook, or walk to the same places |
| Space | Rooms and villas | Whole houses, some sleeping 20+ |
| Pool | Shared, with other guests | Often private, occasionally heated |
| Groups | Several rooms, split up | Everyone under one roof |
| Best for | Couples, short stays, conferences | Families, large groups, weeks |
The honest split: if you are two people here for three nights, or you are on the island for something at the Convention Center, the resort is simpler and you can eat downstairs. If you are a family or a group, the houses on the streets off Folly Field Road give you more room for less money, and the same beach.
More on how this end compares with the rest of the island on the where to stay page.
Nearby
What else is within reach
This end of the island is thin on commerce by design, which is the trade you make for the quiet. Beyond 40 Folly Field Road, the useful things are a short drive or golf cart ride up William Hilton Parkway.
| Folly Field Beach Park | Public access, boardwalk, 51 metered spaces plus 3 ADA, seasonal lifeguards and matting |
|---|---|
| Burkes Beach | The quietest public access on the island, a short ride away |
| Barnacle Bill's | Fresh seafood market with a food truck park attached, plus District 10 Coffee |
| Adventure Cove | Two mini golf courses and an arcade. The rainy day answer |
| Every public beach access | Four of the island's seven sit within a golf cart ride of this road |
Straight answers
Common questions
What is at 40 Folly Field Road?
The Hilton Head Island Beach & Tennis Resort and the Convention Center of Hilton Head Island, plus CocoNutz Sportz Bar, Gator'z Pizza & Wingz and the oceanfront Jamaica Joe'z.
Can I eat there if I am not a guest?
Yes. All three are open to the public.
Is it on the beach?
Yes, directly behind the dune line on the Folly Field stretch, with its own access.
Is there a convention center on Hilton Head?
Yes, and this is it. It is on the same site as the resort.
Can I walk there from the houses on Folly Field Road?
From most of the gated neighbourhoods on this end, yes, or it is a two-minute golf cart ride.
Is there anywhere else to eat nearby?
Barnacle Bill's seafood market and food truck park, and District 10 Coffee, a short way up William Hilton Parkway. That is close to the full list on this end.
Three blocks from here
122 Sandcastle Court
Six bedrooms, sleeps 22, heated private pool, elevator, lagoon-front inside the gates at Sandcastles by the Sea.
If you have read this far because you are working out where to put a group on this end of the island, our house is a short walk from everything on this page and three blocks from the Folly Field boardwalk.
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