The incomparable location we enjoy here in Swallowtail at Sea Pines gives us a front-row seat for a scene that was designed to be the gentle and fascinating heartbeat of Sea Pines. The word is out: This is a place where interesting things happen.

The Shops at Sea Pines Center, directly across Lighthouse Road from Swallowtail, not only offers a relaxed, yet upscale shopping experience, but also gives Swallowtail the convenience of things that make your week go smoothly. More time relaxing and less time with errands appears to be the mission. What other resort shopping experience was designed to include a gas station, a bank, and a post office?

Where People Gather with Pleasure

The plaza embraced by The Shops at Sea Pines Center is a lovely oasis where Sea Pines residents and visitors in the know gather to find out what’s going on, what’s especially fun this week, what we might want to join in enjoying. People pass the word here in the easy ambiance of a palm-shaded place where interesting people gather. It’s been said of Sea Pines that people who could go anywhere choose to come here.

Each Tuesday from spring through fall, the Farmers & Makers Market in The Shops at Sea Pines Center celebrates the abundance of local produce, seafood, and crafts. Like all established farmers markets, this one has become the backdrop for community knowledge, where people share those tips that make life – or a vacation – just a little easier and more fun.

And for more than a year now, the First Thursdays Art Market has succeeded in giving folks a uniquely casual way to peruse the works of island artists in the atmosphere of local musicians and singer-songwriters as the evening draws on – what many consider to be the most beautiful time of day in the outdoor plaza of The Shops at Sea Pines Center. Some folks said they looked forward to First Thursdays as their only public outing during pandemic precautions.

Magnetic Attraction

One result of this growing reputation as a gathering place is that the Hilton Head Wine & Food Festival chose the plaza of The Shops – across the street from Swallowtail at Sea Pines – to be the location of their Sip and Stroll event, a casual evening of wine tasting that serves as prelude to the festival’s weekend events. For the Wine & Food Festival – now in its 36th year – to select The Shops at Sea Pines Center for this event is surely a signal that the word is out. This is indeed where interesting things happen.

Founder Charles Frasers’ vision puts us in the middle of the original Hilton Head Island dream of a world-class resort, nestled harmoniously in nature. We’ve been living up to that dream for generations. The favored location of Swallowtail pays off in so many ways, and one way is how handy it makes the lovely spot where so many interesting things happen.