The Beauty of Hilton Head, South Carolina
The Beauty of Hilton Head, South Carolina
Being a South Carolinian, and having frequented Hilton Head Island, I am familiar with the intense commercialization that has engulfed the seaboard-city in the closing half of the twentieth century. You can’t blame the city for capitalizing on its advantageous geographic location aside the Atlantic Ocean, but many cities tend to lose their quaintness and familiarity as they tip-toe along the line between attraction and hedonism. Hedonism is the exact word that Lisle Mitchell threw around so loosely, like a drunken sailor throws around obscenities, in his article, “Is Hilton Head Island a Hedonist’s Haunt or Hermitage or Hospice?” Mitchell’s work is a straightforward inquisition of modern America’s insatiable appetite for sensual pleasure using Hilton Head Island, South Carolina as a prime example.
I have mixed emotions about Mitchell’s article. I spent a week in Hilton Head this summer and agree with Mitchell when he characterizes the island as somewhat of a hermitage for the privileged class or classes. The residential areas of the seaside-city are predominantly cloistered behind various barriers like protected fences and guard-gates. Moreover, the private residences greatly resemble segregated, solitary upper class communities where the wealthy can separate themselves from the rest of the island. However, when He attempts to depict Hilton Head as an all-out hedonist’s hospice, I only partly agree. Yes, I agree that the island is somewhat of a sanctuary for many migrant travelers, but for the most part it successfully intimidates away many vacationers with its upstanding refinement and high societal atmosphere. From my visits it seemed the majority of the population when I was present consisted of Hilton Head residents, businessmen attending conventions, and those who owned a home there, and spent time there in large intervals. In other words, its no Myrtle Beach, and you’re not gonna run into the Clampett family from Scranton, Arkansas, who brought the camper down for some hard drinkin’ and easy eatin’.
One thing that Hilton Head definitely is, is a hedonist’s haunt. The island is practically a playground for the well-off, and is overflowing with up-scale golf courses and boat marinas to interest even the most selective of the wealthy class. The city is also very conducive to many other high-class activities for the financially prosperous like, walking, jogging, and looking at things.
The only real mistake that...