At 92 Folly Field Road, the raised crosswalk built during the park's first round of upgrades now leads to a temporary mulch walkway along the north edge of a closed construction site. That's how you reach the beach at Islanders Beach Park through next spring. The park, its restrooms, the playground and the parking lot closed on September 8, 2026, and the Town of Hilton Head Island expects the work to finish on May 31, 2027, with the park reopening June 1.
The Island Packet noted that Islanders is the only public beach on Hilton Head with parking reserved for residents. Most of the nine-month closure falls in the stretch of the Town's beach calendar when residents give up almost nothing. It starts to bite in a narrow spring window, which opens the day after the resident parking permit renewal deadline.
What the Permit Does for You Between Now and March 1
The resident beach parking permit is free, and its main benefit is skipping the meters at Town beach lots. The Town enforces beach parking fees only from March 1 through September 7, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., at $3 an hour on weekdays and $5 an hour on weekends. The closure began the day after that season ended.
So from now through the end of February, a parked car at Driessen or Folly Field costs nothing whether or not it has a permit. During the closure the Town has also set aside 139 spaces at Driessen Beach Park and 26 at Folly Field Beach Park for permit holders, and permit holders can park cars or golf carts free in any open space at any Town beach park.
The rest of the off-season works in residents' favor too. From October through March, the Town's animals on the beach rules let dogs on the sand at any hour, on a leash or under voice control. Owners still have to pick up after them and keep them away from wildlife. The Town's official beach season, when lifeguards are posted at designated swim areas, runs April 1 through September 30.
The Closure Calendar, Season by Season
Lay the Town's rules over the construction schedule and the closure breaks into four stretches. Construction is scheduled to wrap up on May 31, which is Memorial Day 2027. Daytime dog rules tighten the Friday before, May 28, and the Town expects the park to reopen June 1.
| Period | Islanders Beach Park | Meters at Town beach lots | Dogs on the beach | Lifeguards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 8, 2026 to Feb. 28, 2027 | Closed; mulch path on north side | Not enforced | Any time from October, leash or voice control | Off season from Oct. 1 |
| March 1 to March 31, 2027 | Closed | Enforced 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Any time, leash or voice control | Off season |
| April 1 to May 27, 2027 | Closed | Enforced 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Leashed 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; leash or voice control otherwise | Season begins April 1 |
| May 28 to May 31, 2027 | Closed; construction scheduled to finish May 31 | Enforced | Not allowed 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | On duty |
Only March, April and May combine paid parking with Islanders still closed, so that's when the reserved spaces at Driessen and Folly Field will matter. The construction itself runs on the same calendar. The Town's project page lists September 2026 for mobilization and October through December for site preparation, so the heavy work is going on right now, in the quiet months.
Picking a Stand-In Beach
The two parks the Town named are close enough that the change is minutes, not miles.
Folly Field Beach Park at 55 Starfish Drive is the nearest, about 0.9 mile or three minutes by car from the Islanders entrance along Folly Field Road. It has restrooms, an outdoor shower and a boardwalk. The lot is small, 54 spaces in the Town's inventory, and 26 of them are reserved for residents during the closure. The Town's page doesn't list a playground or picnic pavilion.
Driessen Beach Park at 64 Bradley Beach Road is about 1.6 miles or six minutes away, reached from William Hilton Parkway. Its amenities come closest to what Islanders offered: a boardwalk, beach matting, a playground, picnic tables and a pavilion, restrooms and outdoor showers. With 139 resident spaces set aside, it's where the Town is sending most permit holders.
Burkes Beach Access at 60 Burkes Beach Road is a short walk to the sand, with an outdoor shower and parking at nearby Chaplin Community Park, 11 Cast Net Drive. Chaplin has trails, a playground, picnic pavilions, restrooms, tennis and basketball courts, fields and a dog park. It also has its own fee schedule. The Town doesn't enforce beach parking fees at Chaplin until May 18, after youth sports season ends, so this lot stays free for everyone through most of the spring window when Driessen and Folly Field go back to meters.
Accessible beach access and restrooms are available at Folly Field and Driessen during the closure. Pedestrians can still use the mulch walkway at Islanders itself.
The Renewal Deadline Lands the Day Before the Meters Return
The resident permit is valid January 1 through December 31 and has to be renewed every year before March 1, the day meters come back on. Missing it this year costs more than usual, because the spring weeks it would cover are the weeks Islanders is still closed. The Town's permit rules, as currently posted:
- Eligibility is limited to Town residents who provide vehicle registration plus proof of owning property within Town limits or a residential lease of at least 183 days.
- The permit is digital and limited to two vehicles per address.
- Apply online, or by mail or drop-off at PCI Municipal Services, 32 Office Park Road, Suite 108. Town Hall and Facilities Management do not issue passes.
Permit terms and seasonal rules can change from year to year. This is general information, not legal advice, so check your own eligibility on the Town's page before you renew.
What Comes Back on June 1
The Town's August 19 announcement describes the rebuilt park. The paver lot will have 213 spaces: 187 resident-only, which is 54 more than residents have now, and 26 metered public spaces near the Folly Field Road entrance. There will also be 24 resident golf cart spaces and a new pathway along the park's southern edge starting at Folly Field Road. The plans add more paths to the boardwalk, better lighting, new bike racks, seating and picnic areas, improved stormwater drainage, and a redesigned drive aisle. The new beach-themed accessible playground will include STEM features such as interactive panels, Braille and sign language panels, nonverbal visual imagery and musical elements.
The $5.1 million project is paid for with accommodations tax dollars set aside for beach improvements. It's the second phase of a master plan Town Council adopted in April 2023, after the first phase in fiscal year 2024 built the 12-foot paver pathway and the raised crosswalk. Phase Two was supposed to start in September 2025, but the Town postponed it because the beach renourishment contractor was using the park as an access point.
That delay is why the work fell in this fall and winter. Before the closure, Hilton Head Plantation resident Michel Dawson told the Island Packet, "If you're going to close it, maybe push it more toward October, November." Indigo Run resident Kathy Waleko told the paper she went to Islanders about three times a week and planned to switch to Folly Field or Driessen.
The same Island Packet story described something that doesn't fit in a parking count. For about 15 years, five to fifteen musicians have met for a jam at the Islanders Beach pavilion on Tuesday evenings. Paul Meehan of Port Royal Plantation told the paper the group was considering Chaplin Park while Islanders was closed. "This is a special place to us," he said.
If you're working out how this closure fits your own beach routine, I'm glad to help. And if a home within walking distance of the island's beach parks is on your list, Live in the Lowcountry can keep you posted as homes near Folly Field, Driessen and Burkes come up. Join the VIP List and I'll be in touch.
