With darkness arriving early these days, we hear the folks who stroll the plaza of The Shops at Sea Pines Center talking about what we get in exchange. The first impression, for many, is that their favorite time of day here arrives while the shops are still open. When sunset falls officially just after five, the golden hours that surround it are on full display, as people complete their errands and browse for their early impressions of holiday gift season.

Before the glitter of holidays comes this time of contemplation. It is as if our dreams were put closer to our days.

Magic by Design

It was part of the built-in idea, the design for a place that people would treasure. The Sea Pines founders envisioned a place in the middle of the fun, halfway between Harbour Town and the Beach Club, where residents and visitors alike could pick up what they need to keep on enjoying their time here.

Certainly, a longtime favorite among the excellent array of Hilton Head Island restaurants, and a generations-long source of fine jewelry formed the backbone of The Shops at Sea Pines Center from the earliest days, and other dazzling reasons to shop here set down their roots. But from the beginning, The Shops at Sea Pines Center was considerate of what people need as well as what they want.

Easier to Dream

It is easier to live your dreams, the founders recognized, when you have the day-to-day things covered. And so, a gas station, a post office, and a bank were designed into the plan. An enjoyable frame of mind was the goal. Convenience, beauty, and imagination were all combined to curate the collection of extraordinary things to do and see.

The Center can surely accommodate a purposeful, efficient visit – it was designed and sited for convenience from the beginning – but it does offer the other option for those with time to enjoy it. The pace we call “peruse” seems to whisper its invitation to enjoy the time in The Shops at Sea Pines Center.

The Pace of the Plaza

Time passes differently here. The pace of the plaza, in the midst of the Shops at Sea Pines Center, is something people feel easily, instinctively. The Gullah folks who were on these sea island before us used the word “peruse” to mean a special pace, the step of unhurried attention and pleasant passage.

In the plaza’s embrace, the very air seems to get gentler, and with that influence people come here to connect as well as to acquire and provide. Our friends who are seasonal residents say they come here first when they return to their Sea Pines home, because this is where they’ll hear quickly what’s going on now and what they missed while they were away.

Visitors, too, at least those fortunate enough to benefit from inside information, come to The Shops at Sea Pines Center to get the lay of the land, to find a feel for what to do in this fortunate community, with their precious vacation time.

For our fellow Sea Pines residents, The center is a not-so-hidden secret for enjoying the best of what they chose, when they decided that the life of Sea Pines was how they wanted to spend their days. Indeed, it was – and is – right in the middle of the vision that became America’s favorite island. Welcome to The Shops at Sea Pines Center.