Beautiful Island Square is a food truck plaza, but it is so much more.
Not only is it Hilton Head Island’s first and only food truck court with five permanent food vendors (with more to come) and outdoor covered seating, but it’s also becoming a cultural, artistic and educational haven. With community events, such as Art Jams, all are welcome to create, while enjoying great food and meeting fellow Islanders. As their website says, Beautiful Island Square gives the community an “Authentic Cultural Experience.”
Located at 15 Marshland Rd., Beautiful Island Square is also Site #21 on the Hilton Head Poetry Trail. The Poetry Trail consists of locations around Hilton Head as a place to share poems and meet poets. It was conceived by the Island Writers’ Network, which is a fraternity of writers based in and around the picturesque Hilton Head Island. Their mission is to support, inspire, and mentor one another in both the craft and business of writing. Hilton Head Island permeates with poets. And, the Poetry Trail is all about them. These award-winning, multi-published poets constructed this trail of reading just anyone and everyone. There are several sites on the trail. Check out this map so that you can enjoy them all.
Taiwan Scott is the owner and operator of the Beautiful Island Square food truck plaza.
Recognized by the Post and Courier in 2023 as one of twelve influential Black leaders in South Carolina, Scott has played a pivotal role in advocating for crucial causes. His efforts, supported by the ACLU, include defending heirs’ property rights and ensuring fair political district mapping in the Lowcountry.
Today, Hilton Head preserves Mitchelville, the first Freedmen’s town in the nation, as Mitchelville Freedom Park and Gullah education center. However, years of development and gentrification on the Island have left several other Black neighborhoods and native-owned businesses nearly erased. Tai has committed his efforts towards growth for the entire community and making Hilton Head one. Just check out Tai’s Facebook page and Onehiltonhead,
The Food Trucks
Want to try AMAZING, authentic food from across the Western Hemisphere? The food court at Beautiful Island Square features food trucks and outdoor vendors serving Mexican, Salvadoran, Venezuelan, and Jamaican fare, among other options. It’s an amazing chance to try new cuisines from faraway lands, right here on Hilton Head. The food trucks are all independently owned but work as one to promote the power that food has to bring people from all backgrounds together.
Here are a few of the food trucks on site:
“Spoken by Many” is Tai’s poem at Beautiful Island Square, Site #21.
It’s a wonderful tribute to Beautiful Island Square’s sometimes arduous yet ultimately fulfilled journey. Below is his ode to its process and realization.
“Spoken by Many”
By Taiwan “TAI” Scott
Born of a dream built on land
tasked with becoming The First
firm in a stance faith in hand creativity emerged
da story will be shared far and wide of struggles
overcome
destined to survive with positive vibes work has been
done
Marked with a vision a story divine
of a square that is colorful designed to test time
from the roots of a land where ancestors turned
a foundation set a lesson learned
with smiling faces no matter the tide
everyone is welcome the culture survives
Wall mural of a journey times past to anew
blackened kettle on display free tiny art there too
aroma of flavors various vendors sale food
swing by and behold a vision come true
Da path has been blazed ideas long and wide
confirmed that the light will forever shine
Beautiful Island Square, vested in a stance
Gullah Geechee’s on Hilton Head Island
This is not by chance.
