Because so many of its residents migrated here from art-savvy metropolitan areas in the northeast, Hilton Head maintains a very high standard of top-quality entertainment. Much of the activity centers on the multimillion-dollar Arts Center of Coastal Carolina (14 Shelter Cove Ln., 843/842-2787, www.artshhi.com), which hosts touring shows, resident companies, musical concerts, dance performances, and visual arts exhibits.

Now over a quarter-century old and under the direction of maestro Mary Woodmansee Green, the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra (843/842-2055, www.hhso.org) performs a year-round season of masterworks and pops programs, generally at the First Presbyterian Church (540 William Hilton Pkwy.). They also take their show on the road with several concerts in Bluffton, and even perform several “Symphony Under the Stars” programs at Shelter Cove.

Chamber Music Hilton Head (www.cmhh.org) performs throughout the year with selections ranging from Brahms to Smetana at All Saints Episcopal Church (3001 Meeting St.).

The South Carolina Repertory Company (136B Beach City Rd., Studio B, 843/342-2057, www.hiltonheadtheatre.com) performs an eclectic, challenging season, from musicals (Tomfoolery) to cutting-edge drama (The Drawer Boy) to the outright avant-garde (Some Things you Need to Know Before the World Ends [A Final Evening with the Illuminati]).