Kiawah is a sea island, or barrier island, on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Located 15 miles south of Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina, it is operated today largely as a gated beach and golf resort — the Kiawah Island Golf Resort — with spacious villas, beaches, large and acclaimed golf courses, and other attractions. In the 2000 census, Kiawah Island's population was 1,163; as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and used by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes, the island is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area.

Kiawah Island is widely hailed as one of the premier golf destinations on the East Coast. The island features five award-winning golf courses designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Fazio, and Pete Dye. The courses snake along the skinny island, moving from the dense wooded interior of the island to the breezy oceanfront. Pete Dye designed the Ocean Course in 1991 and the course has since proved to be one of the toughest on the East Coast. The Ocean Course was the home of the 1991 Ryder Cup, the 1997 World Cup of Golf, the 2007 Senior PGA Championship, and the 2012 PGA Championship, becoming only the fourth golf course in history to host each of the PGA of America's men's major championships. The Ocean Course was featured in the 2000 movie The Legend of Bagger Vance, starring Will Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron. The island also hosts one of the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission parks, Beachwalker County Park, located on the west end of the island. In 2013, Forbes ranked the park's beach as the 10th best in the United States.