North/South Carolina Laid-back Getaway Suggestions?
 

Where would you suggest we go to find:
Quaint, laid-back areas to relax, rewind & restore ourselves from a busy lifestyle. We enjoy exploring the local attractions at a leisurely pace, as well as small shops/marketplaces. We especially enjoy sampling the local cuisine, at both fine dining or casual restaurants. Relaxed atmosphere for lodging would be a plus. Time of year is open (any festivals we should keep in mind?) Ideas for Mountains or Coastal areas would be appreciated. (We greatly enjoyed the "vibe" of Charleston, as well as Asheville, although each is different). We've heard of Beaufort/Bluffton, but don't know much of the area. Any suggestions for approx. a week's stay?

Beaufort, SC or Beafort, NC would provide a small historical town with great restaurants.
Or on a wholly different note how about the real Mayberry, Mt Airy, NC Hike Pilot Mountain or the Blue Ridge Parkway. Dine at JOLO Winery. Stay at the Vintage Rose Inn in the town of Pilot Mountain.

SC has an excellent state park system, and many (most? all?) have cottages and cabins. Very low key.

Public schools generally get out in the spring MUCH earlier and go back in some cases as early as the second week in August. You can't beat the crowds in the spring, but you can go in late August and September and not find crowds except near big football schools.

Either of the Beauforts, New Bern in North Carolina, Litchfield and Georgetown in South Carolina, St Simons Island in Georgia, are all slow paced. Charleston and Savannah are not very busy for that matter.

Asheville in NC and Greenville in SC have active arts and food communities. You could do worse than splitting your time between the two with day trips into the mountains. Cashiers and Highlands and North Georgia are very upscale, sort of like moving the Eastern Shore of Maryland to the mountains.

What kind of lodgings are you looking for and what is the budget range?
I'd recommend Palmetto Bluff just outside downtown Bluffton if you have a bigi budget.

Thanks for the suggestions! We enjoy the varied areas of North/South Carolina and hope to explore more in the future. We usually fly in & rent a car for 7-10 days. We've stayed in both motels and B&B's - budget is from $120 to $250 per night. We realize certain areas/unique properties determine price; a clean, comfortable room in a safe area with a courtyard or porch for relaxing in the evening or an area for strolling would be nice. Being able to walk or short drive to dining is also desired. We would do driving day trips from lodging, but could split our time between two lodgings in different towns. We enjoy the ocean as well as the mountains, although we would chose one area at a time to fully enjoy our time there.

I would go to Asheville or the Boone/Banner Elk area.

Check out this place to use a base for the mountains around Boone -
http://www.themastfarminn.com/

I'd like to explore that area myself!

I like both Beauforts too. I like Hunting Island in SC, near that Beaufort. Savannah is close enough for a day trip.

"We enjoy exploring the local attractions at a leisurely pace, as well as small shops/marketplaces"

It sounds like you would enjoy wandering the back roads and visiting the unique potteries of the Seagrove area

http://www.discoverseagrove.com/
http://www.discoverseagrove.com/disc...otters-map.pdf

The Mast Farm Inn (mentioned above) is in Valle Crucis, which is one of the prettiest valleys I've ever seen.

The original Mast General Store is still there -
https://www.mastgeneralstore.com/valle-crucis

More to see in the area.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is also great for leisurely driving and exploring.

If they went to Seagrove, they could also do Winston-Salem.

If they went to Winston-Salem they could go to Old Salem and buy a Morovian star -
https://shop.oldsalem.org/category/moravian_stars

Or Moravian sugar cake! And do a quick trip to Pilot Mountain.

Brevard, NC. Lake Lure/Chimney Rock, NC. West Jefferson, NC.

Southport, NC.

Pawley's Island, SC.

Wow! Thanks so much for the great ideas! We'll put them all on our list! Question: Should we split 7-10 days time between the two Beauforts, or would it be better served to give each area it's own time? Same question for Valle Crucis/Boone/Mt Airy area. We "discovered" Seagrove, NC on a drive-thru one sunny Fall afternoon; we were only able to spend an hour, but loved the countryside/pottery shops & would like to go back. Also enjoyed Black Mountain, NC and Murrells Inlet,SC. We will return to them, but so many "new" places to explore! Any best time of year Coastal vs Mountains?

" Any best time of year Coastal vs Mountains?"
Spring and fall are great.
Fall will be really busy in the mountains.
Summer is good for beach time with cooler temps in the mountains.

If you don't want to swim, the coast is good anytime.
If you don't mind the chance of snow, the mountains are good anytime.