Nineteen miles east of historic Beaufort, the resort and residential communities on Fripp Island cover some 3,000 acres, but the place still feels like a private paradise. Here the favorite modes of transportation are bicycles and golf carts. It isn't unusual to see people driving golf carts up and down the main road. Fripp has about 700 full-time residents, many of whom use them as regular on-island transportation. Visitors often follow their lead, enjoying the slower, more relaxed pace they find here.

Three and a half miles of pristine beach sweep across Fripp's Atlantic face, while creeks and marshes rife with wildlife lace the back side. Carved into the lush vegetation between the two worlds of water, three championship golf courses gleam like emeralds. Bike trails meander through shady forests, and more than 300 homes and villas tuck into the island's interior and between the ocean dunes.