SummerFun business. But it’s a challenge to keep locals interested. A lot of people come there a couple of times a week. Our chefs are challenged to keep local diners excited and interested,” Carb said. You’ll also notice the north end is also home to Hilton Head Plantation, one of the island’s largest residential areas on 4,000 acres. It, too, has a high ratio of permanent residents to visitors.
Daufuskie Island
to Harbor. Go paddleboarding, fishing or oystering. Plenty of golf clubs, tennis centers along with miles of bike trails also invite. Bluffton offers something for everyone.
Hilton Head’s North End Once across the bridges, you’ve arrived in Hilton Head’s “residential” area. Steve Carb, president of SERG Restaurant Group, lives in Windmill Harbour, a gated community known for its private lock that shields boats in its marina from changing tides. “My choice was to be closer to be where people live rather than visit,” he said. Until moving into his current home, Carb was a bit of an island vagabond, moving from house to house. “I like building houses and moving, but
I’ve been here for 15 years,” he said. “Your neighbor is your neighbor here. I’m not a golfer, so I didn’t want to be in a golf community. Windmill Harbour has a nice yacht club, tennis courts and access to the water. It’s lowkey and smaller. It takes me two minutes to get home. I like the security and privacy. I do like living behind the gates.” Carb recently built an oceanfront home on the island, but isn’t sure he’ll move there. “It’s too much with the check in and out each week. That house has more of a vacation feel. This feels like home.” Of the three nearby SERG restaurants — Skull Creek Boathouse, Frankie Bones and WiseGuys — the latter two cater more to locals. “There is more year-round consistency in
Doug Egly, executive director of the 263-home community of Haig Point, said Daufuskie Island really begins on the ferry ride to the island 2.5 miles east of Hilton Head. “It’s a 30-minute social hour with your friends and neighbors. You can just feel the weight of the world lift off your shoulders. As soon as you get on the ferry, you can just exhale,” he said. A resident for just over a year, Egly said what surprised him most was the number of people who have lived on Daufuskie their whole lives. “The history here is just amazing.” Egly said the transition from bustling Florida to Daufuskie wasn’t very difficult “It was pretty easy. If you want to disconnect, this is the best place to go.” He said he and his wife were thinking about a change as their youngest child headed to college. “What’s amazing is the beauty of the island and the natural setting that’s still here after all these years. It’s the calmness,” he said. He loves living on Daufuskie and noticed the difference as his grandchildren visited. “They can roam the streets on their bicycles like we did when we were kids. It’s such a huge attraction. You can let them be themselves.” He considers commuting by ferry a blessing. “You just plan for it. It’s pretty danged neat,” he said. “Just this week, I had to plan to get my hair cut.” But serenity isn’t the only thing the island offers. The increasingly funky little spot is gaining a reputation as an artistic and eclectic community, from the famed gallery The Iron Fish to Wine and Woodworks to Daufuskie Island Rum Company. So matter what atmosphere you seek, you’re only minutes away. M August 2016 59
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