No Passport Required: The Carolinas (and a Little Beyond)
Rainbow Row, Charleston, SC
No Passport Required: The Carolinas (and a Little Beyond)
Part Three of the No Passport Required Series
Some places get under your skin before you are old enough to understand why.
I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina until I was seven years old, and while the specific memories of those early years have softened around the edges the way childhood memories do, the feeling of that place has never left me. The particular green of a Southern summer. The way the air smells before a thunderstorm rolls in from the mountains. The sense that the land itself has a personality, unhurried and layered and quietly extraordinary.
The Carolinas have been a thread running through my life ever since. My late father's timberland in Boone, where he grew Christmas trees. A stretch of the Appalachian Trail in college that changed the way I moved through the world. Solo trips to Asheville for live music and long meals and the kind of wandering that only happens when you go somewhere alone. Hikes out of Waynesville with friends who knew the trails by heart. These are not just destinations to me. They are chapters.
And right now, the Carolinas are having a genuine moment. New hotels, a revitalized food scene, a resilient community rebuilding after Hurricane Helene, and a quiet renaissance that is drawing travelers from all over the country to a region that has always deserved more attention than it gets.
This is Part Three of my No Passport Required series, and it might be the most personal one yet.
Charleston, South Carolina: The City That Gets Everything Right
There are cities that have a reputation and then reveal themselves to be something slightly different up close. Charleston is the rare city where the reality exceeds the reputation.
It is genuinely one of the most beautiful cities in America. The candy colored row houses along Rainbow Row, the church spires rising above the roofline, the palmetto trees lining the Battery, the smell of jasmine drifting through a garden gate left slightly ajar. Charleston has the kind of built environment that makes you slow down instinctively, as if the city itself is asking you not to rush.
Start with a morning walk along The Battery and Rainbow Row, then take the ferry out to Fort Sumter for a genuinely moving encounter with American Civil War history. Do not leave without visiting the International African American Museum, one of the most important new cultural institutions in the South, which tells the full and complicated story of Charleston's past with honesty and depth. Wander through Waterfront Park for open harbor views and a rest by the famous Pineapple Fountain. Spend an unhurried hour at the Charleston City Market, where local artisans still weave sweetgrass baskets using techniques passed down through generations, one of the most meaningful souvenirs you can bring home. And just a short drive from downtown on Johns Island, the Angel Oak Tree, estimated to be 400 to 500 years old, is the kind of natural marvel that stops you completely and reminds you how small we are.
For those who want to experience Charleston from the water, the Lowcountry reveals a completely different and equally extraordinary side of itself. A private sailboat charter through Charleston Harbor at sunset, an eco boat cruise through the saltwater creeks toward the remote Morris Island Lighthouse, or a kayak through the calm tidal marshes are all experiences I love arranging for clients. The Lowcountry is alive out there, and seeing it up close changes the way you understand this place.
But what has elevated Charleston from beautiful to essential in recent years is its food scene. It has quietly become one of the most compelling dining destinations in the country, built on a foundation of authentic Lowcountry cooking and elevated by a generation of chefs doing something genuinely new with those traditions.
Charleston is also extraordinarily walkable, and its neighborhoods reward slow exploration. The French Quarter, Cannonborough Elliotborough, Harleston Village. Each one has its own character and its own particular pleasures. Rent a bike, get a little lost and let the city find you.
Where to Stay
The Cooper: Charleston's newest luxury hotel opened in 2026, and it is already one of the most talked about properties in the South. Commanding a prominent stretch of Charleston Harbor, The Cooper replaces the former Ports Authority building with a five star urban resort featuring 191 rooms, the city's first private marina tied to a hotel, a waterfront infinity pool, four distinct dining venues and a 7,000 square foot spa. When you book with Gold Coast Travel you receive a chilled bottle of Veuve Clicquot upon arrival, complimentary breakfast, $250 food and beverage credit, premium seating at the chef's table at The Crossing, a spa treatment of your choice valued at $300, and a custom monogrammed robe to take home.
The Dewberry Charleston: The Dewberry occupies a beautifully restored 1964 federal building with interiors that feel both deeply Southern and quietly modernist. It is the kind of hotel that people return to year after year, and for good reason. When you book through Gold Coast Travel you receive a $100 hotel credit applicable toward spa treatments, in room dining, the Citrus Club, valet or airport and local transfers, plus daily breakfast, a room upgrade and early check in and late check out upon availability.
The Palmetto Hotel: The Palmetto is a boutique gem in the heart of the French Quarter, steps from the city's finest restaurants and the waterfront. With custom bikes for exploring and a lobby bar famous for what they claim is the best Spressitini in town. When you book through Gold Coast Travel you receive daily breakfast, a welcome treat in room upon arrival, a $25 hotel credit, an upgrade upon availability and guaranteed 1pm late check out.
(The Cooper Hotel, Charleston)
The Lowcountry Beyond the City: Kiawah Island and Johns Island
Twenty miles outside Charleston, the city falls away and the landscape shifts into something quieter and more elemental. Live oak canopies draped in Spanish moss arch over narrow roads. Tidal marshes stretch toward the horizon in every direction. The air smells of salt and pluff mud and the particular sweetness of the Southern coast at low tide. This is the Lowcountry at its most primal, and it rewards travelers who are willing to slow down enough to receive it.
Kiawah Island is defined by its windswept beaches, miles of dedicated bike paths and a collection of championship golf courses, most notably the Ocean Course, which sits dramatically at the edge of the Atlantic and has hosted multiple major championships. It is a destination that delivers equally for serious golfers, families and anyone who simply wants long uninterrupted stretches of beach and the particular peace of a barrier island.
(Kiawah Island, SC, credit: We.Golf)
The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection sits on the picturesque banks of the Kiawah River just twenty miles from Charleston. The 72 rooms and suites are housed in guest cottage style buildings with a pastel palette, wicker furnishings and oversized bathtubs that look out onto the river. The hub of the property is the River House, with its communal porch, the Willet Room bar and Linnette's restaurant serving a seafood led menu rooted in local ingredients. Beyond the property, guided coastal wildlife safaris, moonrise kayaking, fly fishing workshops and miles of nature trails make this a destination for travelers who want to feel genuinely connected to the natural world around them. When you book with Gold Coast Travel, a limited third night free promotion is valid for travel through December 22, 2026, excluding Saturday and Sunday checkouts, and all other bookings come with a $100 resort credit with no minimum stay requirement.
The grande dame of Kiawah Island, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is a Forbes Five Star oceanfront resort that defines the Kiawah experience. With championship golf, a world class spa, multiple dining outlets and direct access to ten miles of pristine Atlantic beach, it delivers the full luxury resort experience in one of the most breathtaking natural settings on the East Coast. The architecture is grand without being stuffy, the service is impeccable and the views from the oceanfront rooms are stunning. Book through Gold Coast Travel for complimentary breakfast, $100 resort credit, a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine, a room upgrade and early check in and late check out upon availability.
Montage Palmetto Bluff sits along the May River about half an hour from Savannah, on a 20,000 acre Lowcountry preserve of walking trails, tidal marsh and live oak. The resort is organized around two villages, a marina and a Jack Nicklaus Signature course, which means days here can be as full or as empty as you want them. It is the natural place to land if you want to pair Savannah's walkable city energy with a few slow days on the water.
(The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection)
Asheville, North Carolina: Come Back. The City Needs You.
In September 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina. The flooding was catastrophic. Communities were cut off. Businesses that had taken years to build were destroyed in hours. The recovery has been remarkable in its resilience and its speed, but it has also been uneven. As of early 2026, many Asheville businesses still report revenue significantly below pre-Helene levels. The doors are open. The restaurants are serving. The trails are cleared. The music is playing. But the customers have not fully come back.
(From our hiking in Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, NC)
Visiting Asheville right now is not just a great trip. It is a genuinely meaningful act. Your presence matters in a way it rarely does when you travel to a place that is thriving without your help.
And Asheville is absolutely worth visiting on its own terms, independent of any sense of obligation. It has long been one of the most interesting small cities in America. An arts scene that punches well above its size. A food culture that has drawn national attention for years. Live music on every corner. The River Arts District, where working artists open their studios to visitors. The South Slope Mural Trail, a self guided tour of extraordinary street art that emerged in the aftermath of Helene as both expression and act of defiance. The Biltmore Estate, which reopened just five weeks after the storm, one of the great American houses sitting in one of the great American landscapes, surrounded by gardens and vineyards and a wine tour that should not be skipped.
Where to Stay
New hotels have joined the scene in recent years. The Restoration Hotel Asheville sits in the heart of downtown with a rooftop that has become one of the city's gathering places. The Radical Asheville, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, brings a bolder energy to the River Arts District.
For something more removed, Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley sits at 5,000 feet in the Great Smoky Mountains, a working ranch with horseback riding, hiking and the kind of spectacular views that remind you why people have been coming to these mountains for generations. When you book through Gold Coast Travel you receive daily breakfast included with your stay. And if the mountains are calling you deeper, the Highlands and Cashiers area just a short drive further south offers some of the most extraordinary mountain escapes in the entire region. More on that below.
A practical note worth knowing: some sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway remain closed following Helene related damage. The National Park Service has restored and reopened the most popular sections including the Folk Art Center, the Linn Cove Viaduct and the stretch from Asheville south to the Great Smoky Mountains. Check current conditions at the NPS website before heading out.
(Catalahoochie Ranch, Maggie Valley, NC)
The Outer Banks, North Carolina: Where the East Coast Goes to Exhale
There is a version of the Outer Banks that is crowded and commercial and best avoided in the height of summer. And then there is the Outer Banks approached the right way, with a little time, a willingness to slow down and a genuine curiosity about what makes this thin strip of barrier islands one of the most wild and beautiful stretches of coastline on the East Coast.
The Outer Banks runs nearly 100 miles from the Virginia border south to Ocracoke Island. Surfers know it for some of the biggest waves on the East Coast. Families come for the beaches, the historic sites and the relaxed seafood shacks that have been feeding people here for generations. But the detail that stops most visitors cold when they encounter it for the first time is the wild horses of Corolla.
These are not domesticated horses put out to pasture for the amusement of tourists. They are the descendants of Spanish mustangs believed to have swum ashore from shipwrecks centuries ago, and they roam freely across the northernmost stretches of the Outer Banks in small family bands. Watching a herd of them move across the dunes at dusk is the kind of experience that stays with you in the way only genuinely wild things can.
(Wild Horses of Corolla, Outer Banks, NC)
Where to Stay
The Sanderling Resort in Duck is the natural anchor for an Outer Banks visit. It received a significant renovation in 2025 and is now better than ever, with an understated coastal aesthetic, light filled rooms, direct beach access and a setting that feels genuinely removed without being difficult to reach. The new restaurant Theodosia brings an innovative take on local cuisine that is worth planning a dinner around. Through Gold Coast Travel, The Sanderling is offering exceptional value. A third night free October 12 through April 30, 2027. This is one of the best free night promotions available anywhere in the Carolinas right now and a genuine reason to prioritize this destination this summer.
Highlands and Cashiers: The Mountain Escape You Did Not Know You Needed
Tucked into the southwestern corner of North Carolina at elevations that keep the summer heat at bay, the communities of Highlands and Cashiers offer something increasingly rare in American travel. Genuine quiet.
The air is pine scented and cool even in July. The drives through Nantahala National Forest are the kind that make you pull over repeatedly because what is around the next bend is too beautiful to pass at speed. Dry Falls and Whitewater Falls are among the most dramatic waterfalls in the eastern United States and require minimal effort to reach. Days here naturally organize themselves around hiking, fly fishing, lingering over a long lunch or simply sitting on a porch and watching the mist move through the trees below.
(Nantahala National Forest, NC, credit Steven McBride)
Where to Stay
High Hampton in Cashiers, a historic mountain lodge that has been beautifully relaunched by the owners of Blackberry Farm, offers a cooler, more immersive mountain experience with lake views, classic cabins and a genuine sense of being somewhere apart from the ordinary world. This feels like a private camp, with lake views, classic cabins and an atmosphere of complete immersion in the natural world around it.
Old Edwards Inn in Highlands sits right in the heart of town with a strong spa, multiple dining options and the kind of genuine hospitality that makes a place feel like it was waiting specifically for you.
This is slow travel in its purest form. The Carolinas have mastered the art of places that ask nothing of you except that you be present. Highlands and Cashiers is perhaps the finest expression of that in the entire region.
(High Hampton in Cashiers, NC)
Bonus: While You Are in the Region: Savannah, Georgia
I would not feel right writing about the Carolinas without mentioning that Savannah is just a few hours south and represents one of the most natural and rewarding extensions of this trip.
I brought my family here a few years ago and it became one of those trips we still talk about. What struck us immediately was that Savannah is genuinely one of the most walkable cities in America. We never once needed a car. The city is organized around more than twenty leafy squares, each one a shaded oasis with benches and fountains and the particular feeling that time here moves at its own slower frequency.
We wandered from square to square, ducked into galleries and shops, stumbled upon restaurants we had not planned and lingered far longer than we intended at almost every one of them.
The food was extraordinary. Savannah has a quietly serious dining scene that surprises most visitors who come expecting only fried chicken and sweet tea. There is that too, and it is excellent, but there is also sophisticated coastal cooking, inventive cocktail bars and the kind of chef driven restaurants that earn national attention.
(The Pink House Restaurant, Savannah, GA)
And then there was the ghost tour. If you go to Savannah and do not do a ghost tour you have missed something genuinely unique. Savannah is considered one of the most haunted cities in America, and the stories told on those evening walks through the squares and cemeteries are as much history as they are ghost story. We laughed, we gasped and we talked about it the whole walk home. It is the kind of experience that works beautifully for families, couples and solo travelers alike and it is not to be skipped.
(From our Ghost Tour in Savannah, GA)
Savannah is the kind of city that reveals itself gradually, rewarding the traveler who stays an extra day rather than rushing through. Two nights minimum. Three if you can manage it.
Where to Stay
Housed in a stunning 1888 Victorian mansion overlooking Forsyth Park, Hotel Bardo has been recognized as one of the best hotels in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes, Travel and Leisure and Southern Living, and has earned a Michelin Key designation. Equal parts urban resort and private members club, it is a destination in its own right. The rooftop pool, the Saltgrass Spa, the Italian restaurant Saint Bibiana and the Club Bardo social programming including live jazz, yoga, Pilates and cooking classes make it a place you will genuinely not want to leave. When you book through Gold Coast Travel you receive a $150 hotel credit, daily breakfast, ten percent off the best available rate, a room upgrade and early check in and late check out upon availability.
Recognized as the number one hotel in Savannah, Perry Lane, A Luxury Collection Hotel sits in the heart of the historic district just steps from Forsyth Park. The 167 rooms and suites blend regional character with contemporary elegance, and the three dining and social venues including The Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market, The Wayward and the rooftop bar Peregrin create exactly the kind of lively, neighborhood atmosphere that makes a hotel feel like the center of your Savannah experience rather than just a place to sleep. Perks through Gold Coast Travel include daily breakfast, a $100 hotel credit, a room upgrade and early check in and late check out upon availability.
(Hotel Bardo, Savannah, GA)
How to Think About a Carolinas Trip
The most common mistake travelers make with this region is trying to do too much of it at once. The Carolinas are not a checklist destination. They are a slow travel destination, which means the trip that involves three nights in Charleston followed by two nights on Kiawah followed by a drive to Asheville is going to be a fundamentally different and richer experience than a week of driving between too many places too quickly.
My honest recommendation is to pick one primary destination and let it breathe. Charleston with a Lowcountry day excursion. Asheville with a night in Cashiers. The Outer Banks with nothing planned except beach time and a sunset. Then come back for the rest.
The Carolinas reward return visitors as much as any destination I know. There is always more.
If you are ready to start planning your Carolina escape, I would love to help you put it together. Whether you are drawn to the city energy of Charleston, the mountain quiet of Asheville or the wild coastal beauty of the Outer Banks, there is a version of this trip that is exactly right for you.
Reach out at kristin@goldcoasttravelct.com or complete the inquiry form for a complimentary consultation. Let's figure out which part of the Carolinas is calling your name.