South Cackalacky

Originally, I stayed here for my job interview. The Sea View Inn is the only hotel on Pawleys Island; however, there are many off the beach.

The Sea View has the charm of an old family cottage, rustic wood interiors (the unfinished kind), a screened-in porch with a help-yourself bar, dog-eared books, hammocks, and checkers boards.

The rooms are earnest in their furnishings. That is to say, they get the job done, but they aren't fancy. (Showers are at the end of the hall.)

Meals are served three times a day by a cook who has been there longer than the present-day owners. I recall particularly eating Coca Cola cake. The menus are planned out for each week and I believe they are highly ritualized. Everyone eats together, family-style. You can get eggs made-to-order for breakfast!

This is the kind of place where you can be alone without feeling lonely. The view is spectacular off the front porch and the backyard is landscaped like a butterfly garden. I loved staying here.

There are two parts to Frank's: Frank's and Frank's Outback. I prefer the latter. The atmosphere is better: twinkle lights, outdoor heaters, white linens, a canopy, a fireplace, and acoustic music.

They serve excellent steak and seafood dishes with lovely and creative presentations. There’s a good wood-fired pizza, too, and a decent wine list. It’s a good place to also just drop in and have a cocktail.

Kudzu Bakery has been featured on the Food Network and in Southern Living magazine. It's down the road "a spell" in the city of Georgetown, which has a cool riverfront and a lovely small town feel (if you look past the steel mill and paper plant).

Anyway, Kudzu has excellent Southern cuisine. Try their cheese biscuits, coconut macaroons, and carrot cake. You can stop in and eat at their counter, or take it home. They also sell excellent wine and gourmet frozen foods prepared on-site.

The fact that the bakery exists in a renovated horse stable only adds to its charm.

Perrones is what I imagine a great New York deli to be, except that it has the modern swanky feel of California. They have great daily specials, a great caesar salad, and great eggplant parmigana. It's a good place to stop in and eat lunch or to pick up something to take back to the homies.

Louis's is a four-star restaurant whose placard will tell you that Esquire magazine nominated it one of the best restaurants in the South.

I like the Fish Camp, which is the less fancy part of the restaurant-- basically the extended bar. I like the music (always eclectic) and decor (colorful plastic fishing worms glued on lanterns).

According to my husband and father-in-law, their fried chicken brunch special is excellent. I also like their Beach Bowl, which is a fancy name for a bunch of fried stuff. They serve great she-crab soup and lots of la-tee-dah presentations. This is the kind of place where even the spinach seems outstanding.

South Carolina has a deserved redneck reputation; however, I (a transplanted Midwesterner) am able to legitimately defend its beauty and inviting nature.

The South is subtle. The trees are a creamy green and the Spanish moss is slow and syrupy, just like a Southern drawl. The ocean here is calmer than most. The pine trees, which are tall and skinny, foliage only beginning up high, have a slender majesty about them. Of course, there is the state's symbol, the palmetto palm, the pine’s short and stubby cousin. If you are on a beach in this part of South Carolina, you can still see stars, which is more than you can say for the beaches of L.A. or Miami.

I like the way the air smells here, sometimes briny (it is called the low country). I do fear alligators when I have happened to take a walk in Huntington State Park or been a guest at Hobcaw Barony (which is rarely).

There are great golf courses in this area, tons of excellent dining choices, some kitschy shopping, and a state-of-the-art Piggly Wiggly. (I kid you not. They hire a piano player and a baby grand during the holidays).

It’s a great relaxation spot for grown-up vacationers. I came here as a kid (21? Is that still kid classification?) and was bored out of my mind.

If you just keep driving past Myrtle Beach, you'll happen upon Pawleys. It's known to some as the home of the hammock and if you want an original Pawleys Island hammock, you can buy one at the hammock shops. Like I wrote earlier, I came here with my family during college and thought this place was a big yawn. However, as a grown up, I think it's a great vacation spot and a wonderful place to live.

There's a little something for everyone. If you like ghost tales, ask about the Grey Man, the confederate soldier ghost that comes to warn of inclement weather and hurricanes. If you like to golf or to jet ski or to fish, there are plenty of options for that, too. Brookgreen Garden, a sculpture garden situated on a former rice plantation, will amaze you with its stony-eyed Pegasus, a statue larger than a small house!

Huntington Beach State Park offers hiking and so forth. There are also bike paths in the Litchfield Beach area (just a hair north of Pawleys proper) and in Murrell's Inlet where you can hang out at The Hot Fish Club or the Dead-Eye Saloon for a cold beer.

The best advice I can give to someone who wants to vacation here is to NOT come during bike weeks. No offense to you riders out there, but if it's not your cup of tea, it's just not your cup of tea. It's loud and somewhat intrusive to those who want to relax non-biker style. Hurricane season might be another vacation planning factor. October and November are really great months here. In November, you might be able to get some good rates.