Susan & I just returned from a 4-night stay on Kiawah Island (5 hr drive from Winston-Salem) which is a barrier island about 40 mins or so south of Charleston, South Carolina (see map below). As in our last visit, we rented a 2-bedroom condo on a lagoon (next two pics show some of the views); rentals can also be made which are oceanfront, tennis or golf course (five 18-hole courses on the island, including the Ocean Course, site of this year's PGA tournament). There is a luxury hotel called the Sanctuary (w/i walking distance from our condo), but our 4 nights was slighly more than one night there - but a great place to have a drink and lunch or dinner.
There is plenty of nature and reserves - over 500 alligators live naturally on the island, and are in and around the lagoons - the sign below is a frequent reminder of their presence; if your small dog disappears, well may have been a quick meal for one of these gators! On my first walk, I saw at least an 8 ft alligator in a lagoon near our condo. A bridge crossing a lagoon was near the condo and different types of water birds were seen constantly - pics below of a great white egret (3' tall & 5' wingspan for the adult) and an anhinga drying its wings after fishing.
Finally, we ate (and drank) quite well - there is a fabulous grocery store coming into the island called Newton Farms and we bought several of our dinners there, e.g. local shrimp steamed, spiced, etc., shushi, smoked fish, salad greens, and so much more! In fact the last pic below is Susan wading in the ocean and looking at a shrimp boat on the left horizon, probably thinking that her dinner was being caught @ that moment!
For those travelling on the Carolina coast, there are many fabulous towns, islands, and resorts, but we find Kiawah Island quite special and have visited at least a dozen times over the decades -