Beaufort SC is as charming as it gets. (My brother lives there.) The town was used in the movie Forrest Gump for Greenbeau, Alambama. Picturesque Southern mansions, huge oaks, Spanish moss, water and marshes everywhere. Lots of great restaurants and artsy boutiques. The beach houses for rent will be out on the islands, about 20-45 minutes drive into town for dinner and shopping. Reasonably close to Charleston and Savannah for day trips.

Beaufort is great. You can also try Oak Island, NC, which is up and coming. It is not as pricey as Nags Head and the Outer Banks area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oak Island Accomodations

I did a little surfing and Beaufort is beautiful. It's not on the beach, right? I did find several rentals nearby though.
That link is wonderful. Much less pricey than the other areas I'd found and not overdeveloped.
Thanks!

Beaufort SC is great. My sister got married there and what a charming Southern town. Everything you'd expect, spanish moss, charming homes. Although being from the Mid Atlantic I don't consider SC Mid-Atlantic. I've never been but I've heard good things about Rehobeth Beach in Delaware. Cape May, NJ is very charming, but very crowded in the summer. Stone Harbor, NJ is nice, but not quite as quaint as the Carolina towns.

I was just at Holden Beach last spring, which is near Oak Island, but less crowded and somewhat more laid back. I think it has a prettier beach. However, I don't think there was a "town," although I don't remember ever being hungry.

Rehobeth, Dewey and that part of the shore can get, ummmm, a little too out of control. You HAVE to know where the family areas are, and they're getting fewer and farther apart. Although it has been a few years (!), I was one of the "DC singles" who ganged up with way too many people to rent a house there for the summer. I was far more conservative than my friends and thought it was wild then! But there ARE some wonderful places...you just have to really know the area to stay away for the singles crowd.

As to NC and SC, now that we've got kids...it's easier to find more laid-back, family-oriented places to take them. Sure, there are some places the singles flock to...but they aren't so squished right up next to the family beaches!

Holden is great, too!

We have been going to Indian Beach/Salter Path/Emerald Isle, North Carolina for 20+ years. This area is part of the Outer Banks and is very family friendly, very low-key. Plenty of family restaurants and just the right amount of beach t-shirt places (not many). For the charming little town aspect and good restaurants, you drive across the bridge to Beaufort, NC (that's right, two towns in the Carolinas of the same name - but pronounced differently).

Ocean water in the summer is in the 84 to 86 range. Water is generally never too strong or overpowering, unless a storm is coming in/just passed. The people are just lovely.

Renting a single family home that will comfortably (everyone gets a bed, swimming pool attached to the house) accommodate a dozen people will probably run you $3,000 to $6,500 for the week. Three-bedroom condos with light housekeeping service will run $1,500 to $2,100 for the week.

You might also want to look at Bald Head Island or Wilmington NC. Bald Head is very nice - no cars allowed - you have to take a private ferry to get there.

Hi Angc - We love Garden City SC. It's a quiet family area that's halfway between Pawleys Island and Myrtle Beach; only about 20 minutes from the Grand Strand and the outlets (gotta hit those shops!!!). We discovered it a few years ago when looking for a place for a family reunion. We get great deals during the end of August (our kids don't return to school until September). Our favorite houses are those second row from the ocean with a dock/floating pier in the back. You can view the ocean from the front of the house and overlook beautiful Murrel's Inlet in the back. Here's a view of the inlet from the house we stayed in last year.

Funny thing... we couldn't believe last year when good friends of ours booked a condo in Garden City during the same week we were there!
Probably not going to happen for us this year, though. Need the summer to do college searches for DS.
Wahhh... I want to go back!

Here is a link that might be useful: Jordan Cottage; Dunes Realty

If you are looking at 'mid atlantic' then I would go with Bethany Beach in the MD, VA, DE area. Nice family friendly spot Far enough away from the craziness of Ocean City, MD but close enough if you want to experience 'the boardwalk'. (app. 10 miles). Bethany has its own boardwalk, small, but lots of families, restaurants etc. Nice beach. Also, close to Rehobeth Beach, and yet another boardwalk!! As for golf, there is plenty! My family and I have been to Sea Colony. Check that out. They have a website! Single family homes, condos etc.

We had a great time last summer at Isle of Palms. A large house on the beach was around $8,000 & accommodated our family of 21 comfortably. We had the beach to ourselves and Charleston was an easy reach. Gallardia growing wild with the beach grasses, nice.