Guide to Resort Communities in South Carolina
Guide to Resort Communities in South Carolina
Resort communities offer the comfort of home with the luxury amenities of a vacation destination. Features such as on-site restaurants, pools, tennis courts, and pickleball courts are available for residents. Clubhouses are always busy with scheduled events and activities for residents and their guests. Neighbors become friends through interest clubs and socials hosted throughout the year.
There are a variety of resort communities to choose from. For example, those who love to hit the links may find their perfect home in a golf community, while those who prefer the sand and sea can find their haven in a coastal community.
Aside from amenities and lifestyle offerings, important considerations when selecting a new home destination include factors such as preferred climate, cost of living, and tax considerations.
Social activities
Being part of an exclusive community means that neighbors get to know each other well. Onsite amenities, such as clubhouses and pools, foster these close relationships. Staff members also organize themed dinners, holiday events, and special interest groups.
Top-Notch Amenities
Resort communities offer updated facilities. Pools, fitness rooms, and tennis courts are generally found onsite. Those who have particular interests such as golf or sailing can find resort communities that cater specifically to those activities.
Family-Friendly Environment
Resort communities are diverse. They may also be gated communities, active adult communities and/or coastal communities. They can be a sanctuary to young families and empty-nesters alike. From playgrounds to lounges, these communities offer amenities to entertain residents of any age.
Further, these amenities add value to the neighborhood, which benefit homeowners in these communities.
Sample Communities to Discover
Woodside
Enhanced by the region’s lucrative cost of living, mild climate, stunning natural beauty, and charming
Southern hospitality, Woodside’s 3,000-acre community is ideally located in one of the Southeast’s best-kept secrets, Aiken, SC.
Meticulously designed from concept to creation for discerning active-active adults, downsizing retirees, and anyone else with a taste for the finer things in life, Woodside’s location in one of Southern Living Magazine’s “South’s Best Small Towns” offers residents walkable access to the best of both worlds. On top of Woodside’s world-class amenities, including 4 championship golf courses, 2 clubhouses, more than 60 member-led social groups and clubs, 2 resort-style pools, a state-of-the-art fitness center, over 21 miles of hiking and nature trails, 7 landscaped parks and green spaces – including a Certified Butterfly Park – Woodside residents enjoy 10-minute access to downtown Aiken’s Gilded-Age avenues filled with exceptional local restaurants, designer boutiques, art galleries, and more.
Whether you envision yourself perfecting your swing on our Nicklaus Design course, dozing by the pool,
or creating new memories with friends you’ve yet to meet, life at Woodside is designed to deliver you a
home that extends far beyond your property line!
Keowee Key
Looking for the perfect lifestyle community for retirement or to raise your family? Keowee Key has more of what you love. Golf, tennis, fitness center, swimming, boating and pickleball are just a few of the amenities this active, gated, lakeside community offers.
Located at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Salem, SC, and surrounded by the pristine waters of Lake Keowee, Keowee Key is a 1,600-acre community carved out of a forest of hardwood and pines. You’ll find a wide variety of home styles and price points available in a natural setting with mild seasons and an abundance of local adventure.
All homes in Keowee Key are custom-built, including lakefront, mountain or golf-course views. For a maintenance-free lifestyle, you’ll find ample condominiums, town homes and cottages. Choose a lakefront home with private dock or use one of 5 community docks with 324 boat slips, pontoon and kayak rentals, and a supply store.
The challenging 18-hole, par 72 George Cobb Golf Course, features four tee boxes to match all skill levels. A clubhouse with award-winning chef, lakeside leisure trail, three swimming pools, and a dog park, contribute to Keowee Key’s country club lifestyle.
K. Hovnanian’s Four Seasons at Carolina Oaks
Welcome to K. Hovnanian’s® Four Seasons at Carolina Oaks, a new 55+ active adult community nestled in a tranquil, wooded area of the scenic Lowcountry in Bluffton, South Carolina. Perfectly situated between the beaches of Hilton Head Island and historic Savannah, Georgia, this gated, picturesque community offers an exceptional resort lifestyle filled with natural beauty and an abundance of amenities and activities.
Fifteen stunning single-family home designs feature thoughtfully designed floorplans, luxurious finishes and gorgeous spaces to relax and entertain. Ranging from 2 beds, 2 baths and 1,324 sq. ft. to 3 beds, 3.5 baths and 3,209 sq. ft., you can choose a home that’s perfect for you—whether you’re looking to spread out or downsize.
K. Hovnanian’s Four Seasons at Carolina Oaks offers endless recreation and a full calendar of activities. The expansive clubhouse serves as the hub of the community, where residents enjoy yoga and Zumba at the fitness center, discover new talents in the arts & crafts room, play billiards with neighbors and perfect their dancing skills in the ballroom.
Outside, residents can take in the breathtaking scenery as they explore walking and biking paths, play tennis, pickleball and bocce, gather at the fire pit, pavilion, screened verandas or grilling areas and lounge or swim laps at the sparkling pool.
K. Hovnanian’s Four Seasons at Carolina Oaks is within 20 miles of pristine Hilton Head Island beaches, championship golf courses, scenic nature preserves, marinas and the historic, vibrant cities of Bluffton and Savannah, Georgia.
Get Started
Finding and choosing the right resort community can be a daunting task. This is where ideal-LIVING can help. Sign up below to receive our complimentary relocation guide, which offers tips on how to find a community that suits your needs. In this guide, you’ll discover the best resort communities in South Carolina, as well as what you can do to get started. Sign up for this free package to take the first step in your exciting journey. Free Package includes:
- ideal-LIVING Relocation Guide
The ultimate guide to find your ideal destination, life and home. This annual guide contains more than 15 state maps, a location-based cost of living and climate comparison chart and discovery travel packages.
- ideal-LIVING Magazine
Quarterly print magazine features the best places to retire and/or purchase your ideal second home.
- ideal-LIVING E-Newsletter
Receive our digital newsletter, two to three times a month, highlighting communities around the country and abroad.
- Tickets to ideal-LIVING Live Events
The ideal-LIVING Resort & Retirement Show has helped retirees and second-home buyers find their ideal community and home for more than 30 years.
© 2026 ideal-LIVING Magazine • 265 Racine Dr #201 • Wilmington, NC 28403 • 910.763.2100


