I grew up in South Carolina/Georgia area, and you are so right about the carolinas! I was born there and lived for the first 10 years of my life in Beech Island, SC, which is just a stones throw away from Augusta, GA (Ok, so you would have to be pretty good at throwing a stone to get it accross the savanah river.. But anyway.)

I spent plenty of time on the SC coast, and some on the NC coast. Beautoft, SC is a beautiful town and Hunting Island is neat.

I also spent a good deal of time in the mountians of North and South Carolina, and most of my dad's extended family is from NC (I have cousins and second cousins and second cousins umpteen times removed I have never met but everyone knows they are my relatives, family has a lot more meaning there than some places I think)

I love going back for hollidays.

I have been away from there for 13 years now. Louisiana is interesting, and mississippi is pretty historic, but nothing like the carolinas. And the gulf coast doesn't hold a candle to the carolina coast.