Summertime retreats are a Charleston tradition. For centuries locals have abandoned the bustle of the city for cooler, more tranquil settings on nearby barrier islands—be it for a day, a weekend, or the entire sweltering summer.

For one downtown family—a young mom and dad (who prefer to keep their anonymity), plus a toddler, a three-year-old, and two golden retrievers in tow—summer is not complete without an escape to Cassique. Here, in this private community tucked between Kiawah and Seabrook islands, they have built a base for bonding—a four bed, four and a half bath, 3,200-square-foot house with style and grandeur that simultaneously embraces muddy paw prints and spilled juice boxes. It’s their home-away-from-home, where the beach beckons, the cares of city life are left 30 minutes down the road, and the alligators are proof positive you’re not on the peninsula anymore.

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