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I’On Village in Mount Pleasant is often referred to as a mixed-use New Urbanist Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND), and is one of the first full-time communities of this kind in the United States.

I’On was named after Jacob Bond I’On, the first mayor of Sullivan’s Island back in 1823. When first proposed, the I’On community was a real controversy. Initial plans consisted of having a more urban and diverse village of over 1,200 units, which included multi-family homes.

Today, the neighborhood is a full community with 756 home sites and plenty of local businesses such as I’On Inn, Grind & Squeeze Coffee/ Juice Bar, Square Onion deli, O’Brion’s Pub, Grace Salon and Sweet Olive gift shop.

I’On real estate is in high demand due to the walking and jogging paths, the Amphitheater, I’On Square, the Creek Club and other opportunities for active people who love the outdoors. The I’On Club features plenty of room for different families to meet each other and play games, be healthy and have fun together. Additionally, the Club delivers free Wi-Fi and locker rooms with showers, ensuring members with busy lifestyles will find refuge at the Club at any time of day.

Speaking of taking refuge, the Rookery, which is one of the natural features at I’On, is a wildlife refuge that consists of 6 miles of walking trails, 2.5 miles of marsh front paths, a deep water access boat ramp, 3 crab docks, a boathouse, two lakes and 12 pocket parks. It’s the perfect spot for residents and guests to take a break from the bustle of life.

One of Mount Pleasant’s oldest and loveliest neighborhoods, the Old Village, is still a prime place for purchasing a home. This quaint community, tucked off of Coleman Boulevard in the area known as “Old Mount Pleasant,” draws families looking for a quaint and picturesque way of life.

The heart of Old Village is Pitt Street, which hosts a group of independent businesses, including Out of Hand, a gift emporium and florist; Old Village Post House, a fine dining restaurant with a bed-and-breakfast above it; Pitt Street Pharmacy, an old-fashioned drugstore with a classic soda fountain; and others. Most days, you can ride a bicycle or travel on foot around the Old Village and see young children licking ice cream cones and daydreaming, neighbors visiting and birds chirping; it’s no wonder that home buyers choose this idyllic area in which to live.

Although a visitor to Mount Pleasant’s Old Village might wonder if the homes in the community lack modern touches, the answer to this question is a resounding “no.” In fact, the residents of the area are passionate about updating the homes with chic touches and décor that is both Southern and up-to-date.

History hangs over the lowcountry like spanish moss on heavy oak limbs, so perhaps it is not surprising to learn that Brickyard Plantation in Mount Pleasant has an interesting past. Built on the site of a working brick plantation, it has evolved into a stunning community of neighborhoods.

By the time construction began, only a few ruins remained of the old plantation, but, if you look carefully, you can still see traces of the past. An eight-acre lake marks the area where the material for bricks was dug out.

The old kitchen and another building and kiln are gone but there is still one kiln left. When you walk along the creek, you can still see where the brick was loaded for shipping.

The entrance to Mount Pleasant’s Brickyard Plantation is impressive and an indication that this is a well-designed, well laid-out development. Extensive landscaping only adds to the appeal.

Although there are approximately 850 homes on the property, the neighborhood design belies that density. Home prices range primarily from the mid-$300s to more than $2 million.

Brickyard has something for everyone. Many families are on their second or third home in Brickyard, because they like the area so much. Some move up to larger homes while others choose downsizing.

Residents enjoy amenities such as the elegant clubhouse, tennis courts and pool but best of all is the boat launch and floating dock on Horlbeck Creek. And that little bit of history that lingers along the creek bank.

These days, the term “Hybrid” is most closely associated with automobiles powered by both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. To golfers in the Lowcountry, the term can easily be applied to Charleston National, a challenging 18-hole layout by renowned golf course architect Rees Jones.

Charleston National combines the quality and amenities of a private club with the accessibility and reasonable greens fees of a public course.

It didn’t start out that way. Charleston National was conceived as an exclusive private club along the same lines as Augusta National, home of the Masters Tournament. Jones was brought in to create the finest course on the Southeast coast, one that would take advantage of its proximity to the Intracoastal Waterway and an array of lagoons, marshes and pine and oak forests.

But nature, in the form of Hurricane Hugo, intervened just after the grand opening in 1989. Thousands of old trees were lost and the course closed for more than a year for redesign and renovation.

Fortunately for local and visiting golfers, this superb course reopened as a semiprivate club, providing the public with the opportunity to play what its original architect called “one of the elite venues in golf” at a moderate price.

Charleston National is consistently ranked by major golf publications as the number one non-resort course in the Charleston area. It offers players the visual pleasures of its marshes and lagoons and the challenges of ever-shifting winds. Those cool ocean breezes can create vastly different playing conditions between morning and afternoon rounds.

The club itself offers all the services of a private facility, from clubhouse to pro shop, restaurant and bar.

What do golfers say about Charleston National? A visit to some of the most popular golf Web sites uncovers comments such as: “Beautiful course … has much character and is a steal.” “Interesting layout.” “This course is unbelievable. Phenomenal greens, excellent customer service and experienced professional staff.”

And finally: “The restaurant was fast at the turn and delicious at the end of the round. And the Bloody Marys were awesome.”