Love stories don’t always follow a predictable path. Bill and Carla Caraccio’s love for our island, their love for their family and their love for each other is one such story.
Bill first fell in love with our fair isle while traveling here with his brother and their friends on a men’s golf weekend. He and Carla had been considering a southern move from the Northeast for quite some time before Bill’s golf trip led them to explore all the wonderful things that the Charleston area has to offer.
“What’s not to love about the Isle of Palms?” Carla pondered, while discussing her decision to first travel here on vacation, which ultimately inspired the family to move here as full-time residents.
Bill added, “Our friends bought a house on the island shortly after my brother and our friends and I had come down to explore the area. I quickly fell in love with all things Charleston and soon brought Carla down to visit our friends and of course, she quickly fell in love with the climate, the culture and the lifestyle.”
Carla added, “We had made the decision long ago that we would retire from the Northeast to the South and Charleston proved to be our perfect fit.”
Bill and Carla met in college and began dating shortly thereafter. Thirty-one years of marriage and two kids later, their seemingly effortless energy and strength are a formidable yet beautiful force. Simultaneously laid-back and energetic, the Caraccios exude a delightful grace and charm that the Lowcountry should consider itself lucky to embrace.
Not long after Bill and Carla purchased their first Charleston area home in Mount Pleasant, their daughter Sarah came for a visit, and she too fell in love with Charleston and the surrounding barrier islands. Sarah is currently working as a nurse at MUSC and has purchased her first home in Mount Pleasant. Bill and Carla’s son Will currently resides in Boston and hopes to eventually relocate to Charleston.
Among the list of the Caraccio family favorites is walking on the beach with their precious family dog Savannah. Coming in at a close second is the ability to hang out at the VFW on Front Beach, “The Post on the Coast,” while listening to music from The Windjammer. All the Caraccios agree that eating at The Dinghy and Islander 71 while enjoying live music and the spectacular views makes their family grateful to be here.
Carla’s mother joined the Caraccios soon after they arrived in the Lowcountry, a move that Carla described with an enthusiastic love and joy. “We are so grateful that my mom wanted to join us here. I am thankful she fell in love with all things Charleston and so happy she wanted to be here with us. We have loved getting to know Charleston, the Isle of Palms and the other barrier islands as well.”
Carla continued, “We definitely want to do another ecotour and venture out to Capers Island again. It is such a beautiful place with no development and pristine beaches and waterways. Watching the sun set on Front Beach also brings us such joy, as does just being here and living in this wonderful slice of paradise.”
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