Home away from home.

• Author: Younger, Ken
• Position: North and South Carolina - Special Advertising Section

This is a story about where the action isn't.

The Carolinas are blessed with geography unmatched anywhere. You're never far from the mountains or the coast and the wealth of leisure activities they offer. Yet, in the midst of it all are havens from the hustle and bustle.

Here are executives in trucking, bedding, publishing, fast food and office furniture who have found second-home/retirement retreats all across the Carolinas.

Read and envy.

Ken Younger, Elk River Club, Banner Elk

All Ken Younger knew about Elk River in 1983 was that some friends and college classmates were involved as initial investors and Jack Nicklaus was designing the golf course. That was all he needed.

The Carolina Freight Corp. vice chairman whipped out his checkbook, wrote a check for $40,000 and became a founding member of the exclusive Banner Elk community.

"The important factor was ... the fact that Nicklaus was designing the golf course," says Younger.

"I just called and had them send me an application. I never saw any literature. But it's turned out first class, and I couldn't be more pleased."

The four-bedroom home the Youngers built at Elk River is a handy gathering point for the family. it's a warm-weather golf retreat from early April through mid-November and a wintertime headquarters for skiing.

"I don't get up there as much as I'd like," Younger says. "I try to go on weekends during the summer when possible. I'm turning 65 in August, so I plan on spending a lot more time there."

Younger is among a who's who of North Carolina executives who are members at Elk River, which includes a golf course opened in 1983, complete equestrian facilities and a private airport. Other members include Commerce Secretary Jim Broyhill and Miami Dolphins Coach Don Shula.

"I'm really pleased with the membership," Younger says. "It's just a good mix of people. Everything's first class, from the clubhouse to the security system. I don't use the airstrip myself, but I've had friends come up from Florida for the weekend who've used it. That's a nice facility to have."

Elk River has been good to Younger in other ways, too. Playing in a member-guest tournament in 1988, Younger scored a hole in one on the scenic sixth hole. His prize was a brand new Jaguar automobile presented by Greensboro dealer Bob Dunn, also an Elk River member.

John Maness, DeBordieu Club, Georgetown, S.C.

The South Carolina Low Country has always been special to John Maness of Greensboro. As a child, he built sand castles on the beaches, and as an adult, he returned often to vacation and play golf. So when he started looking in the late 1970s for a vacation retreat, he knew that a private residential enclave on the coast near Georgetown would be his ticket.

Maness, chairman of Serta Mattress Co. in Greensboro, signed on as one of the early members of DeBordieu Club without hesitation.

"I had been to DeBordieu [pronounced Deh-buh-DOO] shortly after it was started," he says. "There were only four houses there when I first went there. That was around '72 or '73. We liked it so much we didn't seriously consider anything else."

Maness, 65, stepped down as CEO of Serta Jan. 1. He and wife Carolyn plan to spend more time there this year. His daughters and grandchildren come to DeBordieu during summers and holidays. They have a house about 350 feet from the ocean front that backs up to the canal and marsh.

Though Maness is an avid golfer, DeBordieu didn't offer much golfing when he bought his lot in 1978. "At that time, there was a very small golf course there, and there were some others...