New way to roll: Golf carts aren't just for fairways anymore.

• Author: King, Brad
• Position: NC GOLF

With a population nearing 10,000, Wendell's motto is: "Small Town, Big Charm."

Adding to the charm of the Raleigh bedroom community, says Mayor Pro Tempore Jason Joyner, is the increasing use of golf carts on roadways as well as fairways. The government affairs specialist paved the path for carts by helping rewrite ordinances making it legal to operate them on many Wendell streets.

"We're a small town. We've got a main street. It's nice," he says. "But you know, it's less than 20 vendors. So when mom and dad get in the car with kids, maybe they leave Wendell. Our thought has been that if we make downtown and being in town an experience that is fun, we'll keep them here."

Since its been easier to use carts, their popularity around Wendell has defied Joyner's imagination. "I thought we'd have 20 or 30 golf carts ultimately," he says. "We're well over 160 now."

With fuel prices skyrocketing to near-record levels, more families are taking trips in battery-powered vehicles. Younger families use them for visits to the local pool or parks. Older folks find them comfortable for errands.

"We have a new brewery and when we did downtown parking around the brewery, we had designated golf cart spots," Joyner said. "It's a cool thing."

Both electric and gas carts and similar-sized units called neighborhood electric vehicles or the heftier low-speed vehicles have become utilitarian transportation tools for off-road sporting endeavors such as hunting, fishing and beach exploration. They are also prominent across sprawling settings including airport terminals, campgrounds, university campuses and resorts.

"We have a ton of farmers who come in here," says Cheyann James, an associate with BJ & Son Custom Golf Cars, which has operated in Thomasville for more than four decades. "They want gas carts because they don't want to deal with plugging them in. But most all of your beachgoing people and people who stay in campgrounds want electric.... They're quieter."

James was raised around what she calls golf cars. (Industry insiders prefer that term to more commonly used "carts.") Her grandfather, Bobby James, started the family business across the street from its current site. "We've got one guy who's not family, but he's pretty much grandfathered in," she says.

Servicing and accessorizing older carts is a big part of BJ & Son.

"There are a lot of businesses that are into refurbishing carts and selling them. We're one of the only ones in the service business,"...