Neighbors

Meet Your Neighbors: The Hawes Family

Meet your new neighbors, Rob and Chris Hawes! These Indiana natives lived in Charleston for 18 years where they raised their two children. Now the Hawes live in Florida, but come back frequently to see their children and grandchildren. They are now planning to make Charleston their home again in a Butterfly Garden Cottage at Kiawah River. 

Pictured in the header is their two grandchildren enjoying the outdoors at Kiawah River. 

How did you first hear about Kiawah River?

This has always been the place that we would ultimately retire because the kids are here, and with grandkids coming, we began exploring places to purchase, where we would eventually retire. When we lived in Charleston before, we had a place in Awendaw on the Wando River and we loved it so much, it was very hard to give up. We were looking for something that captured that Lowcountry lifestyle and our daughter and son-in-law who live on Johns Island told us to check out Kiawah River.  

What was your first impression of Kiawah River?

Having lived in the Lowcountry for a long time, this was the type of scenery we were looking for. What struck me about Kiawah River was the emphasis on family and nature. We wanted a place where our grandchildren and children could come and enjoy, and Kiawah River is all about family. The wide–open nature, the river, the water, the oaks, this whole setting was a perfect fit. 

Will Kiawah River be your full-time home?

We will continue visiting until we plan to retire here permanently. We have a place in Winter Park, FL and a summer home in Maine. We have two children, twins who were raised here in Charleston, and we have two grandchildren here now. 

Why did you choose to purchase property at Kiawah River?

We were coming to see our grandchildren a lot and we knew we wanted to retire here. We thought it was a really good opportunity to get in on the beginning of this development. It provides an environment for the kids to come out and really enjoy themselves. It sort of hit us that Kiawah River was really the right way to go! 

Why did you choose to spend time at Kiawah River during COVID-19 stay-at-home conditions?

Is there any place on earth better for social distancing than Kiawah River? We were on a golf cart ride today and we only heard birds chirping and only saw trees, marsh and wildlife, a beautiful solitary setting. It was a no brainer.  

There really is a lot of space here as opposed to Orlando where it’s a little more chaotic there’s more people. This is a much more comfortable place to be during an uncomfortable time. 

What has been an activity that your family has enjoyed doing together here?

Fishing. My son and my son–in–law are avid fishermen. My daughter went out yesterday and caught a redfish, we put the boat in and were cruising around Kiawah River. We’ve also come over to the Farmhouse lawn every evening for a little happy hour. Kiawah River offers so many outdoor activities to share with our family. Our oldest grandson already asks us “Are we going to Kiawah River?” This place is perfect for creating memories, which for us is really important.