Recently I stayed and played golf in a place I had never heard of. In fact one of my golfing friends said, "Never heard of Edenton, where in North Carolina is that?" And she lives in the state.

Perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much. Edenton, North Carolina, has to be the perfect golf getaway destination - for the girls. It's quiet, historic, you can safely walk everywhere important and the golf is a great deal.

Does Edenton have a ton of courses? No. But it does have a handful of really good tracks from easy ones like Chowan Golf and Country Club to challenging like Scotch Hall Preserve, an Arnold Palmer design named 9th in the top new courses in America for 2009 by Golf Digest. Anyway, how many courses can you play in a few days?

Does Edenton have endless rows of shopping plazas? No. In fact all the shops are independently owned with nary a chain store in sight. Most are tucked into brick buildings lining Broad Street in the three-block "downtown" which runs to the shores of Albemarle Sound.

Does it have beaches with rows of chaises all lined up? No, but it does have Albemarle Sound with miles of paddle trails along creeks and millponds. Kayaks and canoes are easy to rent.

Is there a lot of stuff going on? Not really, but there are some great oyster bars like Macs Back Door and a happening bar downstairs in Waterman's Grill on Broad Street. And yes, there is a movie house as well as the Emmerich Theatre.

Is there a high rise hotel with cheap rates in Edenton. Nope. The highest building in town is the old five-story peanut factory and you wouldn't want to stay there.

You would want to stay in one of the dozen or so bed and breakfasts. There are so many historic houses in Edenton dating from the 18th and 19th century they seem to outnumber the new ones. A few of these are operating as B&Bs. Some have cupolas, many double porches and most incredible gardens.

I stayed at the Granville Queen Inn (www.granvillequeen.com) in the midst of all those wonderful old houses so taking early morning walks on tree-shaded sidewalks became a habit. Sitting on the porch after a day on the course, sipping a glass of something cool and coming down to a breakfast of homemade breads, fresh fruit and an entrée like herb and cheese omelet or potato tortilla was pure pleasure.

Great antique beds covered with duvets and puffy quilts, massive armoires, large baths, and even in-room WiFi were especially appreciated by someone who has stayed way too many times in cookie-cutter chain hotels.

I relaxed for a while on the porch, meandered into the living room to catch the end of the golf tournament with my golfing pals and grabbed a cookie to munch on from the plate in the dining room.

Dora and David Drohen, innkeepers, were happy to help us with tee times, restaurant reservations, directions on where to go and whatever else we needed.

Who needs a sports bar when you can relax on a gracious Victorian porch or in a comfortably furnished living room. And what a deal. Room rates are $95 to $135 including breakfast while green fees run around $40 to $50 including a cart.

Just don't tell the guys.

Check www.northcarolinagolf.com

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