There are plenty of things you can't do here: Cell phone service is iffy, Wi-Fi is nonexistent, and bikes are banned from the more than 17 miles of hiking trails. What is plentiful, however, are the birding opportunities on a Puffin Watch cruise (hardyboat.com, $22). The island has inspired many artists, including Rockwell Kent. To see some of his best work, stop by the Monhegan Museum, next to the lighthouse (monheganmuseum.org, $4). –Sarah Mahoney See photo

CALIFORNIA
Catalina Island
The car is king in California, but golf carts rule the streets of this island an hour by Catalina Express ferry from Long Beach (800/481-3470, catalinaexpress.com, $60 round trip). Rent your own golf cart through Island Rentals (310/510-1456, $80 for three hours) and do the loop up to the Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Garden, landscaped with native plants (310/510-2595, $5). Carts aren't allowed in the interior, where 200 buffalo roam, but Discovery Tours offers trips to the region (310/510-8687, $72).

DITCH THE CAR! These photos reveal 10 spots without cars. Can you believe they're all in America? • Launch the slide show

Follow the crowds to Original Jack's Country Kitchen for breakfast, lunch, or dinner: The Portuguese-bread French toast is a standout (310/510-1308, $6). Big Olaf's (310/510-0798, scoop $2) is a popular ice cream parlor down the street from the art deco Avalon Theatre (310/510-0179, movie $8).

Since 1896, the Hermosa Hotel has had the cheapest lodging on the island (877/453-1313, hermosahotel.com, from $45). Away from Main Street's bustle, the hilltop Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel is where the author of The Lone Star Ranger wrote more than 80 books (800/378-3256, zanegreypueblohotel.com, from $65). –Brian Wilson See photo

NORTH CAROLINA
Bald Head Island
Bald Head has a rowdy past as a pirate hideout, but the island has since become a vacation-home haven. Old Baldy, as the island's lighthouse is often called, was what inspired Jeff and Tonya Swearingen to first visit Bald Head. Last year, they bought a second home there. "We love having no cars and having the woods next to the beach," says Tonya.

The island also welcomes plenty of day-trippers, who fill up the ferry from Southport (910/457-5003, baldheadisland.com, $15 round trip). Lodging options include a few B&Bs, such as the Marsh Harbour Inn (910/454-0495, marshharbourinn.com, from $190), and beach-house rentals (800/432-7368, baldheadisland.com, from $135).

Over 80 percent of the island's 12,000 acres is conservation land. The Bald Head Island Conservancy leads nature hikes and special walks to sea-turtle nesting sites (910/457-0089, bhic.org, from $7). –Diane Daniel See photo

SOUTH CAROLINA
Daufuskie Island
The guy across from you at the backwoods bar could be a Fortune 500 CEO or a shrimper fresh from a day at sea. That's life on this small wooded isle about 45 minutes by ferry from Hilton Head Island (843/341-4870, daufuskiefrontporch.com, $30 round trip). Golf carts are the only form of transportation, available through the Daufuskie Island Resort (800/648-6778, daufuskieislandresort.com, rooms from $169). The resort's plantation-style mansion and oceanfront cottages are spread across 1,200 of the island's 5,000 acres.

What makes Daufuskie Island unique is its Gullah population. They're descendants of African slaves who brought with them such traditions as sweetgrass basket weaving; baskets and other local art are on display at the Daufuskie Gallery (843/842-3300, daufuskiegallery.com). The gallery is among the few modern developments (there are also two golf courses) on an island that doesn't change much. The live-and-let-live vibe is on full display at Marshside Mama's, which serves a delicious low-country gumbo to whoever traipses in—locals, visitors, even the occasional dog (843/785-4755, from $9). –Jennifer Wilson See photo

VIRGINIA
Tangier Island
The three-mile-long island in the center of the Chesapeake Bay feels like a world of its own. Residents—who speak with a distinctive Cockneyish accent—navigate the narrow lanes either on golf carts or on bikes to visit neighbors and chat over the ubiquitous white picket fences.

The new Tangier History Museum provides a closer look at island life, including Tangier's role in the War of 1812, when British forces used it as a staging ground (gotangierisland.com). Complimentary kayaks are available for paddling along the water trails. Or try your hand catching peeler crabs on an overnight Honorary Waterman's Tour (757/891-2331, $175 with lodging).

Ferries to Tangier are operated out of Reedville, Va., by Tangier & Chesapeake Cruises (804/453-2628, tangiercruise.com, $25 round trip) and out of Crisfield, Md., by Tangier Island Cruises (410/968-2338, tangierislandcruises.com, $25 round trip). –Jeanine Barone See photo

ALASKA
Halibut Cove
The boardwalk along Halibut Cove, about six miles from Homer, is lined with stores and art galleries, and more than half of the 23 residents are artists. But there's nothing snooty about this scene—the artists often mingle with out-of-towners at Nardelli's, the cove's floating espresso bar.

Halibut Cove is part of Kachemak Bay State Park, so there's plenty of wildlife to view, including humpback whales. Homer Ocean Charters leads tours of the bay (800/426-6212, homerocean.com, half-day trips from $105). As the name implies, Halibut Cove is a popular fishing spot, too. The guides at North Country Halibut Charters can show you the ropes (800/770-7620, northcountrycharters.com, from $190).

Accommodations are expensive in Halibut Cove, so your best bet is to stay in Homer, a 30-minute Danny J ferry ride across the bay (800/478-7847, $50 round trip). "When the tide is low, you can walk pretty far out and dig for your own shellfish," says Dawn Schneider, general manager of the Land's End Resort, where all 114 rooms have private balconies (800/478-0400, lands-end-resort.com, from $79). –Beth Collins See photo