The College of Charleston describes itself as a liberal arts university; it’s a college with 10,000 undergrads, considerably larger than the undergraduate student bodies of several private universities in the Carolinas such as Wake and Duke. In the Carolinas, only UNC Asheville and USC-Aiken are members of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.
On that note, UNC Asheville, suggested by jcc in the first post, strikes me as a terrific fit. Quirky city, super easy access to nature, and a student body that’s small but not stiflingly so (3800 undergrads).
The OP is not eligible for Meredith and Salem; they’re single-sex colleges.
Ithaca in NY would be a great fit.
– 6100 undergrads
– Extremely strong communications program
– Awesome area with tons of outdoors opportunities
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-ithaca-new-york-is-the-best-college-town-in-america-2013-11?op=1