The Unclaimed Gift: Traveling To Spruce Pine North Carolina

Welcome to our first official Travel Tuesday. As is always the case with my life, today came with an increased share of chaos in addition to trying to having to close on a new house that sweetheart and I just bought. My mother is in the hospital in California, I am in Texas, and my son's wedding is in Georgia this weekend. So here I sit at 7:10 pm putting the finishing touches on a completely different direction from the one I started out the day with!! Isn't it good to know that some things never change?

Before I start with today's destination I just wanted to let you know that if you are interested in having your little corner of the world highlighted please send me a message through the contact page and I will send you the "interview" questions.

I want to introduce you to Holly Barrett. She lives a part of North Carolina that I dearly love and miss terribly. After your visit with her new hometown please take time to visit her blog Reclaiming A Redeemed Life and "like" her on Facebook. Today is the day to add a new friend to your circle!

Today is Travel Tuesday and I’m excited to tell you about my new hometown of Spruce Pine, NC. I am a native North Carolinian and have lived from Charlotte to the coast. This is the first time I have lived in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, though. And I have to say I love it!

Spruce Pine is a town of about 2000 sitting along the Toe River in Mitchell County. The town has many businesses but is best known for a long history of mining. We have a small amount of tourism because we are close to the ski slopes in Avery County. It is also a summer destination for the snowbirds who winter in Florida and summer in the mountains.

I moved to Spruce Pine in October of last year after accepting a position with The Crossnore School. I am the Program Director for Miracle Scholars which is a residential and support services program for college students who have aged out of foster care and are or will enroll at Mayland Community College. I am excited about serving these young adults and helping them further their education and make a solid transition to independent living.

Mayland Community College was recently named to the Top 10 Community Colleges in the US, rated #32 in the 2013 Community Colleges Rankings, and listed # 10 in The 50 Best Community Colleges in the United States by The Best Schools.

I have spent the last few months learning my way around town. Yes you can get lost in a small town! Especially in the mountains. If you came to visit we would take a stroll down Main Street visiting several stores along the way. Of course our first stop would be DT’s Blue Ridge Java for a morning cup of coffee. Later we might head over to Stuart’s on the Green for a nice luncheon overlooking the local golf course.

In the afternoon, we could go up through Crossnore, stopping at the school to visit the Weaving Room and Art Gallery, and then continuing on to the ski slopes in Boone or Banner Elk. If you were here for several days, we could visit Grandfather Mountain and Tweetsie Railroad. A trip to Mast General Store would give you a feel for an old-fashioned general store.

One thing you would notice right off is the number of churches here. You honestly can hardly drive a half mile up here without seeing a steeple. Many of the churches are small, and I knew it would be hard to find a church as large as the last church I served at in Charlotte. But I was hoping for something that would come close! God truly answered that prayer when He sent me to Western Carolina Church, a congregation of about 180 people which is quite large for this area. The church rents space in a converted mill building and has a sanctuary that will hold about 300 people. We are very outward focused with our student ministry and with community involvement. I’m looking forward to finding out where God will have me serve here at WCC.

I hope you have enjoyed your brief visit to Spruce Pine. If you are ever actually in this area, I’d love to meet you for a visit and a tour.

One thing I have learned as I settled in a new place is that no matter where we go, God is always there. I never imagined that I would live in this small town in the mountains, but I have found a certain peacefulness here that is quite refreshing. Maybe that’s what God had in mind for me all along.

Happy travels,

Holly

Thanks Holly for being our first Travel Tuesday gal! I can't wait to stop in on my next trip to the Carolinas.