There’s not many people who come to Sky Ridge that don’t know they can raft the Nantahala river for an exciting family adventure. But, the water fun doesn’t have to stop there after your whitewater experience is over. The Western North Carolina mountains – and the Smoky Mountain National Park – are known for their pristine creeks and rivers, waterfalls, and of course…..swimming holes! We know where many of them are, and we spent the last week documenting some of the more (and less) known swimming holes in the area around Sky Ridge. Some are perfect for a lazy family picnic by the water, others ..read more

My brand manager sent me a link yesterday to an ad about a crowdfunding program for the next big demand in vacationing. This little-known thing called “glamping.” I glanced at it and chuckled and then turned back to the third group of people I’ve talked to this month about how to open a glamping business like Sky Ridge. It seems the little business I started ten years ago is suddenly the “new” thing. I answered all their questions (if you have the glamping itch, you can buy my time here and I’ll answer yours, too) – all the ones about how much does this cost, how much does that cost, how much ..read more

I don’t remember exactly when I noticed the little green and yellow vase in the Stecoah looked somehow off. But once I did finally pick it up to see that it had been carefully superglued back together along several major fissures, none of us could pinpoint how long it had sat in that condition. Kathy noticed it was broken as she dusted around it for weeks, but she thought I had put it back together and returned it to its perch. Alison thought the same, but with Kathy playing the part of repair technician instead of me. The men on our staff had noticed it, but thought it was supposed to look th ..read more

Sky Ridge means a lot of things to me. It’s a way to provide for my family. It’s a way to do what I love to do, and that’s sharing the mountains with others. It’s a lot more, too. But once every year, it’s a way for me to rekindle a connection to something I’ve lost. Once a year, I get to host the spring training camp for the Cardinal Classic Cycling Women’s Cycling Team. Team Bikes Lining Up At The WAyah House.... Unless you’re deep into it – or love someone who is – you may not know all the details of what the sport of cycling is all about. For most of us, encountering a cyclist is either a ..read more

Ah, 2022. This year means a lot of things. It means another shot at getting back to “normal” after a pandemic that changed the way everyone does things. It means a totally clean slate to do things differently – maybe better, maybe smarter. It means resolutions and promises to ourselves to change. For me, it means I’m officially over a decade in the yurt business. A Bird's Eye View Of The Grounds At Sky Ridge That’s a long time, at least by my estimation. And as 2021 draws to a close, I wanted to share a few things that this very unique year has taught me about business, about life, and about ..read more

I was all ready to write a post, but I decided to flip through the guest book for fun before I started. I found a note from Levi Gindes. Now I'm not sure much else needs to be said. Levi's Post From His Stay In Our Fontana Yurt Ok, maybe I'll write a little more. This summer I've had the chance to rent some other cabins in our Bryson City area. Some I've stayed in because I needed a place for me or my construction guys to stay. Others I've stayed in to celebrate summer and graduation with long-time friends. All of them were pretty nice. One in particular was a "sleeps 12" mega mountain cabin ..read more

If You Get Stuck With The Original, Here's Why You're Actually The Lucky One. Bryson City is awesome. And I love it as much as my guests do. Just minutes from tons of great things to do in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains, the yurts at Sky Ridge in Bryson always fill up quickly. That's why it's always a bit of an awkward conversation to have when that guest that can't believe their luck at finding The Original available for their summer vacation plans isn't in Bryson City. The conversation is usually the same. The reservation gets made, then they'll call and ask how far from the others The O ..read more

A trip to St. John reveals why I love the mountains... I own a vacation rental business. When you’re in the business of selling vacations, you seldom think about what it means to take a vacation yourself. Oh, I go places for vacation. But mostly when I get wherever I’m going, I find myself looking around, watching the staff, checking the décor, looking for things out of place, all of the things I do at my own place to make sure things are as perfect as they can be for my guests. This is never to look for problems, mind you. It’s just that if vacationing is your job, it’s hard to unwind when it ..read more

Today means you've been gone eleven years... Facebook suggests to me all kinds of things about you. It’s your birthday, send Adam your best, or maybe you would like my page and I should invite you to follow it. And the memories. I love and hate those. I can’t remember if Facebook was the thing it is today when you were alive, but I do remember you saying that it would be the perfect place for bored housewives to share their kid stories with each other. You’d be amazed at what it is now. I don’t need Facebook to remind me of you, though. You’re on my mind almost all the time. I still live in th ..read more

I promise it wasn't just to make things difficult... Besides helping people with a great vacation, I have a favorite part of my job. Hands down that's letting people try to sound out the names of our different yurts when they call to ask questions. They give it their best shot, trying a few different enunciations while I smile back at them through the phone. Then we both giggle and I pronounce it the right way for them so we know we're all on the same page. I promise I didn't choose these names to be difficult, and the sounding out process endears me to my customers, so no judgement to those t ..read more