Property Owners Tell Why They Chose Nantahala River Club

It didn’t take us long to realize the Nantahala River Club (NRC) was going to be our future retirement location.   Not only the beauty of the Smoky Mountains abounds, but the people are some of the friendliest in the country.  

Our initial introduction to the NRC was with Dan Sikorra of Fontana Realty.  His knowledge base of the area is extensive.  And Dan is one of nicest guys you would want to meet.  He is always willing to go the extra mile.

On our last visit to our property, in the fall of 2008, our car rolled into a ditch, with only two of the wheels touching ground.  It was quickly approaching sunset and we had to find someway to get the vehicle on level ground.  We attempted using logs as braces but to no avail.  Desperation was quickly setting in.   We put in a call to Dan to help us get a wrecker.  Within a very short period of time, Dan arrived with a towing rope and very shortly the car was on solid ground.   I’m sure it was the last thing he wanted to do on a Friday night but with his usual smile, he said, “that’s what we do up here, we help one another”. 

We will never forget his kindness and the attitude that neighbors truly help neighbors.

Jed Guilbeau
John Hillin

I remember the feeling I had the first time I drove on to the NRC property.  I could just feel that this was a different development.  The roads were top-notch, the ditches impeccably clean, the underbrush cleared.  Then I stepped foot on the first lot, which I would soon purchase.  The creekside setting was so serene, and I immediately knew this was a place that I could have a home. I am a land investor and this was a unique feeling to me to have a personal bond with the land.  As I toured the rest of the property, I could see the magnificent views, the well laid-out house sites, and the way the community fit so nicely into the mountains.  I was even more certain that this was a place I wanted to be.   
 
Tim Goodwin, owner
Watershed Cabins
404-626-3456

My wife, Samantha, and I live in Charlotte, NC.  We were both born and raised in the Midwest, and are grateful that we call North Carolina home.  We both love the ocean, but have found a very special draw to the mountains.  For years we have made countless trips to the mountains of NC.  We can’t seem to get enough of the calming affect that the mountains provide as we try to escape the hustle of the city.

Although we have made many excursions all over the NC Mountains, we have truly fallen in love with the Nantahala / Fontana Lake area.  We are an active couple that truly enjoys the outdoors.  Whether it is whitewater rafting at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), INCREDIBLE mountain biking at nationally recognized Tsali, or simply spending time on one of the most beautiful lakes we have ever seen, it is all here to be enjoyed.  We are also considering taking up kayaking, to be on the calm waters of the lake.  How peaceful. 

We had always dreamed of owning property in the mountains.  We thought that the idea of having a retreat in the middle of paradise would always be a dream.  Once we were shown the Nantahala River Club, we knew that our dreams would become a reality.  The lush mountainside, the incredible views, the beauty of the lake, access to the NOC & the trails!  It is hard to believe that it is within just a couple miles. 

We are now grateful land owners in the Nantahala River Club!  We come up to the NRC as much as we can.  We are excited for the next chapter to our story, possibly building on our land.  It still feels like this part of the state is the best kept secret in the NC Mountains!

Chris Brandser

I am a Tennessee boy that grew up with three brothers and an active outdoor family.  We spent a great deal of time camping and enjoying water sports growing up.  I married and moved my young family to Atlanta in 1992.  Although we never had a place of our own in the mountains we have continued the active outdoor tradition by renting cabins or visiting campgrounds all over the area. 

Over the past few years we began to get serious about a lifelong dream of having a place of our own.  Since this would be our only crack at this dream we decided at the outset it would have to be really special.  I began by looking hard at some of the more attractive lakes in the area, mostly mountain lakes in north Georgia and the Carolinas.  Most lakes we ruled out right away due to overcrowding.  Those that remained had unbelievably expensive prices and a lack of diversity in the activities available.

In 2007 I began investigating the Fontana Lake area and was immediately attracted to the beauty of the lake and the amazing concentration of outdoor activities in the area.  The proximity of the GSM National Park, the Appalachian Trail, Tsali, Deep Creek, three great rivers and authentic mountain towns like Bryson City was unique.  While we love boating we wanted an area that offered a variety of experiences - this is clearly utopia. 

We looked at several developments in the area and some undeveloped tracts of land before we found the Nantahala River Club.  After one tour on a foggy winter morning I was hooked and on the return trip we did not hesitate to write a contract that day.  The development exceeded my hopes in that it offers the best of everything; outstanding mountain views,  direct lake access and best of all a private road connecting it to the Nantahala Outdoor Center with it’s activities and restaurants.  The quality of the roadwork and site layouts attest to the care the developers are taking with the development.  I think the prices are fair and will be considered cheap in a few years as the area gains attention.   

We plan to build a cabin retreat for our family and friends that will become “base camp” for a wide variety of outdoor activities.  My wife wants to learn to fly fish. I want to learn to mountain bike, kayak and sharpen my hiking skills.  And of course there is a 10,000 acre lake to explore.  My kids want to bring their friends up for all of the above.  We are all very excited about NRC.

So that’s my story.  If anyone wants to contact me to ask more about my experience to date with the development feel free to give me a call at 404-805-8058 or email. 

John Seckman