Exploring the Valley
Discover the hidden gems, local legends, and can’t-miss experiences in Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley as we dive into the perks of Chamber membership and uncover what makes this mountain town a must-visit destination. Whether you're a local business or just passing through, there's something cool waiting for you!
Exploring the Valley
Mountain Town Stories
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You can live near a place for years and still realize you’ve never actually seen it. That’s the moment that hits when Judy Schuford talks about finally taking a real tour of Swannanoa and walking away convinced we all need to show up, spend locally, and help the rebuild keep moving.
We start with Judy’s personal story, from Monroe, Georgia to Chapel Hill, then a long arc that brings her back to Montreat for good. She shares what first brought her to the area, how camping and community connections turned into roots, and why moving to Highland Farms ended up being more than a lifestyle choice. When Hurricane Helene hit, “home” became complicated fast. Judy’s account of getting stuck, getting help, and then feeling deep gratitude for support systems is a reminder that resilience is built before the storm.
From there we get practical and local: the Swannanoa businesses fighting back, the KOA campground rebuilding, and simple stops that make a difference when you choose them on purpose. We talk places like Papaw’s Place, Short Sleeves, Open Oven, Roots and Branches, and Blunt Pretzels, plus the little details that make a mountain town feel alive again. Judy also honors the legacy behind the Andy Andrews Visitor Center and shares why stories and service still matter here.
If you love Western North Carolina, Black Mountain, Montreat, and Swannanoa, hit play, then subscribe, share with a neighbor, and leave a review so more people find the stories that keep our valley connected.
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Welcome And Who Judy Is
SPEAKER_00Judy Steuford. I am so glad you're here today. I always start with uh kind of how I know you. I know you because I've heard about you most of my life. Um from my mom and dad talking about you. And then when I moved here, I got to know you differ diff in a different way. And we've done a little work together, a little bit of playing together, and I like to start with what's your story and where are you from?
SPEAKER_01Well, that's a little complicated, I guess, but I'm originally from Georgia and I'm told Georgia, what part? People still ask me where are you from because they know I'm from somewhere like Georgia. Monroe. Monroe, okay. Between Atlanta and Athens, and but I have not lived there in a very long time because I went to Chapel Hill and met my husband, and then we've been various places, the longest of which was Franklin, Tennessee. He was a dentist with the VA and all good places, and then we had always intended to come back here because he came here as a little boy. Gotcha. He was here in Black Mountain when the fire truck came back. He was five years old when the tr uh fire truck came out with its siren going, and people were saying the war was over. Oh and he tried to tell his mother, who was talking to the preacher of the first press, Black Mountain Press, and she wasn't much paying attention to this little five-year-old, but it was true. Oh that was in August of the end of the war. And so, and then he's been here many times, and so my first time was I was working at Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain back in 1960, and at that time uh these particular camps or conference centers played basketball and other sports against each other. And so we at Blue Ridge Assembly
Growing Up In Georgia
SPEAKER_01came to Montreat to what was the kind of new gym. It's been finished in 1958, and we played basketball. And that meant that now later in life, when we moved to Montreat, I got to know the people on that basketball team, and I think we beat them as I remember.
SPEAKER_00We'll just say you did.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I think so. But anyway, uh that was my first time for coming here in 60, and then after we married, we lived at one time in Salisbury, and that was close to Montreat, so we started camping in Montreat, which is a wonderful experience. And we bought a lot at that time and decided that one day we would come here, and we retired, both me and teaching him and dentistry in uh 2000. Okay. And then we moved here by 04. Okay. With UN Construction, which we've been super pleased with over the years, Black Mountain Theory.
SPEAKER_00Fantastic.
SPEAKER_01They still come here to my house. And so we've moved here by 04, but then we got a place at Highland Farms, which I will say my husband was not at all enthusiastic about. And so luckily I was selling some property that it belonged to my father, and that gave us some additional money, which gave me more leverage on I think this is something we need to do and have. We don't have to go there every time every day if you don't want to, whatever. But I think we need to have this place because it's the place in the area for this future type thing. And when we moved there two years ago, the first three and a half months, we never spent one night at Highland Farms. Really? We ate every day. We got to know all the our neighbors and people, and then we would go get in our car and go to Montreat. And until Helene. Oh at which time we were in our house. You were stuck in your house. Stuck in our house, got uh rescued and went to Georgia for a while and came back. But we were grateful, very he was too very grateful to have Highland Farms.
SPEAKER_00That's right. That's right. Because y'all had like a tree go through. Y'all y'all were stuck, stuck. Yeah, tremendous amount of water coming in. I think I heard about it. Your son posted it on Facebook and said, Can somebody go check on him?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And he and I started talking to each other. I said, I'll walk over there. I don't it's not far from my house. It'll it'll take a half hour to get there because of the mess. But it was a mess. You really couldn't. I'll go check on them. He said, actually, somebody else just checked on them and they're good. And I said, Oh, thank goodness.
SPEAKER_01But that was kind of Barker, the many Barkers in this town, and he's one of the great ones that we know. Wow. Oh, good. And he had quite a walk from his house down to our house because it was covered with trees.
SPEAKER_00Well, okay, so Highland Farms, let me tell you something. Well, you do know that they're one of the chamber champions at at the chamber. They take really good care of us. I see that sponsorship. Yes, they take good care of us and uh we appreciate them. And uh Joey Abel is on our board. Um I call him the fixer. I don't know if you know. Have you do you have a lot of experience with Joey or not?
SPEAKER_01Not a lot, but I have taught them. Let me tell you that they tried to help me during times when Gene was sick.
SPEAKER_00The most calm presence you've ever had. The world
Finding Montreat Through Work And Camps
SPEAKER_00can be blowing up around him, and so I call him the fixer because he just changes the energy in the room, and it's not bad, it's a good thing. That's good. Anyway, they're really good to us. But recently, Rotary has started meeting there. Well, I did not know that y'all had food that was so darn good.
SPEAKER_01Oh, the food is excellent. I mean, I couldn't believe it. There is a resident committee that gives input and they pay attention to if uh don't do this or don't do that or this was fabulous and do it again, that type thing. It is wonderful, and you can either uh make a reservation, sit in the beautiful dining room with Mountain View on each side and a fireplace in the middle, or you can go to the daily area and just walk in anytime and you can get food all during the day, really.
SPEAKER_00Well, anyway, it's really good. I had a our first meeting there, what they had a cob salad or a salad, I guess. And you could salad bar or something, I don't know. But I'm not I'm not a very good eater. I misbehave most of the time. But that day I had the best salad I've had, and I've eaten salad almost every day since. It got me on a good kick. So it's good. But it was really good. It's very good.
SPEAKER_01Definitely eat healthily there. Yeah. It's if you will, it's good.
SPEAKER_00Well, okay, so you have done the whole Black Mountain thing, the Montreat thing, and the Swannanoa thing. I hear you went on a tour of Swantanoa recently.
SPEAKER_01Yes, thank you to you. We heard that you had taken another group on your lunch hour, I think. And so on your lunch hour, you agreed to take a few of us who know your mama. And we had a delightful time, but it was also very much an eye-opener to me, and I really, really feel that we all need to be mindful of what they're trying to do in Swantanoa to build back.
SPEAKER_00Great things. Great things.
SPEAKER_01They don't have a post office, which is pitiful.
SPEAKER_00They're getting one. They're getting one in time. It's coming.
SPEAKER_01But we're coming on two years, they've been through a lot. And there are a lot of people that you introduced us to in Swantanoa who are really trying to offer life in the business arena. But I think we need to help. And I spoke to someone at Givens, a friend who's on the residence council, and I think they are working on what we could do.
SPEAKER_00I got sucked into that committee, thank you.
SPEAKER_01Good. Well, you certainly should be.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was it's good. It's a good little group.
SPEAKER_01They just need to know that they're there. I mean, I went to the town hardware. I bought probably ten cards just on our little when you were doing our little tour, the leaning tree cards. Um I got my whatever plug I was trying to find there. And we just need to think differently. But the biggest barrier, and I was part
Retirement Move And Choosing Highland Farms
SPEAKER_01of it, until I went on that tour, I was never quite curious enough to go and see exactly where they were. I knew they were back there somewhere. Right. But I never did go do that until you did that for us.
SPEAKER_00Well, well, it was fun. I love talking about our people. I loved telling the stories and all that's my thing is telling everybody's story. If you don't want your chore story told, don't tell Cheryl and don't tell Judy Schuford, right?
SPEAKER_01I guess that might be better.
SPEAKER_00That might be a little true. But no, I I can keep a good secret, but but I do like to tell people stories when it benefits them. So you're the same way.
SPEAKER_01I hope everybody that's listening will do better than I did. And if you're curious, be curious enough to turn in there. That's right. And that new business, it's where native kitchen used to be.
SPEAKER_00Mm-hmm. Daybreakers. That helps. It's coming.
SPEAKER_01You know, but but they already have a sign on the side of the building. Yes. So if you see where Native Kitchen used to be and it has a sign, you can turn in there. That's right. And then just start looking. Because I went to the pretzel place. Mm-hmm. Blunt pretzels. Yeah. Uh well, after the tour, yes. I went in and ordered my pretzel and things like that. And so, I mean, I think all of us, you don't have to abandon where you usually go in Black Mountain, but shouldn't we go and try to help them out?
SPEAKER_00Well, and it's just fun. There's there's fun to see something different. It's fun to see. These are young people. Yes, they are. I didn't think about that until you just said that. I hadn't put that together. But you're exactly right. Yeah. Well, that was a fun day, and it was fun. Let's see, where all did we go? We went to the KOA campground. And is it Papa's? We went to Papaw's Place. Yes, and the best cheese in the world comes from there. Well, it doesn't come from there. Ash County is where they get it, but it's oh good. And I've gotten meat there. They have feed and seeds. I think that's what they're they started as, but I haven't much of a need for feed or seed. So but but they do have it. And they have plants and flowers. Right.
SPEAKER_01Right. Right. Without knowing that. But they had fresh vegetables and fruits.
SPEAKER_00And you've got to go see the purple cow. Oh yeah. Yeah. But yeah. We went there. We went on to, we went down to, well, we went to right by and we went to the short sleeves. Yes. The coffee shop.
SPEAKER_01Yes. And uh one that has the bakery items.
SPEAKER_00Yep. We went to open oven and roots and branches. Yes. And we we also went by blunt pretzels and we went to Okie dokie's. Right. And I think that's a good story
Hurricane Helene And Getting Rescued
SPEAKER_00too. I love that story, but we can't tell it. Remember? Remember that was the rule. Okay. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01We're not telling it.
SPEAKER_00It's a great story. If you want to know the story, you need to ask me. But yeah, we can't tell.
SPEAKER_01The point is they're open again. That's right. And that's right. So we got used to not going there. We need to remember they're there.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I do enjoy going there. And uh I always wanted on Monday or Tuesday when they're closed. That sort of happens in my head. I think my brain does it. I don't know. We also went by my my church. I showed you where that was and uh up at Valley Hope. And uh we just let's see, what else did we do?
SPEAKER_01I feel like we did more than that, but Well, I think you're starting with the KOA campground was a wonderful reminder to us. That it was even there.
SPEAKER_00So going to KOA was good because you got to see what what it did, what the storm did, but what they're building, what they're rebuilding. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Come back.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they've got four cabins and they're building more. And they've got their tent ground, tent campgrounds. I told you about, did I tell y'all about the that they don't have Wi-Fi up there? And I I told them, I said, y'all need to change that to a marketing thing. Bring your kids, there's no Wi-Fi. And they did. They changed it. And it's a detox place, take you out there, and you don't want to use your phone because you can't. So yeah. But um, yeah, we had a big time that day. That was fun. It was fun to get to share the stories with y'all because I hear them all the time. I feel like everybody knows them and they don't. So, but that was fun, and I appreciate you you know, revisiting them and going back, and it's been good. I've taken a couple of groups since then. Oh, good. Yeah. Yeah, it's been good. I I I like I like doing that when I have the time. After Sourwood Festival, I'll have a little more time to do a little bit more. That's right. That's true. That's right.
SPEAKER_01Can I make one comment or have it asked me? Um for those of you listening. You have a fabulous chamber director who is putting, she's probably gonna try to cut this out, but she really shouldn't, because she's very energetic. She's giving it her all. And I just wanted to be sure
Why Swannanoa Needs Our Attention
SPEAKER_01everybody realizes uh what all you're doing. I mean, it's incredible that this is what we're doing and other things that you do. You've been very creative, and I think they're very lucky. I just wanted to be sure that. Oh, thank you.
SPEAKER_00Mama told me, Mama taught me to say thank you and not not try and backpedal out of it. So I'm gonna say thank you. I appreciate it. I love my job. I've wanted this job for 12 years, and um it is well, it's it's the perfect job for me. I sure do love it, and I uh I'm grateful to have it. I I wrote something on Facebook today about the three best things that have happened to me in the last 10 years, and and the job is one of them. So that was pretty cool. And can I say one more thing you did trust me?
SPEAKER_01Your welcome center or your chamber of commerce is named the Andy Andrews Visitor Center, or whatever you call it. And he has been gone for 10 years this year, and he was one heck of a guy, an American hero like nobody else.
SPEAKER_00I sure wish I'd met him because I hear stories about him all the time.
SPEAKER_01He was marvelous. He was Montreat's first elected mayor. And then with the illness of his wife, he ended up at Hylam Farms. And uh and then he was there for a good long while, but was generally doing well. So we would take him out to eat pretty regularly. Yeah. And uh, wherever it was, women were coming up to see him and hugging on him because I mean he was so well loved. Yes. And especially the ladies. One time I called about taking him out to eat one night. Nope, can't do that. I got 11 women coming over tonight. I'm making homemade ice cream. Oh my goodness, which was his special. Just wanted to add that.
SPEAKER_00Well, that's good. That's good. No, I love hearing stories. A lot of uh a lot of people who are in businesses in town will tell about when they were in school and he would come teach, you know, do a a lesson or you know, teach about his time in the military or whatever.
SPEAKER_01He was an American hero. I mean, including D-Day. Yes. He was truly an American hero. He and my husband went to Lincoln. Gene was in the military for 38 years, and they had asked Gene to come and speak, and he said, Look, I'm a dentist. This is yes, I'm a colonel, but I'm a dentist. So he said, But I got somebody, and he took Andy Andrews to Lincoln and talked to the whole school, and his story is unbelievable. He has a book that if you haven't read, people should read. He was really a true American hero. Well, cool. Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_00That's good. I love to hear those stories. You know me. Stories, keep telling them. Yeah. So what are you uh so are you spending more time in Montreat or more time back at Highland Farms now?
SPEAKER_01Oh, mostly at Highland Farms, but I I had 19 for the Fourth of July. Oh my. Which included a brand new two-week old first great grandfather. I didn't know about that. That's exciting. And I was told that uh we they would not be coming before the baby was ever born, that no, there'd be no way they could come.
A Rapid Tour Of Swannanoa Spots
SPEAKER_01And she came on the due date. But I knew my grandson well, and I thought, hmm, you know, knowing him, if there's any way he will be there. So I gotta find a place. So I had rented one house and I rented another house. Uh, and guess what happened? The week right before, the few days right before the fourth, I got a message that Sunny, that's her name, Emerson Jo Schuford, and her name is Sunny. Sunny wanted to be in Mine Treat for the parade.
SPEAKER_00For her first fourth.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's right. So they uh they had a place and we were good to go.
SPEAKER_00Good, good. Well, that's fun. That is great. Yeah, your your boys are are I don't know them well, but just getting to know them has been fun. They they seem like the kind of guys I would have hung out with when we were growing up and I would have enjoyed being their buddies.
SPEAKER_01I think you're right about that in 1978 when Gene was working at the Nashville VA as I as we did, he did for 28 years. And but there came the possibility of his moving to O Teen.
SPEAKER_00Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01And we came over here to look at it, and we and Scott, the oldest, they were all football players. Gene played football for Chapel Hill. You had to throw that in there, didn't you? Put that Caroline, go heels.
SPEAKER_00I will do it one time. You ready? That's it. Go heels.
SPEAKER_01That's it. There you go. She's a Duke fan. Anyway, we drove up to the high school and we walked out to the field because our first son was going into high school. And we walked up to the field and it said Schuford Field. Oh my goodness. And it like, oh my gosh, this is providential. That's right. That we're gonna be here. Blah, blah, blah. Well, it didn't work out. But you know, various details. It didn't we did not move over here at that time. Right. And then meanwhile, by the time we got back over here, that school had become the junior high or whatever you call it, the middle school. So we did not come then.
SPEAKER_00But wonder if they still call it the Schuford Field.
SPEAKER_01I do not know.
SPEAKER_00We need to find out. That'll be my homework this week.
SPEAKER_01But there are a lot of Schufords in North Carolina. Well, yeah. When in Tennessee, where we lived, they were the only Schufords in town. Uh-huh. And they had shirts that I had gotten for them that had Schuford on the back. And so the word there was, if you misbehave, uh oh. I'll know. They'll know because there's only one Schuford.
SPEAKER_00Well, you know that um happens in this town, don't you? Like I know when you get in trouble. I'm just kidding. No, but I can go home and visit mom and daddy on the way to my house at night,
KOA Rebuild And The No Wi-Fi Pitch
SPEAKER_00and people so they'll say, I hear you had lunch at how do you know that already? And they yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of a small town thing. Small town. But when you have a unique name, yes, it is.
SPEAKER_01It's still a little unique here, but nothing.
SPEAKER_00I don't know that I've ever known any of the other ones except your family. A lot of them are in Hickory. Okay. Okay. Well I don't spend a lot of time there. So well, that makes sense. That makes sense.
SPEAKER_01But you asked me about the businesses that I Yes. I just like to know what you like to do when you're here. Oh yeah. So I could mention some of the Black Mountain businesses. Go for it. So you want to ask me?
SPEAKER_00Sure. So what do you like to do when you are uh when you're out gallivanting in Black Mountain Montreat and Swannanoa?
SPEAKER_01Okay, well, I can tell you this last weekend uh was uh a birthday for me. And oh happy birthday! Thank you. I'm grateful for all of them. And my granddaughter came over, and so we went to several antique shops. We like the one Wendy, I think, runs the one across from the depot. I think maybe Antiques on Sutton, something like that. Now, of course, we missed the Key City antiques, they're gone. Yep, but we went up to the antique store that's at the Swannanoa exit. Buckeye Cove. I think it's Bucco. Buckeye Cove. Buckeye Cove. They've done a really good job there. And
Praising The Chamber And Remembering Andy Andrews
SPEAKER_01we, you know, you have a lot to see. And I found out that some of the things I have in my garage that I could take a picture of and talk to him, and he might just buy it. Oh, put it on consignment. Be nice. So that was good to know. And then another two places that I like to go to is the I think it may be Black Mountain coin and stamp or something to that effect.
SPEAKER_00That's exactly their name.
SPEAKER_01And every year I'm in there because we started a tradition years ago of giving silver dollars to our grandchildren. And we have seven grandchildren. And they need to be old, they don't need to look new, they need to look like they've been used. And then Jean and I write, one of the two of us are both, write a A story that goes with it every Christmas.
SPEAKER_00That's a great idea.
SPEAKER_01And you tell which, like let's say we get one from 1880, which one year we did, everybody got eighteen eighty. And the story then was about our family uh buying property in Cardasville, Georgia. Which is where? Where? She's making a point since she worked there. I love Cartersville, Georgia. Thank you so much. And um so that was the beginning of my father's family being in Cardasville, Georgia. It was uh something that we wanted to make a story about when they moved there and they moved from Cherokee County, blah, blah, blah. We just tell the story. And then one year it was about his grandmother who started a florist in 1929, the year of the depression there, and then the collapse. And then just uh over the years it can be about anybody, but it's somebody in their past. And they they get that along with a silver dollar. So this year, uh or last year, I also went to a place called Monster Coins. Yeah, that's now they're a chamber member. Okay, uh, and I bought part of the coins there. And they all the coins are appreciating in value, but I don't want the most expensive ones because it doesn't tell the story. Right because we talk about telling the stories that your ancestors had these in their pockets. That's right. So we want them to look somewhat worn, that's right. But you want to be able to see the date, that sort of thing. We love all the restaurants.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, I don't know a bad restaurant in this town.
SPEAKER_01Black Mountain does a great job on that. So we've always enjoyed doing uh that. I also want to tout the UPS store. They are so nice. Cameron and Robert and others in there have uh treated me so well
Family Fourth Of July And Small Town Life
SPEAKER_01and was so kind after Gene died that they they did the pictures that I just thought of the pictures like Thursday before the service. And uh I just took them in there and I gave them little titles and he said, Robert said, I'll do this. I won't I won't stop until I get your project done. And that's great, you know, that's kind of how it is with.
SPEAKER_00They did all our printing for the Sourwood Festival, too. They're great, they're really helpful. They are great.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so that's another place that I go on a regular basis. Another one, there are a lot of auto parts places here, but I happened to go to O'Reilly's on a day that I was trying to get Jean's car moved and had to tell her that he had died, and she couldn't have been kinder.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that's nice.
SPEAKER_01And so, you know, there are just a lot of good things going on here. Elizabeth Williams is a medical massage person downtown.
SPEAKER_00She's a chamber member too.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's every week. I'm there every week, and of course, Town Hardware. Well, yeah. I mean, when we used to come here, or both of them, but we used to come here and be in the campground in Ron Treat in the summers, and my daddy's birthday was during the summer. And I could absolutely count on getting a present for my daddy. That's right. All I'd do is to incarn, go in town uh hardware. No doubt you'll find whatever birthday present you need for whomever. That's right.
SPEAKER_00Well, good. Well, you and I could talk for an hour and a half, and we've done that before. Uh yes.
Favorite Local Businesses And A Silver Dollar Tradition
SPEAKER_00We've that we could do that all the time. But I hope you'll come with me one Wednesday to Rotary, maybe, maybe not, but uh you never know. I'll let you know when there well, I'll let you know when there's a speaker you might enjoy. I'm in charge of the speakers, so I do I do know who's coming. But uh but I appreciate you coming today and I appreciate your time and I appreciate your friendship. Thank you. I appreciate you and your mom and daddy and good people. That's right.
SPEAKER_01Your brother and Well, my brother.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, he's a good guy. Oh, he's a good guy. I will always be Newton's sister. Yes, always. And he's younger.
SPEAKER_01You know, he's quite the famous one when he came up here and was in a body cast, and we all hugged on him all the time and something. You know, we just he was special.
SPEAKER_00Well, he's still special, that's true. That's true too. Well, thank you. I appreciate it. And thank you for coming today. You're very welcome. Thanks for joining us on Exploring the Valley. Until next time, keep celebrating the pride of our community and discovering the magic of the mountains. In the meantime, you're free to move about the valley.