Visiting in Montreat, North Carolina

We all have times when we feel the need to escape our busy lives and run to a sanctuary of peace and rest. There is a place that can offer such refreshing attributes. Located just twenty minutes from the bustling city of Asheville, NC, Montreat is North Carolina’s best kept secret for a quiet getaway. Montreat doesn’t offer the glamour or activates of other mountain communities such as Gatlinburg, TN or Boone, NC, but Montreat has a special quality that few other places in the area can match. In the paragraphs below I hope to share a little bit about Montreat why you might consider taking the time to visit and be refreshed.   

Montreat is tiny little mountain town tucked away in a small bowl-like valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Settled in 1897, and home of two historic organizations, many of the buildings in Montreat are beautiful gothic buildings made of stone and built in the early to mid 1900s. In Montreat are the campuses for Montreat College, a four year private liberal arts college, and the Montreat Conference Center, a retreat center for the PCUSA Church. Montreat College was established in 1916, while the Conference Center has roots back to 1897.

Montreat is a wonderful to visit as well as to live. Many retirees have homes in Montreat. Some live in Montreat year round, while others only stay in Montreat during the summer when the weather is mildly warm, but not as hot as other parts of North Carolina or the southeast. Montreat is famous for being the home of world known evangelist, Billy Graham.

There is only one road in and out of Montreat which is the lane, NC Hwy 9. When visitors and residents enter the town they are greeted by a picturesque stone arch which covers over the roadway. It is commonly known among the residents and locals as “the gate”. Montreat is a heavily forested area, so most of the year, the mountain sides surrounding Montreat are covered in lovely layer of green. The winters in Montreat can get fairly cold, but the texture of the mountains when covered in even a thin layer of snow is quite a remarkable sight.

Montreat is a great place to visit because most of the year is a very quiet place and the views are phenomenal, especially when the leaves turn color and the fall foliage is at its best. There are 13 different hiking trails in or around Montreat, a small brook known as Flat Creek, a lake in the middle of town, and a small pond surrounded by a quite walking trail. The lake is called Lake Susan and it offers fishing and seasonally, canoes and paddle-boats are available from the Conference Center. During the summer, things can get a little crowded as thousands of visitor come to attend conferences and retreats at the Conference Center. During the School year students live on campus at the college, but the college enrollment at that campus is only around 450 student so it never gets to “busy” in the fall or spring seasons, which is best time to visit.

People from all over the world are drawn to the splendor of Montreat’s landscape and the quiet beauty of its streams and mountain roads. Should you consider coming to Montreat for a visit, be sure to plan ahead and depending on the season, dress warm because Montreat’s climate is slightly cooler than most of North Carolina and Tennessee. Below I have listed some websites that you will find useful in getting more information for planning your visit. They can help you learn more about the town and can give details about locations and facilities. Montreat is just about three miles north of Black Mountain, a quaint little mountain town situated right of off I-40, just about 15 east of Asheville, NC. Enjoy your visit!

Links:

Montreat Conference Center: http://www.montreat.org/about/

Town of Montreat: http://www.townofmontreat.org/history.php

Montreat College: http://www.montreat.edu