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Mystic Lands named “Best Riverfront Community”

Listen. The river is calling.

Mystic Lands offers the only whitewater riverfront neighborhood east of the Mississippi.

Here in the Nantahala Gorge, is an area so rich in natural beauty, you can’t help but be in awe of it all. “I was truly taken aback when I first experienced the area,” says Mystic Lands developer, Ami Shinitzky, “I thought I had to go out West to find this kind of grandeur.”

In fact, the area surrounding Mystic Lands, includes a half-million acres of national parks and forests with spectacular lakes including Nantahala, Fontana and Santeetlah, more than 200 waterfalls, an entrance to the Appalachian Trail, along with the Blue Ridge Parkway. You can hike, bike, kayak, fish, ride and ski to your heart’s content.

The lure of the area extends beyond outdoor adventure. Nearby towns, including Waynesville, Cashiers and Highlands offer antiquing, boutique shopping and a wide range of fine dining. The nearby Cherokee Nation casinos feature more glitzy entertainment and headline performers.

Mystic Lands named "Best Riverfront Community"

This area is perfect for a weekend retreat, a summer oasis or a place to spend every day of the year. Located just two and a half hours from Atlanta and little more than an hour from Asheville, with its international airport, your escape route to serenity is always ready and waiting. 

Private Mountain Communities recently named Mystic Lands “best private residential river front community” for good reason.

“These are the only Western North Carolina homesites for sale directly on a river and not just any river but the legendary whitewater of the Nantahala River buffered by national forest on three sides” says Harry Redfearn, Founder of Private Mountain Communities.

Yes, the river calls to you. The pine laden scent stirs the soul. More than two miles of riverfront extend before you. As you relax on the deck of the River Lodge that extends over this sparking, churning river of dreams, you gaze across two private islands and the forever-preserved Nantahala National Forest. You won’t find another whitewater living opportunity like this east of the Mississippi. Fewer than 50 home sites exist behind the gate here, and the families who call this neighborhood home share a kindred spirit of appreciation for the treasure they’ve found.

Mystic Lands named "Best Riverfront Community"
Mystic Lands named "Best Riverfront Community"

A riverfront home is only the beginning. 

One of the best features of Mystic Lands is that it shares amenities of the entire Mystic Lands community complex. Mystic Lands extends from the shore of the Nantahala River, up the mountain along Queens Lake, to atop the mountain ridge. With each new visitor, the common response is, “Wow!”

Imagine, having a river lodge suspended over the Nantahala, a river park and two private islands to enjoy at your leisure. The equestrian center, with paddock and flat riding area allows you to board your own horse or participate in a horse-sharing program. Queens Lake offers 50-acres of shimmering solitude, a lake pavilion and a canoe club.

This is a land of spring-fed streams and waterfalls. Walking and riding trails connect to the U.S. Forest. You can paddle in sweet silence and enjoy a view of mountain ridges and trees. Fish or swim at daybreak or by starlight. In fact, this is the home of a state-of-the-art, rotating dome astronomical observatory and park. With or without the technology of the observatory, nights are so clear you feel as if you could reach out and touch the star you wish upon.

Mystic Lands named "Best Riverfront Community"

Homes that reflect your love of nature.

This is your personal retreat. The low density of home sites means plenty of peace and quiet and plenty of peace of mind. Your chosen outlook will remain just as it is for generations to come. Dazzling riverfront settings are still available, but part of the beauty of life here is that you could select a high-elevation home site with long range outlooks across layers of Blue Ridge beauty, or shaded forest seclusion, while still enjoying river access.

Homes are designed to complement the natural setting, whether built in the roughhewn Adirondack style or a wide-windowed modern style. Mystic Lands is a land of opportunity and choice. We highly recommend you explore now, before the chance to make it yours vanishes.

Mystic Lands named "Best Riverfront Community"

Meet Scott and Ginny Lyden from Florida. An exploratory whitewater kayaking trip became a way of life for their family.

Scott Lyden has always appreciated the power of the oar or paddle. A rower while in college at Rollins in Winter Park, Florida, and a fan of all kinds of water adventure, he came to the area, specifically to try whitewater kayaking through the Nantahala Outdoor Center. He got hooked and returned again and again to hone his skills. On one visit, a billboard claiming “Lots on the river,” caught his eye. The introduction to Mystic Lands soon followed and he ultimately purchased two home sites. One to build on and one to keep. “When I saw this property, right on the edge of the Nantahala River, I fell in love, says Scott, “I knew this is where I wanted to build a home. Ginny and I have three kids—aged 25, 23, and 21—and we all love the water. There’s something about the whitewater here that draws you in and makes you want come back again and again.”

The Lydens originally purchased their first home site in 2005, and have never had a chance to be bored. “Of course, we all love kayaking and rafting on the river. But there’s great hiking on the mountain and throughout the area. We also spend time at Queens Lake practicing kayak rolls and fishing. Our girls spent a lot of time riding horses when they were younger, so Mystic Lands has been the ideal outdoor community for our family.”

Says Scott, “There’s nothing better than spending a day kayaking here on the whitewater and then relaxing on the porch in the evening watching the river roll by.” Private Mountain Communities couldn’t agree more.

Community Facts:

Elevation: 2100 to 3,700 feet

Driving Distances

Asheville, NC – 70 minutes

Atlanta, GA – 2.5 hours

Bryson City, NC – 25 minutes

Cashiers, NC – 65 minutes

Cherokee, NC – 20-30 minutes

Highlands, NC – 65 minutes

Knoxville, TN – 2 hours

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