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Balsam Mountain Preserve's Club Membership opens the door to a palette of amenities that the entire family can embrace and enjoy. Far from being just a golf membership, the variety of options here appeal to every generation. The common thread, though, revolves around the great outdoors.
This is a place first and foremost for families that enjoy getting out from behind the television and the laptop and interacting with nature. Enjoying a quiet round of golf with friends in the morning, meeting the kids for lunch at the Pavilion and an early afternoon swim, and then finishing up the day with a hike along the Sugarloaf Trail, admiring the beauty of natural waterfalls and botanicals. Just a day in the life at Balsam Mountain Preserve.
Balsam’s rich amenity offering includes:
Golf: An 18-hole Arnold Palmer Signature course offers dramatic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains at elevations reaching upwards of 3,700 feet. The bent grass tees, fairways, and greens are meticulously maintained, and the Practice Park features multi-level tee surfaces and a short game area. Both Links Magazine and T & L Golf Magazine recently recognized Balsam Mountain Preserve as one of the top amenity communities in the United States.
Equestrian: The Equestrian Center features a riding arena, a 14 stall stable, and full boarding for member's horses. Our stable manager offers private lessons for children and adults, an equestrian summer camp, and guided trail rides on more than 30 miles of private trails inside the community. Riders can also venture into the adjacent 500,000 acre Nantahala National Forest, the southern border of Balsam Mountain Preserve.
Ruby Valley Sports Camp: The Sports Camp is a true family destination, offering a heated junior Olympic pool, Har-Tru tennis courts, fitness equipment, family games including foosball and ping-pong, and a large outdoor patio with a fire pit. The Pavilion hosts Summer and Fall cookouts every Saturday afternoon, the annual Kentucky Derby party, and kids club activities throughout the year.
The Boarding House Restaurant: A very special community gathering place, the Restaurant features a lounge area, a rustic bar, an intimate library, and a large outdoor covered porch complete with comfortable seating and a stone fireplace. Executive Chef Jonathan Gillespie uses locally sourced produce and meats to ensure consistently memorable dining experiences.
Private Trail System: 34 miles of private hiking, mountain biking and equestrian trails are located within the community. Some trails are easy to moderate in challenge, and others are more strenuous in nature, such as the vertical climb up to Doubletop Mountain at 5,400 feet in elevation. Along the way, hikers enjoy the 38 miles of beautiful mountain streams that traverse the mountain landscape, and even take the opportunity to fish for native southern brook trout.
Dark Ridge Camp: A special place for family camping, or a destination for a day-long horseback ride from the community's stables. Dark Ridge Camp includes a covered pavilion with a large outdoor grill, two enclosed bunkhouses, multiple tent sites, a horse paddock, hiking trails, hot showers, and flush toilets. A water wheel provides power to generate electricity for the pavilion and grounds, an example of sustainable development principles.
Nature Center: Home of the Balsam Mountain Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to the history and preservation of the area. The Trust employs three full-time naturalists, which manage and care for the 3,000 acres of protected land on the Preserve. The naturalists also offer multi-generational nature, cultural, and environmental programming for residents at a level unmatched by any community in the mountains.
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