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    Turtle Island Preserve

    5.0 (1 review)

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    4 years ago

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    YMCA Camp Cheerio

    YMCA Camp Cheerio

    4.4(7 reviews)
    34.6 mi

    We went for a Girl Scout trip with our troop Staff was amazing ! I hope to one day send my daughter…read morefor a week one day.

    Both of my kids attended Camp Cheerio last summer (July 2016) for one week sessions. They had…read morenever been to sleepaway camp before so mommy was nervous. My son was 10 and my daughter 13 their first summer at Camp Cheerio. They both had a wonderful time and will return this summer for two weeks. We chose Camp Cheerio because both my husband and his mother had attended this camp and had good memories. Also, the price is reasonable compared to some other sleep-away programs we've checked out. The cost per kid is $2,060.00 for two weeks. The shorter one got a $50.00 sibling discount. We just filled out the kids activity forms for this summer and they have so many programs to choose from. My son loves outdoor stuff so he has hiking as his first choice and my daughter is into horses at the moment and is looking forward to riding. The mountain setting is idyllic and the bunks and facilities look clean and well maintained. My daughter the foodie said the food was excellent. All of the counselors were welcoming and smiling. Weird experience being from New York and South Florida but I guess people actually are friendly in other places. The camper check in program ran smoothly. Read all the stuff on the website before heading there and you won't have any trouble.

    Photos
    YMCA Camp Cheerio - View from inside front of Chapel looking to rear

    View from inside front of Chapel looking to rear

    YMCA Camp Cheerio - Comanchee cabin for boys.

    Comanchee cabin for boys.

    YMCA Camp Cheerio - View from front of Chapel

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    View from front of Chapel

    Blue Ridge Ranch - The "fork" in Stoney Fork Creek

    Blue Ridge Ranch

    3.0(4 reviews)
    7.5 mi

    I had to calm down after my visit at blue ridge ranch before I wrote this review…read more The ranch itself and staff members were great. The owner himself ( Troy) was absolutely inappropriate with comments he made to our family especially considering he claims himself as a Christian and that God himself told him to make this property a ministry "hope for his children". My biggest concern is the integrity of the owner (Troy). There were several comments made during our Fathers Day trip that was completely out of line and absolutely not taken out of content as he indicated in a response to my sister Hope Londerees review. In fact we left early bc of it. Although it would take too long to write every detail of the conversation, Here's what was said: Upon the arrival of our dad and mom, there was a conversation that occurred at the welcoming and Troy told my dad he he heard it was his birthday (which it wasn't and no one even said it was) but that he (Troy) was having "strippers" come! (Totally left us uncomfortable and questioning- uh that was weird) The second uncomfortable encounter was when we were about to take the tour and he came over to our golf cart and in a conversation about my moms cancer, he said he knew a cure for cancer and went in and he gave my mom a big hug, hiding her tight, (it was totally awkwardly and unsolicited) and proceeded to tell my dad that "she's a keeper and he better watch out bc he's going to steal her from my dad". (This comment felt very awkward and especially made more sense with the comment later to come that night to my dad!) The third issue was said directly to my 13yo daughter when we were all having conversation in the outpost about life and success.. even when Troy's wife was present in the outpost (which tells me she's fully aware of his behavior and the controlling/demanding demeanor). He asked my daughter as he leaned into her "would you do anything I tell you to do", and as she looked at him awkwardly he proceeded to ask her, " do you trust me". - that comment immediately brought a RED FLAG to me as a mother that a grown man, that my daughter does not know asked such a question of her! If fact I called out the comment and praised her for saying no to him and later she let me know she was fully uncomfortable with him and didn't want to see him the remainder trip. Troy was challenging my daughter to read a book and get back with him about it for a free night stay. (does this not scream WATCH OUT FOR THIS GUY! What's the intentions?) The last draw- the power in the valley went out and Troy came up to our RV's (half drunk) and when we discussed if an "emergency" was needed they had a backup generator, I commented that it's just my folks have c-paps and with moms cancer we don't want her to get hot... Troy proceed to say, "You know what, it just occurred to me, (looked straight at my dad) She can just come sleep with me!" WHAT???? Are you kidding me? The audacity of this guy! I had enough! I called him out.. told him how since we had been there he's said nothing but disrespectful comments to our family and the fact that he's calling himself a Christian and saying that this place.. and the "Hope for his children" non- profit was Christ based, that he was not representing it at all. I told him how we would not be back again. I walked off and so did TROY. Our three family's there decided to pack up and leave the next day. We had enough of the disrespect from the owner. During our discussions we determined we were pretty sure that the wife and staff was fully aware of Troy's demeanor as a man and what is so sad is that families drop off your kids here for camp and trust this place to care for their children. All I can say is all of us felt in our Spirit something is not right! If Troy (the owner) wasn't present and the comments weren't said then otherwise we'd say that the place is beautiful and lots of great memories can be made. This trip was not so pleasant for us and left a bad taste in our mouth for a "ministry" that was run by a man with lack of integrity.

    Southern hospitality at its best and the views are breathtaking…read more Clear, cold stream. Ponds, waterfalls, hiking trails and while you're here you can treat yourself to fresh goods from the store. All year round there's something beautiful at BRR.

    Photos
    Blue Ridge Ranch
    Blue Ridge Ranch - Ranch tours

    Ranch tours

    Blue Ridge Ranch - VIsit our camp store

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    VIsit our camp store

    Mystery Hill

    Mystery Hill

    3.9(66 reviews)
    4.1 mi

    We had such a great time and ended up picking up the base ticket that includes: Gravitational…read moreAnomaly, Hall of Mystery, Bubblerama, Native American Artifacts, 2903 Dougherty House & Farmyard, Rodeo Rampage Bull Ride Challenge. It is a really cool place to visit, walking in that gravitational anomaly room is the weirdest sensation I've ever felt, but it is something cool to experience. In the hall of mystery, we literally let our inner child just wander around. And sadly we weren't able to do the bull ride, because of timing. For sure it is a place where you can spend your day in there. They're very hospitable and our tour guide was very funny.

    A pretty fun straightforward diversion good for rounding out an afternoon in Blowing Rock. I ended…read moreup coming here on a day trip weekend getaway. I'm originally from Michigan and grew up pretty close to the Mystery Spot in the Upper Peninsula, so I was somewhat familiar with this sort of place. I ended up checking out the "gravitational anomaly" room along with the "Hall of Mysteries" but none of the other stuff. There was also Axe Throwing and some sort of Native American History Museum but didn't see those as I was somewhat pressed for time. There was also somewhat randomly a huge obscure soda collection which was kind of cool. And they also had Vernors which as a former Michigander I appreciated. The "gravitational anomaly " room was pretty cool and is obviously the main focus of this place. There were a few demonstrative tools like a water flow demonstration, a rubber ball on a track that apparently defies gravity and a swingset. The room itself isn't too large and those three things were the only "tools" in there but goofing around in the room on your own is plenty entertaining as you can see from the attached pictures. Beyond that the "Hall of Mysteries" was basically a small section of optical illusions and science demonstrations which was interesting enough but something probably more interesting to and suited to kids. Overall the place is cool but kind of feels like it doesn't know what it's trying to be beyond the "gravity room" and feels like it could use a little update and some more focused development/presentation. If you haven't been before it's probably worth experiencing at least once if you're going to be in the area and have time for it. They also have a Zoltar machine, which is always a plus in my book.

    Photos
    Mystery Hill - Tomahawk Hill (Axe Throwing)

    Tomahawk Hill (Axe Throwing)

    Mystery Hill
    Mystery Hill - Gem Mine

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    Gem Mine

    Turtle Island Preserve - kids_activities - Updated May 2026

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