To build back best, buy local.
(re)Discover Black Mountain
In support of connecting visitors to our local businesses and destination experiences, the Town of Black Mountain recently launched a new website: discoverblackmountain.org
Included in the site are directories for stores (including online shopping), restaurants, services, and visitor accommodations like hotels, B&Bs, and rental management companies. Visitors can also find information about music, art, and cultural activities including annual festivals and year-round events. It even has a directory of private event venues and services.
The new site will continue to grow as a robust, visitor resource. Currently, it’s being updated daily as owners of shops, restaurants, breweries, hotels, and other entrepreneurs notify the Town of their open status.
Calling all Black Mountain businesses!
Do you own a business in Black Mountain? Don’t see it listed on the discoverblackmountain.org website? Please use the contact form on the site, and we’ll get it listed ASAP:
discoverblackmountain.org/contact
The Backstory: From Rescue to Recovery
In the hours after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on Western North Carolina, it was hard to envision what and how long it would take to reclaim any sense of normalcy. Shock and grief, not to mention comprehension of the disaster’s scope, were just beginning to take hold.
Within the Town of Black Mountain, our Police, Fire, and Public Works departments sprang into action. Soon, FEMA and other federal and state agencies were on the ground. Fire and police personnel from across and outside of North Carolina came to assist with rescue and response operations. Neighbors helped neighbors. Faith-based groups, nonprofits, and others joined the efforts. As communications came back online and the world saw what had happened, donations of water, food, and other supplies flowed in.
This outpouring of caring and generosity absolutely made it possible for our beloved community to steady itself under the enormity of it all. We shoveled mud. We cleaned through debris. We removed ancient trees that had fallen on our roads, homes, and businesses. We cried and hugged each other every step of the way. Slowly, and at our own individual paces, we began to move into the very complicated stages of recovery.
Today, we find ourselves entering a new stage, and the need is just as urgent as the water, food, and supplies provided by so many generous people over the last few weeks. We urgently must support our local businesses.
What we need now is for the world to see Black Mountain exactly as it is today.
We need the world to know that they can travel to Black Mountain by Interstate 40, or fly into the Asheville Regional Airport. They need to know that while there is still work to do, much of our downtown is in tact and many businesses have fully reopened. So have hotels, B&Bs, and rental properties. Working together with Buncombe County, our restaurants are safely reopening by using industrial-sized containers of potable water. The boil water restrictions that our region is currently under are inconvenient, but they’re working.
The Town created our new website, discoverblackmountain.org, to help people understand how they can support our recovery today, and to help them plan a visit to Black Mountain soon.
We also built it to help our community proudly and loudly say, “Yes, we are open!”
To be clear, this does NOT mean we’re blind to ongoing needs or the many challenges ahead. What it does mean is that because our amazing community chose to pull together instead of pull apart in the face of disaster, we have the strength and stamina to help our businesses, too.
Black Mountain Mayor Mike Sobol recently remarked, “To build back best, buy local.”
Over the next weeks and months, please help the Mayor and our Town spread the word about this new online resource. Explore the features of discoverblackmountain.org, and share the URL with friends and family. Take photos or videos as you enjoy Black Mountain businesses and destinations that are open, and tag #discoverblackmountain or #blackmountainstrong in your posts. And if you have any ideas for our new site, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
