About Huffman Creek Retreat
If you're reading this, you're very likely preparing for your trip to one of the most magical places on Earth but you may not quite understand just what we mean by that yet. I promise, you'll get it soon. To get a real idea of what this incredible place means to us, it’s probably best to start with a story.
In the 1960’s William (Rover) Turner and Betty Jean (BJ) Turner began bringing their two boys Billy and Robin Turner up to Graham County to escape the sweltering summer heat in Central Florida. To the two young boys, the mountains were the things dreams were made of. They would camp in Horse Shoe Cove, in Joyce Kilmer, right along the river. Between making forts in the forest, fishing for trout in the Cheoah River, and roasting s'mores around the campfire, it instilled a life-long love for the area.
Fast-forward a few decades, several scraped knees, and a few first loves ahead and now, little brother Robin Turner was courting his soon-to-be wife. As if he pulled it from the pages of a storybook, he brought his fiancé up to Graham County to share his favorite escape in the world.
The new Mrs. Turner (DeAnn) and Robin began visiting the area more frequently along with daughter, Paige and even graduated from camping to renting a rustic cabin tucked along a beautiful creek - Huffman Creek. The owner, Miss Ellen had requested they send along a photo of their home via snail mail to insure that the folks come from reputable upbringing and of course kept a nice home. Oh, to return to the days before cellphones and email.
Upon passing inspection, they began visiting as often as possible. The years passed, Robin and DeAnn made their first purchase of Huffman land in 1981, and along came sons Hunter and Zack. They grew up hunting for salamanders in the stream, playing with their pup Lucy along the trails, and made forts in the forest for “the boys.”
While the dream from the time they bought land in 1981 was to build their very own mountain retreat, they learned quickly about, “mountain time.” Essentially, nothing was going to move very quickly and they just had to be patient with the process. Fast forward through dozens of visits and the development of lifelong friendships and in the early 2000’s the phone rang – it was Miss Ellen and she was ready to part with one of her homes at Huffman.
The family hopped in the car and headed for the mountains. The Barn at Huffman Creek Retreat was finally theirs. Over the final years of Miss Ellen’s life, the Turner Family slowly purchased the Chestnut, Hemlock, and then the Homestead. Most recently, the retreat has continued to grow to include the Creekside Lodge and we have built the Treehouse in 2021 and the Trout House in 2022.
Over the years, Huffman has played host to corporate retreats for the Turner’s WonderWorks business, been an escape for now generations of family, and in the fall of 2016, son Hunter brought it full circle when he married the latest, “Mrs. Turner,” Chelsea who each of your speak with when you book a Huffman getaway.
Today, we host hundred of friends and families annually and are honored to be a part of helping to make life-long memories. We've come a long way since camping on the creek to now being able to host over 55 travelers each night right here on our own land.
We welcome you to make Huffman Creek Retreat your own, indulge in the splendor of this natural escape, embrace the mountain magic, and dream of the next big Huffman adventure.
We wish you safe travels, lots of laughs, good memories, and many nights around the campfire.
The Turner Family
