Black Mountain, North Carolina
Black Mountain, North Carolina is a charming small town located in the Swannanoa Valley, situated in the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's known for its vibrant downtown, arts and crafts scene, and proximity to outdoor adventures.
It’s named for the train stop at the Black Mountain Depot and is located at the southern end of the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Southern Appalachians. The first recorded settlers of the area were the Cherokee.
Once the home of Black Mountain College, a revolutionary hub where pioneers of art, music, poetry, and architecture reimagined the world, this town has always been a place where ideas take root and creativity soars.
Located just 15 miles from downtown Asheville, Black Mountain is a suburb with a population of roughly 8,000. Located in Buncombe County, it’s consistently named one of the best places to live in North Carolina.
The Swannanoa River flows from east to west through the town.
Noted in the series were the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, which really exists in Black Mountain, and the VA,and several hospitals where West and Mandy received treatment in Asheville, and where Loretta, Rhett’s mama, passed away.
The Omni Grove Park Inn and Spa where Brewer brought Nash for a weekend getaway does exist in Asheville, as well as the fancy McDonald’s they dined at, now closed since Hurricane Helene.
I chose this location for the series due to it’s proximity to Fayetteville and Ft. Bragg, and it’s remoteness. It offers a quiet, beautiful place for my broken men to heal, and plenty of excellent motorcycle riding for the American Legion Riders club.
**Cited Wikipedia, Tourism board of Black Mountain, NC
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a U.S. Army installation located in North Carolina, near Fayetteville. It's one of the largest military installations in the world by population, serving over 52,000 military personnel and 14,000 civilians. Fort Bragg is known as "the center of the military universe" and is often the first point of contact when America needs its armed forces.
The base is known for being the "Home of the Airborne" and is the headquarters for the XVIII Airborne Corps, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and the 82nd Airborne Division.
The installation was originally named for Confederate general Braxton Bragg. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense renamed the installation "Fort Liberty" due to controversy surrounding memorials to Confederate generals. In February 2025, the U.S. Army changed the name of the installation back to "Fort Bragg", but in honor of World War II paratrooper Roland L. Bragg.
Key Details about Fort Bragg:
Size:Covers over 251 square miles (650 km2).
Population:Home to over 52,000 military personnel, plus civilian employees and family members.
Training:Fort Bragg has extensive training areas, including over 1,400 miles of paved road and 23 miles of railroad.
Camp Braggwas established in 1918 as an artillery training ground. The Chief of Field Artillery, Major General William J. Snow, was seeking an area having suitable terrain, adequate water, rail facilities, and a climate suitable for year-round training, and he decided that the area met all of the desired criteria.
Following World War II, the 82nd Airborne Division was permanently stationed at Fort Bragg, the only large unit there for some time. In July 1951, the XVIII Airborne Corps was reactivated at Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg became a center for unconventional warfare, with the creation of the Psychological Warfare Center in April 1952, followed by the 10th Special Forces Group.
Fort Bragg is the only locality where the endangered Saint Francis' satyr butterfly is known to occur. St. Francis' satyr is found in wetland habitats dominated by graminoids and sedges, such as abandoned beaver dams or along streams with beavers.
In 1990, the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker came under the protection of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This caused a tremendous problem for Fort Bragg, where many of these birds lived. Training stopped, ranges were closed, and troops were temporarily moved to other installations for training.
The Army and the conservationists eventually came to an agreement, which put in place training restrictions around the woodpeckers' habitat. White stripes were painted on trees to indicate the location of the habitats, and restrictions limited the scope and duration of training that could take place within 200 feet of these locations.
Today, the clusters of woodpeckers has more than doubled in size (200 to 493), and many of the training restrictions have been lifted.
