The Tuckaseegee River Mountain Lodge is the result of four individual life paths. Each of the owners and managers has a unique gift that brings us together as your hosts. We are a family who now share a dream, to use our skills and talents to make your stay most pleasurable.

Nancy Hopp is an educator, silversmith, jewelry professional, published author, and antique dealer. She fell in love with Western North Carolina as a child. Her family visited it often and bought land in Franklin from Jim Berry over fifty years ago. The land was never developed, but when it was passed on to Nancy, she had plans to retire to a small mountain retreat. The time for her to retire has come, but the small property isn’t needed. The Lodge in Whittier will be her retreat and she invites you to be a guest, enjoy the antique furnishings, visit the jewelry store, and talk education or gemology with her. Join her for some crafting classes as well.

John Hopp has been an independent businessman in Florida since the 1970’s where he operated a body shop for over forth years. He is a consummate tinkerer and enjoys fixing and creating. John was instrumental in remodeling their home where he learned to be the carpenter, roofer, designer, mason, and took on any other challenges that required his skills. These skills will be utilized to keep the Lodge in working order allowing your stay to be pleasant .He will be spending a lot of his time in the garage restoring cars that he never had time to work on before.

James Shively, their son, has worked in the restaurant industry for many years. He worked himself up from cook to general manager of a large chain restaurant. The late hours required for that position made family life difficult and he started his own business where he could manage the time. He went into the lawn maintenance and landscaping business with his father and added a pest control business as well. Their business has over 250 regular customers. They service housing developments, apartment complexes, churches as well as independent clients. Opening a restaurant or B&B has been his dream as it will allow him to utilize all of his talents. James will be the general manager, grounds keeper, as well as your cook.

Tisha Johnson Shively has worked in acquisitions and has been a buying agent for businesses. She has certifications in several computer programs and enjoys learning new technical skills. She has been managing the books for their business and will apply these skills to the Lodge. Tisha will the office manager and in charge of housekeeping. You will probably be greeted and checked in by her.

We hope that you will find your stay at the Lodge enjoyable and look forward to you being our guests.