{"id":5257,"date":"2026-07-07T12:36:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5257"},"modified":"2026-07-07T12:36:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:36:20","slug":"unexpected-chapter-nc-authors-book-inspired-her-farm-for-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5257","title":{"rendered":"Unexpected chapter: NC author\u2019s book inspired her farm for families"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (WJZY) \u2014 For a lot of Queen City slickers, the chance to enjoy a rural setting is rare.<\/p>

Read more 2 teens accused of using plasma cannon to break into NC high school<\/a><\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s why parents bring their kids to appreciate the simple life at Sweetwater Farms<\/strong> in Huntersville.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at that!\u201d we heard, as three boys took turns sitting on a tractor.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAlright, it\u2019s Jackson\u2019s turn, switch!\u201d says Brittany Brendle of Denver, who brought her son and a couple of his friends.<\/p>\n

\u201c[My son] loves that you can kind of go and run and be free and have a good time,\u201d she told Queen City News.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can just enjoy watching him be a kid outside and not be stuck inside,\u201d says Brendle.<\/p>\n

Instead of streaming movies, here families find entertainment by frolicking in a stream. The hope is that this rural setting gives you the feels.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are a \u2018feeling farm.\u2019 Kids come here; they gain confidence,\u201d said owner Suzan Lurz.<\/p>\n

Lurz says at first her grand vision looked great on paper. The plot within the pages of her book was the inspiration for Sweetwater Farms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to listen to the words and believe in them,\u201d she said, reading an excerpt aloud.<\/p>

Read more North Carolina budget plan sparks discontent from veteran educators over mixed raises<\/a><\/p>\n

Susan is a children\u2019s book author. Her first published book was The Sweetwater Animal Society.<\/p>\n

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In a way, her words jump off the page and onto the farm where families now experience something refreshing.<\/p>\n

That book gave her the blueprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt occurred to me that this would be the perfect place to build the real Sweetwater Farms,\u201d Lurz said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right, she turned fiction into a farm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole place is based off of the feeling and emotions that come from this book,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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Lurz is even building a market and restaurant on the site.<\/p>\n

But the real special of the day is a change of pace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe read a lot of books with animals,\u201d said Tiffany Yasin, there with the Charlotte mom\u2019s group. \u201cSo, for them to get out and see them, interact with them, being able to see them, touch them.\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids love it, but as adults we love it,\u201d says Lurz. \u201cIt just makes us feel a certain way to be out with the animals and in nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking for more positive news in your day? Check out The Bright Side \u2600\ufe0f<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sometimes, writers are inspired to create a new chapter. In this case, it brings literature to life.<\/p>\n

Lurz says she\u2019s been working on more children\u2019s books. She\u2019ll also continue to operate Sweetwater Farms.<\/p>

Read more Water restrictions in Cumberland, Moore, Harnett County and more go into effect<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a feeling I can\u2019t describe because it makes me so happy,\u201d Lurz said.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (WJZY) — For a lot of Queen City slickers, the chance to enjoy a rural setting is rare. Maybe that\u2019s why parents bring their kids to appreciate the simple life at Sweetwater Farms in Huntersville. \u201cLook at that!\u201d we heard, as three boys took turns sitting on a tractor. \u201cAlright, it\u2019s Jackson\u2019s turn, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nUnexpected chapter: NC author\u2019s book inspired her farm for families - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5257\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unexpected chapter: NC author\u2019s book inspired her farm for families - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. 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