Tips On Living Around Campus
Disclaimer: This page was created on July 27, 2022 on topics of on-campus dining, CatCard, medical care, fitness, parking, restaurants, grocery shopping, buying other things, recreations or attractions, daycare, schooling, UClub, service opportunities, and public transit reservation to/from the airport. The information on this page is not an endorsement of any business. The author does not assume any liability nor implies the accuracy of the information on this page.
It was slightly updated on Aug 14, 2024, but some info may become outdated.
On-campus dining
https://westerncarolina.campusdish.com/
Only a few choices open in summer, such as a temporary food truck. Courtyard dining hall and Chili’s may open in summer at the main campus. The Catamount Café is on the west campus in the HHS building, which takes some minutes of drive, and it’s tiny there anyway.
The dining hall is on the second floor of the building facing the fountain in the center of campus, which is in a buffet style, where you pay for a fixed fee and eat all you like. Well, the choices in summer won’t be too many, and the choices during the semester will be more. During the semester, there’s a special price on Fri, and kids under certain age eat free.
Besides eating there in the dining hall, they allow take-out, too, but you’d need to choose upon payment at the entrance what choice you like. If you want a take-out, they’d give you a box (a deposit may be needed), and you can fill it all up.
The Chili’s is a restaurant on the street in the middle of campus, with burgers, chili, etc.
When the semester starts, there will be more restaurants open on the first floor below the dining hall. Also, more shops are open in Brown Hall. Brown Hall is where the CATCard will be made.
If you like campus dining options, you could purchase some blocks for a number of meals at some total price at a bit wholesale discount https://westerncarolina.campusdish.com/MealPlans, and you can do meal exchanges between several different dining halls and restaurants https://westerncarolina.campusdish.com/MealExchange between a few dining places. There’s no rush to decide though, and if you like to bring lunch to work, there’s a microwave in our department office, and there is a coffee maker. If you decide to pay for some meal plan, the info will be stored in your CATCard, and your CATCard can be swiped like a credit card at those meal places, and you can check your balance online at mywcu.wcu.edu.
CATCard
https://www.wcu.edu/discover/campus-services-and-operations/catcard-office/index.aspx
The CATCard can work like a credit card on campus for dining if you deposit some money on it or buy some meal plans. Some credit (the money you deposit there) may roll over, but the meal plan often does not roll over across academic years, or the unused meals will expire at the end of the semester or academic year, so please plan accordingly.
You can also use CATCard to pay for printing at the big PawPrint printer/scanners on campus. In our department, there is a school-only printer which we can use and we don’t need to pay personally but the department needs to replace the carriages and prepare paper, etc. But if we use the PawPrint printers at several locations around campus, we’d need to pay with a CATCard that you’ve deposited some money in. After the pandemic, we don’t really print much anymore, but the scanning is often used and totally free. You can tap your CATCard at the card reader at PawPrint printer/scanner to log in without having to type your username and password on its screen.
The CATCard is also a library card for you to check out books and other things from the library.
You can also show the CATCard to the on-campus bus driver to take the CATTran bus to go around places on campus, including the west campus or the HHS building.
Enjoy many of the benefits and perks offered to WCU employees by showing your CATCard. In good practice, you may want to call the business prior to your visit to verify the discount still applies.
Medical Care
You will have access to health services on campus in the Bird building. You might have to pay a nominal fee for each visit. This place covers the simple cases typically. If something major that is really needed, there is Harris Hospital in town.
https://www.wcu.edu/experience/health-and-wellness/health-services/index.aspx
Nearby pharmacies, besides the small one inside Walmart:
CVS: 88 State Rte 107, Sylva, NC 28779
Kel-save (A local business): 38 E Main St, Sylva, NC 28779
Walgreens: 36 Sunrise Park, Sylva, NC 28779
Fitness
The fitness service on campus is $60 per semester, and it covers all the CRC gym, Reid pool, some classes at extra fees.
https://www.wcu.edu/experience/campus-recreation/membership.aspx
“Faculty and Staff include anyone who falls into the following categories and who have a valid WCU CatCard.
Full-time, part-time, or temporary/hourly faculty and staff
Price: $60 per semester or $15 per month through payroll deduction” in 2022. Now $80 per semester or $20 per month in 2024. In summer, however, it is $15 per month.
Jackson County Recreation Center (Rec Center) also offers fitness facilities, but there is no pool. Some faculty members like to exercise where students are fewer then they may choose the Rec Center across highway 107 (still not too far, but driving is needed) over the campus CRC. The membership fees at Rec Center can be purchased by the number of times or monthly, etc.
Parking
For parking, a visitor or a temporary employee could get a half-year parking permit at $66. For permanent faculty and staff, however, the fees are higher depending on their salary bands.
“Temporary, Part-time and Contractual (Aramark) employees – (based on full year $132.00 or half year $66.00 permit) Payment must be made in full by credit card in the Parking Operations office (CAMP 106) at the time permit is purchased.”
“Reserved, Fall 2022/Spring 2023 = $588
BASED ON SALARY:
Permanent Employees > $100k, Fall 2022/Spring 2023 = $363
Permanent Employees $75k – $99,999, Fall 2022/Spring 2023 = $288
Permanent Employees $50k – $74,999, Fall 2022/Spring 2023 = $249”
The Belk Parking lot for faculty and staff is great often with spots available, while other faculty and staff parking lots near other buildings are often full.
Hourly metered parking lots ($1 per hour) are near the university center and bookstore with green lines on the ground to mark the parking slots, but a visitor pass for a day or a week ($1 a day for up to 7 days in total) can use the faculty/staff parking. It can be an option but one has to obtain a pass beforehand.
Restaurants
You can use Google Maps, and most restaurants off campus and relatively nearby are at the Walmart Plaza, along Main Street to Sylva, in Sylva downtown, and further to Dillsboro.
In Sylva downtown, you’d see that white building at the top of the hill, which used to be a historical Court House but is now a library with some auditorium rooms where events could happen. If you want, you can get a Jackson county library card there, too. Or else, you can still go there, to use their desks and internet, and relax or read off the shelves. City lights Books and Cafe is off the main street downtown, which includes a bookstore upstairs and a coffee place downstairs.
Grocery shopping
Near Cullowhee/Sylva
Ingles: 19 Webster Rd, Sylva, NC 28779
Walmart: 210 Walmart Plaza, Sylva, NC 28779
Sav-Mor: 74 E Sylva Cir, Sylva, NC 28779
Food lion: 73 Asheville Hwy, Sylva, NC 28779
Harold’s (more local than other chain stores): 80 W Sylva Shopping Area, Sylva, NC 28779
Local farmer’s market, in Sylva downtown beside the road (not big, but with farm-fresh eggs, green leaves, cookies, and honey) https://jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org/
Kountry Kupboard (organic): 38 E Main St, Sylva, NC 28779
Waynesville
There are chain stores there in Waynesville as in Sylva, but Publix is not in Sylva, the nearest one is in Waynesville.
Publix: 124 Frazier St, Waynesville, NC 28786
Barber Orchard Fruit stands Inc.: this is a local family fruit farm, selling fruits, some produce, and bakeries, seasonally, always from Aug 1 to Dec 24 every year, often in large quantities. 2855 Old Balsam Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786
Cashiers, Highland, Franklin
If you go south, there are many chain stores there, too. A few specialty stores are listed below.
Whole Life Market (organic): 680 N 4th St, Highlands, NC 28741
Mountain Fresh Grocery (with food court and pizza): 521 Main St, Highlands, NC 28741
Asheville, Duluth in Atlanta, or Greenville in SC
If you like something beyond these local offerings, Asheville, an hour to the northeast, could be an option, and Duluth, two and half an hour to the south near Atlanta, is a big shopping area with many kinds of stores.
Trader Joe’s: 120 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Sam’s Club: 645 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28806. Need membership
YZ Asian Market: 22 New Leicester Hwy, Asheville, NC 28806
Kim’s Oriental Food & Gifts: 5 Regent Park Blvd #110, Asheville, NC 28806
Great Wall (Chinese): 2300 Pleasant Hill Rd, Duluth, GA 30096
Super H-mart (Korean): 2550 Pleasant Hill Rd #300, Duluth, GA 30096
Patel Brothers (Indian, Sri Lankan): 1709 Church St F, Decatur, GA 30033
Costco: 3980 Venture Dr, Duluth, GA 30096, with a Sam’s Club next to it. Both need memberships.
Jusgo Supermarket: 3875 Venture Dr, Duluth, GA 30096
Asian Market: 3245 Wade Hampton Blvd # A, Taylors, SC 29687
Authentic European food: https://malincho.com/
Trash handling
Our area is rural and not densely populated so we all take the trash to the recycling center, instead of having people come to our doors to collect them. An apartment may handle it differently. The recycling center is close to campus with a short drive:
4335 Little Savannah Rd, Cullowhee, NC 28723
You would want to keep things into three main categories: (1) for landfill, (2) for recycling, such as glass and plastic, with those recycle signs on the containers, (3) for paper, including cardboard, regular paper sheets, magazines, etc. The other types of trash, such as used furniture or electronics, will be put on separate trailers. There’s a more detailed explanation about what to put where below, but for things I am not sure where to put, I’d ask the staff there, and he would tell us.
https://www.jacksonnc.org/solid-waste-and-recycling
This place opens Mon to Sat 7 am to 7 pm from Apr to Oct, then until 6 pm from Nov to Mar. If there’s a holiday, though, including Sun, it will be closed.
Other things in need
Online shopping is always an option. Locally, if you need to buy anything else, Walmart could be handy. You can download its app and select the store in Sylva, 210 Walmart Plaza, Sylva, NC 28779, then search for the item you need, and the app will show the aisle number of it if you choose the in-store option. There’s in-store wifi, then you can search easily while you are shopping.
Other grocery stores will have some limited aisles for such things, too.
Roses Discount Store: 297 Jackson Plaza, Sylva, NC 28779
Lowe’s Home Improvement: 1716 E Main St, Sylva, NC 28779, there’s an app for it, too.
Belk (a department store) in Waynesville: 265 Town Center Loop, Waynesville, NC 28786
Grove Arcade (Asheville downtown): 1 Page Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801
Asheville Mall: 3 S Tunnel Rd, Asheville, NC 28805
Asheville Outlets (formerly Biltmore Square Mall, not a Premium Outlet): 800 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC 28806
Biltmore Park Town Square (stores, restaurants, etc.): One Town Square Blvd, Asheville, NC 28803
Recreations or attractions in this region:
What you should not miss: Clingman’s Dome, Joyce Kilmer Forest, Waterrock Knob, and Panthertown Valley
On-campus activities (student oriented): https://www.wcu.edu/experience/campus-activities/
Student Activities Calendar (but some movies or service opportunities could be fun for faculty, too): https://www.wcu.edu/experience/campus-activities/student-activities-calendar.aspx
On-campus art events: https://www.wcu.edu/learn/departments-schools-colleges/fpa/wcu-fine-arts-calendar.aspx
WCU Trail system: one trailhead is on the main campus near the picnic area, and the other trailhead is on the west campus next to the parking lot of HHS. https://wcucycling.wordpress.com/wcu-trail-system/
WCU Sports: https://catamountsports.com/index.aspx
Jackson county recreation center: 88 Cullowhee Mountain Rd, Cullowhee, NC 28723. For taking a walk, and perhaps take some classes for a fee, if interested.
Greenway, 2-mile round trip walk by the river, very flat. https://www.rec.jacksonnc.org/jackson-county-greenway
Cherokee, NC tourism: south gate of the Smoky Mountain National Park. http://visitcherokeenc.com
Smoky Mountain National Park: Clingman’s Dome, Alum Cave Trail, Chimney Tops, etc. Mount LeConte needs reservation almost a year ahead. On the TN side, Cades Cove, etc.
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge offer some unique museums and Dollywood, etc.
Blue Ridge Parkway: the road is windy, so driving is slower. The foliage is best in the fall.
Lake Junaluska in Waynesville: it is a good distance to walk around the beautiful lake. The parking lot is at 91 North Lakeshore Drive, Lake Junaluska, NC 28745. https://lakejunaluska.com/about-us/location-directions/
Biltmore Estate: the tickets can be pricey. If going there multiple times, an annual ticket can be worth it (either upgrade from the day ticket while you are on the premise or purchase the annual ticket directly in the ticketing office or online beforehand). The first time we go, we may visit the house and nearby garden, the next time we go, we may only go outside to see the garden, field, lake, etc. The exhibition in the house may change after a few months, then visiting the house again is worth it. http://www.biltmore.com/
Website with area activities/resources, very comprehensive: https://www.romanticasheville.com/
Nantahala Outdoor Center (whitewater rafting, outfitter stores, ziplines, etc.) https://noc.com/
Tuckasegee River Rafting (nearby campus in Dillsboro, NC)
https://www.northcarolinarafting.com/
http://www.carolinarafting.com/
Mountain Heritage Day at WCU, Saturday, September 24, 2022 – Cullowhee, North Carolina. It is an annual event around the similar season. https://www.wcu.edu/engage/mountain-heritage-day/
Cashiers/Highland: WhiteSide mountain. Multiple waterfalls (https://www.romanticasheville.com/highlands_waterfalls.htm) such as the dry falls. Lake Glenville near the High Falls (Cullowhee Falls) with a man-made white sand beach (small but nice enough).
Gingerbread competition in Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville from late Nov to early Jan. Please also walk outside to see the waterfall in its courtyard.
The official 2022 Gingerbread display begins on Monday, November 28, 2022 and will continue through Monday, January 2, 2023. Guests not staying at the Resort are invited to view the display after 6:00 p.m. on Sundays or anytime Monday through Thursday, based on parking availability and excluding holidays and the following dates: December 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, and January 1.
Live music in Sylva, some in Asheville, too: https://www.romanticasheville.com/sylva_concerts.htm
Enjoy Sylva’s free live music summer series, Concerts on the Creek, with performances every Friday evening from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Weekend (Sep 5 in 2022). The outdoor shows take place from 7-9 PM at the Bridge Park gazebo beside Scott Creek in downtown Sylva in Jackson County.
Films in Asheville (The Grail Movie House and the Fine Arts Theater)
Skiing: The nearest location is in Maggie Valley (http://cataloochee.com/). Group lessons through Jackson county recreation center (JCRC) in Jan and Feb (registration typically in Nov). You can ask to join JCRC’s email list to get notified of the information. To get to Cataloochee ski resort, take highway 107 and exit at 102B, drive forward, and turn left onto 94. Do not turn until you reach Ghost Town Village (you will pass the Tube World on the left), and then turn right to climb the mountain to the ski parking.
Local news/activities:
http://www.smokymountainnews.com/
http://www.thesylvaherald.com/
http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/
Daycare
Mountain Projects, Inc. Community based non-profit; has info about Head Start and other services for families and children. http://www.mountainprojects.org/
Jackson County Family Resource Center, Services for children and families including respite care, parenting classes. http://jacksoncountyfrc.org/
WCU Kneedler Child Development Center, On campus daycare resource. http://www.wcu.edu/engage/community-resources/kneedler-child-development-center/
Southwestern Child Development Commission, Has daycare. http://www.swcdcinc.org/
Haywood Community College Regional Center for the Advancement of Children, Has childcare. https://www.haywood.edu/regional-center-for-the-advancement-of-children
Cullowhee Methodist Church, Is just off campus and has pre-school. http://www.cullowheeumc.org/
Refuge Church of North Carolina, Has childcare. https://www.facebook.com/RefugeChurchofNorthCarolina
Schooling
Traditional public schools: Cullowhee Valley School, Fairview, etc https://www.jcpsnc.org/ or https://www.jcps.k12.nc.us/ You can choose any school, not limited by your home address.
- Cullowhee Valley School (CVS) is the closest elementary school to campus; they do bus drop off on campus
- Fairview School is with the longest history in town and their FLL (FIRST Robotics League), Science Olympia teams are with a longer history than other schools to be quite competitive, although CVS has also started those and done well.
Public charter schools: Summit in Cashiers, etc
Independent (private) schools (boarding, day, and mixed), for example, some local Christian schools, and https://www.rabungap.org/ in GA, an hour away
The North Carolina School of Math & Science. Very competitive, public, 11th & 12th graders. The residential boarding program is immersive (the original residential program is in Durham. There is a new site in Morgantown as the second residential site), while the online program requires the students to take one or two online courses per semester from them while the students keep their enrollment at their original high schools. https://www.ncssm.edu/
Home schooling: https://www.nche.com/community/regions/one/
Early college (public high school), situated besides the Southwestern Community College, to share teaching resources https://www.jcpsnc.org/jcec/about
Haywood County Public Schools: http://www.haywood.k12.nc.us/
Macon County Public Schools: http://www.macon.k12.nc.us/
Swain County Public Schools: http://www.swain.k12.nc.us/
Parenting resources:
Our Town Western North Carolina – local newcomer’s magazine http://www.ourtownnc.com/
WNC Parent – Publication of Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper http://www.citizen-times.com/lifestyle/family/
WCU’s Health & Physical Education Department and PE Majors Club periodically sponsors a Parents Night Out where they organize games and events for children – they inform WCU employees about this via email.
WCU typically runs a series of camps and programs for kids, especially in the summer: https://www.wcu.edu/engage/professional-enrichment/camps-and-programs-for-kids/index.aspx
Activities for children
After school: FLL (FIRST LEGO League), FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition), Science Olympia, HOSA-Future Health Professionals, sports, marching band, Jazz band, theater, etc.
Independent from school: 4H, Scouting, JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians), etc. They often recruit students during open houses at public schools. However, home-schooled children can participate, too.
Housing
Housing is very challenging, when both buying a house and renting an individual place for faculty and staff. The campus is trying to address this issue to support the building of Webster Village, but it will take many years. The key for renting is to start early and make sure that you get a response from real persons but not relying on any website alone. The key for buying is find a good realtor you like and take time to look for the house you like. People may consider somewhere near campus in Cullowhee, Sylva, etc., or somewhere in about half an hour’s drive, such as Waynesville and Franklin, or even an hour away in the Asheville area. There’s a tradeoff between commute time and city life.
UClub – The University Club
For faculty and staff: https://www.wcu.edu/faculty-staff/uclub-the-university-club/
Service opportunities beyond campus or STEM-related fields
Annual Tuck River Clean-up organized by WCU: https://www.wcu.edu/experience/campus-recreation/base-camp-cullowhee/tuck-river-cleanup.aspx
Annual Project Fire – Wood Splitting and Deliveries organized by a church facing the Brown Hall: https://www.cullowheeumc.org/event-items/project-fire-wood-splitting-and-deliveries/
Whee Walk Together, a WCU on-campus group geared towards the entire community: https://www.wcu.edu/discover/diversity/intercultural-dialogue-group.aspx
Full Spectrum Farm: https://www.fullspectrumfarms.org/
Rotary club: https://www.sylvarotaryclub.org/
Jackson County Transit to/from Asheville Airport, etc.
https://www.jacksoncountytransit.com/avl-airport
(info copied in Aug 2022, subject to change) Jackson County Transit offers door-to-door prescheduled trips to and from the Asheville Regional Airport. This service is available for both students at WCU (Western Carolina University) and the general public. The cost is between $25.00 and $30.00 each way depending upon where you live in the County. The base price from Sylva is $25.00. One week advance notice is preferred, and we operate between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm, Monday thru Friday. We are closed weekends. Call for more information.
Jackson County Transit: 1148 Haywood Road, Sylva, NC 28779
Tel 828-586-0233
Fax 828-631-1241
If you have other suggestions to update this page, please contact me at yyan@wcu.edu