The Longest Ride Ranch is coming! On June 13, 2015, The Ride, a new
ranch, is opening in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The Ride will feature bull
riding, live music, horseback riding, hiking, and Mama’s Homemade Kitchen. This
have-to attraction will allow is visitors to live the life of Sofia and Luke
for the day! Hiking trails, horseback riding, and bull riding will be open
Sunday-Thursday 8am- 8pm and Friday-Saturday 8am-11pm. On the weekends, there
will be bull riding competitions and live music. The Ride will allow fans of The Longest Ride and Nicholas Sparks to
see the book come alive. The Ride is created for its visitors to walk a day in
Sofia and Luke’s shoes. See if you can ride the bull like Luke or eat one of Mom’s
meals.
When Sofia, a senior
at Wake Forest College, and her long term boyfriend break up, Sofia’s best
friend drags her to a rodeo that’s in town about 20 minutes from their campus.
There she meets this bull rider Luke and her life is turned upside down. Luke
isn’t the usual type of guy Sofia will go for. In the book, The Longest Ride,
Sofia and Luke fall in love and his ranch has a large part in their love story.
It’s funny the first time Luke and Sophia met was when he broke up a fight
between her and her ex-boyfriend. They were very different from each other. Not
like anyone either of them had been with before. “But the girl on the railing
interested him. There was something different about her, though he couldn’t
pinpoint what. Maybe, he thought, it was the unguarded, almost vulnerable way
she stared into the distance”. Luke
was one of the best bull riders in the country which is why the bull riding
aspect is an important part of The Ride Ranch. On their second date Sofia
visits Luke at the ranch and he takes her horseback riding for the first time.
While on horseback, Luke would take Sofia all over the ranch and show he places
that he and his father would go before he passes away. “We used to stay out
here all day. It was kind of our place, just for the two of us.” The Ride the
visitors are able to ride paths just like they did and if they choose, can ride
all the way back to the pond in the back of the ranch to fish like Luke and his
father used to. The third time Sofia visited the ranch was when Luke invited
her to dinner with his mother. This night Sofia got to know Luke’s mother and
she made a home cooked meal for them. Here at The Ride, the visitors can eat at
Mama’s Homemade Kitchen for breakfast, lunch, or dinner to get a taste. The
first night that Sofia and Luke spent together was in this cabin out in the
middle of nowhere, another place he and his father used to go. This was the
place that Sofia and Luke first said “I love you,” to each other. The hiking
trails are a way for the readers and fans to connect with the cabin Sofia and
Luke would go to. Specifically the night when they were driving home and Luke
noticed the railing on the side of the road broken. Luckily Luke and Sofia were
able to stop and see that there was a car that had driven off the road and
called 911. What’s so unique about The Ride is it is stationed in Black
Mountain, North Carolina, the same place that Ira and Ruth, Ira’s beloved wife
who passed away 9 years before, would take trips to and buy artwork. Ira was
the man in the car crash that Luke and Sofia discovered one night on their way
back from the cabin. Ira and Ruth loved each other very much and their love
story inspired Luke and Sofia and basically the whole book. The Ride offers a
chance to become your favorite character and experience what they experience in
an interactive environment. Just by walking through the ranch the fans will be
able to feel the same passion Luke and Sofia felt while they were reading the
book all over again. “You don’t see the good in yourself what others see in
you. You think you are not handsome enough, but you are these things, to, and
that you are not aware of your best qualities is part of your charm. You always
see so much in others—as you did in me. You made me feel special”. The Ride is a special ranch because
it allows those who read the book a way to put the pieces together and for
those who are just visiting a taste of Luke and Sofia’s epic love story.
The Ride ranch was created for the readers and the fans. It is a way for
them to relive the story again and get to do the things that the characters
did. The Ride literally bring the book alive. It’s not just something you watch
on a digital screen or do sitting in your family room. The Ride is a full on
interactive experience. They are riding the bulls. They are riding the horses.
They are hiking the trails. They are eating Mama’s food. They are in Black Mountain, North Carolina,
the inspiration for his book. Nicholas Sparks wrote this book based off of the
Black Mountain College because of all the famous art work from WWII. That is
when Nicholas Sparks got the idea of Ira and The Longest Ride just grew from
there. Those who visit The Ride ranch will all share a special connection that
only those who read the book will fully apprehend.
Want a sneak peak of what to expect at THE RIDE? Check it out here!
