Our Journey to Upstate South Carolina — Part 1
Part 1: The Decision and the Move
It's hard to believe it's been a year since we made the move from Tennessee to Upstate South Carolina. So much has happened since then that I wanted to finally sit down and share the story — how we got here, what it took, and what's ahead for Stewart Heritage Farm. There's a lot to tell, so I'm breaking it into a few posts. This first one is about the decision, and the whirlwind of a move itself.
How It Started
The idea of moving to South Carolina first came into my head back in March 2025. My sister lives in Charlotte, and with my mother living with me, being closer to family just made sense. Honestly, I never imagined I'd be leaving Tennessee — but once the idea took hold, it became consuming. I made a trip out to SC that April to look at a few properties, and it didn't take long to know Cherokee County was where I wanted to be. It was about an hour from my sister, and for a move that involved an entire farm — alpacas, dogs, cats, my mom, and a household — that mattered a lot.
The Transition Plan
The tricky part was logistics. I had a farm in Tennessee to sell, but I couldn't just sell it and hope to quickly find a new place for everyone to land. So I found a transition property instead — a small, 2-acre spot with a little house — and closed on it in May 2025. That gave me a place to move to before the Tennessee farm sold, and it was in an area I really liked, with the hope that more land might become available nearby later.
With my sister's help, I started making the move in stages — sometimes one trip a week, sometimes two, each one about 3.5 hours each way. At the same time, I was getting the Tennessee farm ready to sell, and listed it by mid-June.
One Last Yarn Tour
The farm sold and closed the first part of September 2025 — but that timing meant I got to keep the shop open through the end of August, which let me take part in the 2025 Great Tennessee Yarn Tour one last time. August was a blur: yarn tourists at the farm every single day, finishing up the packing, working through the closing process on the farm sale, coordinating with people in South Carolina to get the new place ready, getting health certificates for all the alpacas, and figuring out how in the world to move everyone. The last day the shop was open was August 31st.
Moving Day(s)
My sister and I packed up the shop the very next day, loaded a U-Haul, and spent a couple of days moving household items. I'd also picked up a new-to-me truck and a livestock trailer for the animals. The following weekend, my sister, her husband, a friend, and I made three round trips from New Market, Tennessee to the new place in South Carolina, moving all the alpacas, dogs, cats, chickens, and ducks. While all of that was happening, fencing and portable shelters were going up back at the new property, and a portable building was being set up for the cats — that one needed a contractor to finish the interior and get electric and a mini-split installed.
Once every animal was moved, I made one more trip back to Tennessee to do a final clean-up of the house, cabin, and barns — and then, finally, made the trip back to South Carolina for good. (Well, almost — I did have to go back once more just to pick up my tractor, which I'd left at a friend's place until I could retrieve it!)
That was the move. In the next post, I'll share how we found this farm — the 52 acres we now call home, and the surprising piece of history sitting practically in our backyard.
Stewart Heritage Farm is settling into life in Upstate South Carolina after over 20 years raising alpacas, including a decade in Tennessee. Follow along as we share more of our story — and check out our online shop for alpaca yarn, roving, and handmade goods while we get the farm shop ready to open in spring.