Places of Interest

Website: nps.gov/carl/

Carl Sandburg, nationally renowned poet, biographer, folksinger, and lecturer, provided broad and enduring 20th century insight into the circumstances, worth, and spirit of the American people. He passionately championed for those who did not have words and power to speak for themselves.

A midwesterner most of his life, Sandburg and his family purchased Connemara and moved to Flat Rock, North Carolina, in 1945 for the peace and solitude he desired for his writing. Known for his literary achievements prior to moving, Sandburg continued to write and lecture, publishing more than one-third of his works during his 22 years at Connemara.

Today, the National Park Service manages the site and preserves the Sandburg legacy for future generations. The historic site consists of a antebellum house (circa 1838) and a 1900’s dairy goat barn. The park also maintains a small goat herd to honor Mrs. Sandburg’s accomplishments in breeding champion dairy goats. The rolling pastures, mountainside woods, trails, and historic gardens are preserved to reflect the landscape the Sandburg’s enjoyed.

Website: flatrockplayhouse.org
Box office: 828.693.0731

The Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina, is a professional theater that operates from April through December. The Playhouse’s dual mission of producing the performing arts and providing education in the performing arts includes a professional series with a variety of comedies, musicals, and dramas, ranging from world premieres to the latest from Broadway and London, and the Classics; a summer and fall college apprentice and intern program; performances and a cabaret series by the YouTheater; and year-round classes and workshops for students from kindergarten through adults.

The Flat Rock Playhouse endeavors to produce plays that have a wide range of appeal and are appropriate for the entire family. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, the Flat Rock Playhouse is rated one of the top ten summer theaters in the nation. It now hosts approximately 100,000 patrons annually and is a major contributor to the local economy and the arts in North Carolina.