Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site adventure.
Connemara, the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and writer Carl Sandburg, is located on 264 gorgeous acres in western North Carolina. Sandburg and his family moved to this home in Flat Rock in 1945 for the solitude his writing required. It also offered more than 30 acres of pastureland for his wife's champion dairy goats. Mrs. Sandburg owned and operated a premier goat dairy from 1935 to 1965.
Today the park service raises goats at Connemara that represent the same three breeds Mrs. Sandburg raised. They are definitely the stars of the show here. Time your visit right in the summer and you might enjoy a Ranger's cheese-making demo. Go in April or May, and you'll get to hang out with newborn baby goats in the barns. Squee, baby goats!
The Sandburg family home underwent a huge preservation project that began in 2015. The library of 10,000 books and more than 30,000 items of furnishings were returned to the house in September 2018. All the finishing touches are scheduled to be complete by the end of 2018. Be sure to take the 30-minute guided tour of the spruced-up historic Carl Sandburg Home. It's a great chance to get an insightful glimpse into the lives of this remarkable literary family.
Save at least an hour to hike the gorgeous acreage. Grab a map and set out on one of the well-maintained trails around the lake or up the mountain. The property is serene and peaceful with amazing views. Goat hugs are guaranteed. It's easy to understand why Sandburg spent the last 22 years of his life here and enjoyed a prolific publishing career during that time.
View all nearby options for camping on both public campgrounds and private land on Hipcamp.