Connemara — Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

The Carl Sandburg Home in Flat Rock, NC — about 30 minutes south of Asheville — is a National Historic Site that's one of the most pleasant surprises in the region for families. The poet Carl Sandburg bought this 246-acre mountain farm in 1945 and lived here until his death in 1967. His wife Lillian kept a nationally recognized herd of Nubian and Chikaming dairy goats, and that herd still lives on the property today.

For families, the goats are the main event for young kids. They graze near the barn and are accessible to visitors — curious, friendly, and reliably photogenic. The grounds themselves are beautiful: rolling fields, a lake with a walking trail, woods, and a working farm that gives kids a concrete sense of rural mountain life in the mid-20th century.

House tours are guided and run throughout the day for a small fee ($10 per adult, under 16 free). The 45-minute tour covers Sandburg's writing life, his routine, and the history of the property. For kids who know his work or who are studying American literature, it's meaningful. For younger kids, the grounds and goats alone justify the trip.

The five miles of hiking trails include easy options like the lake loop and more moderate trails into the surrounding woods. The property is peaceful and less visited than most Asheville-area attractions — a good change of pace.