The park is currently closed due to impacts from Hurricane Helene, including all trails, park grounds, and facilities. The park will re-open once damage assessments have been made and the park is deemed safe for visitation.

Hurricane Cleanup Closure

The Sandburg Home Visitor Center/Park Store is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am-4pm. Tours are available at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm. Advance reservations via recreation.gov strongly recommended. Day-of visit, last minute tickets may not be available.

Sandburg Home Visitor Center/Park Store and Tours Open Wednesday to Sunday

The pedestrian bridge at the main entrance to the park is closed. Visitors must now walk a .7 mile steep detour to the Sandburg Home and farm. An accessible daily shuttle runs every 20 minutes, from 9:40 am to 4:20 pm, from the main parking lot.

Park Shuttle Available!

The pedestrian bridge at the main entrance to the park is closed. A 6-passenger accessible shuttle runs daily every 20 minutes from 9:40 am to 4:20 pm, from the main parking lot, on Little River Road, to the Sandburg Home and farm area.

Pedestrian Bridge at Front Lake is Closed

PARK CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO STORM HELENE! “I make it clear why I write as I do and why other poets write as they do. After hundreds of experiments I decided to go my own way in style and see what would happen.” Carl Sandburg's free verse style of poetry, journalism, biography, children's stories, prose writing, and social activism provided a popular voice for the American people.

A view of the Sandburg Home as visitors enter the park

Carl Sandburg Home NHS

A view of the front lake and Sandburg Home as visitors enter the park

Visitor Entrance to Carl Sandburg Home NHS

Dairy goats graze peacefully near the Sandburg barn

Connemara Farms

A view of Sandburg's study as visitors see it today

Carl Sandburg's Study

Spring-born kid goats greet visitors to the barn

Kid Goats Greet Visitors

Two visitors enjoy a stroll through the trees on a park trail

Hiking Trails in the Park

Carl Sandburg Home

Parking lots, grounds, gardens, and trails are open every day, year-round, sunrise to sunset. Occasional closures arise from weather events, check park alerts for more information.

The Sandburg Home, Visitor Center and Farm Area have seasonal hours that vary. 

House Tours are by reservation only through http://www.recreation.gov

New Year's Day

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Presidents Day

Washington's Birthday

Juneteenth National Independence Day

Juneteenth

Independence Day

Labor Day

Columbus Day

2024 Park Bookstore and House Tours

The park grounds are open 7 days a week sunrise to sunset. The barn and goat area are also open 7 days a week from 10-4. The Sandburg Home Visitor Center, Tours and Park Store are open Wednesday -Sunday (5 days per week) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Park Grounds

Guided Tours

Adults age 16-61 - $10.00 Adults age 62 and older, and all interagency pass holders - $6.00 Children age 15 and under - $0.00

view of a study with several desks, a chair, and three walls with floor to ceiling bookshelves.

Sandburg Home Tour

Tours of the Sandburg Home start in the first floor of the Sandburg Home. Visit the Park Store and Information area for tickets and tour times.

Taking a guided tour of the historic Carl Sandburg Home is an insightful glimpse into the lives of the Sandburg family. Tours of the home are 30-minutes and include access to 11 furnished rooms over the top two floors of the three story house. The interior appears almostly exactly how it looked when the Sandburg family lived here. Take a tour inside the home to learn about the story of Carl Sandburg's legacy to America's literary history, Mrs. Sandburg's leadership in agriculture, and the many family memories and moments experienced at home. Sandburg Home tour availability varies by season 2024 Winter HouseTour Schedule January 2 - May 31, 2024 Make advance reservations for Sandburg Home tours at <a href="https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/300005">recreation.gov</a>! Access to the historically furnished rooms is by guided tour only.    <ul> <li>Tours are available Wednesday to Sunday at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm.</li> <li>Advance reservations available at <a href="https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/300005">recreation.gov</a>. 10 people per 30-minute tour.  Advanced reservations, are strongly recommended as day-of visit, last minute tickets may not be available. </li> <li>The house tour fee will be $10, adults; and $6 for adults 62 and older, including all pass holders. House tour tickets for children (aged 15 and under) will remain free of charge. However, children’s tickets reserved online will incur $1 online processing fee. All America the Beautiful Interagency Passholders will receive a discount on tour tickets. <ul> <li>House tour fees fund interpretive and preservation efforts in the house, including house tours, free school programs, exhibits and curatorial support for the 38,000 museum objects on display in the house.</li> </ul> </li> <li>The only way to see the furnished interior of the Sandburg Home is through a guided tour or on a <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/carl-home-tour.htm">virtual tour</a>.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Reservations: Reserving in advance at <a href="https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/300005">recreation.gov</a> lets you pick your preferred house tour time. Advanced reservations, are strongly recommended as day-of visit, last minute tickets may not be available. (The only way to see the furnished interior of the Sandburg Home is through a guided tour.). Please note: Walk up Tours can only be purchased with a credit card.</li> <li>Strollers are not permitted on the house tour, but there is a place to leave them for storage. Infants and small children should be carried through the house while on tour.</li> </ul>

Service dogs only. No other pets are permitted inside the home.

Online house tour reservations available at https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/300005. Child reservations online will incur $1.00 processing fee. Day-of-tour walk up child tickets are free.

Sandburg Home tours are available Wednesday to Sunday at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm. Each tour is 30-minutes, with a capacity of 10 people. Advance reservations are available at recreation.gov. Tours are free through October 1, 2023. Advance reservations are strongly recommended as day-of visit, last minute tickets may not be available. (The only way to see the furnished interior of the Sandburg Home is through a guided tour.).

First tour begins at 10:00 am, last tour begins at 4:00 pm. Tours are offered hourly during the day.

Tour the Sandburg Home

Poetry and Literature

Arts and Culture

several actors are on stage wearing overalls and colorful shirts

Summer Plays at the amphitheater

Each season brings a variety of unique program and special event opportunities. <h4> Year-round</h4> <ul> <li>Monthly <a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/learn/news/wir.htm">Virtual Writing Workshops</a></li> </ul> <h4>Spring</h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/learn/news/student-poetry-contest.htm">Student Poetry Contest</a></li> </ul> <h4>Summer</h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/musicfest.htm">Sandburg Music Festival</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/summer-performances.htm">Summer Rootabaga Story plays at the amphitheater</a></li> <li>Sandburg Sing-a-longs</li> <li>Hands-on History weekends</li> </ul> Fall <ul> <li>Dairy Goat Show at the Western North Carolina Mountain State Fair</li> <li>Park Anniversary on October 17</li> </ul> Winter <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/christmasatconnemara.htm">Christmas at Connemara</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/slam.htm">Sandburg Story Slam</a></li> </ul>

1. Clean up after your pet. 2. Restrain pets on a leash not to exceed six feet. 3. Pets may not be left unattended while pet owner is on a tour of the house. 4. Ensure pets urinate on a natural surface and not on buildings. Please do not stray off developed trails. 5. Only assistance animals allowed in buildings.

Each season brings a variety of unique program and special event opportunities. Find out what opportunities are available during your visit!

Seasonal Programs and Special Events

Music

Front-Country Hiking

The park offers 5 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy to moderately strenuous. Make sure to follow these tips before you plan your hiking adventure:   <ul> <li>Download a <a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/upload/Trail-Map-2022-3.pdf">trail map</a><a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/upload/Trail-Map-2022.pdf">.</a></li> <li>Check the weather.</li> <li>Dress for the conditions.</li> <li>Recreate Responsibly and follow Leave No Trace practices.</li> </ul>

Outdoor Pursuits

"It is necessary now and then for a man to go away by himself and experience loneliness; to sit on a rock in the forest and to ask of himself, 'Who am I, and where have I been, and where am I going?'...If one is not careful, one allows diversions to take up one's time-the stuff of life" - Carl Sandburg as quoted from a letter to his friend, Ralph McGill. Enjoy the solitude of Connemara. Hike its many trails and take from it the energy to avoid diversions. The park offers 5 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy to moderately strenuous. Make sure to follow these tips before you plan your hiking adventure:   <ul> <li>Download a <a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/upload/Trail-Map-2022-3.pdf">trail map</a><a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/upload/Trail-Map-2022.pdf">.</a></li> <li>Young visitors can use <a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/track-trail.htm">TRACK Trail </a>maps!</li> <li>Bringing a pet? Find information <a href="https://www.nps.gov/carl/planyourvisit/pets.htm">here</a>.</li> <li>Check the weather.</li> <li>Dress for the conditions.</li> <li>Recreate Responsibly and follow <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/leave-no-trace-seven-principles.htm">Leave No Trace</a> practices.</li> </ul>

Enjoy the solitude of Connemara. Hike its many trails and take from it the energy to avoid diversions. The park offers 5 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy to moderately strenuous.

Park trails and parking lots are open sunrise to sunset.

Outdoor Pursuits and Trail Map

Trails

Self-Guided Tours - Walking

Explore the park through a self-guided tour, or take a virtual tour of the interior of the Sandburg Home!

Alert: Hurricane Cleanup Closure: The park is currently closed due to impacts from Hurricane Helene, including all trails, park grounds, and facilities. The park will re-open once damage assessments have been made and the park is deemed safe for visitation.

Carl Sandburg Home

Overview

Hours

Fees & Passes

Map

Things To Do

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Tour the Sandburg Home

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Fees

Seasonal Programs and Special Events

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Outdoor Pursuits and Trail Map

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Self-Guided Tours

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