Plan Your Visit

View of Sandburg Home in Fall

Carl Sandburg Home NHS is open year-round!

The park is located on 270 acres in western North Carolina. The average visit is 2 hours. See the list of things to do below.

• NOTICE: The pedestrian bridge at the main park entrance is closed. To access facilities from the main entrance (Sandburg Home, farm area and trails), visitors must now walk an additional 0.4 mile around Front Lake, and then walk 0.3 mile up a steeply graded hill. Be prepared for this detour when you arrive. View a trail map with the detour here. The Hikers' Parking Lot is another option to enter the park. Find information and directions on our "Parking" information page. If you need accessibility assistance, visit our "Accessibility" page for more information.
• To learn more about what happened to the Front Lake dam, click here
• FREE SHUTTLE
  A free shuttle will transport visitors from the main parking lot, on Little River Road, to the Sandburg Home and farm area. The shuttle operates on the days the Sandburg Home is open - Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The first pick up in the main parking Lot is at 9:40 a.m. The last drop off in the parking lot is at 4:40 p.m. The shuttle will pick up from the main parking lot every 20 minutes. Visitors who need the shuttle should gather at the Shuttle Stop sign located in the main parking lot near the accessible parking spaces.

Admission

Free to enter the park, access the park store and information in the ground floor of the Sandburg Home, walk the trails and visit the farm area.

Park Grounds, Trails and Parking Lots

• Open from sunrise to sunset daily. Free.
• Please be prepared for your comfort - wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes. There is a limited selection of snack foods and water to purchase from the park store. Water is available at fountains (bring your own bottle). Please recycle any purchased water bottles.

Sandburg Home Visitor Center/Park Store and Tours

• Open Wednesday to Sunday (5 days per week) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sandburg Home tours are available Wednesday to Sunday at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m, and 3 p.m. Advance reservations available at recreation.gov. 10 people per 30-minute tour. 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.).
• 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.
  • 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.

Farm Area (access to goats in the barnyard and pasture)

Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day). Free.

• Baby Goats are here this spring 2024!
  Carl Sandburg Home NHS is the proud new home of two buck kids! The young male goats arrived at Sandburg on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. This year, the park bought the two Nubian buck kids from different farms, instead of breeding goats currently in the Sandburg herd. The park often introduces new goats to keep the herd healthy by refreshing bloodlines. (The park did not breed any goats from 2022-23 as they were at their maximum herd size of 17 goats)
  Learn more here.

 

 

Information for Groups
You are strongly encouraged to contact the park if you are visiting with more than 10 people in your group, even if it is just a family visit or a big motorcoach tour. We strive to make your visit the best experience it can be.

Adult Group
For groups of adults of ten or more, please see the Adult Group Reservation page for information about scheduling a visit.

School & Homeschool Groups
Please see our For Teachers section for more information about scheduling school groups.

Summer Camps/Youth Groups
Please visit our ParKids! page for more information on activities available in the Park.

Area Trip Planning
Visit our Nearby Attractions page

If you cannot find what you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact the park with your questions. We hope you enjoy your visit!