Fee Free Days 2019
Free entrance days to all national parks and free tours of the Sandburg Home in 2019.
- Sunday, August 25 – National Park Service Anniversary
- Saturday, September 28 – National Public Lands Day
- Monday, November 11 – Veterans Day
May 13 through October 31
“Dressing for the Occasion: Mid-Century Sandburg as Celebrity and Family Man”
*Included with the house tour
The exhibit is part of the Sandburg Home tour and features clothing and accessories from both the park’s permanent collection and loaned items from the Sandburg family. “Dressing for the Occasion” offers visitors a window into the style, culture, and feel of mid-century America. The family’s clothing and accessories weave together the roles of Carl Sandburg as a prominent writer, celebrity, father, and husband. This temporary exhibit offers an exciting opportunity for the public to view objects that are normally in storage or in the possession of Sandburg family members. Tours of the Sandburg Home are offered daily from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Tickets are available first come, first served, each day from the visitor information area in the ground level of the Sandburg Home. Learn more about the exhibit here.
June 12 through August 10
*No Shows July 17-20
Sandburg Summer Plays
Every Wednesday through Saturday at 10:15 - 10:45 am
Rootabaga Express! and Spink, Skabootch and Swipes!
Wednesday through Saturday, apprentice actors from the Flat Rock Playhouse, will share performances at 10:15 a.m., at the new park amphitheater located near the front lake. Young visitors can earn the new "Rootabaga Ranger" badge by completing an acitivty sheet after the play. More information and a 2019 schedule is available here.
June 25, July 20 and August 11
Sandburg Sing-along
Sandburg Sing-along is a new series offered each month throughout the summer. Featuring music from Sandburg’s "The American Songbag," musicians will lead the audience in singing along at the amphitheater. Song sheets will be available. The schedule is:
- Tuesday, June 25 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm with the Geriatric Jukebox Band
- Saturday, July 20 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm with Cindy Carpenter and Emily Reasoner
- Sunday, August 11 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm with Lucy Allen and Marshall Goers
July 1-30, 2019
Public Comments Sought for Proposed House Tour Fees at Carl Sandburg Home NHS
The National Park Service is seeking public comments for proposed increases to house tour fees at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. The increases will be the first since 2004.
A 30-day public comment period regarding the proposed increases opens on July 1, 2019 and a public meeting will be held on July 17, from 5:00–7:00 pm at the Village of Flat Rock Meeting Room, 110 Village Center Drive, Flat Rock, NC. If approved, the new house tour fee structure would begin on October 1, 2019. Learn more
here.
July 6, 13, 20 & 27 from 11am to 3pm
Hands-on History in July
On Saturdays in July, visitors of all ages can get hands-on with history. Each Saturday will feature a different topic related to the Sandburg family’s life at Connemara. The following programs will occur from 11am to 3pm at the amphitheater:
July 6 – Everything’s Butter with Goats.
July 13 – Archives Alive!
July 20 – Books and Banjos.
July 27 – Birds, Bats and Bugs. Kids can earn a special junior ranger pin for attending the programs. The park also offers a self-guided Junior Ranger program every day for young visitors to complete.
August 3 (Saturday)
2:00 - 4:00 pm, at the Henderson County Main Library
100th Anniversary of the Chicago Race Riot with Author Claire Hartfield
The park has invited Claire Hartfield, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author, to read from her most recent book, A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919. Hartfield is a nationally recognized author and education leader. Learn more about the race riots here. The event will be held at the Henderson County Main Library - Kaplan Auditorium located at 301 N Washington St, Hendersonville, NC.
September (week of September 16)
Citizenship Day Naturalization Ceremony
New American citizens from western North Carolina will participate in a naturalization ceremony at the park. The public is welcome to attend this special event.
November 30 (Saturday) from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Christmas at Connemara
Musicians and storytellers, crafts and sing-a-longs, hot cider and cookies. This free festive celebration will honor Carl Sandburg and his family holiday traditions. Young visitors will find many opportunities for participation in storytelling, sing-a-longs and crafts. The house will be decorated in the simple style of the Sandburgs with poinsettias and a traditionally decorated Christmas tree throughout December until January 6th, 2020.
