Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site — Attraction in Flat Rock

I had a pretty horrible experience but I could see myself changing my review based on a 2nd trip. I love the national parks. I think it's a great part of our country's history and heritage. I drove down from NYC and was on my way to Florida to visit an ailing mother. I wanted to stop at the Sandberg home. I read the Rootabaga Stories as a kid and excepts of his history of Lincoln and I was a huge admirer of Sandberg. So I really wanted to tour his home. I had 3 dogs with me so I left them in my car with the windows mostly opened. It wasn't a hot day either. But the parking lot was closed and the walk from the 2nd parking lot was about 3/4 of a mile to the house. They say the will do shuttles but I called 3x and no one picked up. They called me back 1/2 hour later but it was already too late. I didn't want to leave my dogs alone a long time so I wanted to keep the visit under an hour which I would have been able to do with a shuttle. I started walking anyway but didn't realize the house was so far from the hikers parking lot so I got to spend time with the goats, not realizing how far away the walk to the house was. They need to do a better job of the shuttles and they need to fix the problem with the main lot. The hurricane was 9 months ago, plenty of time to do repairs. Get on with it. I really wanted to tour the house and get my passport stamped. They made this very hard. I will try again in a few weeks on the return trip and I will keep my dogs locked in the car with the windows up and ac on, maybe that will fix the issue over traveling with dogs. Hopefully they will pick up the phone so that I could get a shuttle ride.

Ok a week made a big difference! They got the main parking lot up and running again but still the bridge is out so it's a long uphill walk to the house from the parking lot. But it was great to see the Sandberg house and very important, especially now with the moronic excuse for a human in the White House (Trump), to see what how Sandberg (a great American) celebrated a real president by writing the Lincoln biography. The tour through the house is worthwhile. The Us govt dhould fix the broken...

The Carl Sandburg Home and the surrounding estate are truly beautiful. There is lots of history on the grounds and in the house. From the hiking trails to the goat barn and goat pasture to the amphitheater to the gift shop/store to the tours and of course the house itself. The entire experience is amazing and does not disappoint. Traditionally the public has been allowed more interaction with the goats and been able to tour the house for a minimal fee, however, due to federal pandemic guidelines the Carl Sandburg Home itself is not open to yours nor the public in general. The park is in the process of trying to return to what were considered normal operations before the pandemic but these things take time and usually involve a lengthy and thorough phased reopening for the safety of everyone involved. There is no hunting, fishing, or trapping allowed on the property. Additionally, there are two public parking lots. The main lot and the the hiking lot. Both lots can lead to hiking trails as well as where the house and store/gift shop are located. The store is currently operating Fridays-Sundays 10am-2pm. This may increase as federal restrictions are relaxed. The park/park grounds are open dawn to dusk daily. The park is staffed 9am-5pm daily. The only exception typically being federal holidays. There are lots of ways to volunteer at and get engage with the park, although that is currently restricted due to the restricted pandemic operations. If you're interested in volunteering, then the park would still love to hear from you but it's likely you want get hands on for a little while. Even though touring the house costs a small charge, it is free to roam the grounds of the park. If you have any issues with mobility or accessibility regarding the house, then feel free to use the phones located in the main parking lot or call the park office (Open Mondays-Fridays 9am-5pm). There is plenty to do and learn about this place as well as the people who have called it home. I highly recommend the Carl Sandburg Home to anyone in the area...

We had a lovely day at the Sandburg home! Guests start at the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. Free parking is available. On busy days the lot fills quickly, but visitors may use the Flat Rock Playhouse lot directly across the street when there are no performances. Watch for signs about restrictions. It's my understanding that for those who can't make the walk up the hill, can call the park office for assistance with a golf cart.

The park doesn't charge admission, but the home tour is a very reasonable fee to see the inside (around $5). We enjoyed the tour, although none of the furnishings were inside. The park is making structural updates to the home, so the furnishings are in storage, so they don't get damaged. This is planned to go into at least 2018. They did have large photos of the furnished rooms that give an idea of what the rooms normally look like and the tour guide did an excellent job.

The lush grounds are beautiful, with rolling hills, trees, and a pond! So much to see and do that we didn't have time to cover everything. We didn't have a chance to check out the 5 miles of hiking trails, but we visited the descendants of Mrs. Sandburg's Chikaming goat herd. They are a friendly bunch and would walk up and put their head under your hand to encourage petting. I also saw a sweet goat lay it's head in the lap of a visitor that was sitting on the ground. There was plenty of staff around to answer questions as well.

We learned so much about Mr. & Mrs. Sandburg and were able to get a glimpse into their lives. It was clear that this was a vibrant place, filled with laughter, creativity and love. I would love to visit again when the furnishings are...