Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, current businesses’ hours may differ from what is posted on their websites. Also, keep in mind that some may require guests to wear face coverings before entering their doors.
Flat Rock, North Carolina, is one of the oldest communities in the area, and the entire district is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1830s, a few wealthy Charlestonians built summer homes in the area to escape the unhealthy conditions of the South Carolina Low Country. Several of the estate homes still stand despite the grounds having been parceled and either given to family or sold. The oldest and largest, Argyle, was built in 1830 by Judge Mitchell King and is still owned by the King family.
Because the area was settled mainly by Charlestonians, it’s little wonder the village of Flat Rock has been nicknamed “the Little Charleston of the Mountains.” It even has a Little Rainbow Row painted similar colors to the original. Though the village may be small, it’s worth a visit.
Little Rainbow Row
The Wrinkled Egg
Website: thewrinkledegg.com
This unique gift shop occupies what was originally Peace’s General Store, which was built about 1900. Peace’s General Store was beloved by the community, not just for the goods it sold. Neighbors came to catch up on the local gossip.
The Coca-Cola ad on the side of the building was used in giving directions. Kids came to purchase sweets. The Wrinkled Egg has continued the legacy by restoring the Coca-Cola ad and continuing to carry items that appeal to children.
Flat Rock Village Bakery
Website: villagebakerync.com
On the back side of The Wrinkled Egg you will find Flat Rock Village Bakery. What is unique about this bakery is its brick oven where they bake their artisan breads as well as their wood-fired pizza. The bakery uses almost exclusively local produce and also serves a variety of breakfast pastries as well as a lunch menu that includes salads and sandwiches. A handful of gluten-friendly items are available.
Hubba Hubba Woodfired Smokehouse
Website: hubbahubbasmokehouse.com
Don’t visit Flat Rock hungry because you’ll be able to smell some of the best barbecue in the area throughout the village. Tucked away behind the blue building on Little Rainbow Row, Hubba Hubba Woodfired Smokehouse smokes its meats for hours over native hardwoods, producing the mouthwatering aroma smelled along the row. The smokehouse also uses local produce whenever possible. Try one of their three house-made sauces, and don’t miss their pimento cheese grits.
Dogwood
Website: dogwoodofflatrocknc.business.site
Up above Hubba Hubba is a little gift shop that sells locally made treasures. Leather journals, ceramic berry bowls and local honey and jam are just a few of the items found on Dogwood’s shelves. Though the floor space may be small, the shop makes efficient use of every available inch. Greeting cards are displayed on a door, lanterns and birdhouses hang from the ceiling, and every wall is covered with merchandise for sale. It may sound crowded, yet the atmosphere is still peaceful as you browse for the perfect souvenir or gift.
Honey and Salt
Website: honeyandsaltnc.com
This restaurant and bakery lives up to its tagline: “Responsibly Sourced, Food with Thought.” Honey and Salt serves a locally sourced farm to table breakfast and lunch menu that includes gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. On a gluten- and dairy-free diet myself, I was excited to find gluten-free pancakes and french toast on the restaurant menu, but I might have been more excited to find a gluten- and dairy-free ice cream sandwich on the bakery menu. (By the way, all the food pictured is gluten free.)
Firefly Craft Gallery
Website: fireflycraftgallery.com
Firefly Craft Gallery is not your typical art gallery. Selling all types of art — including folk art, fine art, garden art, books, woodwork and stained glass — the gallery celebrates the talent of Western North Carolina artists, especially those who live in Henderson County.
The media may vary, but the style is as whimsical as the name. Stained glass spiderwebs, mountain spirit wood carvings and colorful leather jewelry add a playful mood to the gallery.
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Website: nps.gov/carl
Carl Sandburg’s home, also known as Connemara, was built in 1838 by Christopher Gustavus Memminger of Charleston. Memminger, who eventually became the Secretary of the Treasury for the Confederate States of America, originally named his estate Rock Hill. After Memminger died, his heirs sold Rock Hill to Mary Fleming Gregg, who then sold the estate to Ellison Adger Smyth in 1900. The Smyths renamed the house Connemara and used it as a summer home until 1924 when they moved to Flat Rock full time. The famous poet and biographer Carl Sandburg and his family bought Connemara when they moved to North Carolina from Michigan in 1945. When Sandburg died in 1967, his wife sold the house to the National Park Service.
In addition to being known for Carl Sandburg’s poetry, the Sandburg family was also known for his wife Paula’s success with goats. Her goats didn’t just produce the milk and cheese she sold in Asheville and Greenville. They won awards at both state and local fairs. In 1960, one of her goats, Jennifer II, was even recognized internationally as the top producing Toggenburg goat in the world. Mrs. Sandburg assisted in establishing the American Dairy Goat Association and directed it for over 10 years, after which she was granted a lifetime directorship. Today, Connemara still houses goats on its grounds.
The Carl Sandburg Home, though typically open to the public, has been temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, virtual tours are available of the house, the grounds and Sandburg’s hobo journey.
Flat Rock Playhouse
Website: flatrockplayhouse.org
A group of performers created the Vagabond Players under the leadership of Robroy Farquhar in 1937 and came to Western North Carolina in the summer of 1940. They began performing in a 150-year-old renovated grist mill at Highland Lake, and they met with such success they came back the next summer. After World War II, Farquhar got the troupe back together and returned to North Carolina, this time at Lake Summit in nearby Tuxedo.
In 1952, the troupe rented land from the Conrad family, owners of Lowndes House (then Rockworth) which was built circa 1884 by the grandson of one of the original Flat Rock residents. The troupe eventually bought the estate, and in 1961 the North Carolina General Assembly voted to make Flat Rock Playhouse the State Theatre of North Carolina.
The playhouse produces musical theatre for all ages. The Vagabond Players also offer apprenticeships and internships for aspiring thespians.
Sky Top Orchard
Website: http://www.skytoporchard.com/
One of the most popular apple orchards in the area, Sky Top Orchard is designed to be an enjoyable experience for the whole family. Growing over 24 varieties of apples, Sky Top offers many other attractions in addition to apple picking. Take a ride on the bee train, feed the farm animals, or bite into one of the freshly baked apple cider donuts you can smell across the orchard.
Sky Top Orchard may sound familiar. It was mentioned in Around Greenville: You-Pick Apple Orchards.
Catch up on our Around Greenville series to see more of what our city and the area around it has to offer.
