Carolyn visits the Village of Flat Rock

[00:00:01] Hello Secrets and Lies family. Carolyn again. [00:00:05] Last time we were here I think we talked a little bit about Hendersonville and the downtown area. They do an old fashioned Christmas every year. This is the second year I've been here for this and it is nothing short of adorable and a little quirky as they have Christmas llamas. You can get your picture taken with Christmas llamas in a little sleigh which I haven't seen anywhere else before. But they also have a beautiful Christmas tree in front of the old City hall with characters and such that you can get your picture taken with if you want. They have face painters there. They had horse and carriage rides up and down the street. It's just beautiful and everything is decorated and lit and people are out and about stopping in the restaurants, shopping in the stores and it's just lovely. A lovely community thing. This year was a little bit chilly and I believe that they are continuing festivities this coming weekend or the weekend following. They're doing a a Christmas train up and down Main street and I know this weekend they're doing the horse and carriage rides again, so that's really cool. But today I thought I would tell you about an adjacent little spot that is really a gem in this area and that is the village of Flat Rock. [00:01:43] I went walking this morning in the park at Flat Rock, which is really beautiful. I'll post some pictures on the Secrets and Lies Facebook page so that you can take a look. [00:01:56] And there was lots of nature. There's a creek that runs through it and I saw what I think is a hawk while I was there. And it's beautiful. It's trees. It's large enough with a gravel path that goes around the outside for you to get some serious steps in if you wish. But there are benches all over the place for you to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere. It's lovely even on a day that today it was a little overcast, a little windy, but it was still a beautiful experience so I recommend it. The village of Flat Rock itself is known for a couple of things. There's the Flat Rock Playhouse which is quite famous. I have not been to a show there, but it is on my to do list. There's also the Carl Sandburg house and you can go there and walk around. I haven't been inside the house itself, but I have walked around the grounds lots of places again to get your steps. It's very beautiful. They have a little bit of a like a goat farm so you can go and see the goats. [00:03:11] Sometimes they're Baby goats too, and walk around in the village itself. It's very small. [00:03:19] There is a movie theater which I hear great things about. I have not been inside several places to eat, including the Blue Ruby, which is delicious. And the inside space there is just really cute. It's much larger on the inside than it looks like it is. And they have outdoor seating for when the weather is nice. [00:03:41] And right across the street from there there is a shop called the Wrinkled Egg, which is the weirdest name ever for a shop, but I love this shop. This shop is amazing. It has all different kinds of local artisan crafts inside. [00:04:01] There's clothing, there's a whole toy section. [00:04:06] But I picked up a beautiful print of a watercolor mountain scene which I'm going to frame and hang on my wall. And some ceramics made by a local artist that come with recipes for how you can use some of these pieces to make delicious food. And you know, I'm all about the delicious food. Adjacent to and in fact connected to this fabulous store called the Wrinkled Egg is the Flat Rock Village Bakery, which sounds like sure Bakery. Of course it's going to be good, but they also make pizza with their handmade dough and it is amazing. [00:04:53] Also their baked goods look fantastic and they have some seating inside. But what really makes this a standout place is there is a series of outdoor eating areas on decks under a big shady tree. And one area that is in fact like has plastic drop downs for when it might be a little, a little cold or a little rainy. But a beautiful place to get some delicious food. [00:05:26] Next door to these shops and the bakery there is Hubba Hubba Barbecue and they also have a really nice large outdoor space to eat your food. If you're not going to take it with you, you order at the window and pick up at the window and then you sit outside. It's delicious. And on the other side of that is a place called the Campfire Grill. And I have not been inside the Campfire Grill yet, but it is on my to visit list. My understanding is that this place has memorabilia from summer camps in the general area, from all over and that the food is quite good. So I will check that out and get back to you about that. I came across that and I had a conversation about the Camp Fired Grill because as you know, last time I started working on a new project that involves a summer camp turned writing retreat. [00:06:36] So I'll keep you posted on my progress there. [00:06:41] Anyway, the village of Flat Rock, it is beautiful. [00:06:45] There are lovely neighborhoods there. It's very small very quaint and delightful, both for the food and restaurant options that you have. It's beautiful parks, including the Sandburg estate and the park at Flat Rock. It's definitely something to check out if you happen to be in this area. [00:07:16] All right. Well, until next time, have a wonderful holiday and get out there and enjoy those fun and quirky things that your own community is providing this holiday season. Interact with your neighbors a little bit. I will talk to you soon.