A former golf course is now a playground for everyone
The Park at Flat Rock is one of the newer parks in the county, redeveloped from the former Highland Lake Golf Club and opened to the public in 2013 - though it seems like they're still always adding new paths and amenities somewhere around its 66 acres.
“The park is a great place for birders, with Great Blue Herons among the regular residents and visitors of the many ponds. ”
For Leslie and me it's not the most convenient place to walk Abby and Tanner since we live way up in Mills River, but we still make time to go there pretty regularly (we should go more,
since our most common reason to go is to give the dogs a bath at Pet Source nearby) because it's such a nice spot. Most recently, we went to check out the newest set of trails, about a mile-and-a-half worth connecting the various ponds and gardens. There's also a lot of open lawn areas, a picnic pavilion, and one of the neater playgrounds you'll find with tunnels and ropes and all sorts of fun things I know the playground I grew up near didn't have!
During our visit we could see there's still quite a bit of work going on, including construction
of an expanded meadow around the "Butterfly Highway" path, and there are plans for a playground aimed at younger kids. Among the newer features recently added is the Maybank-Rhett Nature Center, a pavilion located where the meadow, wetlands and forest meet with displays and views of the various plant life. The park is a great place for birders, with Great Blue Herons among the regular residents and visitors of the many ponds.
How to Find It
The park borders N. Highland Lake Road and goes almost all the way down to Greenville Highway, the road that goes through the Village of Flat Rock and its various attractions. It's only about 10 minutes from downtown Hendersonville.
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/gGuqpexAxa22
Park Information: http://flatrockparkfoundation.org/