We parked at the hiker lot and followed the gravel road toward Connemara Farm, passing several historic farm buildings along the way.
We soon reached the beautiful main house, where the views from the porch were stunning, though the house itself wasn't open yet.
Instead, we set out on the Memminger Trail, a mostly level loop that winds around Little Glassy Mountain.
About halfway through, we branched off onto the Glassy Mountain Trail (also known as Big Glassy).
The path climbed steadily but pleasantly to the summit of Big Glassy Mountain at 2,783 feet. The rock outcropping near the top offered fantastic panoramic views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond.
We looped back down, completing the trail near the charming goat pastures.
The farm is home to descendants of the prize-winning dairy goats raised by Sandburg's wife.
By then, the house was open, so we stopped by the visitor center for a passport stamp and let Harper pick out some fun finger puppets.
Before leaving, we took a quick detour on the short Little Glassy Mountain Trail, though it didn't offer any notable views.
The path led us back to the gravel road, and we returned to our car.
On the drive home, we exited the highway near Charlotte Airport and made a short stop at the intersection of Crescent River Road and River District Drive. There, we visited Big Pete with the Big Feet, one of Danish artist Thomas Dambo's impressive recycled-wood trolls.
The massive sculpture was incredibly cool, but the area was quite crowded, so we didn't linger.
Finally, we stopped in Mebane for a delicious dinner at Bright Penny Brewing, wrapping up a perfect day of history, hiking, and whimsical art.
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