The Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, makes for a great day trip destination. Known to locals as Flat Top Manor, the former home of textile entrepreneur Moses H. Cone and his wife Bertha is located at milepost 294 of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock. Completed in 1901, the 23 room mansion with 13,000 square feet of living space aimed to emulate the Biltmore Estate. In addition to the manor, the property originally included orchards and numerous other buildings such as guest houses and stables which were torn down in the 1940s and 1950s to create a more rustic "hillbilly" experience believed to be desired by the area visitors.
Cone Manor is now home to the Blue Ridge Parkway Craft Center, which features a gift shop and a craft-person's workshop where various arts and crafts (i.e. pottery, wood craving, textiles, painting, drawing, needlepoint, crocheting) are demonstrated often. With 25 miles of carriage trails around the estate, hiking opportunities abound. Julian Price Park (Milepost 297) and the beautiful Price Lake Overlook (Milepost 297) are just a few miles south.
The craft center is open daily, 9am-5pm March 15 - November 30; the visitor center is open 10am-5pm. Ranger led tours of the second floor of the Cone Manor are offered free of charge on Saturdays and Sundays, when staffing permits, through mid-October. Times are hourly at 11am on Saturdays, and 10am, 11am, 2pm, and 3 pm on Sundays. The tour is approximately 45 minutes long and reservations are required. To reserve a tour: call 828-295-3782 or sign up at the NPS information desk at the Manor House. Reservations accepted beginning at 10am Friday for the upcoming weekend only. No advance reservations, please.
