Greetings From Flat Rock!

As a resident, I am often asked what it is that makes Flat Rock unique amongst all the other villages and towns in Western North Carolina. Some may wonder if it is the quaint local shops, the daily creations of our favorite Village Bakery, or the weekly live music that makes it such a welcoming place. Perhaps it is the romance of opening night at the Flat Rock Playhouse, the temperate climate, or perhaps the weekly outdoor market where local farmers share their best efforts. Perhaps it is all this combined with a location that is just minutes from Hendersonville, which provides convenient access to the best shopping, health care, and recreation that this area has to offer.

These attractions alone would make Flat Rock one of the state’s most desirable locations, but Flat Rock is more than just its location and amenities. Flat Rock has something with which many other places simply can’t compare; Flat Rock has community. The history, architecture and the people all combine to form one of the most unique places in all of Western North Carolina. The charm, hospitality, and character of Flat Rock have lured visitors from far and wide for over two hundred years, and it’s why we’re know as the “Little Charleston of the Mountains.” Just ask anyone who lives in Western North Carolina, and you’ll soon find out that Flat Rock is the premiere location of the Carolina mountains.

Within Flat Rock a new location stands out: Braewood. Great care and craft has been applied to making Braewood a community with the highest quality architectural standards and an eye to preserving its unique natural setting for generations to come. It combines the natural landscapes of our homesites with the convenience of a location that simply can’t be beat, and is a community that blends the established features of the Village with a respect for its storied history.

When I think of Flat Rock and its history, I am most reminded of the writings of John Ruskin, noted British scholar and historian of the 19th century. I offer this passage with the belief that it is especially relevant not only to Flat Rock, but what we are accomplishing here at Braewood as well:

“Therefore when we build, let us think that we build forever. Let us not be for present delight, nor for present use alone, let it be for such work as our descendants will thank for us and let us think, as we lay stone on stone that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say as they look upon the labour and wrought substance of them, “See! This our fathers did for us”.

Three generations of my family are privileged to call Flat Rock home, and we are proud to invite you to share in that privilege. I hope you have the opportunity to visit and explore Flat Rock, and I thank you for taking the time to consider Braewood as the community for your new home in Western North Carolina.

M. Hilton Swing
Resident/Owner