On May 21st Chimney Rock State Park will celebrate 10 years of being a state park. They are celebrating with special events this weekend that include guided hikes, special exhibits and birthday cake. They are also offering discounted adult admission tickets if you donate a can or box of food at the ticket plaza. Tickets that are usually $15 will be $10 with the donation that will benefit the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach Food Pantry.
Chimney Rock, for most of its park history, was privately owned and managed by the Morse Family. Originally acquired by Dr. Lucius Morse in 1902, Chimney Rock was made available to tourists and was steadily improved by the Morse family over the years until 2007 when the park was purchased by NC State Parks for $24 million. Since then, the park has continued to grow through additional acquisitions and improvements to the park making it the crown-jewel of the North Carolina State Parks that it is today. It really is a special place that is so much more than the iconic and namesake Chimney Rock. If you have never been to this special place in the hills of Rutherford County, then you need to plan a visit and spend some time at this wonderful park.
Happy birthday Chimney Rock State Park!
Visit www.ChimneyRockStatePark.com for more information.
