Tanglewood Park facts for kids
Tanglewood Park is a fun recreation center and park located in Clemmons, Forsyth County, North Carolina, USA. It sits right by the Yadkin River, between Clemmons and Bermuda Run. Tanglewood Park is famous for its yearly "Festival of Lights," a huge display of holiday lights in winter. You can also find many other cool things to do here, like the beautiful Tanglewood Park Arboretum and Rose Garden, a public swimming pool, a dog park for your furry friends, horse stables, and Mallard Lake where you can go fishing or rent a paddleboat. If you like golf, Tanglewood has two courses: the Championship Course and the Reynolds Course. The Championship Course was designed by a famous golf course architect, Robert Trent Jones, Sr.. It even hosted a major golf tournament, the PGA Championship, in 1974.
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Festival of Lights
The Tanglewood Park Festival of Lights is an amazing outdoor light show. You can drive your own car through it, or even take a hay ride! It's open to everyone every winter. This special light show started in 1992. Back then, it was about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and had 25 light displays.
Today, the route is much longer, about 4 miles (6.4 km). It has around 180 displays, and 70 of them even move! Over a million lights make up the show now. The Festival of Lights has been called one of the "Top 20 Events in the Southeast" and a "Top 100 Event in North America". It's a really popular and beautiful holiday tradition.
Park History
The land where Tanglewood Park is today has a long history. One of the first European settlers in the Yadkin River Valley was William Johnson from Wales. In 1757, he bought the main part of the property. This was just a few years after the Moravian people settled nearby in Bethabara and Salem.
After buying the land, William Johnson built a small fort overlooking the Yadkin River. This fort helped protect his family and neighbors during the French and Indian War. You can still see a monument marking this spot today. William Johnson passed away in 1765 and is buried on a hill called Mount Pleasant. In 1809, a simple wooden church was built next to his grave. This church is still there and is a beautiful old building. Many people get married at Mount Pleasant Church each year.
In 1859, James Johnson, a later owner, built the large 18-room Manor House. He built it as a wedding gift for his daughter, Emily. Later, two more sections were added to the house.
Tanglewood Farm and the Reynolds Family
In 1921, the Johnson family sold the property to William Neal Reynolds. He was the brother of the famous tobacco businessman, R. J. Reynolds. Mr. Will, as he was known, made the Tanglewood property much bigger, to over 1,100 acres (4.5 km²). The Manor House was also made larger, with 28 rooms.
Mr. Will loved horses. He raised and raced Standardbred harness horses at Tanglewood Farm. Some of the best racing horses in the country lived there. In the Manor House, Mr. Will had a special "Trophy Room" filled with his awards. This room was damaged by a fire in 1980 but has been beautifully fixed. Today, the Manor House is a Bed & Breakfast Inn. It has 10 guest rooms and is used for weddings and meetings. You can still visit Tanglewood Stables for trail rides, hayrides, and carriage rides.
Mr. Will's wife, Kate, loved plants and gardens. She started many of the beautiful native and ornamental plantings at Tanglewood. She hired a German master gardener, Mr. Frank Lustig, who continued her plans. He created the 800-bush Rose Garden, the Arboretum, and the Fragrance Garden. Mr. Lustig worked at Tanglewood for 60 years, even after the Reynolds family passed away. He is buried in the graveyard next to the historic church.
The Reynolds couple did not have children. In 1951, they decided to give the Tanglewood property to the people of Forsyth County. They wanted everyone to enjoy the beauty, history, and fun activities their estate offered. This is how Tanglewood Park became a public park for everyone to share. Forsyth County now owns and manages the park.
Cross Country Running
Tanglewood Park was also a popular place for cross country running events. The NCHSAA State Championship for Cross Country was held here for eight years in a row, from 2001 to 2009. The park also hosts the Ascis 4runners only Invitational.
See also
- North Carolina Wine Festival
