southern highland craft guild folk art center

Retiredtraveler65

When driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway, a must stop is the Craft Center at mile post 382. Here you can see local arts and crafts which represent some of the best and finest crafts of local artists in the area. Everything can be seen there, from jewelry to wood crafts, to quilts, to other wood crafts. On most days there is an artist there demonstrating his/her craft, and you can see things made and talk with the artist. Also once or twice a year, the Center has a full day of artists working on crafts and well worth spending many hours looking and learning, as well as buying crafts that you have seen made.

925olafs

It has local pieces of art and crafts, and they are absolutely creative and gorgeous. The furniture on display here is FANTASTIC.

JoannaJ799

Museum of art/folk crafts upstairs; quality craft guild unique purchases downstairs, all situated ina peaceful, easy parking, easy to find spot off the BR parkway. Not to be missed if you love craft-as-art.

KalcSC

They had some very unique things. The problem is the average person could not afford to buy any of them. The prices are outrageous!!!

46renee2015

A short beautiful drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway gets you here easily. The art is all museum quality. There's a wide range of prices, so you can always find a great souvenir that packs easily too.

higal

If you like high-end, quality crafts then you need to go to this place. Plus it is no charge. Enjoy!

souzagar

This is a perfect stop and great visit to see some of the mountain arts and crafts that are tradition in this area. I learned a lot about the history of the arts and crafts movement and saw some amazing handiwork. If you are looking for a special gift for someone the shop here offers amazingly beautiful hand crafted items for anyone on your list. Don't miss this jewel of Americana.

GabeC996

Right off the Blue Ridge Parkway, This contemporary building houses a shop, auditorium, library, 2 exhibition galleries and artists demonstrating what/how they create there work. All the work/artists must pass muster with a standards jury so you are going to see the best of what the Southern Appalachian crafts world has on offer....from relatively inexpensive woodenware and toys to high end quilts, art clothing, furniture, glasswork, ceramics, jewelry and the like. The 'folk art' ranges from the historic crafts indigenous to Appalachia to the most contemporary works of fine craft world today....and this is a region that has welcomed well known craft artists from all over the US for years.This is the sort of easy to access place you will kick yourself if you miss!

randolo

This is a wonderful place on the Blue Ridge Parkway just outside of Asheville. It is worth a stop if you are near. Be aware that many of the Artists are "juried" and their creations are not cheap by any means , but you will see quality Appalachian artwork, pottery, paintings ,carvings, etc. Please stop and enjoy.

LanSluderBelize

The Folk Art Center is a wonderful asset to the Asheville area. It's a great place for visitors, or locals for that matter, to see some of the top-notch quilts and other crafts made here, and to buy them at a fair price. I've stopped here many times and never regret it. Admission is free, and many of the items on display are museum-quality.

Vsm09

The craft center always has interesting artists exhibiting and has a wonderful sample collection of all the regional highland crafts. Well worth a visit.

NCrog

Forget about the tourist traps with their tacky t-shirts, this is not one of those places. The Folk Art Center has products made by local artists ... these are unique, one of a kind, quality items. Over the years, we have introduced a number of visitors to the Center, the response is pretty standard ... they love it! The western NC products they've purchased are now in various places around the world ... each of them with a colorful story about the place where they came from.

NCTraveler27616

we visited the Folk Art Center which is located at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.it's not that far off of I-40 or US 70.definitely go upstairs and look at the permanent collection.kids will get board easy, but if the weather is nice, there is a walking path to keep them busy.there is a separate gift shop run by the park service. their hours are different from the rest of the facility. so, if you want to buy souvenirs from them be there before 5pm.

StevoinMinnesoto

Every time we visit Asheville we stop in to the Southern Highland Craft center, located on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This very modern building features artists demonstrating their craft and you can ask them questions while they work. The upstairs features some of the beautiful crafts produced by these artists from paintings to quilts, wood carvings and more. The main floor features a large gift shop featuring pieces made by people in this craft guild. Prices range from a few dollars to thousands of dollars so you're bound to find something. Not to be missed is the twice a year Craft Fair at the civic center in downtown Asheville. It is in October and, I THINK April. Highly recommended!!!

FutureFun

we go here whenever we are in the area and it's always a treat.The Guild now has about 1000 juried members and the level of craft is stellar. Whether it's pottery, jewelry, weaving or quilts, you're in for a treat.They normally have a few artists working and demonstrating- we had a potter and a jewelry artist and they were very informative and good.The exhibitions are always great as well and do take the time to read the wall texts and learn about the Guild and the crafts.