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Craft Trail

The North Carolina mountains have become the geographic center of handmade craft in the United States. The region fostered the country's traditional craft movement (1800s – early 1900s) as well as the contemporary craft movement (1940s). Today, over 4,000 craftspeople live and work in the mountains, where the making of craft, both traditional and contemporary, has become a thriving cultural tradition.

Visitors from all over the globe come to the North Carolina mountains in search of fine crafts. Here visitors can see artists at work in their studios, participate in hands-on demonstrations, and view a great variety of craft at galleries and museums. Many also come to the region's venerable craft schools – for a weekend, a week, or longer – to learn a craft or refine their skill.