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Craft Trail

North Carolina Arts and Crafts Heritage

The North Carolina Mountains have become the geographic center of handmade crafts 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 North Carolina arts and crafts, both traditional and contemporary, has become a thriving cultural tradition.

The crafts heritage was founded in North Carolina. 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, view a great variety of crafts at galleries and museums, and learn about the crafts heritage. Many also come to the region's venerable craft schools – for a weekend, a week, or longer – to learn a craft, refine their skill or learn about North Carolina arts and crafts.