Flying into North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, the broad Piedmont Plateau looks like a stage setting of rolling fields, interspersed with make-believe towns, set off by the backdrop of the smoky blue and green mountains.  On a crisp, clear morning, you can see where the craftsmen and artists who have settled here draw their inspiration.

When you eventually land, it's time to meander along the mountain roads, meeting the people, enjoying the scenery and absorbing the history.

A large part of the mountain heritage is its crafts:  The weaving, ceramics, woodworking and candlemaking originally were purely functional skills needed to survive in the remote mountains.  Now, they are art forms.  Other artists -- painters, sculptors, jewelers, and glassblowers -- have joined the native craftsman, turning the inspirational Blue Ridge into a massive art colony.

HandMade in America, an enterprising economic development group of craftspeople, community leaders, business people, educators and craft enthusiasts, has put together a great guidebook to help you find all of those workshops and galleries.  The Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina is one of those rare guidebooks that's as delightful to read as it is to follow.  It lays out seven looping trails through the Blue Ridge, all linked by the Blue Ridge Parkway.   Each one takes you to studios and shops, of course, but along the way are little side trips to scenic roads, authentic general stores, interesting towns, down home restaurants and welcoming inns and B&Bs.

Each trail takes from two to four days to complete, if you stop at all of the places mentioned.  Even for the most dedicated art lover, that's a marathon.  Better to browse through the book ahead of time, highlighting those places that pique your interest.  Their names certainly do that -- High Country Ramble, Circle of the Mountain, Farm to Market, Lake Country, Mountain Cities, Cascades, and Shadow of the Smokies.

Some words to the wise:  Travel light.   You can easily end up buying far more than you should and find yourself taking off over gross.  But don't fret if you do buy more than you can carry -- most places will happily ship your purchases.

Getting There

The most northern of the Craft Heritage trails is High Country Ramble, which skirts the North Carolina-Tennessee border to the west and is edged by the Blue Ridge Parkway to the east.  When you take this tour you'll have a chance to chat with a dulcimer-maker, watch pots and vases being thrown, play checkers with the locals at a general store, learn mountain dances, and finally settle down in a rustic cabin at a country inn.

Ashe County Airport (GEV -- formerly NC67) is in the heart of the Blue Ridge.  The airport's elevation is 3,180 feet, with higher mountains within a few miles of the runway.  You'll want to check on wind conditions before setting out, particularly in the winter.  Located in Jefferson, Ashe County has a 4,300-foot asphalt strip with a 1.8 percent-gradient from Runway 28.  It has localizer, NDB, GPS and RNAV approaches.  Be aware of 100-foot dropoffs near each end of the runway and that the VASI signal has mountain interference.  Pilot-controlled lighting is activated with five clicks on 122.8.  You'll find Ashe County on the Cincinnati Sectional.

Marvin Stump runs the Ashe County Flying Service, a one-man operation that's open from 9 A.M. until 5 P.M. and later by prior arrangement.  He'll put you in touch with the local Ford dealer who handles rentals.  Stump suggest that you call a few days ahead to ensure that a car will be waiting for you when you land.  The tie-down fee is $5 for all planes, Fuel, 100LL, is $1.90 if you're paying cash.  If you want to use plastic, gas is $2.30 a gallon.

High Country Ramble

The airport is three miles east of Jefferson, a good place to start your browsing.  Glorious glassblowing best describes what you'll find at the New River Glass Studios.  Intricate, colorful patterns of flowers are part of each vase, glass and other creations.  Nearby, is the Wooden Art and Craft shop, where you'll find examples of porcelain painting, which is something of a dying art.  The shop also takes custom orders, so you can finally get the Welcome sign for your house with an exact replica of your plane on it.

West Jefferson, just a few miles down the road -- the only road -- is home to Ashe County Cheese.  You can watch the process from cow to Cheddar and, of course, sample and buy some.  Don't miss Tom Wolfe's Mountain Meadow Studio.  He's a master woodcarver, with something like 30 books on the subject to his credit.  His carvings are whimsical yet realistic, and any resemblance between him and some of his forest creatures is purely intentional.

Boone, about 25 miles from West Jefferson, is the commercial and collegiate center of the region.  It is the home of Appalachian State University.  The locals say Ap-a-LATCH-an, not Ap-a-LAY-chain.  Your first stop should be the Appalachian Cultural Museum on University Hall Drive.  It's not on the main campus, but on Rt. 221 on the outskirts of town.  Look for the massive American flag at the corner.

A short slide and music show sets the tone with traditional songs and many photos from the turn of the century.  You'll catch glimpses of families, church socials, civic club meetings and special occasions.   Throughout the rest of the displays of the history, lifestyles and leisure activities -- yes, there's a moonshiner's still, as well as a great display of NASCAR memorabilia -- you'll find more images of today's residents.  It's a very personal presentation of and by the people.  In the gift shop, treat yourself to some of the tapes of traditional music.  They're the perfect accompaniment for the rest of your drive.

The Hands Gallery in downtown Boone is the oldest crafters' co-ops in the region.  Rather, than hire a manger, the members take turns staffing the store.  That makes each visit very personal and personable.   You'll find pottery, woodwork, tapestries, bead jewelry, handmade clothing and other work by the co-op's 17 members.

Nearby is the Wilcox Emporium, where you can get lost for days.  It's in an old warehouse that was constructed partly from steel supports of railroad bridges dismantled during World War II.  The store is a maze of stalls that attractively display everything -- paintings, photographs, pottery, jewelry, baskets, cabinetry, jams and jellies, weavings -- you name it.

Leaving Boone and heading west, you pass the Hickory Ridge Homestead.  It's a well-presented living 18th century museum, but it is only open in the summer.  This is also the site of "Horn in the West," an outdoor drama about Daniel Boone and his men.  Now in its 40th season, this musical drama is a good way to spend a summer's evening.

Valle Crucis is more of a concept than an actual town, with shops and houses scattered along several miles of roadways.  You know you're there when you find the Ham Shoppe on Rt. 151.  As the name implies, it is famous for ham biscuits and the hams curing in the window.  And the locally- made jams and preserves.  And the homemade deserts.

Just down the road is the Mast General Store.   Built in 1882, it has served the community ever since.  Bring a list of all of those little broken or missing odds and ends that need replacing but that you cannot find anywhere else.  Chances are, Mast's has them.  That's in addition to the farm equipment and kitchen utensils, coveralls and garden supplies, hard candy and washboards, chicken feed and workmen's gloves.  A pot-bellied stove has a checkers game permanently set up beside it.  You'll find cold soda pop and ice cream in old coolers on the broad-plank, wooden floor.

In the J&S Beaumont pottery workshop behind the store, you can watch the magic as a large lump of clay rises into a graceful vase under Jerry Beaumont's skilled hands.  By the way, if you are a coffee aficionado, this is the place to find a mug that holds a serious amount of java!

Highway 105 loops back towards Boone and is lined with many farmers' markets and the more typical gift shops.  Keep a lookout for the Carlton Gallery at Creekside.  The gallery itself sits back off the road and has a rather small sign.  A very large, very gentle, mostly golden retriever will try to sneak away from her place behind the cash register to greet you and escort you through the gallery, much to the dismay of the owner.  You can't help but notice the glass paper bags in glowing blues, greens and reds that seem to float on top of each other.

Nearly across the road is the Mountain Dulcimer Shop.  Clarence McKinney, know locally as "Mr. Mac," greets each visitor personally and, if he's not too busy, takes you on a tour of his workshop.   More tapes and CDs of traditional and modern dulcimer music are available here.

The Blue Ridge Parkway will take you to the Moses Cone Mansion, the one-time summer cottage of the successful textile manufacturer.  Now it showcases the works of the exclusive Southern Highland Craft Guild, whose membership is by invitation only and whose standards are very, very high indeed.  Craftsmen demonstrate their techniques on a regular schedule.  The largest collection of crafts in the area, including many quilts and rare inlaid woodworks, is also displayed here.  The day we visited, we watched an artisan who also belongs to Boone's Hands Gallery Co-op weaving a tapestry of the blue and green mountains.   Having admired her creations earlier in Boone, it was a pleasure to watch her at work.

Blowing Rock is a popular retirement area where you can spend a long afternoon wandering up and down the hilly streets.  When you get tired, take a break in the town park and watch all the other tourist lug their treasures up the hills.  Be wary, the local bakery sits close by so that the scent of freshly-baked brownies easily tempts you from the park benches.

Across the street is Appalachian Rustic Furnishings.  Here branches, logs and bark are hewn and bent into strong tables, chairs and cabinets.  Several stuffed bears and mounted stag's heads complete the authentic country look.  I saw one stuffed cougar for any Grumman owners out there.

Recordings and CDs don't fully express the importance of music to mountain culture.  To really appreciate it, you have to hear it live.  Better yet, you have to dance to it.  On Saturday nights, you can do that at the Mountain Music Jamboree a the Burgiss Barn in Sparta, north of Jefferson.   You'll learn square dancing, clogging and some steps that no one has even tried to name yet.  It's a wonder that Reebok hasn't promoted this as the newest aerobic craze and issued a new shoe for it.

Where to Stay

Boone is the only town in the area that has some of the chain motels.  These national chains and privately owned motels all charge in the $50/night and up price range.  In Boone, you'll find a Holiday Inn, a Red Carpet Inn and the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center.

You might prefer treating yourself to a night in the country B&B or inns.  The Lovill House Inn, on the outskirts of Boone, tempted me.  Tim and Lori Shahen are corporate refugees who transformed a derelict farmhouse on three overgrown acres into a comfortable, friendly home-away-from-home with a garden blooming against the mountain.  Ask and they will share the before and after pictures with you.  The informal evening social hour is on the wraparound porch or out back beside the stream.  Breakfast is huge and homemade -- baked apples, omelets, blueberry pancakes, country ham and fresh juice.  Rooms start at $105 a night.

The Inn at the Taylor House in Valle Crucis is touted as one of the most romantic inns in the country.  The gracious, 75-year -old farmhouse, with a huge wraparound porch and wicker chairs dominated by two large, self-indulgent cats, is an antique-filled oasis.  Each room is decorated with plush antiques from owner Chip Schwab's own collection and make you feel like you're staying in an exclusive European manor house.  Breakfast is elegant, with crepe-like pancakes and fresh muffins.  Don't miss the lemon-butter custard spread on everything.   Room rates start at $135 per day, with a two night minimum on weekends.

The Mast Farm Inn, just down the road, is another restored farmhouse.  Not only has the farmhouse been expanded into a nine-room inn, but the farmstead's original outbuildings and log houses also have been converted into great getaway cottages.  My personal favorite is the one with the big, claw-foot, cast iron tub on the loft above the living room.  The big, down-comforter-covered bed is also on the loft, just a giggle and a jump from the tub.   Prices here start at $100 per night.

Where to Eat

I was a little surprised not to find myself up to my chin in barbeque, considering North Carolina's reputation for such fare, but that seems to be more prevalent along the coast than in the mountains.  Regional cooking and some cuisines you'd never expect to find here are plentiful and reasonably-priced.

When I first saw the menu of The Mast Farm Inn, I figured I would need to dress up when dining there.  With elegant appetizers such as spring rolls made with black beans, jicama, chorizo, and Cheddar and sweet potato cornbread fritters and entrees featuring sautéed shrimp with white Cheddar grits and herbed mountain trout pecan, I expected that this might be a pretentious place.  Not at all.  The restaurant is a comfortable room in the back of the inn with large wooden tables that offers a clean jeans and golf shirt ambiance.  The food is excellent.  I had the spring rolls and shrimp with grits.  The meal was presented as beautifully as any five-star restaurant.  You'll have to bring your own alcohol, though, and expect a corkage fee for the privilege.  Entree here run in the $14 to $22 range.

Boone is bursting with good restaurants.   The Dan'l Boone Inn is an institution.  Lots of fried chicken, biscuits, gravy and other mountain mainstays are served family style.  The platters just keep coming.   On weekends, don't be surprised to find a line waiting to get in.  Meals are in the $12 range.

Caribbean cuisine isn't quite what you expect in rural North Carolina, but the Caribbean Cafe serves up excellent, authentic Caribbean cooking.  In case you've never tried it or forgotten that it can be very spicy, a large selection of imported beers is available to help quench the fire.  It's one of the less expensive restaurants, with most entrees around $10.

A little more upscale is The Bistro, featuring French Italian cuisine.  The portobello parmigiana (a huge mushroom baked with marinara and white cheeses) and linguini pepperonata (chicken and sweet peppers in a spicy marinara sauce over linquini) will help you recover from a hard day of touring.  Like the Caribbean Cafe, vegetarian entrees are available.  Entrees run around $15.