High Country Ramble:
A North Carolina Craft Trail

Mist rising from hidden valleys, a hawk soaring over a mountain clearing, wildflowers blooming along a roadway, and the scent of pine lingering in the air - those are the rustic pleasures that draw people to the Blue Ridge mountains. The winding roads and small towns are home to dozens of artists and crafters who combine formal training, artistic instinct, knowledge of traditional skills and crafts, and the inspiration offered by the mountains to create wonderful, unique works.

Knowing that the crafters live in the hills is one thing. Finding their workshops is something else entirely. A wonderful guidebook, The Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina, solves that problem. Lovingly compiled by a group of craft lovers, it gives directions for seven different looping tours through the region, all linked by the Blue Ridge Parkway. You find galleries and workshops, artist studios and museums, and a few extras that fit the mood - like authentic general stores, rustic B&Bs, and restaurants and bake shops that specialize in down-home fare.

The High Country Ramble Trail winds you through what is arguably the prettiest part of the North Carolina Blue Ridge. We started in Boone, home of Appalachian State University, which is, in turn, home to the Appalachian Cultural Museum. This is a good place to start your trip, because it shows the people of the mountains as they see themselves, not as the stereotype of "The Dukes of Hazzard" or "Beverly Hillbillies." To be sure, there are displays of NASCAR memorabilia and an authentic moonshiner's still, but you'll also see exhibits that focus on church gatherings, daily household chores, and history.

Leaving the museum, you'll find several good shops displaying crafts and artwork in Boone. Wilcox Emporium is a turn-of-the-century warehouse that's been transformed into a maze of 180 small shops and displays. Here, you'll find everything from vintage clothing to whimsical pottery, clever woodwork accent pieces and homemade jams, collectibles and antiques. As you browse, look up as well as around. The steel beams you see supporting the warehouse are early examples of recycling. They were scavenged from unused railroad suspension bridges during World War II, when steel for construction was almost impossible to come by.

A short stroll away is Hands Gallery. The is one of the oldest crafts co-ops in the mountains. The constantly changing inventory is a treat of woodworking, sculptures and handmade clothing. One of the things that makes this a little different from other co-ops is that the artists take turns managing it on a daily basis. During our visit, we chatted with Zoe Racey, whose bead art jewelry caught our eye.

We were also taken by the tapestries of mountain scenes on display at Hands. The gentle blending of color and texture brought the landscape to three-dimensional life. It was a real treat, then, when we drove to the Moses Cone Manor on the Blue Ridge Parkway outside Boone and walked into the Parkway Craft Center. This is one of the shops of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, which invites the highest-quality crafters to join, display and sell their work. The Guild has a rotating schedule of crafters who demonstrate their work at the Manor. This day, it was Sandy Adair, the weaver whose tapestries we admired in Boone.

"Tapestry weaving is much like painting," she explained as she worked on the Manor's large porch. "Yarn is your palette and the needles are your brushes." The ever-changing moods of the Blue Ridge provide her with constant inspiration. "Tapestry woven landscapes are usually my choice when I'm weaving for myself. The lushness and beauty of the landscape entices me to explore new moods of our mountains."

Eager to explore luncheon possibilities, we stopped at the Ham Shoppe outside Valle Crusis. This frame building at a country crossroads is famous for its ham biscuits. Don't pass up the other homemade goodies, though, like the salads and soups and shelves of honey, jams and other delicacies in the back room.

The desserts are tempting and should not be missed, but if your sweet tooth needs constant attention, about a half-mile down the road is the annex to the Mast General Store. The annex has some overalls, bandannas and basic farm supplies, but the real reason for its existence is The Candy Barrel. This is the spot for a sugar overdose! There are dozens of barrels of candy jammed into the room, more boxes of sweet delights on countertops, and a case of fudge beside the cash register. You grab a basket and meander down the aisles, adding a few malted milk balls here, some caramels there, a handful of root beer barrels, a few jawbreakers. When you finish the first pass, you usually make a second (or third), just to make sure you haven't missed some special sweet.

After the annex, the main location of the Mast General Store is almost an anticlimax. It's been providing locals with all of the merchandise they need since 1882. It's also been the local Post Office for nearly as long. Neighbors collect their mail, buy anything from cattle feed to bath accessories, exchange gossip, and head out on their way. There's a checkers game permanently set up by the pot-bellied stove and cold soda pop available from an old case-style cooler. As a full-service store, there's even a coffin on display. Although it's not for sale, the store did once carry them.

We got to experience two B&Bs on the same night. One we slept in, the other fed us well. The Lovill House Inn in Boone boasts that "country hospitality, comfort and convenience come together in a historic setting." Tim and Lori Shahen keep that promise with a lot of humor and enthusiasm. They rescued the decaying circa 1875 building on the edge of town after it had been empty and derelict for nearly twenty years. Looking at the "before" pictures of the restoration, you can be forgiven for thinking that they'd enjoyed too much moonshine one night or were a little too eager to escape their lives as corporate executives. It's now a comfortable oasis from the town, with a large garden working its way up the base of the mountain.

"When we got this place, I was very annoyed that I didn't see more old houses being restored," says Lori, who wasn't raised in the mountains. "Then I realized that, back then, there were no big old houses. The mountains were poor, and people lived in cabins. It became very important to me that we restore this place." The house holds a special place in the history of the community, too. The papers which established what is now Appalachian State University were drafted in the front parlor.

A few miles over the mountains is The Mast Farm Inn. This is a B&B 'estate.' Many of the original cabins on this one-time farmstead are now restored as guest suites and private cottages, all with fireplaces and rockers on the porch. My personal favorite was the cabin with a bright red, cast-iron tub in the loft, just a jump and a giggle from the four-poster bed. The renovated 1880 farmhouse has another nine guest rooms, all with modern amenities but an authentic rural atmosphere.

The Mast Farm Inn is also known for its restaurant. Reading a menu with things like "Toasted Pine Nut Spinach Salad" and "Sauteed Shrimp & White Cheddar Grits," I was a little worried that my outfit of clean jeans and a nice blouse might be too casual.

Not to worry. The dining room is part of the original farmhouse, a small, cozy room with rough-hewn wooden tables, benches along the wall, and Windsor chairs. The food is excellent and the service a wonderful combination of down-home friendly and haute cuisine presentation.

The next morning, after a substantial breakfast of muffins and baked apples at the Lovill House, we went in search of more mountain magic. Traditions are treasured in the mountains, so a visit to a dulcimer-maker seemed mandatory. Clarence McKinney, known locally as 'Mr. Mac,' at The Mountain Dulcimer Shop welcomes visitors with explanations of how the folk instruments are made. There are both hammered and plucked dulcimers for sale, but most of his work is commissioned. If things are slow, he'll invite you into his workshop and demonstrate how he uses modern equipment to cut the forms and assemble the basic instrument, then painstakingly hand-carves the inlaid mother-of-pearl trim. He also has a good selection of tapes and CDs of mountain music. It's appropriate accompaniment for meandering drives through the mountains.

Almost across the street is the Carlton Gallery at Creekside. Park your car in the lot and walk across the bridge to the gallery, but take a moment to notice the sculptures that are on display in the reeds on the water's edge. Inside, owner Toni Carlton will try unsuccessfully to keep her large, gentle, mostly-Golden Retriever from escorting you as you enjoy the displays from over 200 local and regional artists. The gallery started as a weaving studio, and the collection of hand-woven clothing and other items is probably the best in the area, but it has expanded into the most varied gallery of crafts and contemporary art we saw. Brilliantly-colored, blown glass 'paper bags' seem to float on top of each other. Nearby, a metal-cut landscape of mountains and pine trees begs to be taken home and placed on your mantle.

The last stop is the town of Blowing Rock. It's built along the side of the mountain, with the town park at the top. The park benches are strategically placed to catch the scent of fresh-baked brownies from the local bakery. You can sit and nibble a still-warm baked treat while watching the other tourists trudge up the steep sidewalks. When it's your turn to walk, you'll find some unusual shops. At High Country Candles, you can watch as the artists use half-a-dozen different vats of wax to create intricately-designed candles too beautiful to ever burn. At Appalachian Rustic Furniture, you can get the moose head you've always wanted to hang over your fireplace or chairs and tables sturdy enough to survive teenagers. The Basket Boutique was our refuge during a sudden thunderstorm. With over 1000 baskets in stock, many of them hand-woven by local artists, you'll be sure to find one large enough and stylish enough to hold everything else you've bought on the ramble!
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The Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina is published by HandMade in America, 67 North Market Street, Asheville, NC 28801.
For book orders, call 800-331-4154. It lists for $13.95.