Blue Ridge Parkway
No admission feeDrive a 469-mile mountain road along the Blue Ridge, stopping at overlooks, trails and visitor centers.

Photo: Doug Coldwell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Watch Appalachian artisans at work, browse craft galleries and shop America's oldest craft shop at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Milepost 382, Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville, NC 28805 · Asheville, NC
The Folk Art Center opened in 1980 at milepost 382 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, built by the Southern Highland Craft Guild with the National Park Service and the Appalachian Regional Commission. Upstairs, galleries show Guild members' work and a permanent collection of craft dating back to AD 1000. Downstairs is Allanstand Craft Shop, opened in 1895 and selling pottery, glass, textiles and jewelry by more than 400 Southern Appalachian makers. From March to December, Guild artisans demonstrate their crafts in the lobby from 10 am to 4 pm. Reach it from I-40 exit 55 by entering the Parkway.
The closest stops to Folk Art Center, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
Drive a 469-mile mountain road along the Blue Ridge, stopping at overlooks, trails and visitor centers.
1.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
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A Blue Ridge Parkway museum showing the region's mineral resources and mining history through hands-on exhibits.
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