Was surprised at the quality of the art, quilts and woodworking in the folk art center. But that quality comes at a price. Everything was a bit expensive as well. But we enjoyed the wide variety of items! read more

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The Folk Art Center is one of the stops on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A lot of the Parkway is still closed and this is the last stop at the moment as there are barriers preventing you from going north. The Folk Art Center is free to visit. Sometimes when I visit, you can see people working on their crafts. They were during my most recent visit. The building is accessible for everyone. The first floor has restrooms, the Southern Highlands Craft Guild shop and a Blue Ridge Parkway shop and an information desk. The second floor showcases the art. I love seeing all the different types of art from the quilts to woodworking to basket weaving. I enjoyed the stained glass and a canvas that was woven. It was quite unique. I enjoy the rotating exhibits as it is different each visit. Outside there are some trails if you want to explore nature. read more

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What a great museum! My friend loved all the things you could buy on the first floor. Actually, I think you can buy anything in the place. Free entrance and just really gorgeous local artwork. read more

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First time here and ran into a wood working exhibit! Such a cool place that is both a museum and shop. Great place to stop and have a picnic (bathrooms available). The Mountains to Sea Trail runs through here. read more

This place is neat to stop at and take a look around to see some local crafts. Plus, if you are driving through the Blue Ridge mountains it is right on your route. Everything here is pretty, however prices seem very high and it feels more like a museum at time than a store. It kind of is both. This place may be lost on me. I like it from an educational standpoint but overall, I don't see the value in purchasing anything here. Way too expensive. I didn't interact with any workers so I oddly can't comment on the service - but the lack of interaction did not make me feel so welcomed. read more

Amazing place to explore! Great exhibits and lots to see. Wonderful gift shop as well.

My first stop while driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway. First impression: very pretty stop with lots of trees (it's Asheville, duh) and lots of parking. You can even have stop here to have lunch (prepare a quick meal in advance) - they have some picnic tables in the parking lot. If you want a map of the Blue Ridge Parkway, you can ask the cashier for a free map. The store has many interesting crafts like bugs made out of beer bottle caps and pins, tiny little vases, handmade christmas ornaments, etc. You can find all sort of things here and they are good quality stuff. However, they are on the pricey end. One of the ornaments I saw was $115 and a (handmade, one of a kind, pretty) jacket was $900 (it's really nine hundred, I didn't add a 0 by accident). I didn't walk the whole museum because I didn't know there was more. Will do next time. read more

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Wow.. honestly we came to get our national park passport stamped but it was so much more! What a beautiful place and so many different things to check out.. today was a broom weaving demo and they sold some .. so pretty and well crafted! They had so many hand crafted items it's too much to list but a definite must see.. the staff was very nice and very helpful. Most items were handmade which really put prices more than what we were comfortable with but I'm sure worth it because no two items were alike... beautiful setting too read more

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To me- this is a must stop on the Blue Ridge, especially for the art lovers out there- they have a guild that members join and can sell through the centers and I am sure that includes specialty events. The diversity in artists and mediums is just incredible and I was thrilled they had 2 artist there on site doing demos when we stopped in! I fell in love with one of the artist works and kept seeing it all over the area and eventually sucked it up and bought a mug- adorable fox, very whimsical art style (which is right up my alley). I also snagged some wood art too! I adored the stained glass art and blown glass balls too. Make sure to see the exhibits upstairs too! read more

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Beautiful shopping and rest spot on the Blue Ridge Pkwy near east Asheville. Selection of regional arts and crafts is amazing, good value for often unique pieces. Visit often! read more

We drove north on the blue ridge parkway from Asheville and this was our first stop. This is a nice visitor center. I got a free map of the parkway and checked out all the local art. They staff were friendly and knowledgeable. They answered all my questions about the parkway. They have a bathroom and a water fountain. Pro Tip: make sure to bring lots of water and food when driving the parkway. There are not many stops for either on the parkway. I would come back. read more

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The Folk Art Center is a cute place to stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway. On it's own, it's a very niche place that exhibits arts and crafts, but perfect for those not strapped for time in the Asheville area, wanting to check out a unique place that's not nature on the Blue Ridge Parkway. While I liked the short amount of time I spent there checking out stuff on display, definitely not my cup of tea as an attraction I'd go out out of my way for. It's free and fits in with the Blue Ridge Parkway as a whole as a place to visit if you're not in a rush and have plenty of free time to kill. read more

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When we went to Asheville, we visited the folk art center. It is a large Museum of crafts. The crafts that were on display and also were for sale were of top quality and beautiful. We spent a few hours looking at everything. They had handmade cards, pottery, candles, woolen sweater's woolen scarves Statues of carved wood. I could go on and on I'll post a lot of pictures and you can see for yourself. The highlight was saying the carnival pieces that were on the top floor and were donated. Each one was hand carved and each each piece took over two years to make. read more

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Totally worth the visit. Learn about the blue ridge parkway and local craft history.

Great stop at the southern section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It has a small permanent collection as well as outstanding items for sale (with more significant items on exhibit on the second floor and a wide array of small boutiques on the first floor). Wide array of artisan goods, from traditional to modern and from decorative to highly functional: woodworking, furniture, ceramics, pottery, jewelry, kitchenware, handwoven clothing, quilts, etc. The potter's wheel live exhibit of technique in the entryway today was a terrific respite on our trip and he narrated the purpose of various tools and techniques which kept kids and adults engaged. read more

Folk Art Center - Entryway quilt. - Museums Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

This folk art center located near east of Asheville at Blue Ridge Parkway. During our visit, part of the Blue Ridge Parkway was close due to heavy rain wash out part of the parkway. Many visit end up visit this visitor center. The visitor center is well build to host the local handy craft and art pieces. The reception hall has crafter perform their work live. The second floor display most of the art work. Some of the art work is from the folding of the corn leaves. Very interesting. There are a lot of handy beautiful furniture pieces. Visit the the art center will take 1.5 hours. You also might want spend sometime at the gift shop. They have some good local art and house ware. I saw an one leg stool. It is interesting that can be use for concert and travel. read more

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Always loved this place. I frequent the trail- it's a go to for me. While there is no close "big ticket" item (ex- waterfall), the trail itself is beautiful. It's well kept, not often busy and there is always parking. It does have some road crossings as well as a section by the road so be aware if you have a pet or are sensitive to traffic. It also crosses through a field which can get muddy. One time it was even full of cows grazing! They were pretty chill I just say. I just walk as long as I want and turn around- it connects with the mountain to sea trail. The center itself is open pretty often (normal hours but closed at times for parkway closures) and has incredibly clean bathrooms and a water fountain. If you catch it during working hours, you will also find a ton of pretty locally made mountain crafts and an occasional event. Wonderful (free) place to visit one day! read more

We spent a couple of hours at the Folk Art Center, and I'd love to come back some day! A varied array of folk arts are displayed for sale, and I was in mountain heaven! Just as fun as the items available, were the amazing people we got to spend a bit of time with. Stories from all over the country, and folks of all ages and background. Come check it out if you come this way! read more

As the worst of the pandemic subsides, we checked back in with the Folk Art Center, and all is up and running. The arts and crafts are as gorgeous and inspiring as ever, and there are no limits on exploring them inside the shop and museum. When we visited several craftsmen were working on projects, and were eager to discuss their work. Admission is still free, so you van save your money to spend on buying some of the exquisite crafts on display. Nothing's cheap, but nothing's unattractive, either. We love coming here. Right off the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville, it's a highly recommended stop. read more

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Amazing collection and exhibition Easy access free parking You may be lucky and have a local artist having presentation The boutique is amazing but little pricey on some items Glad we came read more

This is a neat little thing that we visited while we were on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a good place to go in and they have different arts and different things you can do with your kids and family. You can also hike in the woods around the area which we took full of vantage of read more

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Wonderful collection of crafts on display and for sale. There's also a craftswoman creating projects in the lobby. read more

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Pretty cool little shop / museum. Cool building. Diverse set of local art pieces / genres on display and for sale. Good interpretive content. Kid friendly. A place worth checking out. read more

The Folk Art Center is open 362 days a year (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day), 9am-5pm (January-March), 9am-6pm (April-December). Unlike most of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Folk Art Center is located on a highly developed stretch of the parkway on the east side of Asheville not far from the VA Medical Center, US 70, and I-40 at milepost 382. It's less than 10 minutes from downtown and is the most popular attraction on the parkway. We visited this center on our way back into town from Craggy Gardens (about 30 minutes away). It came highly recommended from an employee we spoke to at the visitor center on Hemphill Knob Road (https://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-ridge-parkway-visitors-center-asheville). Admission and parking are free. The center opened in 1980 and is home to the Southern Highland Craft Guild which represents over 1,000 craftspeople in the Southeast. On the ground level, there's a gift/craft shop with many unique, one-of-a-kind items as well as a Blue Ridge Parkway store with souvenirs and travel information. Upstairs, there are galleries showcasing rotating exhibits of crafts from southern Appalachia going back to the early 1900s (and even late 1800s, I believe). There are live craft demonstrations in the lobby during certain times of the year. My girlfriend was more interested in checking this place out than I was. We browsed both the inventory in the shop downstairs and did a quick walk-through of the mini museum upstairs. It wasn't that interesting to me, but I'm not a big arts and crafts person. My girlfriend was looking for gifts to get for her friends. The shop carries a decent assortment of stuff including artwork, jewelry, clothes, accessories, stuffed animals, bowls, baskets, and even lamps and furniture. The men's restroom was relatively spacious and clean. read more

Folk Art Center - Outside. Storefront. Entrance. - Museums Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Super expensive items, if you are looking to buy some souvenirs, this is not the place.

The Folk Art Center, located along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, is really one of those must-visit places if you're in the area. It's a NPS visitor center, an art gallery, and a gift shop all rolled into one. And unlike a lot of other gift shops you will encounter, this contains locally made crafts and art. There are two floors. The upper floor has the permanent exhibits as well as a rotating exhibit, at the time of my visit it was highlighting woodworking, with some really gorgeous pieces. There are also some bits on the history of the Parkway and other info about folk art. The lower area has the Folk Arts gift shop and the NPS gift shop. There's a huge variety of things on display, from glasswork to clothing, to Christmas ornaments, jewelry, basically any kind of thing you can think of. As as I said, it's locally or regionally produced by artists and traditional craftmakers. They also have some demonstrations going on, which was also very cool and there are artists who are happy to answer any questions. This is the kind of place where you can really pick up something to remember your trip that feels of genuine quality. read more

Folk Art Center - Museums Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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I love to take visitors from out of town to visit the Folk Art Center. It is such a cool spot with local fine art and crafts located right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in East Asheville. The Folk Art Center is a pretty large space filled with thoughtful, hand-crafted art. The crafts range from woven baskets, wood carvings, quilts, furniture, corn husk dolls, ceramics, jewelry and much, much more. The Folk Center is two levels with the bottom being crafts by a bunch of different artists and the upstairs being more of a gallery space. I love visiting during their Quilt show, always so inspiring. The Mountain to Sea trail runs right through the grounds of the Folk Art Center, so it's a nice place to stop, explore the Art Center and then take a hike. It's super easy to access from East Asheville. read more

The Folk Art Center is a destination all by itself. Yet, if you are on the Blue Ridge Parkway, it is a must see place to go. The grounds are surrounded by the forest and there is a small loop trail right next to the Center. There is also several trails just yards from the Center. They have beautiful, clean bathrooms with many stalls. So why is this a destination place? Well, it is chock full of the most wonderful, beautiful mountain crafts from the area. Often there are crafters demonstrating their craft and are happy to answer any of your questions. There is also a little Blue Ridge Parkway shop before you enter the craft area, which is fun. Everyone is nice, kind, and friendly. They are happy to answer any of your questions, listen to your stories, or share their stories if you want to hear them. Get a real taste of the Blue Ridge Mountains and stop by the Folk Art Center. It is a classy place with high end crafts. You are in for a treat. The atmosphere will change you for the better and give you an appreciation for the skills and talents of so many. Enjoy! read more

What a wonderful display of heritage, craftsmanship, history and art. If you are on the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville and Black Mountain, take at least an hour to stop in. No charge. Only closed for three major holidays--Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Years Day. Great opportunity to purchase a wide variety of local artists' creations. This also houses a National Park Service gift store. Sorry no photography allowed inside. I don't know that pictures would be able to do justice to the quality and beauty of the quilts, furniture, pottery, baskets, clothing, glass, wood workings, and so on, available to purchase or view. read more

Such an interesting place to stop and look around. Lots of art and artistic craft stuff that is all beautiful to look at. Even on a cold, off season day there were still artists working. Definitely worth a stop when you are visiting the part of the parkway. read more

The Folk Art Center is on the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway east of Asheville. Photos are prohibited inside but I did take a long shot walking down from the second level. As you walk in the front you will see local artists and craftsmen working on projects. The day I was there it was a calligrapher and basket weaver honing their craft. Just past the entrance is a shop with a variety of hand made crafts, everything from the finest hand made jewelry to beautiful pieces of furniture. The upstairs galleries showcase more art objects as well as original engineerings specs and historical documents of the parkway construction. I have been on the parkway many times but never stopped in here for a look. I came away with a real appreciation for other folks' talents - sure wish I could buy some of that furniture- ! - but I did come away with a few affordable Christmas gifts! read more

Folk Art Center - Taking a detour - Museums Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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This center is located close to the entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Asheville area. It wasn't yet open when I headed up the BRP, but lucky for me, it was on the way back down. Plenty of parking, restrooms and gift shops (one which sells snacks...as I was asked by some making their way in) are provided here. More importantly, it houses beautiful crafts from artisans of the area. Additionally, there were two artists on site -- both selling, and one creating, their work. Downstairs is mostly comprised of a string of shops - all rolled into one, while upstairs is a gallery setting. It appears most, if not all, of the items displayed in the gallery are for sale also. However, bring your bankroll. Most of these pieces are quite pricey. Nevertheless, beautiful art, and worth at least a walk through. I fell especially in love with a ballet costume on the upper floor. $800+ I believe is the price tag! Before my exit, I perused the official BRP shop only to discover the book I had purchased just hours before was sold there AND signed by the author. The gift shop attendant heard my exclamation to myself, and kindly offered a good-ol-fashioned-swap. FAN-TAS-TIC! The only drawback to the center are all the signs exclaiming no photos are allowed anywhere. I express a lot of things I love through photography, so this was saddening to me. Although, I giggle at the pictures many have posted on Yelp. What's equally funny is some of the same pieces are still there and for sale, years later. read more

Folk Art Center - Museums Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

This is essentially a huge gallery! Do not miss this place. Amazing art displayed everywhere--it's like visiting a museum-and it's FREE admission. My husband and I left feeling extremely inspired and hopeful. I especially loved the quilts and textile art. While we were there, there was a glass blowing demonstration going on too. read more

This was free to the public. Very large "gift shop." There were numerous folk art displays on the second floor. The permanent collection was small but enjoyable. The first floor was retail vendors. Nice pieces but most items were extremely expensive and overpriced. Clean space and restrooms; easy access and more than sufficient parking. A slow stroll through the exhibits and the retail area took about an hour. read more

This visitors center really impressed me! It really showcases a wide variety of folk art past and present. You can watch live demonstrations of sewing arts and bowl carving. They had a bunch of art for sale. Most of it was pricey but it had a very good collection to choose from. There is a museum upstairs with antique folk art in all sorts of mediums. It was a small but beautiful collection with interesting photographs to tell a story. It's a great place to stop in before a hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway. They have large clean bathrooms and water fountains. Asheville has great water so you can fill you water bottle up here with confidence ;) read more

Folk Art Center - Carved bowls - Museums Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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If you are visiting Asheville and looking for something unique to do, this is the place. It's close to the city and and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It has a lot of information on history of local craftsmen. You can buy very interesting stuff in the large museum store. If you are just looking the exhibit is free and great. read more

In the category of gift shops at tourist attractions, the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway is as good as it gets. The quality and selection of southern crafts, jewelry, woodworking and other goods is impressive. But don't dismiss the galleries upstairs in your zeal to buy gifts downstairs. The folk art collected and on display here is some of finest I've seen anywhere. Ceramics, furniture, weaving and more. It's not huge, so you can go through it in a half hour or so. Do that. They also have a gift shop associated with the Blue Ridge Parkway, much like you find at national parks. Plenty of parking - enter from the BRP just north of the Asheville-Hwy 70 parkway entrance. Bus and trailer parking available, entering off Riceville Rd. read more

Right off the Blue Ridge Pkwy & a fantastic museum to view the works of some of the great folk artists from the area Nicely-curated, well-organized, with gift shops and ongoing artists showcasing their creations read more

Such a great stop. Something for everyone in here. TONS to look at! Many price ranges depending on what catches your eye. Large parking lot. Clean inside and out. Nice bathrooms, friendly staff. This wouldn't come up in my GPS by address, but searching "Folk Art Center" it was there. read more

A very cool place. Crafts of all types. Some from wood, metal, etc. Bowls, clothes, earring, painting, pottery, chairs, tables, you name someone is making something out of it. Got to watch a live demo of wood turning to make bowls. So the prices here are a little higher than the local shops in town. Example, a bar of soap is about a $1 more here for the exact same thing. Hey it's all in one place so it's hard to complain about the extra markup. Highly recommended that you stop in while on the Blue Ridge Parkway and check it out. read more