Screw the casino. Come here instead. Terrific, family friendly classes, events, and exhibitions. Modest costs/admission fees. Friendly, local, and highly informative. Love this place! read more

I am definitely coming back. I want to learn blacksmithing. And basket weaving. And broom making. And chair caning. And knitting. And weaving. And soap making. And pottery. And wood working. And square dancing. And they teach all that and more here. You can come for a weekend or a week. You can live on campus and take all your meals in the dining hall and you can go back home with a new skill. And if you come in the first weekend of October, you can see the craft festival! I can't wait to come back! read more

John C. Campbell Folk School - Friday evening bluegrass concert with the Jones Brothers. - Art Schools Near Me - Brasstown, North Carolina

Six years ago, I picked up a brochure for this obscure place in my college's mail room. I carried it with me through a couple moves, determined to eventually check it out with an equally folksy friend of mine. We decided a Memorial Day weekend course would give us a good taste of the place and booked our reservations for an enameling class. Turns out, Memorial Day weekend was pretty popular (who knew?) and three weeks out a lot of the classes were full. We were a little dejected, but determined we still needed the experience and changed to a bookbinding class. We spent most of our time at the school in class, which was phenomenal. I was expecting a random camp instructor to teach me some basic bookbinding tricks, but instead I had an artist / professional bookbinder giving me in-depth instruction. (For the record, the instructor was Joyce Sievers, who gets five stars all the way. Funny, entertaining, talented, generous, and the most non-judgmental art instructor ever). There is not much time to do anything other than take your class if you do the weekend format, so don't expect a lot of socializing outside of it. The exception is meals, served family-style, and structured to force you into talking to everyone at your table. Other important notes: -Don't expect Mapquest to give you an accurate depiction of the time it takes to get there; the winding roads will slow you down. -If you're not into southern country food, you will not be exited about mealtime. Bring snacks. Also - they think that Vegetarian means you eat only veggies and bread. Bring snacks with protein. -This place is a lot more country-folk than hippie-folk, and aside from the staff, most everyone there is 50+. Don't let either of those things keep you away, though - it is still a fantastic time. read more

John C. Campbell Folk School - Little Rock House - John C. Campbell Folk School - Art Schools Near Me - Brasstown, North Carolina

Warm, comfortable lodging and the food wasn't bad. Best of all, I enjoyed the woodturning class taught by Scarlett Rouse. She was incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and kind as students of all levels struggled to learn a challenging skill. This school is a very special place that takes you back in time and I definitely plan to return. read more

Not sure where the negativity in the previous reviews came from, but I found the lodging to be warm and comfortable (in January) and the food wasn't bad. Best of all, I enjoyed the wood turning class taught by Scarlette Rouse. She was incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and kind as students of all levels struggled to learn a challenging skill. This school is a very special place that takes you back in time and I definitely plan to return. read more

I am so disappointed with my recent week long stay at the school. I have always loved coming here. The food was created with cheap ingredients, poorly prepared and served cold. The instructor was so nice but nearly an hour late every day for class and came unprepared. The equipment in the studio is in need of update and repair. It breaks my heart because this used to be such a lovely place. The buildings and grounds are so beautiful. I will try another folk school like arrowmont. read more

This is a great place to visit if you're anywhere near Brasstown...The staff is extremely friendly, the scenery beautiful, and the craftsmanship incredible. Great place to take out of town company. JG San Antonio, TX read more

The craft shop is filled a variety of well-made crafts and art. It is an interesting place to shop for a unique gifts. However, the ambience is ruined when you are not allowed access to restroom facilities. This is a public place with no other facilities nearby. The dining hall is in the same building, yet no restroom?!They sent an elderly customer out in 90 degree heat to access a rest room in a building up the hill. Upon arrival, the doors were locked. I wandered into another building and was able to locate a restroom in a basement of a much older building. Sorry, I cannot return. read more

Sleep Away Camp for Adults. My wife came home from a gourd carving/burning class @ the Chicago Botanic Gardens, & said "Guess where we're going on our next vacation". This is a great example of why I trust her judgment. The school has been in existence for 75 years, & is very different than what I've been familiar with. They have hundreds of classes ranging from broom making to wood turning/carving/working. Classes in music, painting, dance, photography, cooking,. bread making, jewelry, pottery, & blacksmithing. The day starts off with a morning walk followed by morning song (both optional but worthwhile) and on the first day, the director opened with a bit of history. He then said that you could take a class to learn how to make a banjo one week, another class to learn how to play it the next week. If that didn't work out, taking a class to make it a planter, or take pictures of it were also available. She took a class on making kaleidoscopes & came home with 3 very nice ones. I took a class on marquetry & made an oak/maple/walnut backgammon board. (most of the class made chess boards, but I have been making them for years & wanted something different). After breakfast, classes go until lunch. The instructors are very knowledgeable & it's a non competitive atmosphere. You can go at your own pace, & work as hard or little on your project as pleases you. The facilities are comfortable & very functional. The wood shops have very nice tools & equipment & the blacksmith shop is state of the art. Classes resume after lunch, & there is a late afternoon activity. It could be a demonstration by one of the instructors, or a visit to the local artist shops.I was so engrossed in my project that I only made in to one of those events. Dinner is family style, & meals are not carnivore friendly more than once/day. Don't go if you insist on good food. There are no televisions or radios in the rooms, & as a classmate said, they give you some very nice places to sit down, but no time to do it. Again that's optional, but it's easy to get swept up in the learning something new swirl that putting the familiar city routine down is pretty easy to do. read more

Overall, a good experience. But there were positives and negatives. I'll sum up quickly before I go into more detail: Skip the room and board, the instruction is good (ymmv i'm sure), the blacksmithing facilities are exceptional. Worth the money, and the time and the inconvenience of having to find a child or pet sitter for 4 days. I would definitely go back. If you're still interested in learning more, boy have I got more to say below. First, the positives. From what I have heard, and what I have seen online, the blacksmithing facilities are unparalleled. We had a full class of 12 and there was a forge for everyone, including the instructor and the instructor's assistant. That must mean there were 14 in that one room, plus two or three small ones in the finishing room with the various cutters and welders and whatnot. There was a tool room with every kind of tong and hardy and hammer and tools I don't know the name of imaginable for forge work. The prices on coal and metal to make anything you wanted during class free times were downright reasonable, bordering on super cheap. Their policy of having an assistant instructor for any class with at least 8 was super helpful, as it kept them circulating and keeping you from making too many mistakes. You'll notice the positives focus on the class experience. The campus was also pretty I guess. Now, the negatives. I wondered while there if the school wasn't invented to get people to stay at the worst bed and breakfast imaginable. We stayed for a total of 3 nights. The first night, there was no heat. We'd been told "talk to your neighbors" as apparently the thermostat controlled all 4 rooms in the house. The first morning, there was no hot water, for at least most of the people in our house; we expect one person used it all (problem solved by showering in the evening, in the middle of the night or early early morning). There is entirely too much togetherness. The rather mediocre and choiceless meals are served "family style" in a super cramped dining hall. The opening and closing ceremonies were standing room only. The closing show and ceremony is a waste of time standing around and chatting with retirees; If you're curious what the other classes do, just google it. It should be mentioned that everyone, with the exception of the blacksmithing class was of retiree age; there's nothing wrong with that, unless you want someone to talk to who isn't of that age sometimes. Oh, and skip "morning song", the coffee is terrible anyways. You can make it to Starbucks at the Murphy Ingles and back in half an hour instead. There are some negatives to the class as well. They try to tell you who you can stand next to and work with like it's elementary school. Not really cool if you came there specifically to learn and work with someone or if you need to work with someone who knows your disabilities. The first and last day were largely a waste of time. The evening work sessions were too short (from 7 to 9:30), an hour more would have been good. The instructors should really eat in shifts so you don't have to vacate for an hour and a half at both lunch and dinner. In summation, the introductory blacksmithing class over a long weekend was great. I will totally go back if I can find a sitter. I will skip the room and board and the closing show, and spend my time in Murphy, NC or nearby. I wish they had one day classes, because it would be worth the 2 hour commute for me. read more

saw ivan stiles (auroharp, musical saw) here a couple weeks ago. free concert in the mountains very cool check their music calendar average age of audience was 70. read more

I came to John C. Campbell Folk School not really sure of what I wanted to accomplish. I signed up for a Writing Class on Character Development because I liked to write, and I had an idea that I'd like to write stories about my family's life. I was not particularly well schooled in the mechanics of English Composition and not much of a reader, so I was not hopeful. Honestly if the course description had not included 'All levels welcome', I wouldn't have even tried it. The class was better than I could have hoped for. The average class size is about 6 so it makes for a casual comfortable atmosphere and the instructor was top notch. When you attend, you must keep in mind that this is a school, not a hotel or a resort. The accommodations were spotlessly clean and comfortable. The family style meals were scrumptious, made of the freshest ingredients. The temperature of the foods were just right. Nothing was overcooked or undercooked. Cooked vegetables were folk tender, and hot all the way through, but not overcooked. Salads were perfect, fresh, and made with sweet, tender, perfectly ripe veges. The chicken, beef, and fish dishes were all great. I don't know how they manage to prepare such large quantities, get it all on the table hot ( or cold), and not have anything overcooked, but they did. The music and dancing kept you humming all day, and the surroundings were aw-sum and a breath of fresh air (literally). Groomed paths between the spread out campus buildings were great for short hikes if you were so inclined, but there was ample parking closer to buildings for the less mobile. There were longer hiking trails too. It is a birders paradise, so bring your camera. For me it was a techno-rehab camp: No TV or radio, scant cell phone reception and wi-fi connections (if you must), and only a slight remnant of a newspaper available. It was early to bed and early to rise. read more