Part gallery, part store, and wholly dedicated to Southern craftsmanship, the superb Folk Art Center stands directly off the Blue Ridge Pkwy, 6 miles east of downtown Asheville. Handcrafted Appalachian chairs hanging above its lobby make an impressive appetizer for the Southern Highland Craft Guild’s permanent collection, a treasury of pottery, baskets, quilts and woodcarvings that’s displayed on the 2nd floor.

　　There are daily demonstrations by experts, and the Allanstand Craft Shop on the 1st floor sells high-quality traditional crafts.