As you travel mountain roads splashed with brilliant fall color, it's easy to understand why Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains have inspired artists and craftspeople for generations.
Artists in the Asheville area are not only preserving traditional mountain handmade crafts but also are utilizing cutting-edge techniques to breathe new life into these art forms.
We've put together a series of fall drives that'll help you discover Asheville's rich craft legacy while you enjoy the gorgeous fall color. Along the way, you'll meet local artisans who have led Asheville to earn the distinction as one of America's Top 10 Towns for Craft Lovers.
Here are three suggested day trips, designed to help you discover craft in the most colorful areas for each part of the fall season.
Early Fall: Where can you find fall craft and color in the Asheville area?
Asheville to Spruce Pine to Little Switzerland to Mount Mitchell Approximate Loop Distance: 120 miles
From downtown Asheville, follow I-26 north to U.S. 19 E. A four-lane highway takes you through the rich farmland of the Toe River Valley to Penland School of Craft. This nationally-acclaimed school offers tours of their gallery Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please note: the gallery will be closed August 31st through September 5th, 2026, and will re-open on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026.
Continue on to the town of Spruce Pine, where you'll find the Toe River Arts Council (TRAC) on Oak Street. Here you can see the work of the member artists, many of whom teach at Penland. Pick up a map showing where to find their studios throughout the surrounding area, including locations in the towns of Bakersville, Celo and Micaville.
In Little Switzerland connect with the Blue Ridge Parkway and follow it to Mt. Mitchell. Please Note: The Blue Ridge Parkway between Little Switzerland and Mount Mitchell is currently closed. NPS expects reopening late 2026. At 6,684 feet, it is the highest peak in the eastern U.S. As you near Asheville (milepost 382), stop by the Folk Art Center, the most-visited attraction on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Continue south on the Parkway to the next exit, which will bring you to the edge of Asheville’s city limits.
*Mount Mitchell State Park has reopened. Visit NCParks.gov for the latest information on the park and trail status.
Mid-Fall: What's the craft scene like in and around Asheville?
Grovewood Village to Downtown to River Arts District to Biltmore Village Approximate Loop Distance: 12 miles
Begin your adventure near the historic Omni Grove Park Inn. Adjacent to the Omni Grove Park Inn, stop at historic Grovewood Village. Grovewood Village once housed the weaving and woodworking operations of Biltmore Industries, an arts and crafts enterprise. Today, the historic district is home to Biltmore Industries Homespun Museum, working artist studios, a sculpture garden and the Antique Car Museum.
After leaving Grovewood Village, link up with Kimberly Avenue, a maple-lined drive of ornate homes. Use Edwin Pl. to get on Charlotte Street, which takes you into the downtown Asheville area.
In downtown Asheville, you can explore a wide variety of galleries and studios. The galleries of the Downtown Asheville Art District feature the work of local, regional and national artists. At Lexington Glassworks, watch skilled artists create functional and sculptural glass.
Take Clingman Avenue out of downtown to head into the River Arts District where you can sign up for a class to blow your own glass piece at the North Carolina Glass Center. While in the River Arts District, visit the studios of working painters, potters, weavers, woodworkers and glassblowers. There are more than 200 working artists in this district alone.
From the River Arts District follow Depot Street to Lexington Ave. and hop on McDowell Street to head south into historic Biltmore Village.
Late Fall: Where can you find craft in Black Mountain?
Asheville to Black Mountain
Approximate Loop Distance: 30 Miles
From Asheville, follow U.S. 70 east through the Swannanoa Valley — an easy half-hour with the Seven Sisters range rising gold and russet ahead of you — into Black Mountain, the little town that rocks. Start where the sparks fly at Black Mountain Iron Works, where hand-forged gates, railings, and garden sculpture take shape over an open fire.
Then park the car and take the town on foot. You could spend all day shopping in Black Mountain, but we've got a few favorites to point you toward: the Seven Sisters, Mountain Nest, and The Old Depot craft gallery and Red House Gallery and Studios, home of the Swannanoa Valley Art League. Don't miss the Black Mountain Center for the Arts, housed in the former town hall, where rotating exhibitions and featured artists keep the walls ever-changing. Time your trip for late October and you can catch Art by the Tracks, the juried craft show the Old Depot Association stages right along the rail line (Oct. 24, 2026).
From Black Mountain, take U.S. 70 through the Swannanoa Valley back to Asheville.
Which fall craft events should be on your list?
Artisans display and sell their crafts during fall events in Asheville such as the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands (October 15-18, 2026) at Harrah's Cherokee Center. Nearby communities also host fall craft arts celebrations. Weaverville hosts the Art in Autumn street fair (Sept. 19, 2026) and Black Mountain puts on Art by the Tracks (Oct. 24, 2026).
