Arts Asheville holds a strong bond to the craft tradition of Western North Carolina. Numerous artists' studios are tucked within the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Craft Heritage Trails Guidebook highlights a series of craft heritage trails that loop through backroads and scenic byways through 21 mountain counties. Galleries abound throughout downtown Asheville with nearly two dozen galleries within walking distance. The Asheville Art Museum also holds regular exhibits and shows.
Gallery crawls held several times a year offer visitors an open house of the arts.
The Folk Art Center, located ten minutes from downtown Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway, is a haven for admirers of mountain crafts with works on display and for sell by members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. View a movie clip from a pottery workshop. Download a gallery map for downtown Asheville in pdf format. After Five series features music of all types, and Shindig on the Green, held most Saturday nights July through the first weekend in September, continues the tradition of mountain music and blue grass. For a night on the town, Asheville's nightclubs ring with a variety of sounds from jazz to acoustical and rock.