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April Issue 2008
Parkway Craft Center Now Open Again
in Blowing Rock, NC
The Parkway Craft Center, located at Milepost 294 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Blowing Rock, NC, has opened its doors to begin the 57th season at Moses Cone Manor.
Visitors enjoy a marriage of spectacular views, Georgian Revival architecture and stunning handmade crafts. Parkway is one of five shops of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and features work from over 300 Southern Appalachian craftsmen. Work includes clay, glass, leather, fiber, jewelry, wood, natural materials, paper and metal. Whether visitors are looking for a special accent piece for the home or a unique gift for a special occasion, they will find the perfect selection. Gift certificates are also available.
Everyone knows about the spectacular beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but the Boone-Blowing Rock area is especially fortunate to have the Moses Cone Memorial Park. With 3600 acres of pristine mountain terrain and the Manor House, a wide variety of activities is available at no cost to the public. The Moses Cone Manor house, completed in 1901, is a spectacular piece of period architecture popping out of the mountain landscape. The entrance is a shady road that is private and relaxing. The walk down the steps provides a breath-taking view of Bass Lake below and the surrounding mountains accented by the always changing sky. Rocking chairs are available to relax and enjoy the fresh air and views from the covered porch. All this would be enough to take in, but there is still more! The National Park Service (NPS) offers free tours of the second floor each weekend from June to mid-October. Call 828/295-3782 to reserve space on these tours. The combination of the architecture and the beauty of the crafts offer something for everyone.
Twenty five miles of carriage trails wind through the property. The roads were originally designed for the Cones to see their property while riding in carriages on a sunny summer day. Now, hikers and horse back riders can enjoy the woods, meadows, lakes and spectacular views offered on the mountain tops and throughout the estate. The hiker may encounter a wide variety of "woods critters", such as deer, turkey, fox and more, as he ambles along the trails. Bass Lake and Trout Lake boast great fishing areas and serene settings. A day of hiking and experiencing some of nature's finest benefits both the body and the spirit.
Parkway Craft Center (PCC), a shop of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, is housed in the Manor. PCC has been in this location since 1951 and offers unique crafts handmade in the Southeast. The crafts are inherently beautiful and artfully displayed. Offering the work of more than 300 artists. Prices range from $1.50. With such a wide variety of craft from which to choose, something is sure to strike the shopper's fancy. This year the shop will have a whole new look with new displays and many new artists. The jewelry area will showcase work in silver, gold, platinum, precious and semi-precious stones, as well as beaded work and hand-made glass beaded jewelry. New personal care items such as goat's milk soap products and yummy lotions and rubs will be on hand. Take this opportunity to see what is new and different at the craft shop.
Several special focus events will be offered this year at the Craft Center. Aug. 9, 2008, is Heritage Day, featuring many demonstrations, story telling, music and other activities not to be missed. Craft demonstrations are scheduled on a regular basis throughout the year on the sun porch where a portion of The Green Mile was filmed. For other special events please contact the craft center.
For further information check our NC Institutional
Gallery listings, call 828/295-7938 or e-mail to (parkwaycraft@bellsouth.net).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.