Around Our Campus
Spanning 270 acres, the Folk School’s campus offers visitors a chance to experience a distinct blend of history, art, and natural beauty.
History Center
The school’s fascinating background is captured in our History Center,
free and open to the public six days a week.
About The History Center
You’ll find visual art, fine and folk craft, custom-built music instruments, photographs, and more, along with a timeline and detailed story of our founding. From the old bench where the world-famous Brasstown Carvers began, to the original photographs of renowned photographer Doris Ulmann, you’ll discover the rich heritage that has made the Folk School a historical landmark.
Craft Shop
A member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Folk School’s Craft Shop has established itself as a destination for one-of-a-kind handcrafted items.
About The Craft Shop
The Folk School’s Craft Shop represents more than 150 juried craftspeople and features an impressive collection of traditional and contemporary Appalachian craft, including jewelry, pottery, wood, fiber, ironwork, basketry and other disciplines. The selection of items in the shop represents the variety of programs and classes we offer here at the Folk School.
You’ll find marquetry earrings, clay serving platters, turned-wood bowls, functional fireplace poker sets and many more unique items, in addition to hundreds of instructional and celebratory books on everything from Basketry to Writing. You can take home a Folk School t-shirt, hat or bag as a souvenir. Find the perfect scenic postcard to tell everyone back home about your visit to the Folk School.
The Craft Shop is proud to be the home of the world-renowned Brasstown Carvers.
Hours
The Craft Shop’s hours are Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They are open at a limited capacity, and masks are required.
As a safe alternative to in-person shopping, the Craft Shop will continue to fulfill phone orders and provide gifts and handmade items through their online store. Phone orders can be shipped or you may request curbside pickup.
Location
Bottom floor of the Olive Dame Campbell Dining Hall.
Contact
You can call the Craft Shop at 800-365-5724 or 828-837-2775, ext 125.
Gift Certificates
Give the gift of the Folk School. Perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays, gift certificates are available in any amount, they can be used for class tuition and for purchases made in the Craft Shop. Call the Folk School at 800-365-5724, ext. 125 or 828-837-2775 to order by phone.
Nature Trails
The Folk School offers numerous nature trails open to the public during daylight hours. You’ll find many interesting points on the scenic paths: the Rainbow Bridge, the Herb Garden and the Corn Maiden just to name a few…
Little Brasstown Creek Park
Brasstown Creek and its branch, Little Brasstown Creek, provide a beautiful accompaniment as you explore the natural splendor of native plants and trees and over 120 bird species. Little Brasstown Creek Park trails include:
- Blackberry Loop: .25 mile
- Downtown Trail: .25 mile
- Herb Garden Trail: .13 mile
- Gazebo Trail: .25 mile
- Rivercane Walk: .25 mile (loop) *
- Northside Trail: .4 mile
- Southside Trail: .3 mile
* Rivercane Walk
Opened in 2006, this quarter-mile long, creekside loop trail features installations from area artists honoring the strong Cherokee heritage of the Appalachian area. Be sure to see Eagle Dancer, Uktena Serpent, Clan Cane Pole, Rivercane Rendezvous, Corn Maiden, Seven Clans Poles, and Medicine Wheel & Fire Circle.
Other Nature Trails
The chipped bark paths meandering between studios and housing provide their own beautiful trek, as do our other nature trails:
- Mill House Trail: .6 mile (loop)
- White Oak Trail: .4 mile (loop)
Studios
Magic happens in the studios at the Folk School. It’s where you’ll spend most of your time each day, working with knowledgeable, artistic instructors and being inspired by other students. You’ll explore your creative self too, discovering new talents and challenging yourself in ways that promote personal growth.
The Folk School offers 17 well-equipped studios located on our 270-acre campus. Our Programs staff works hard to ensure that you’ll have everything you need to experience a new medium and learn a new skill. All studios are now equipped with monitors and iPhones to allow for improved visibility during demonstrations and for instructors and students to access online resources. Microphones and speakers are also available to improve sound quality during instruction. From the spacious Clay Spencer Blacksmith Shop to the Weaving Studio filled with floor looms to the wood-fired oven in the Cooking Studio, each space ensures productive, hands-on learning.
The natural surroundings of our campus serve as an extension of our studios. Our organic vegetable, flower and herb gardens are there for “the picking” to harvest indigo for natural dyeing, craft brooms from broomcorn, or draw inspiration for still-life and plein-air painting.
So sit at the spinning wheel, load up the dye vat, or fire up the forge. When you come to the Folk School to engage in craft, art, music and food, our studio doors will be wide open to you.
Check out our various Subject Pages for more information about the studio your class will be in.