'Peak' Season for Art and Berries in the Appalachians

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina, mountains cluster like generations posing for a family portrait. Lured by promises of art and berries, I exited at mile marker 331 for Spruce Pine, one of the area's quartz mining towns now staking its future on local produce of the creative and farm-fresh varieties.

Upcoming offerings in the town include flower and storytelling festivals, "u-pick" fields, and farmers markets—and, from June 10 to 12, the Toe River Arts Council (TRAC) Studio Tour.

On the tour, you'll see artists working in a variety of mediums at studios dotted along streams and embedded in mountainsides, making for very scenic drives. To avoid accidental detours, start at Spruce Pine TRAC Gallery's free reception on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. for maps and help from artists with routes personalized to accommodate your interests.

Animals are among the muses for many of the artists here, judging by sample works in the gallery. "We don't make a lot of money, but we have the quality of life," said potter Courtney Martin. At the Yummy Mud Puddle, you might catch a musical performance of inventive instruments such as the cacophonium, along with views of outsider artworks.

For trailblazing basketmaking, Billie Ruth Sudduth blends shapes from Shaker and Appalachian traditions with the natural sequence also known as "Fibonacci numbers" (named for a 13th-century mathematician). The sequence-reflected in the spirals of nautilus shells, sunflower florets and even elephants' tusks—is thought to have inspired Michelangelo's "David" and Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture. "There's an incredible amount of talent here," said Billie Ruth. "You can't go a half-mile without finding someone creating things with their hands."

For hiking, head to Roan Mountain, where natural gardens of Catawba rhododendrons are pruned by just the wind and rain, with the peak blooming season around the third week of June. The Appalachian Trail—as well as plenty of beautiful native animals—cross the mountain.

For shopping and dining, I return to downtown Spruce Pine. The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree's giftables include locally crafted kitchen utensils, lavender-blueberry vinegar, organic animal-free cosmetics and baby oils, and Play-Doh formulated by a 10-year-old.

To find the berries I was looking for, I used the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project's Local Food Guide, which lists orchards and markets. One of the project's supporters is Knife & Fork, a new farm-to-table gourmet restaurant. "We get a lot of vegan and vegetarian customers," said our server. Chef and owner Nathan Allen, who has cooked everywhere from New York to Los Angeles, has prepared vegan meals as a private chef for actors, dancers, and bodybuilders. How did he land in Spruce Pine? His wife was a native who longed to return home. My companion and I opted for several vegan appetizers, all superb: a mushroom soup, slow-cooked cabbage and apples, grilled radicchio, roasted sweet potatoes with sweet chili glaze, and red quinoa with mung bean sprouts.

For tasty and locally sourced casual fare, there's Upper Street Café. Everything's named after local patrons, including the vegetarian wrap, the hummus, and my pick, Kay's Shotgun Wedding Salad, including fresh greens, tomatoes, and pears with warm corn.

I'm told several B&Bs offer vegan breakfasts, including the Skyline Inn. Built in the 1940s into a mountainside next to a cavern housing a moonshine still, its construction was allegedly funded by moonshine profits!

For visitor information, visit the Mitchell County and Spruce Pine websites. For those of you who are inspired to make art on vacation, watch for my next post about the Penland School of Crafts.