Day Trips with an Artful Twist

New Mural at New River State Park

Winter Day Trips By LouAnn Morehouse

It’s an amazing thing, to live in a place with a full-blown winter, and yet be able to slip away for a day trip to warmer climes. Due to their elevation, the Blue Ridge Mountains experience winters comparable to those of northwestern Pennsylvania, with its average snowfalls of 100 inches and bitter cold—and that’s more than four hundred miles north of here. Blue Ridge peaks average more than 6,000 feet of elevation, but just “down the mountain” from those heights, the climate quickly returns to the moderate winters of the upper south.

All that to say there’s no reason to endure a spell of cabin fever up at the highest points of the High Country when a quick trip—an hour of two in most any direction—can restore spirits and revive energies. To prove the point, here are three day trip destinations, all within about 50 miles of the High Country, that offer a break from the winter doldrums. They each have something worth seeing, whether great art or great scenery—or both. And while the trip might require a jacket and hat because, you know, WINTER, it’s a fair bet that mittens, snow boots, and scarves can be set aside for a few hours.

Situated at 2,716 feet in elevation, New River State Park in nearby Ashe County, North Carolina, is a quick drive and at least 1,000 feet lower than where most High Country living takes place. In Ashe County, the mountains seem to leave more space for valleys, and the vistas are all the better for it.

It might be that the prevalence of wide-open scenery has led the good people of Ashe to welcome large-scale art with enthusiasm. The bustling town of West Jefferson is already known to be a place to see murals; there are more than seventeen of them throughout downtown. The West Jefferson murals have been so well received that they’re now spreading throughout the county. Chamber Director, Kitty Honeycutt, says that she and other Ashe County advocates recognized the connection between seeing a major artwork and viewing majestic scenery, and decided to “cross-pollinate” their audiences. The mural at New River State Park is the first in their planned Mural Connectivity Project, which is envisioned as a driving trail through Ashe County for art lovers as well as outdoor enthusiasts.

The new mural stretches across the ground level of the park’s welcome center at the Wagoner Access, one of two areas in the park where people can put a canoe or kayak into the New River. Conceived and painted by Whitney Landwehrmann, the scene encompasses a broad view of the river from various perspectives as the images wrap around the building. The artist, an Ashe County native and professed river lover, has incorporated several points where a visitor can pose against the mural and “become” a part of the scene. It’s a beautiful painting in a lovely natural setting, and for bonus points there’s a park ranger at hand to provide more information—such as why the New River is considered the oldest river in North America.

The park’s 3,000+ acres have walking trails for visitors who enjoy mixing their art and nature viewing, and tent camping is allowed year round. Or bring along a picnic—hot chocolate, anyone?—and plan a return trip with the canoe when the weather warms up a bit.

If descending just 1,000 feet isn’t far enough, drive a little further down, to 2,087 feet, and the fine old town of Abingdon, Virginia offers many charms and diversions. As one native puts it, “Everyone knows about Abingdon thanks to the Barter Theatre and the Creeper Trail, but we have even more to offer.” The

Southwest Virginia Cultural Center

and Marketplace is an ideal destination to sample more of those offerings.

Located just off I-81 at exit 14, the Center’s distinctive profile is easy to spot. It’s a true showcase of the region, presenting an array of talents from fine handcrafts to revered musical traditions.

The Center’s marketplace is a spacious, light-filled hall that displays for sale a juried selection of products from 180 local artists and artisans. There are wood works, weaving, jewelry of all kinds (including carved coal), as well as tatting, beading,

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Southwest Virginia Cultural Center and Marketplace Wilkes Art Gallery

patchwork, slab glass, and much more. It’s an exceptional variety with many items that would be difficult to find elsewhere. Gallery exhibitors are frequently on hand to talk about their work, and special arts and crafts events take place throughout the year.

The Center’s cultural resources are equally rich. The venue has a comfortable screening room for videos and film, as well as a handsome performance area frequently used to host music events. Marketing director, Chad Thompson, explains that the Center is a major hub for the Crooked Road, also known as the Virginia Heritage Music Trail. The Crooked Road Trail itself is a 330-mile driving “trail” that links sites of musical heritage with more than sixty venues across nineteen counties in Southwest Virginia. It’s a veritable gold mine of day trip destinations, and full information, along with itineraries, can be had at the SW Virginia Cultural Center and Marketplace.

Another 1,000 feet off the mountain, at a mere 988 feet in elevation, is North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, a pretty foothills town with its own fair share of history and culture. The Wilkes Art Gallery makes a point of assuring that those traditions are still available to everyone with a variety of art classes, a gallery with a rotating schedule of exhibitions, and a shop featuring local artists and craftspeople.

The Wilkes Art Gallery is housed in North Wilkesboro’s former public library, and is just around the corner from the newer library quarters in the business district. Director Ashley Barton says that the space provides ample room for all their activities. Pottery classes, which meet three times a week, are held in the basement studios, while the weekly knitters group meets upstairs among the latest exhibitions in the gallery. There are yoga classes and watercolor classes as well. All classes are fee based, available year-round, and open to anyone who is interested.

The gallery’s exhibition schedule begins every January with a photography competition open to all photographers. March is Youth Art Month, and Barton says the whole town gets involved in that exhibition, with artwork from high schoolers featured in the gallery and younger artists proudly displayed in storefronts throughout town. In April 2022, Barton will present an “Art Mix” from a collective of women artists based in Watauga, Ashe, and Wilkes Counties. May 2022 will see the focus expand to furniture designer, Richard Prisco, encaustic painter, Pat Spainhour, and silversmith, Mike Walsh. Director Barton says she finds that varying exhibitions of local talents with work from notable artists from afar gives patrons the most well-rounded exposure to the art world.

A look through the gallery shop reveals the quality and quantity of fine arts and crafts to be found in the Wilkes area. Traditional skills such as bark basketry share the space with paintings and glasswork, pottery and more. Barton says that the shop inventory will soon be available as an online store, too.

Just as is the case with the New River State Park and the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center and Marketplace, the Wilkes Art Gallery is a noteworthy stop on yet another driving trail, the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, which is sponsored by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. That organization, dedicated to preserving and celebrating mountain traditions, has developed an extensive driving trail that lists artist studios and galleries of traditional crafts, with itineraries throughout the area.

For the best day trip, take a few minutes to study these venues’ excellent websites for full information on events and operating hours. Here’s a quick reference guide to the day trips described in this article:

New River State Park - www.ncparks. gov. You might also want to visit www. ashecountyarts.org to learn more about the murals in West Jefferson.

Southwest Virginia Cultural Center

and Marketplace – swvaculturalcenter. com. And www.thecrookedroadva.com has full information about The Crooked Road – Virginia’s Music Heritage Trail.

Wilkes Art Gallery – www. wilkesartgallery.org. To learn more about the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, go to www. BlueRidgeHeritage.com and search the left column for “Craft Trails.”

So when living among snowy mountain peaks turns into Cabin Fever, it’s time to scrape the ice off the car and get away. And remember, not all who wander are lost. Happy trails!