Past exhibits at the arts council gallery and store (bottom right) have included works by quilt artist Sarah Ruth Phipps (bottom left) and House in the Woods (top middle) by Tonya Bottomley. The organization also hosts events like a literary festival and the Ashe County Bluegrass & Old Time Fiddlers Convention, which draws all ages of performers and enthusiasts (top left). photograph by Tim Robison
At the Ashe County Arts Council’s annual studio tour — taking place on August 2 and 3 this year — visitors watch artists paint canvases, fire clay, and blow glass. Executive Director Joni Ray (pictured) encourages guests to preview pieces at the arts council’s headquarters, then enjoy the off-the-beaten-path studios. “That’s a big highlight — the views along the way,” she says. “You get to have that personal connection with artists.”
Nate and Ashley Fields host clay classes at their gallery, one of the can’t-miss stops on the Ashe County Studio Tour. photograph by Tim Robison
Inside an old tobacco warehouse, Nate Fields places a large slab of wet clay onto a mold shaped like a tobacco leaf. Fields, who owns Doe Ridge Pottery with his wife, Ashley, tucks in the edges and then presses a wet sponge into the clay to ease the slab into the mold. As he works, leaf veins begin to appear. The piece will become a platter, a nod to the building’s history.
Students take part in a landscape-painting workshop (top left) at the Florence Thomas Art School, which honors the life and works of the Ashe County artist. Untitled oil paintings (pictured) reflect Thomas’s serene style. photograph by Tim Robison; Portrait by Max B. Tharpe, Courtesy of Florence Thomas Art School; Paintings from the Permanent Collection at Florence Thomas Art School © Florence Thomas
A mule pulling a cart. A farmhouse at the edge of a field. A dirt path with mountain views. Paintings by the artist Florence Thomas, which rotate on display at the art school founded in her honor, illustrate scenes of rural life in Appalachia. The nonprofit school offers workshops on painting, photography, sculpture, and stained glass, among other mediums, fulfilling Thomas’s goal of prioritizing art education.
Meander at your own pace on a self-guided walking tour of 13 colorful downtown murals featuring themes of faith, whimsy, mountain life, and Ashe County history.
photograph by Tim Robison
Artist R.T. Morgan paints both abstract and impressionistic scenes, some featuring natural objects and animals in vibrant colors — like Gentle Soul, which depicts a black bear against a bright red sky. Morgan trained at Appalachian State University and Saint Andrews Presbyterian College. Today, he displays his paintings and sculptures at his eponymous West Jefferson gallery.
Made from 5,000-gallon milk tanks, Three Cows was designed by the late artist Steven Willingham and created by welding students from Ashe County High School in 2011. photograph by Tim Robison
North Carolina’s oldest and largest cheese manufacturer produces 35,000 to 40,000 pounds of it each week, all from regionally sourced milk. Ashe County Cheese sells approximately 30 varieties of cheese bricks, but the most popular product in its downtown shop is the squeaky curds.
When restorations of the 1917 hotel began in 2019, locals donated items that had once been inside, including an original telephone. Today, regional art adds to the mountain-luxury feel. photograph by Tim Robison
“There’s a great amount of affection for old buildings,” says Mark Beck, whose restoration of the circa-1917 hotel used wood reclaimed from the original beams.
Craft Bistro favorites include (clockwise from top) pan-seared duck breast, maple-mesquite-glazed salmon with risotto, and creole mussels with white-wine chorizo broth. photograph by Tim Robison
Diners at Craft Bistro can peer into the open kitchen and watch as chefs lightly grill lamb chops, pan-sear scallops, and slowly stir wild-mushroom risotto. The upscale eatery, known for its award-winning steak, is owned by restaurateur and chef Jared Yelton and his wife, Becky Pike, and is housed in the original Parkway Theater.
During the 1970s, Ben Long created these lauded paintings using a tedious process called fresco, which entails applying ground pigments to wet plaster. photograph by Charles Harris
After apprenticing in Italy, North Carolinian Benjamin F. Long IV offered to paint frescoes for the Parish of the Holy Communion. Three of his reverent images — Mary Great with Child, John the Baptist, and The Mystery of Faith — can be viewed at Saint Mary’s, one of the parish’s two churches.
On Fridays and Saturdays, the free Old Barn Winery Trolley shuttles riders the short distance between Ashe County Cheese and the estate (bottom left). photograph by Tim Robison, Justin St. Germain
The name of this winery honors the structure that holds it. Much of Old Barn Winery’s rustic interior wood is original, and some is reclaimed from other barns on owners Greg and Robin Sexton’s farmland around Ashe County. Here, visitors can sit under a pergola, sip on a wine slushy or one of Old Barn’s many varietals, and enjoy a refreshing end to a summer stay in West Jefferson.
This story was published on Jul 25, 2025
After a visit to the Newbold-White House, extend your journey into Perquimans County by exploring local history and downtown shops and finding tasty treats.
From pocosins to hollows, black bears shape North Carolina’s wild places — with persistence, silence, and strength.
To save her beloved holiday casserole from a Tupperware fate, one chef dared to reimagine a family classic.
This month, we give thanks to the men and women who devote their lives to keeping safe the people, places, and traditions we hold dear.
