Meander across our mountains and view the Treasures there-

                   Regional Artisan Trail Development Continues through 2009

Artisan studio after studio-hand-made instruments, pottery, glass, stunning furniture and lamps, designed clothing and more…

In just a 4-county area of Floyd, Carroll, Patrick and Franklin counties, there are already over 40 businesses that have joined “Round the Mountain’s Artisan Trails-many are private artisan studios; art centers, galleries, museums and country stores; farms w/meats and produce, flowers and hand-spun yarns, homemade meads, wines and cider

You can find your way to Border Springs Farm “where the sheep all have names and the dogs all have jobs” or visit Mountain Meadow Craft & Farm Market. Gather a few lilies at meadow Creek Farm or home-spun yarns and hand-made weavings at Peaceful Heart Alpacas and Greenberry House. As you meander across county lines and time, a big decision to choose how many of the wineries, cider or mead farms you can possible visit in one day-Villa Appalaccia, Chateau Morrisette, Blacksnake Meadery and Foggy Ridge Cider.

Stay overnight in an antique caboose at Grassy Creek Cabooses or in the beautifully-built Oak Haven Lodge-Now you can take the next day to wander through galleries and art centers-Jacksonville Center, Bell Gallery, Treasure Potts & Floyd Country Store

In Floyd we anticipate near 50 trail sites and have almost 20 sites that have already joined as Trail Sites-including The Jacksonville Center, the Floyd Country Store, the Bell Gallery, Presidio Arts, Crenshaw Lighting, Chateau Morrisette, Villa Appalaccia, WRG Farm, the Oak Haven Lodge and the personal studios of artisans: Tom Baldwin, Susan Icove, Jeanna Pynn, Terri Walters, Ron & Susan Sutterer, Silvie Granatelli, Corinne & bill Graefe, Tom Phellps an Gibby Waitzkin.

‘Round the Mountain is working in partnership with 19 counties and 4 cities across Southwest Virginia on the development of the Regional Artisan Trail Network. Local Artisan Trail Committees-comprising of leaders in the arts, agriculture, chamber, tourism and government-have been established in all 19 counties and 4 cities this year. These local groups are working in partnership with RTM to develop their local artisan trails through Spring/Supper 2009.

The trails will be featured on RTM’s website as an interactive map and trip planner, in local and regional brochures, and highlighted at Heartwood, the new regional Artisan Gateway that will serve as the trail hub.

Those interested in participating can contact Pat Sharkey, Trail Development Coordinator for RTM, at 540-651-4819 or psharkey@roundthemountain.org.

To check out businesses already participating in the Regional Artisan Trail Network go to the RTM website at www.roundthemountain.org, go to PLAN A VISIT, Trip Planner. From there you can pick the location and type of sites yo want to visit on your next treasure-filled journey…..