The Blowing Rock Art & History Museum is located in downtown Blowing Rock and offers free…read moreadmission, along with a convenient free public parking deck and garage. The museum officially opened its doors in 2011, but the community planning started much earlier, following a generous donation of artwork from the family of celebrated local artist Elliott Daingerfield. The building utilizes a beautiful mountain-modern design explicitly crafted to blend into the natural landscape of Watauga County. It is an impressive 21,000 square feet, but it feels like it fits into downtown. It had an inviting feel the minute I walked in. The front desk staff was exceptionally friendly, asking if it was my first time visiting before suggesting I start with the introductory video, guiding me through the main artwork galleries, and directing me to the local history exhibits upstairs. There is a large elevator to access the second level if you would prefer not to take the stairs. It features a unique built-in wooden bench. I had never seen a bench inside an elevator before, but I thought it was an absolute genius accessibility feature. The introductory video was very informative, providing a fantastic background on Blowing Rock's heritage. The downstairs gallery spaces are beautifully organized, making it easy to walk naturally from one piece to the next. I was absolutely delighted to tour the temporary exhibition "Silver & Smoke: George Masa & Ansel Adams." As a lifelong fan of Ansel Adams, getting to see an exhibit of his legendary work for free was a massive highlight. I had no idea he photographed so extensively in Western North Carolina. Ansel Adams was awarded a fellowship by the Guggenheim Foundation in 1947 to photograph all the national parks and monuments in America. So he traveled east to photograph the lush, ancient forests of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the winding roads of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The downstairs gallery space has a great layout. Immediately after the video, your eyes will be drawn to a delicate flower installation that is suspended from the ceiling. I was also drawn to a powerful wall of historical photographs showcasing early local residents and vintage landscapes of the town. Another fascinating contemporary exhibit featured a collection of artistic photographs of tree stumps. It is a wonderful reminder that you never know what a creative mind can transform into art that you will truly appreciate. If you choose to take the stairs to the second level, the Open Door Gallery utilizes the towering vertical space beautifully with eye-catching art running all the way up the stairwell wall, making the walk feel like a continuous gallery experience. Upstairs was a textile exhibit showcasing the deep heritage of Appalachian weaving, quilting, and coverlets, highlighting how mountain women used local flora to dye wool and create intricate geometric patterns to keep their families warm. This textile section blends seamlessly into the local history room, which chronicles how Blowing Rock evolved from a rugged settlement into a premier resort destination. The room is packed with fascinating artifacts, vintage memorabilia, and engaging storyboards detailing the golden age of grand mountain hotels. They even have an interactive section where you can write a postcard to someone, and the museum will mail it out for free! Make sure to stop in the curated gift shop before you leave for some great regional finds. Between the local crafts, history books, and unique souvenirs, I never seem to leave a museum gift shop empty-handed.

This place was closed due to COVID the last time we were in town but we were pleasantly surprised…read morethat they were open on July 4 when we were walking around downtown. This is a cute little museum that has rotating art displays on the bottom floor and a smaller history museum upstairs. We saw a whimsical display of chickens, and another from a collection of art from a school in California. When we were there the upstairs had an exhibit about the annual horse show in town. The museum is free to visit but we gladly left a donation.

Located in one of the more upper crust neighborhoods of a town that's already upper crust itself,…read morethis sculpture is definitely political. The statue depicts a Jesus as a homeless vagrant sleeping on a park bench. Huddled under a blanket with his face and hands obscured, only the crucifixion wounds on his uncovered feet give him away. The bronze statue was purchased for $22,000 as a memorial for a parishioner, Kate McIntyre, who loved public art. The rector of this liberal, inclusive church is the Rev. David Buck, a 65-year-old Baptist-turned-Episcopalian who seems not at all averse to the controversy, the double takes and the discussion the statue has provoked. "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me." -Matthew 25:40 [Review 13405 overall, 724 of 2020.]

This is homeless Jesus I guess they have a lot of these because we have one of these in my city…read morethat I live in. So we were downtown exploring the area we came across another homeless Jesus. I guess the meaning of this is to love everyone and just respect people no matter who or what they are.

Have you ever experienced that kinda eerie, but very delightful feeling that comes of unexpectedly…read morefinding a something relevant to your personal special interests in a seemingly unlikely place? The first time I caught sight of this fountain, located in the plaza between the Barter Theatre and Barter Stage II, I thought: cool--it's a hulking, partying depiction of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in fountain form. Moving in for a closer look, I began to get that feeling like something was off about the sculpture, but in a good way. The figures depicted, the way their forms are rendered, seemed uncannily familiar. Then I got the memo: "designed and sculpted by Charles Vess and David Spence". I'm not sure who David Spence is [hastily googles his name, confims he's a sculptor], but if you're into Fantasy and comics/graphic novels the name Charles Vess might ring a bell. He is an artist famous for illustrating many works, perhaps most notably Neil Gaiman's Stardust a few issues of The Sandman, Sandman #19 ("A Midsummer Night's Dream") being particularly relevant to my revelation. Standing up close to this giant fountain was almost like finding myself within a footstep's distance of Vess' illustrations and Morpheus' world of Dreams. In a word, this monolithic piece of art, done up in bronze and water like a vision of high Summer for all seasons, is, as I've already stated, cool. Very cool. Do be sure to take a moment to let the enchantment set in whether you're in between acts or just waltzing by.

I'm not sure why this ground level sculpture is titled "Otter Out of Water" but I nearly tripped…read moreover it as I returned to my car after visiting Sally Fox Park. It looks more like a long eel but hey, that's just my opinion. Installed in 2017 and surrounded by low shrubbery, it would be a little hard to find if you didn't know it's here. As well, it's not in the park itself but on a triangle shaped piece of land across the street. If you've seen pictures of the Loch Ness Monster, or at least the tails of it, that's what we have here. But definitely not an Otter. Odd. The caption gives us the title and the name of the artist, "Harry McDaniel" and that it was installed by the City of Hickory Public Art Commission. And as tempting as it might be, please don't climb on it! [Review 15870 overall - 3088 in North Carolina - 1374 of 2021.]

Get Woke! This Wake sculpture was commissioned as part of…read morethe Mel Chin: All Over the Place exhibition that led to this artwork being displayed in Times Square. It's supposed to be animatronic and move or something, but I didn't see it doing any moving. Maybe Wake was sleeping? It kinda looks like the person at the helm of a ship, with the parts of the helm behind them. When we came, during Pandemic, the Wake person was wearing a mask, which was most appreciated. This giant work of public art is nestled in a triangular lot right next to Burial Brewery on the South Slope of Asheville's brewing district. It fits right in with all the cool, unique weird stuff going on in this neighborhood!

This amazing sculpture was engineered and sculpted by a team of UNC Asheville students and staff…read moreand community artists. It was displayed in Times Square and has since been brought home and is on display in Asheville's South Slope. It's a beautiful piece designed to make a statement about climate change. It's 40 feet tall and the coolest part? It's animatronic! I highly recommend stopping by, visiting her and then hitting one (or three) of the brewers that are in the area. Have fun!!

Welcome Home to the Pound is a massive and well down expressway mural located in Pound Virginia…read more My buddy and I was on a few day road trip when we passed this massive mural and had to stop to take it in. I may have let my adventurous side take over too much as I climbed up the side for a photo op. Overall a very cool mural and a fun memory for our small road trip through the area.

My buddy and I stopped in here and took some photos. It's on the side of the expressway. We had to…read morepull over and get in the grass and go take some photos and get creative.

Melvas alley is a cool lit up alley featuring two different murals located on historic downtown…read moremount airy North Carolina aka Mayberry. The alley and murals sit across from a few breweries and the whole Block has a fun artistic vibe. One mural Features Melva herself and on the opposite wall is an inspirational quote mural with vibrant shapes and colors. My buddy and I was exploring the historic Main Street area checking out all the Mayberry sites when we came across this piece of public art. Overall Mayberry has a surprisingly vast public art scene and it added to the fun in exploring this historic little town.

This was called to say I like this little alley in Hill these different murals in public art…read moredisplays in different things. It was a nice visual to see.

River Art District is a nice block to stroll but weather in summer could damper your mood so best…read moreto enjoy early evening hours. Lots of independent artists studios, many walks painted with "stories", and some local eatery -- seems like oven fresh pizza is a hit here! The road leading to the Art District is beautiful and yet to walk across the bridge.

City landscapes across the country are changing. Urban renewal projects have brought a new era and…read morevibe to most major metropolitans. Asheville is no exception! While much of the Street Art is concentrated in the River Arts District, it is not difficult to find sculptures and murals throughout the entire city. Being an artist myself, I am thrilled with the trend of public displays and only wish I were an art student growing up in this era of opportunity. Asheville has long been one of my favorite little cities because it, more than any other small city I've every visited, is an artist haven. Maybe that has something to do with the Black Mountain College art program that was widely successful in the mid 1950's and produced a laundry list of artists that would go on the become highly influential. THE EXPERIENCE My search for street art began at the viaduct on Merrimon Avenue below I-240. Here you can bear witness to just how paint, a brush and an idea can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary! This could have been like every other dreary inner city interstate underpass, but instead it feels like a hug and a "Hello, glad you could come!" You can keep south to see a few more displays around the downtown area or turn right on Patton Avenue and left on Clingman Avenue to find your way over to the River Arts District. The art here is currently and mostly graffiti style (which isn't exactly my favorite). However, more and more illustrative artist are making their mark and if you look carefully, you will find some amazingly detailed pieces of work amongst all the graffiti-like scribble. I hear there are also great pieces on the west side of town, but I will have to explore that on another visit as I was running out of daylight and allotted time to see all I could. FINAL THOUGHTS Asheville is rich in this Bohemian vibe, a vibe that seems full of life, creativity, acceptance and optimism. A place to experience a wide range of different tastes in music, fashion, art, and literature. I can't wait to see how the Street Art catches fire here in the future. I suspect of all the cities in America, Asheville may become one of the greatest places to view dazzling public displays! Since it is fairly close to Atlanta, I will continue to visit an update more in the future. Maybe soon they will attract internationally renowned commissioned street artists such as Natalia Rak, Etam Cru, INTI, Eduardo KOBRA, Bordallo II and Fin DAC with the most unique of these artists being Bordallo II (Google his work). Fingers crossed! 2018/70

Forever Mayberry is a downtown mount airy North Carolina mural that sits outside of famed hometown…read morehero Andy Griffith museum. Paying homage to his famed fictional town of Mayberry from His self titled hit tv show. The mural is smaller and features a mountain and colorful sky backdrop. Pretty simple yet effective mural. Overall mount airy is a fun little Town with a surprisingly high amount of cool public art murals.

We had such a wonderful time at the North Carolina Arboretum. It was very easy to walk around the…read morebeautiful gardens with a stroller. All the paths were paved with ramps to every garden area. At the main building you can get a free map, enjoy the gift shop, and clean bathrooms. The main building also has some lovely seating areas and clean bathrooms! You can walk the gardens and find a cafe at the other end of it. The arboretum has tons of walking and biking trails on the property. We didn't explore them but would love to some other time. We loved their bonsai garden the most. Make sure you check where you are walking, this time of the year, for caterpillars. We noticed several on the ground and thankfully we moved them out of the way!

It's been years since my first visit here and it was something I needed during my reset vacay to…read moreenjoy the outdoors and relive the beautiful memories here. The gardens are absolutely stunning, well maintained, and well marked. The buildings are beautiful and host wonderful events and classes. The gift shop is well stocked and perfect for buying something for your home, yourself, or for those you love. The trails are wonderful and can give you lots of options for the length and level of exercise you want for you and your pups. The Bent Creek one is our favorite (which runs along Bent Creek)! Of course, the Dambo Trolls were a lovely addition these past few months and have drawn so many people that they had to close the gate at least once because they were so packed! I'm glad I decided to make the drive to enjoy a solo date outdoors with my book.