Fodor's Expert Review Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community

It's worth driving the eight-mile loop road through the arts and crafts community, even if you don't plan to stop. But you probably will—these mountain craftspeople do more than carve chainsaw sculptures (although they do that, too). Along the way, you'll find the works of world-class painters like Jim Gray, whose gallery is housed in a century-old former church. Just behind the gallery, Ogle's Broom Shop is home to third-generation broom makers whose functional and decorative brooms and hiking sticks are treasured by craft aficionados. There are also spots to stop for a meal, a cold drink, or ice cream.