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January 16, 2006
Maryland Monday: The Spruce Forest Artisan Village
The Spruce Forest Artisan Village located in Grantsville, Maryland is well worth the trip. Jamison’s mom and I stumbled across it when we popped over to Western Maryland one day for a quilt show a few summers ago. We attended the main quilt show at the elementary school and then were told that there was a craft fair up the road at the Spruce Forest Artisan Village. The minute I set foot in the village I fell in love and have gone back many times! I’ve even dragged Jamison over there, much to his chagrin.
The Spruce Artisan Village itself is very charming:
Spruce Forest Artisan Village, with its mission to preserve and showcase Appalachian culture by educating and promoting crafts people, is a home to the living craft tradition in the Allegheny region. Village Artisans learn and teach traditional designs and forms, and develop contemporary variations. Early classes in wood carving, pottery, weaving and spinning have produced a world-class bird sculptor and other award-winning craftspeople. Visitors are able to meet the artists inside their studios and glimpse some aspect of a lasting lifestyle in Western Maryland. Integral to a viable home- and studio-based economy in the region, the uniquely American mountain craft tradition survives and evolves at Spruce Forest Artisan Village.
The shops are amazing! And the crafts people are very knowledge about their trade and also very friendly. They are more than happy to talk answer any questions you might have.
Directly across from the Artisan Village is the Penn Alps restaurant and craft shop, which has a very good menu along with a very quaint, homey atmosphere. The quilts and craftworks of local artisans are also featured in the gifts shop. They are gorgeous and it is well worth the drive, just to look at the crafts alone, if not for a hot apple dumpling with vanilla ice cream from the restaurant!
Also onsite is Stanton’s Mill which was originally built in 1797 and continued operation until 1994. The mill has recently been restored by a local miller and in 2005 it was converted to water power to grind grains and such. It’s also worth a look.
Grantsville, Maryland itself also has a lot of history and the stone bridge that is adjacent to the Artisan village is breathtaking! Other attractions include Casselman Inn, Cornucopia Farm and the Fuller-Baker Log House.
The Spruce Artisan Village, Stanton’s Mill and the Penn Alps restaurant are but some of the reasons to visit the Grantsville area. If you enjoy looking at crafts, seeing how things were done in years gone by and generally enjoying a relaxing, laid back atmosphere you should definitely visit. I think you’d really enjoy the trip.
Posted by Daffodil at January 16, 2006 3:42 PM
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Comments
A really neat place!
Posted by: mums at January 17, 2006 5:43 PM