West Virginia Shopping Destinations for Appalachian Art and Crafts

A great weekend location, West Virginia is home to expert, creative artisans who offer quality arts and crafts available almost anywhere - even online. Those looking for great deals should visit flea markets, yard sales and auctions for affordable art and antiques. Those shopping for quality one-of-a-kind Appalachian art and crafts should visit the locations where West Virginia artists and crafters come together.

You can purchase quality products, hand-crafted in West Virginia, without even stepping foot within the state's boundaries. MountainMade.com features works of artists that are on display in a Thomas, West Virginia gallery. Mountainmade Foundation assists Appalachian artists and craftsmen to market their work, and the art and craft gallery is where they all come together. An in-person visit to the gallery is worth the close up experience of such quality pieces and variety of crafts. Blackwater Falls State Park is nearby, offering lodging and camping.

Tamarack, a shopping center in Beckley, also features West Virginia art and crafts. This shopping showcase presents the state's arts, culture and cuisine. Designed in a circular quilt pattern, the facility houses the works of more than 1,000 West Virginia craftspeople whose handmade creations and crafts include quilts, pottery, jellies and jams, glass, paintings and furniture. The food court, with recipes from the Greenbrier Hotel, serves such delicacies as smoked ham and beans, pan-fried trout, pork with West Virginia barbecue sauce, home-made biscuits and fried-green-tomato sandwiches. Tamarack items are available online as well.

Historic Lewisburg is filled with specialty shops and at least a dozen art galleries. Shops include Yarid's Shoes and Accessories, Country Clutter, Aggie's, The Tansy Clothing and Antique Shop, The Bookstore, Plants Etcetera, and Honnahlee. Galleries include Christies Signature Arts, Harmony Ridge Gallery and Birdhouse Café, Gallery 1897, Art Remarques, Cooper Gallery, The Washington Street Gallery and High Country Gallery. The entire downtown shopping region falls within a 236-acre/95-hectare National Register Historic District, where walking tours are also available. Choice your lodging venue: bed and breakfast, hotel, or nearby camping.

Berkeley Springs is filled with shops that sell the works of over 125 artists, including fine arts, wearable art, antiques, rare books, stained glass, crafts and hand-made paper. Also known as Bath, the town was listed in all three editions of The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America. Visit Health Studio Gallery, Nature Niche and Portals; and schedule to take a break at Atasia Spa or The Bath House for massages, pedicures, facials, or general pampering. Make it a shopping weekend! There are more than 100 lodging choices in the area, and live local music is scheduled nearly year-round.

In Morgantown's historic downtown and the riverside Wharf District, there are small privately-owned galleries and a number of pubs, set among cafés and coffee houses. Shop the Appalachian Gallery's two stories of art and crafts, and Contemporary Graphic Arts, Inc. While there, take a boat ride along the Cheat River, wander the trails of nearby state parks, or visit Forks of Cheat Winery for tastings. Restaurant choices widely vary, and include Malaysian, Japanese, Italian, Middle Eastern, organic, and vegetarian options and, of course, old-fashioned home cooking. Plan to take several breaks while shopping to sample the area food. Choice from many hotel chains or nearby state park camp site, or enjoy the grounds of Lakeview Golf Resort and Spa.

Glass-making has a long tradition in West Virginia, and Fenton Glass in Williamstown is the nation's largest distributor of hand-blown glass. Free tours are available and the gift shop is awe-inspiring. Fenton is also online. Nearby Parkersburg is home to the Trans Allegheny Book Store, the largest used bookstore in West Virginia, where shoppers can browse through over 500,000 used books and more than 1,000 new WV titles. Even if you don't like to read, you will be awed by the glass floor, steep spiral staircases and marble counters. Between Parkersburg and Williamstown, stop in at Holl's Swiss Chocolatier's in Vienna where sweets are made daily. Those who want resort-like lodging will enjoy Blennerhasset Hotel.

Those looking for deals will likely find the greatest bargains - especially on antiques - off the beaten path at flea markets, auctions and garage sales. In fact, in West Virginia, you'll find art and hand-crafted items nearly everywhere. But if you are looking for high-quality pieces, unique to West Virginian heritage, you must pick your destination, and plan your shopping path.