Asheville: Looking for Advice on Art Galleries, Craft Shops

Me and my girlfriend will be visiting my mom who lives near Knoxville, TN next week. She%26#39;ll be turning 70 and she loves all types of crafts, especially quilt shops and scrapbooking stores. I was thinking about taking them to Asheville for a day trip on Friday. It%26#39;s been about four or five years since I%26#39;ve been to Asheville. When I was a kid, I often visited Biltmore, but never really explored the downtown area. Now I understand it%26#39;s really the happening art scene and I would really like to check it out because I%26#39;m a professional photographer and love art galleries.

Here%26#39;s my problem. While my girlfriend and I like the art scene, it%26#39;s not my mom%26#39;s cup of tea. She%26#39;s more into old-fashioned crafts like quilting and sewing. The type of things you would find at Dollywood or Gatlinburg. From everything I%26#39;ve read, downtown Asheville and the Riverside Arts district would be perfect for me and my girlfriend, but I fear my mom would be bored to tears. My question...are there enough craft shops in downtown Asheville that my mom would enjoy? Or could we maybe go somewhere else (within Asheville, of course) to make her happy? I%26#39;m trying to strike the right balance between ';arts'; and ';crafts'; so that it%26#39;s not a wasted trip across the mountains. Is it possible?????? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Asheville: Looking for Advice on Art Galleries, Craft Shops

How about the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville? I think downtown Asheville maybe too ';art';-sy and not enough craftsy for Mom. Another idea would be New Morning Gallery in Biltmore Village and then take them to lunch at Corner Kitchen which is in one of the original BV houses that used to be a residence.

Asheville: Looking for Advice on Art Galleries, Craft Shops

There are several great traditional crafts shops downtown. There are a couple in the Grove Arcade that are really special. There is a walking tour of the arts, crafts and boutique stores in downtown Asheville at asheville-mountain-magic.com/asheville-art-g… . Browse through the walk and you will get a really good idea of what the different art and craft galleries offer. If your Mom can%26#39;t walk that far, you will know where to park as the shops are shown by street. Definitely visit the Blue Spiral 1 Gallery for it has both art and crafts - including quilts. Even though most offerings are modern, everyone that I take there loves the quilts. I have lots of visiting friends that are into quilts, and even those that are very traditional admire the quilts at Blue Spiral. There is also a quilt gallery in the River Arts District. I forget its name, but you can find it here asheville-mountain-magic.com/river-arts-dist… Do call ahead to make sure it will be open as the studios in the River Arts District all keep different hours. Have fun!