The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (57 page)

As one might expect, all the fine wine has attracted good food. In the Fair Play area, make it a point to catch happy hour at the
Gold Vine Grill
(6028 Grizzly Flat Rd., Somerset, 530-626-4042), where you can sample several local wines and an appetizer for $15 per person. Interestingly, two wineries in Fair Play feature pizza on most Friday nights May through September: Charles B. Mitchell and Fitzpatrick.
Charles B. Mitchell
(8221 Stoney Creek Rd., 530-620-3467,
www.charlesbmitchell.com
) makes gourmet pizza in an Italian oak-barrel-fired oven and pairs them with Italian-style wines. Between sipping, try the bocce courts; unlimited pizza and salad runs $15 per person. At
Fitzpatrick Winery
(7740 Fair Play Rd., 800-245-9166,
www.fitzpatrickwinery.com
), there’s often live music to accompany your meal.

You won’t have to break your budget at bedtime. Bunk down in Placerville at newly renovated
Gold Trail Motor Lodge
(1970 Broadway, Placerville, 530-622-2906), where rooms have all the expected amenities and run just $50. Or consider the historic
Cary House
(300 Main St., Placerville, 530-622-4271,
www.caryhouse.com
), which plays up the area’s gold rush roots; rooms from $89.
[$
PLURGE
: But if you’d like to splurge, retreat to
Eden Vale Inn
(1780 Springvale Rd., Placerville, 530-621-0901,
www.edenvaleinn.com
). This luxury bed-and-breakfast, hewn out of an old hay barn, offers five unique and very private rooms, with deep soaking spa tubs. Rooms from $149, but ask about midweek specials.]

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

El Dorado County Visitors Authority,
c/o Chamber of Commerce, 542 Main St., Placerville, CA 95667, 800-457-6279 or 530-621-5885,
www.visit-eldorado.com
.

El Dorado Winery Association,
P.O. Box 1614, Placerville, CA 95667, 800-306-3956,
www.eldoradowines.org
.

learn to make jewelry—and more

NORTH CAROLINA

Crafts make us feel rooted, give us a sense of belonging and connect us with our history.

—
PHYLLIS GEORGE, FORMER MISS AMERICA AND AUTHOR OF SEVERAL CRAFTS BOOKS

71 |
Whether it’s a gift or pure self-indulgence, jewelry is a winner with Americans, who spend some $30 billion annually on the bling. But if your interest is more about filling your creative well than your armoire, head to the Blue Ridge of western North Carolina for a jewelry-making class at the John C. Campbell Folk School.

Born in Indiana in 1867, John C. Campbell studied education and theology in New England. In the early 1900s Campbell and his young wife went to study conditions in the then impoverished mountains of Appalachia and dreamed of creating a folk school that would preserve the region’s culture and improve education. After Campbell died in 1919, his wife, Olive, and her friend Marguerite Butler traveled to Scandinavia to study folk schools there and returned to found the John C. Campbell school in 1925.

Students range from young mothers to retirees, says Barbara Joiner, who runs the school’s jewelry programs. “Some are looking for a new skill, some are looking to improve skills. Other people come because their husband or wife is taking a class, and they just pick something.”

That “something” might be a weekend class in metal wire weaving or making paper beads, a five-day class in cloisonné enameling, or a six-day class in stone setting. Courses teach students to set up a loom for weaving a bead bracelet or launch them into silversmithing. In recent years, classes that mix clay with metals and stones to make jewelry have become increasingly popular. In a weekend, students typically can make a ring, a pair of earrings, and a bracelet to take home.

But the real takeaway may be a sense of curiosity whetted. If jewelry isn’t your thing, try one of the school’s other 850 short classes. There’s wood turning, blacksmithing, needlework, painting, photography, broommaking, quilting, dance, cheesemaking, glass-bead making, marbling, storytelling, spinning, pottery, gardening—even kaleidoscope making. Classes typically are small, from a handful to as many as a dozen students; all last a week or less.

Costs vary by class, but as a general rule, tuition costs less than $100 per day and includes all supplies. Lodging is extra and starts at $18 per day for a tent site (meals extra); $79 for dorm space (including three meals daily); and $108 per person for a shared room with bath (including meals).

The setting is part of the attraction: 300 acres of farmlike land and woods in the Blue Ridge near Brasstown, North Carolina, with simple but comfortable accommodations, hearty food, and a comfortable, noncompetitive environment. Brasstown, located in Clay County, is southeast of Murphy, North Carolina, and just north of the Georgia border.

Even if they don’t leave as a burgeoning Louis Comfort Tiffany or Louis Cartier, students go home with a sense of self. “When they’re here, they feel like they’re part of a community of people working together, having fun, being active and intelligent. And in a lot of cases, inspired,” says school director Jan Davidson. No wonder most students come back for more.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

John C. Campbell Folk School,
1 Folk School Rd., Brasstown, NC 28902, 800-365-5724,
www.folkschool.org
.

Clay County Chamber of Commerce,
828-389-3704,
www.ncmtnchamber.com
.

MORE CRAFTS SCHOOLS

 
Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, Tennessee.
Intensive courses in summer months ranging from three days to three weeks in textiles, metals, clay, blacksmithing, glass, and wood. Costs vary by course but start at $300; lodging and meals not included.
931-372-3051,
www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/home/
.

 
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine.
One-and two-week classes offered each summer including glass, basketry, printmaking, quilting, clay, wood turning, and metal. Tuition is $450 for a one-week class; $760 for two weeks; on-campus lodging starts at $175 per week.
207-348-2306,
www.haystack-mtn.org
.

 
Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, California.
Courses in fiber arts, ceramics, visual arts, jewelry, and sculpture. Costs range from $200–$300 plus materials for a weekend course; lodging and meals not included.
707-937-5818,
www.mendocinoartcenter.org
.

 
North House Folk School, Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Boatbuilding, basketry, outdoor skills, painting, sailing, and fiber arts are among the half-day and weeks-long courses taught here. Course costs vary; lodging and meals not included.
218-387-9762,
www.northhouse.org
.

 
Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina.
One-, two-, and eight-week workshops in textiles, drawing, clay, photography, metals, and other crafts. One-week classes start around $470; room and board varies, but starts at $407 per week in a dorm room.
828-765-2359,
www.penland.org
.