The River Arts District is a sprawl of converted warehouses and factories along the French Broad River, southwest of downtown. More than 200 working artists keep studios here — painters, glassblowers, potters, jewellers, sculptors, printmakers — and most of them are open to the public most days of the week. You can wander in, watch someone working at a wheel or a forge, and buy directly from them.
The district was largely industrial until the late twentieth century and a lot of the buildings still look the part: brick mills, rail spurs, water towers. New cafes and breweries have moved in alongside the studios, and the riverfront has gradually been turned into a greenway. The second weekend in November is the big open-studio weekend, when nearly everyone opens their doors at once.