By Carol Timblin

Traveling US 220 south from Asheboro, NC, take a detour down NC 705 to Seagrove, home of the North Carolina Pottery Center. The museum offers a history of the craft's origins in the Tar Heel and some fine pieces by indigenous potters who started turning the clay into master works of art in the mid-1800s.
Those traditions continue at more than 75 potteries on and off NC 705 south to Robbins at NC 24/27, west of Seven Lakes and Pinehurst. With map in hand and a little time, you can see and purchase a plethora of clay works around the Seagrove area -- not only beautiful objects of art but utilitarian pieces such as bowls, pitchers, cups, plates and dishes for baking pies, cakes and cornbread. You'll also find some rare items such as the water rings, used for carrying water to the fields a long time ago. Among the award-winning artists you will meet are Ben Owen III, who learned from his grandfather, a master potter; Phil Morgan, known for his crystalline vases; and Vernon and Pam Owens, who produce traditional pottery with salt and frogskin glazes and a variety of copper red, green, and earthtone pieces at Jugtown.

Pottery maps are available at the center in Seagrove. The area is also featured in a new guidebook entitled Homegrown Handmade, the result of a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation to the North Carolina Arts Council, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and HandMade in America "to stimulate statewide sustainable tourism and to showcase the state's rural riches...."

If you want to spend longer than a day, plan an overnight in Asheboro, where there are motels and restaurants. Seagrove's restaurants come in handy when looking for a place to take a break or have lunch.

For more information, contact the North Carolina Pottery Center, 336-873-8430, www.ncpotterycenter.com; Discover Seagrove for details on potteries, potters, and kiln openings, 910-464-2689, www.discoverseagrove.com; Randolph County Tourist Development Authority, 800-626-2672, www.visitrandolphcounty.com. Details on Homegrown Handmade are available at www.homegrownhandmade.com