From Doc To Bach: The Diverse Cultural Landscape of the High Country. Banjos to violins, dosie-does to pirouettes, local storytellers to Neil Simon plays, and hand- thrown pottery to towering steel sculpture, the High Country offers a unique blend of traditional and modern culture. Bluegrass, gospel and traditional music provide the perfect soundtrack for the mountains. The High Country offers performances from celtic to bluegrass to traditional Americana music.

While celebrating its heritage through mountain music, the High Country also offers a diverse array of other types of music and dance. ASU’s Performing Arts Series as well as Lees-McRae College’s Performing Arts and Summer Theatre, Ashe Civic Center, Wilkes Community College and the Hayes Peforming Arts Center all feature diverse concerts, dance and theatrical performances throughout the year. Not to mention the outdoor theatrical drama performed by Horn in the West that portrays the role oft Daniel Boone in the Revolutionary War and the settlement of the area.

The history of the High Country and heritage of its ancestors is preserved in the oral traditions of storytelling. This lost art form is found at Altapass Orchard in Little Switzerland where a storyteller rides along with you on a hayride to tell you about the role the Orchard played in the Revolutionary War.Visually, the High Country itself is a work of art. Set against this lovely backdrop, over a thousand resident artists use the mountains to inspire their hands to create works of art. While many of them practice traditional crafts including pottery and weaving, still others are creating modern masterpieces in large scale outdoor abstract sculpture or in oils and acrylics on canvas.