Explore the countryside on a savenger hunt to find some (or all) of the 200 quilt blocks on of nine trails in various regions of Mitchell and Yancey counties, north of Asheville. The Western North Carolina Quilt Trails organization reaches a landmark milestone with the hanging of its 200th quilt block in 2011.
A one-of-a-kind quilt block sundial above was installed in downtown Burnsville in 2010. The quilt block has the distinction of being the first one in the world that can also be used to tell time. The colorful block is mounted on the Yancey Times Journal building just north of the town square. It features a 4-foot gnomon spire that uses sunlight to tell the time of day, and is accurate within six minutes. The eight-foot by eight-foot wooden structure, visible from town square, features three sets of numbers for telling time. There's a set for daylight savings time, a set for standard time and one for local apparent time. A plaque beside the block explains how to use the sundial and the trigonometry principles involved.
More about Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina
Explore the highest concentration of quilt blocks anywhere in the USA! Go to the Burnsville area to get started on your great quilt adventure, just 45 minutes North of Asheville - exit 9 off I-26, or exit onto Hwy 80 off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Six contiguous counties host quilt blocks, with the highest concentration in Yancey, Madison and Mitchell Counties. Nine different driving trails take you to view vividly painted quilt squares installed on barns and buildings of participating communities. Even if it is raining you can still enjoy a day of adventure finding the quilt blocks.
Quilt Trials of Western North Carolina has just published the Driving Map for all nine quilt trails covering Yancey and Mitchell Counties. The 16 page map will help you find the quilt blocks all over both counties. There are nine Tour Guides which go with the map which have all the stories about the blocks in them. You can purchase the map for $2 or a Tour Guide at the Quilt Trails Gift Shop at the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce or at Needle Me This quilt shop. The Tour Guides are $10, $12 and $15, depending on the size. Each Guide tells you how many blocks are on the trail and the approximate driving time it will take you to find all the blocks. Each Guide also has the map for that tour in the back of the book. The guides are available at the Quilt Trails Gift Shop only.
For info on the sundial or the region's nine quilt trails, visit www.quilttrailswnc.org, or call (828) 682-7331
