Blue Ridge Heritage Initiative

The Blue Ridge Heritage Initiative brings together organizations and individuals involved in a broad range of activities, including arts, culture, historic preservation, recreation economic and community development, planning, and natural resource management. The Initiative is a collaborative project of the North Carolina Art Council, the Tennessee Arts Commission for the Arts, and the NC Department of Cultural Preservation.

The Blue Ridge Heritage Initiative created three heritage trails: Blue Ridge Music Trail (www.blueridgemusic.org), Cherokee Heritage Trails, and Gardens and Countryside Trails of the Blue Ridge. Handmade in America created a Crafts Trail (www.handmadeinamerica.org). All of these showcase the heritage of western North Carolina, which was recognized by a federal designation of this region in 2003 as the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.

Partners for the Cherokee Heritage Trails

• Museum of the Cherokee Indian
• Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• North Carolina Arts Council
• North Carolina Folklife Institute
• Tennessee Overhills Heritage Association
• Tennessee Arts Commission
• Blue Ridge Parkway, National Park Service

Funders for the Cherokee Heritage Trails

• National Endowment for the Arts
• North Carolina Arts Council
• North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
• Tennessee Arts Commission
• Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
• Appalachian Regional Commission
• American Express Foundation
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation