John C. Campbell Folk School; Brasstown, N.C.; folkschool.org

Blacksmithing is just one of the skills taught in the John C. Campbell Folk School, in Brasstown, N.C. Founded in 1925, it is a nonprofit geared toward teaching the art, culture and handicrafts of the Appalachian Mountains. Its instructors offer more than 800 weekend and weeklong classes in subjects from blacksmithing to fiddle playing to quilting. Last year some 6,000 students from 49 U.S. states and four other countries attended the school, whose tuition ranges from $235 to $485.

Paul Garrett is the school's resident blacksmith. Students in his Hot and Cold Forging with Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals, $412, learn to gingerly bend metal heated in coal-burning forges that can reach 2,500 degrees --Ron Stodghill