AN AFTERNOON & A TANK OF GAS: the heart of CLAY country

GOING TO SEAGROVE IS A TRIP, but going to look for Seagrove pottery is a quest. Finding the perfect piece of iconic North Carolina pottery requires (and promises) far more than one-stop shopping. To visit Seagrove properly is to explore miles of scenic two-lane blacktops and a fair number of gravel driveways, each a tempting path to one of nearly a hundred workshops and galleries. Seasoned pilgrims know to bring a good map and a feasible itinerary, plus a willingness to detour and follow a hunch that something extraordinary is just around the corner.

Seagrove potters built this community of studios and shops from the ground up, literally. The area was naturally rich in red clay that punished farmers and rewarded potters, who turned it into simple, serviceable pieces like jugs and churns to