10 Best Cities for Crafting

When you’re ready to get crafty, there’s a city with all the fairs, festivals, studios and makerspaces, even art supply shops, to help you hone your creative skills. Meet, greet and create with fellow artisans as you derive inspiration from the cityscapes around you.

LawnStarter looked at the best cities for crafting types, taking into account such factors as the size of the local crafting community, volume of art classes and workshops, number of crafting events and festivals, and access to art supply stores. Here is the ranked list of crafty and creative cities.

San Jose is home to a vibrant creative community that supports the arts through makerspaces, flea markets, craft fairs and art workshops, even museums. The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles focuses on quilts and textiles as an art form, filling a void for artists who work with textiles. San Jose Made serves as an incubator to help local makers and creators grow and thrive, hosting pop-ups, film festivals, art markets and craft fairs, including SJMADE Fest, a large outdoor craft fair with more than 300 vendors. For handmade crafts and gifts, look to Cottage Crafts Boutique.

Denver has a notable crafting scene and is home to a variety of craft fairs, art shows and creative festivals, like the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. This annual festival is organized by nonprofit CherryArts, whose mission is to make art education and experiences accessible to everyone. The organization hosts art camps, mobile art carts and K-12 arts outreach programs. Denver is also home to top craft fairs, like the Horseshoe Market and the Firefly Handmade Market. There are plenty of makerspaces, even at the Denver Public Library. Five library branches have ideaLABs, which are free community spaces open to anyone who wants to make anything. For supplies, look to The Craft Box, a thrift store dedicated to crafters.

Miami is home to an innovative and collaborative creative community filled with makers and artists eager to share their passion and knowledge with others. At Miami Industrial Arts, Miami’s artisans of all levels can tinker, create or take classes to advance their crafting skills. Crafting classes and workshops are offered across town, whether you want to make candles, stamps or wood décor, which you can do at Nailed It DIY Studio. On Fridays, stroll Historic Overtown, a historically and culturally diverse neighborhood that hosts monthly FolkLife Fridays to showcase locally made arts and crafts, including handmade jewelry and soap.