The fair showcases the work of members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, a non-profit organization with more than 700 members throughout the mountain regions of nine states.

More than fifty years of experience in quality craftsmanship provides the foundation of the 51st Annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands. Time-honored traditions of Southern Appalachian craft establish that the Fair is no "young upstart" in the craft world.

The first fair was held in Gatlinburg, TN on the grounds of the Phi Beta Phi Settlement School. The craftspeople under the tents educated and entertained an estimated 62,000 visitors from approximately 45 states and several foreign countries. While at the Fair, visitors observed skilled craftsmen as they created objects of fiber, wood, clay and glass and experienced a variety of entertainment which included music, folk dancing an puppetry.

Many traditions from the first fairs have endured as The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands continues to grow and mature. Still offered are many heritage mountain crafts that reflect the rich traditions of the Southern Appalachia region along with a growing number of contemporary forms reflecting the progress and diversity of the craft movement.