Berea - Arts Capital of Kentucky

There are other towns that can admirably claim to be the "Appalachian Arts Capital" of the World, but I really think Berea has a corner on the market. I love Gatlinburg, but Berea lacks the touristy aspect of that well visited place.

Of course, Berea didn't begin as an arts and crafts place. In the 1890’s, there was a growing national interest in the culture and traditions of Appalachia by writers, academics, missionaries, and teachers. Berea was just far enough east to be considered "Appalachian" (the close-by mountains helped as well) but far enough west to not be TOO Appalachian so it was a safe place for many college donors to invest their money. Back then, some of the Berea College students who couldn't afford tuition would bring things such as homemade quilts in exchange for their chance to study. You can see what happened next-the homemade items became a hot commodity and an idea was born.

The College president, William Frost, took a lot of the items with him on his fund raising trips to the North. Seeing a market for the items he established the first Berea College Fireside Industries. Frost encouraged people to move to Berea, and the college built a loom house and hired a supervisor to train and maintain the quality of student work.

To this day, many shops carry items made by the college students. Some of the shops solely carry college crafts and this is a way that a lot of the students fund their way through school. Some things don't change.

Quick Tips:

More Than Crafts
If you're not into brooms and quilts, Berea offers other activities as well. There are some fantastic hiking opportunities in surrounding parks like Anglin Falls, the Berea College Forest, Indian Fort Theater, and the Owsley Fork Reservoir.

Personally, I love to hike in the Indian Fort Theatre. If you climb up to one of the Pentacles (not an easy walk although the climbing bit doesn't actually come until the end) you can get a great view of the surrounding counties. It's a good place for a picnic.

Best Way To Get Around:

There's no pool, but the hotel is still the best in town. It's old, and maybe a little frayed around the edges, but it's still classy and has an old world charming elegance. The hotel has a great restaurant on site, and if that doesn't suit your needs, there's a coffee shop and an Italian place (Papa Leno's-best place in town) just around the corner. It is also situated on College Square where you can find many shops and galleries with Kentucky hand-crafted items. It is directly across the street from Berea College as well, making it easily accessible.

The rooms are a little dated, but they are charming. The entire hotel is getting a face lift next year complete with room renovations, a new lobby, a new driveway, and gardens. As it is, it has a lovely lobby and a great front porch with nice rocking chairs and a view of the mountains.

I’ve been eating at this place for nearly 17 years now. And, unfortunately, I’ve been ordering the same thing. Hot ham and cheese on homemade bread or a bowl of Wisconsin cheese soup. I don’t know why. Habit, maybe? But anyway, this is a great little place on College Square, around the corner from Boone Tavern. It’s a very old world kind of restaurant with wooden booths and dark corners and has become a favorite with the college crowd. If you’re in the mood for pizza, subs, or pasta, it’s definitely the place to go in Berea.

There are a few dishes that I like...the Wisconsin cheese soup is good, but strong so stay away if you don't like harsh cheese. The hot ham and cheese on Papa Leno's bread is good and comes with a side of potato chips and a pickle. The baked spaghetti with meat sauce is excellent and comes with a huge garlic bread stick that is nice to dip into the meat sauce. For dessert, there is the chocolate suicide cake (it's as rich as it looks) and the turtle cheesecake, my favorite.

This is the place to eat at when you're feeling like something a little more upscale than the Dinner Bell. Used to, it was black tie, but now you can find people dining in jeans. Personally, I miss the old days...But anyway. It's definitely the most expensive restaurant in Berea, and quite possibly the county. It's still elegant and refined and the food above par. There is an old Southern charm to the lobby and the furnishings and going there is a little akin to stepping back in time.

I love the spoonbread that comes with every meal. It's basically soft corn bread with a little sweet taste. For meals, you can't go wrong with any of the meat dishes, and the baked Alaska is a great dessert when they have it. The food is considered to be "Kentucky cuisine", but upscale. It ranges in price from around $13-$28, depending on the meat dish that you order. They have specials during the holidays that are usually pre-fixed menus and these are the best deals.

Remember, Berea is dry so you won't be able to order alcohol with your meal.

http://www.boonetavernhotel.com/

This dance group is a non-profit educational and cultural organization dedicated to introducing, promoting, and advancing traditional American contra, quadrille, and social dances in Berea. The dances gather a great eclectic crowd and you’ll see people wearing everything from kilts to Amish attire. Dances are held on the fourth Saturday of every month except December. In December, they do a Christmas workshop (fills up early so people try to register by early fall) and they teach everything from belly dancing to yodeling. It all culminates with a huge New Year’s Eve dance. It’s a great time and I almost never miss a year. A spring dance weekend with guest callers and musicians is not to be missed by dance enthusiasts.

This can be a family affair and people from all ages and all walks of life go. There are also people from various dancing backgrounds so you don't have to be an experienced contra dancer to enjoy the evening. They always teach the dances before they actually do them so you catch on pretty quickly.

Dulcimers by Warren A. May are traditional, totally functional and beautiful instruments of distinction. They are made of solid woods: Black Walnut, Cherry or Poplar. Each dulcimer has a hand-carved scroll and the tops and backs are book-matched (sawn from the same board with matching grain pattern). An aesthetic look and sound is produced in each instrument.

Each dulcimer is hand-crafted, assembled, carved, sanded, finished and precisely tuned for the best sound and ease of playing. Each dulcimer is signed, dated, and numbered. It has a lifetime guarantee to original owner on construction and playability.

I, personally, have owned two of his dulcimers in my lifetime. To show you how well liked his work is, when someone broke into my home last fall my dulcimer was the only thing taken. If you catch him in a good mood, he’ll play a bit for you and give impromptu lessons. You should really hear him play “Sound of Silence.”

Expect to pay around $200 for the least expensive. He'll also custom design them.

White the Berea Artisan Center certainly had a good premisis behind it, in the long run I am afraid that it will hurt our local crafts business. It was built to showcase regional and local crafts that are slowly becoming lost art forms. From quilts to baskets and pottery, not only can you buy products at the Center, but you can also watch demonstrations. Unfortunately, Berea has always had a strong craft vibe to the town and has always hosted a multitude of shops to showcase them. Now that we have the big, glossy, and glamorous Artisan Center right off the interstate, people no longer have no reason to go into Berea when they can do one-stop shopping all at once.

Please don't by-pass old town Berea. You will find shop after shop of everything that you can find in the Artisan Center. I am not saying to not go to the Center, I'm just saying not to make it your only stop on the Appalachian trail. Old Town is less than two miles from the Center and you won't be disappointed. It's the mom and pop shops that make Berea unique.

www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov