Berea, Kentucky was named after the biblical town of Veria in Macedonia. It was first founded as “the Glade” by an Abolitionist minister named Reverend John Gregg Fee in 1853, with financial help and land grants from the already famous Abolitionist, Cassius Clay.
Berea College
Two years later, Reverend Fee founded Berea College, the first interracial and co-ed institution in the South. From the jump, Berea College not only allowed Black students, it integrated all students and facilities in its housing, its classrooms, its local businesses, and all aspects of the community.
It was not a historical black school or white school that desegregated; it was created for the integration of everyone from the start.
Fee’s dream was to create a Utopia where all students could live and study with equal support and opportunity regardless or race, gender, or social status. Students with exceptional academic abilities but low income are especially welcomed.
Each student is given a job on campus and their wages cover their living expenses and tuition, so a large number of them graduate without debt.
Reverend Fee and his wife went so far as to develop an early housing plan where funds were raised to help white and black families purchase lots of land side by side, of equal size and with equal financial aid, to demonstrate integration in every aspect.
The original housing design is often called the “Checkerboard” and even the exterior of the houses were alternately painted black and white. Soon, the campus and community itself was called a Checkerboard in the broader sense.
You can read more about about early Berea and integration initiatives here, and tons more Berea and surrounding Madison County history here.
The dream continued until 1904 when some asshat politician named Carl Day passed through town and was disgusted to see a black and white student hug each other, so he immediately went back to Louisville and demanded the passing of legislation that banned interracial education.
Berea College faculty fought the new law all the way to the Supreme Court but it ultimately passed in 1908. This meant that Berea could no longer teach its black students on campus. Way to be on the wrong side of history, Carl Day.
Anyways, Berea’s interracial faculty and board came up with a plan to create scholarships that allowed its black students to continue their tuition-free education at the Lincoln Institute for black students, and kept black members on the board to insure that the students’ best interests were protected.
This bullshit finally ended in 1950, when the Day Law was lifted. Berea faculty immediately sprung into action to repair the division that affected their community for nearly fifty years, but it was a slow and frustrating process.
Naomi, Winona, and Ashley Judd all lived in Berea and/or attended school at Berea College.
Aside from the Judds, the most notorious Berea College alum is Carter G. Woodson who created “Negro History Week” back in 1926, which later became Black History Month.
When the U.S. Civil Rights Trail launched in 2018, Berea College was added as a stop right away. Faculty frequently takes its students on a bus tour of the entire trail or specific sites for no charge.
Netflix recently created a mini-series called When They See Us that features segments from Truth Talks, Berea College’s community race discussions.
Berea, Proper
Berea itself is a small eastern Kentucky town of about 9.5 square miles, known as the Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky. It is located along the Cumberland Plateau right off I-75, just 30 miles south of Lexington.
The most popular parts of town are the Old Town Artisan Village and College Square, and the village draws international tourism each year with events like Berea Craft Festival, Berea Celtic Festival, Spoonbread Festival, Danish-American Yule Festival, multiple Mountain Folk Festivals, US 25 Yard Sale, Festival of African American Music, and more.
Show of Hands
You will most likely notice right away that Berea is peppered with 6′ tall sculptures of hands, each one painted with a different theme.
A concentration of them can be found in Fee Sculpture Park, a grassy courtyard in the Artisan Village that hosts some permanent exhibits as well as a constant rotation of others.
The Berea Arts Council curated an exhibit called Show of Hands in 2003 and recruited local businesses and non-profits to fund twelve selected local artists in their creation of these fiberglass statues.
The hands are meant to extend “welcoming hands” to visitors, but also serve as a symbolic connection to all of the handmade local art in Kentucky’s Folk Arts & Crafts Capital.
Old Town Artisan Village
Berea’s Old Town Artisan Village is a mecca for florists, galleries, wine shops, fabric and textile boutiques, craft studios, antique stores, and mini malls.
The heart of it is the Fee Sculpture Park that I mentioned above, and it is full of historical plaques and artifacts that tell about Berea’s arts and crafts history.
I really like Bob Montgomery‘s metal hands and Mythical Beasts sculptures.
The Historic L & N Depot has been Berea’s welcome center since 1987 and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.
It first opened as a depot for the Kentucky Central Railroad in the 1870s. Back then it was the only brick depot between Knoxville, TN and Lexington, KY and today it is the only remaining brick depot between Knoxville all the way up to Cincinnati, OH.
This is your best bet for a free clean restroom, friendly guides, local travel brochures and itineraries, scale models of the town, historic documents and info, and a gift/souvenir shop.
The Old Town Jail (now under private ownership) and the Kentucky Guild are also in the village.
The former Berea Hotel building is now home to a couple of locally-owned gift shops, and the barn next door is home to the Honeysuckle Vine Gallery & Studio.
Our mission at Apollo Pizza was supposed to have been for a snack, but once we saw the menu, we know we had to get pizzas.
We tried the Mac Daddy with macaroni and cheese and bacon, and then the Hawaii 5-0 with ham and pineapple.
We could not resist a round of Country Boy Brewing’s Cougar Bait blonde ale also.
While you are inside, snap a selfie in front of this iconic Berea postcard mural.
Becky’s Breads had a nice selection of sweets to snack on later like peanut butter chocolate bars, croissants, and scones.
Just Love Coffee, Native Bagel/Night Jar, and Rebel are all great for coffee, breakfast, lunch, brunch, and more.
It was overcast, very windy, and a bit rainy at times when we visited. That is my preferred type of weather, but I wanted to note that it is rarely as dreary as it may appear in some of these photos.
We really enjoyed wandering around, searching for murals, admiring the hand sculptures and overall cuteness of the village.
Some of the local artist-backed businesses include Weaver’s Bottom Craft Studio, Top Drawer Gallery, and Old Town Fabric.
College Square
Just across Main Street, in what I would consider easy walking distance, is College Square. There is a strip of businesses bookended by the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and PeaceCraft.
The Historic Boone Tavern Hotel has been a Berea landmark since 1907. It was designed by an architect named J. C. Cady with elegant layers and towering white marble columns.
Dalai Lama, Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou, Henry Ford, and former President Calvin Coolidge are only a few of Boone’s famous guests.
Boone Tavern Hotel has the esteemed titles of both “Historic Hotel of America and a certified LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design)” hotel.
Berea College Visitors Center is conveniently located on the backside of the coffeeshop and you can buy all your Berea apparel and gifts there.
Berea Coffee & Tea‘s interior is really lovely and inviting, but the person working that day killed the vibe.
I generally do not care if staff are friendly, as long as I get whatever I need to buy. I also rarely even mention experiences I do not enjoy in my stories, but this is different because it was just so outlandish.
This person glared daggers at me when we walked in and was so rude that I wondered if maybe they mistook me for someone else. Like, they growled “What do you want?” through their teeth and slammed my coffee on the counter so hard that it spilled, then continued to glare as I tipped them, thanked them, and wished them a good day despite all that.
I was wearing a floral dress with no potentially offensive logos, slogans, or any other symbols on me. My friend did not receive the same treatment so we were super confused, but the coffee was fantastic. I am not deterred at all from returning and I look forward to hanging out in the cozy atmosphere next time.
Appalachian Fireside Gallery, PeaceCraft, and SoYum Candle Company are a few other shops found around College Square.
We stood outside of Dona Maria‘s window drooling over the spicy aroma of fresh tamales, watching the workers make new ones, and cursing ourselves for already eating too much pizza. Next time… and hopefully I can pay a visit the Nellie Frost Cafe also.
College Square has a trim, grassy lot full of sculptures surrounding the historic buildings and shops. There is a small industrial park around the back with picnic tables and benches also.
Across the street you will see a log cabin-style structure that hosts a few more shops like Get Outside Kentucky.
My favourite place there (and in all of Berea) is the locally-owned and independent bookstore, Taleless Dog Booksellers.
We enjoyed chatting with the owner who has some mutual acquaintances and shared interested, and I picked up the newest Amor Towles book.
This little fuzzball was the best item in the whole store.
There is a section for local and regional authors, and a featured collection by Bell Hooks.
You can look out across the street and see the Bell Hooks Institute of Berea College Hooks was an author, feminist, and activist who lived in Berea until her death in 2021.
Outdoors & More
Berea is known as Kentucky’s Trail Town and boasts having the Pinnacles, Anglin Falls, Owsley Park, Silver Creek Bike Park, the Berea Urban Farm, the Indian Fort Mountain Trail System, and other trails in addition to all the trails and attractions of the Appalachian Mountains.
One of my personal favourites is the Historic Boone Trace Trail with over 150 miles that connect historical monuments and sites like Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and the Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park.
Other fun places to visit include the Kentucky Artisan Center and the Berea Farmers Market, and consider taking a Berea Public Art Tour or a Bourbon History River Tour.
Antique Radio Warehouse
Random, but if antique radios are your thing, have I got a place for you.
The feller who owns the warehouse runs it as a hobby, so give him a call and make sure he will be around before you drive out.
He was so amiable and welcoming, a treasure trove of knowledge, and was happy to share what he knows to a doofus like me who knew next to nothing before visiting.
He also has a vast collection for sale or barter, and frequently purchases more to work on and keep things spicy around the shop.
The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum is about 14 miles south of Berea, and well worth the drive for music fans.
Skip over to the next big driveway along the highway and visit Kentucky’s Country Music Capital, the Renfro Valley Entertainment Center.
Between the huge barn, the OBT (Old Barn Theatre), and a few other buildings, there are countless possibilities for festivals and live performances, comedy shows, barn dances, weddings, and other events.
It took a while to dawn on me that this more of a festival grounds for live music events, and these places are not usually open unless something is going on or to cater to guests of the Renfro Valley Lodge across the highway.
Part of the complex includes the Bittersweet Cabin Village, Museum, and Gift Shop. You can take self-guided tours of the village a glimpse of Appalachian life in more primitive days.
Twisted Stache Coffee & Creamery and Valley Liquor are located in this complex, and open to the public whether Bittersweet or Renfro Valley are open or not at a given time.
In the area for a while? Follow me to London, Corbin, Lexington, Louisville, or Mammoth Cave National Park!
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