Kentucky Artisan Center At Berea

This was a very pleasant road trip pit stop. On the quest to find a nice postcard for my Army friend, a couple of gas station clerks suggested for me to come here. Everything here showcased handmade works of art from locals, from clothing to jewelry, to woodwork, soaps, metal art sculptures, and. postcards made from a local photographer’s work. Everything is a bit pricey due to the nature of it all, but very well worth the extra cost. I picked up a few extra souvenirs for other friends and got them gift wrapped at no additional cost!

This is a cool place. I thought it was just the visitor center for Berea, but we stopped in anyway (it is right off the interstate). It is part visitor center, part gallery, part gift shop, part restaurant. It is a place you should definitely stop in on your way to Berea to get a taste of what the town has to offer.

Due to its close proximity to I 75, this could be considered a high class rest area. It has plenty of parking for even vehicles with trailers. The Kentucky artwork and crafts cover a wide variety of styles and are fun to view and are available for purchase. The restaurant is cafeteria style and features several main entrees that change daily as well as some sandwich selections. It can be reached after a lengthy walk through art galleries, to the consternation of one handicapped friend. The food was exceedingly bland. It was Friday, and I had catfish and my husband had pulled pork. All the food, including the side dishes, were in dire need of seasoning. Since this is a restaurant review, on the basis of the food I am giving it only two stars.

Looking for a nice place to make a pit stop during your road trip through Kentucky? The Kentucky Artisan Center At Berea has food, clean restrooms, a visitor center, and thousands of local artisan projects available for purchase. Our family stops here whenever we pass it, and every time we discover something new about Kentucky and its artisans. What a great place!

This place is part rest-​stop, part craft show. It has a large selection of awesome Kentucky-​made art, food, and clothing/​jewelry (not to mention a café and clean bathrooms). The building itself is beautiful, with stained glass windows and dark stone.
My only complaint is that everything there is really expensive. The food, which I have bought other places, seems to be $ 2 – 3 more than I have paid for it other places. The crafts are all about $ 10-​$ 20 more than I’m willing to pay for them. While I believe an artist should receive fair compensation for his or her efforts, I’m unwilling to pay an extra $ 20 for something I could buy on Etsy for less.
I really suggest stopping in, especially on a road trip. You may find that perfect thing that you just can’t live without. Even if you don’t, it’s awfully fun to browse!

I found myself driving out to the Artisan Center here in Berea on a Tuesday for a meeting over lunch with the strategic planning group of the 20^th Annual Mountain Mushroom Festival planned for April 24 and 25, 2010 in Irvine, KY. Irvine is located in Estill County, «Where the Bluegrass Kisses the Mountains.» On Saturday April 24, the festival opens at 9 a.m. and begins with a Pancake Breakfast, 7 — 11 a.m. at the Masonic Lodge on Broadway for $ 5. There is a $ 1 discount for 5K run participants.
The Fungus 5K Run/​Walk registration ends at 8:45 a.m. and the run starts promptly at 9 a.m. with awards at 10 a.m. at Broadway and Estill Ave. I wish I could be there but I’ll be in California running my 25^th consecutive Big Sur International Marathon. The Mushroom Cook-​off/​Mushroom Cake Decorating Contest is at 11 a.m. I met the team organizing the Kruzerz Antique Car Club cruise-​in. That event is from 9 a.m. — 6 p.m. This should be a blast. This is a fabulous group of civic entrepreneurs and leaders.
I had my first Hot Brown — a stack of turkey slices, cheese sauce and bacon over toast at lunch. The Hot Brown originated at the Brown Hotel in Louisville KY around 1926. It has undergone numerous revisions since then. This version is the one used at the hotel when it was renovated and reopened in 1985. The Artisan Center serves them on Tuesday. I can say that I have had one but it’s not going to be regular item in my diet.