Berea (Kentucky)

Berea is a small city in Kentucky's Bluegrass Region, located in southern Madison County about 15 miles (24 km) south of Richmond and 45 miles (72 km) south of Lexington. The community, which has experienced major growth in recent decades, is known for its active arts and crafts scene and as the home of Berea College, a liberal arts school with a unique mission of serving students in the Appalachia region.

Understand

Get in

You'll almost certainly get to Berea by car. Berea is accessible from exits 76 and 77 off of I-75.

When you come in, grab a travel planner pamphlet from either the Traveler's Center just off I-75 exit 77 (see below in Buy) or from the Welcome Center in town.

Berea also has a greyhound bus station near Oldtown.

• 🌍 Greyhound, 301 W Jefferson St. (Located at Kiln Time), ☎ [phone]. 

Get around

There are two areas that make up the major centers of Berea: Old Town Artisan Village, and College Square. Each is easily traversable by foot.

To get from one end of town to the other, you could walk; it would take about 15 minutes. Parking is easy to come by, though, so you might as well drive.

See

Do

There are a number of festivals throughout the year, some of which are juried.

• 🌍 Berea College Forest. Dawn-dusk. An 8000 acre forest managed by Berea College. Several miles of trails are maintained by the college's Department of Forestry and are open to the public during daylight hours. The trails lead to several cliff side overlooks with spectacular views. 

Buy

If you want to see Berea and its artists up close and personal, go downtown and just walk the streets. Many artisans have workshops there, and are open to the public (typically 9AM-5PM).

• 🌍 Kentucky Artisan Center (Traveler's Center), 200 Artisan Way (I-75 exit 77), ☎ [phone]. Spring-Fall daily 8AM-8PM; café 8:30AM-5PM. Winter (roughly Jan 4-Mar 10) 8:30AM-6:30PM; café 9AM-4PM. If you're looking for a one-stop shopping location, this is the place to go. 

Eat

If you are making Berea a part-day excursion, consider moving along and eating elsewhere. There are only a few non-chain restaurants, none of which are outstanding. Note also that Berea is a totally "dry" community, with the only exception being sales by the drink at the Boone Tavern restaurant. (Voters in the area that includes Boone Tavern voted to allow alcohol by the drink at that location in 2011, but Berea College, which owns Boone Tavern, did not start selling alcohol until 2014.) The nearest community where alcohol is widely available is Richmond; most of that city is completely "wet" (with package alcohol sales in addition to restaurant sales). If traveling to the south on I-75, the next town that allows alcohol by the drink in restaurants is London, slightly more than a half-hour's drive away, and the next town that allows package sales is Corbin, about 15 minutes further south.

• 🌍 Boone Tavern Dining Room, 100 Main St., ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Fine dining featuring locally grown ingredients from the Berea College Farm. Dress attire is tastefully casual and reservations are recommended for evening meals. Alcohol now available by the drink. 

Drink

As noted above, Berea is totally dry except for sales by the drink at the Boone Tavern restaurant. The nearest town that allows alcohol sales is Richmond.

• 🌍 Berea Coffee & Tea Co., 124 Main St., ☎ [phone]. A local coffee shop featuring sustainable and free trade products. A wide variety of drinks, bakery items, and sandwiches are available. 

Sleep

Bed & Breakfasts

• 🌍 The Doctor's Inn of Berea, 617 Chestnut St., ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A bed and breakfast located in a Greek revival style home. 
• 🌍 The Greathouse Inn, 317 Jackson St., ☎ [phone]. A house constructed in 1917 featuring 3 bedrooms and within walking distance of Berea College. 

Campgrounds & Cottages

• 🌍 HomeGrown HideAways, 500 Floyd Branch Rd, ☎ [phone]. A privately owned campground located on working farm. RV and tent sites with electric and water hookups are available. The campground has a bathhouse with flush toilets and showers are available April through October. No pets are allowed and cell phone service is unreliable. 
• 🌍 Oh! Kentucky Campground, 562 Paint Lick Rd., ☎ [phone]. A privately owned campground featuring 70 campsites ranging from primitive to full hookups. The campground features a store, pool, laundry facilities, and shower houses. 
• 🌍 Walnut Meadow Campground & RV Park, 711 Paint Lick Rd., ☎ [phone]. A privately owned campground featuring 103 campsites ranging from primitive to full hook up. The campground features a store, shower houses, wifi, and laundry facilities 
• 🌍 Weaver's Rest Cottage, 106 Churchill Ct, ☎ [phone]. A fully furnished cottage that was the home of the first mayor of Berea. The cottage sleeps up to 4 people and is located within walking distance of Berea College and downtown. 

Hotels

• 🌍 Americas Best Value Inn, 196 Prince Royal Dr., ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Boone Tavern Hotel, 100 Main St., ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Constructed in 1909, this hotel is operated by Berea College. The rooms feature handcrafted wooden furniture. A restaurant is attached to the hotel. 
• 🌍 Comfort Inn & Suites, 219 Paint Lick Rd., ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Country Inn & Suites, 330 Walnut Creek Dr., ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Econo Lodge, 254 Paint Lick Rd., ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Fairfield Inn & Suites, 227 Paint Lick Rd., ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Knights Inn, 715 Chestnut St., ☎ [phone]. 

Connect

Go next

• Corbin
• Lexington
• London
• Richmond

Routes through Berea

Lexington ← Richmond ←

N  S

→ London → Knoxville