A Million-plus Visit Artisans Center Since 2003
Published May 08, 2009
Good location often means good business. And that’s the case for the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, conveniently located just off Interstate 75. It has welcomed more than 1 million visitors since opening in 2003.
The large stone building showcases arts and crafts from the region. Items for sale include books by Kentucky authors, paintings of Kentucky landscapes, barbecue sauces and honeysuckle baskets. There’s also a restaurant specializing in local cuisine.
Wheels of Fortune
The oldest business of its kind west of the Allegheny Mountains is in the hamlet of Waco east of Richmond.
Bybee Pottery was established in 1809, which is cause for a bicentennial observance in 2009. Six generations of the Cornelison family have been turning, glazing and firing stoneware since the beginning.
Today, eight workers make about 3,000 pottery pieces each week.
Loud and Proud
Hear that?
The hills of Madison County are alive with the sound of music, thanks to a variety of concerts. Offerings include Pops at the Park at White Hall Historic State Site near Richmond and Tuesday night concerts at Irvine McDowell Park in Richmond.
Farther south, the Berea Welcome Center has a music series titled Picking on the Porch every Thursday year-round. In addition, concerts are staged in Berea from June through October
at Chestnut Street Park and Memorial Park, featuring bluegrass, country, jazz, blues and big-band music.
Depot Destination
A restored L&N Railroad Depot is home to the Berea Welcome Center. The brick station, built in 1917, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Freight trains still use nearby tracks, but the depot closed in the 1970s and reopened as the welcome center in 1987.
The center offers information on tours through Madison County’s bluegrass and horse farm regions. It also has maps showing the many art studios that grace the adjacent Old Town district.
Agricultural Transformation
Goodbye, tobacco. Hello, grapes.
When Lowell Land inherited his family farm just west of Richmond, he decided to get out of the tobacco business. Instead, he ventured into the grape-growing and winemaking business in
the late 1990s, and the result is Acres of Land Winery.
The winery has a long list of product offerings, including berry blush, blackberry, cabernet sauvignon, chambourcin, chenin blanc, concord, Kentucky chardonnay, merlot and vignoles.
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