“It’s All About You” Kentucky Solo Adventure

Irvine

Nourish spirit and soul by roaming Snug Hollow’s 350 acres, bird watching, stargazing, porch sitting and daydreaming, walking the farm’s labyrinth meditation accompanied by nature’s soundtrack, pursuing a creative project or helping out in the garden.

Chill in one of three handcrafted cabins, comfortable, fully equipped and each designed to take full advantage of the superb mountainside views. The Wildwood Studio, in particular, is geared to writers, artists, those on solo retreats or anyone seeking rest and recalibration.

Enjoy dinner served at your cabin or join other guests for garden-to-table dining featuring the innkeeper’s gourmet vegetarian meals (and so hearty, fresh and flavorful you may not even notice they’re vegetarian), which also include homemade breads and pies and other goodies.

Rent a kayak or canoe for a quiet float on nearby Lake Reba, a 75-acre fishing lake located up the road from Snug Hollow. Outfitter Get Outside KY will meet you at the lake and help with the launch.

Browse Appalachian artistry at Tater Knob Pottery, showcasing the simple beauty and functionality of handcrafted pottery pieces, including place settings, pitchers, vases, lamps and more. Tater Knob is famous for its Spoon Bread Baker, a 1.5-quart bowl that holds the full recipe of spoon bread, a regional delicacy served at the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea.

Richmond

 

 

Between Irvine and Berea, make a stop in Richmond for an adventure in hoofbeats or history. 

Saddle up for a private guided horseback ride through scenic Daniel Boone Country at Stepping Stone Ranch at Deer Run Stable. All levels of experience are welcome.

At the Kentucky Artisan Center, see Kentucky’s folk traditions and handcrafting heritage through quilts, glassworks, paintings and photographs, decorative pottery pieces, furniture, jewelry, sculptures for the garden and so much more. Each piece is made by one of the 850-plus Kentucky artists whose works are for sale and on display at the Center.

Want to learn how to make brooms, jewelry, clay art, quilts, cornhusk dolls, journals or other handicrafts? The Festival of LearnShops takes place each July; however, individual LearnShops are available year roundyear-round as are the working studios in the Artisan Village where you can watch artists demonstrate their calling: calligraphy design, painting, furniture making, glassblowing, woodworking and more.

Sit down to dinner at the former Churchill Weavers building, famous for its sofa throws, now home to Honeysuckle Dining and Bourbon House. From frog legs to falafel, black-eyed pea cassoulet to shrimp and grits, seasonally changing menus present a mix of regional classics spiced up with world influences.

Book the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel, which welcomes guests like they’re locals and pairs comfortable accommodations individually decorated with handcrafted furniture with the local experience. The hotel, which is owned by Berea College, is staffed in part by students from the college and located at College Square in the heart of Berea near all the restaurants and shops. The best way to get acquainted? Borrow a complimentary bicycle from the hotel and pedal from shop to studio or pick up one of the bike trails.