on berea and surrounding communities
We--my wife and I--had a good time in Berea, Kentucky, a community familiar to me only in name and reputation because of a small liberal arts college that's been there for nearly 150 years. Our hotel is right in the middle of campus, a three-story white structure built by students in 1911, and still a source of employment for many who currently attend the school. There is a certain level of forced old-timeyness about it that has seen its better days, but a huge renovation a few years ago has brought it up to snuff in many ways. The Boone Tavern, a restaurant in the hotel, has a limited, uninspired, overpriced dinner menu, but the breakfasts are great. Not until we arrived did we realize that the town is completely dry, no alcohol served anywhere within the city limits, forcing us to the nearby town of Richmond for a bottle of wine that we enjoyed on our second night. One room off the hotel lobby features photos of famous guests such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Archbishop Tutu, and the Dalai Lama.
Berea is a good place to visit arts and crafts shops, as there are many in a multi-block stretch of retail area near campus. Because it's in the heart of Appalachia, many of the items are rustic: dulcimers, tables hewn from native trees, and intricately-stitched quilts. Some of the furniture and other crafts are made by Berea students, whose tuition is paid through profits from sales of these products. Because it has a liberal tradition dating to its founding by abolitionists, the college's programs of study are reflected in liberal arts and fine arts programs, and a concerted effort to recruit students of all ethnicities from the country and the world.
Berea is a good place to visit arts and crafts shops, as there are many in a multi-block stretch of retail area near campus. Because it's in the heart of Appalachia, many of the items are rustic: dulcimers, tables hewn from native trees, and intricately-stitched quilts. Some of the furniture and other crafts are made by Berea students, whose tuition is paid through profits from sales of these products. Because it has a liberal tradition dating to its founding by abolitionists, the college's programs of study are reflected in liberal arts and fine arts programs, and a concerted effort to recruit students of all ethnicities from the country and the world.