Kentucky, USA
'Stinky backpack straps are a sign of pride'
Although Kentucky has quite a few famous sites, attractions, memorials, and businesses (seriously, look them up), one place has always been close to my heart: Bernheim Forest. The forest is not as unusual as the Natural Bridge (in Eastern Kentucky), as famous as Mammoth Cave (Southern Kentucky), as special as Cumberland Falls (check out the Moonbow), or inside the city like Cherokee Park. Many guests skip Bernheim unless they are along the Bourbon Trail, but they are doing themselves a disservice. Let me explain why.
What to do
There are many small hiking trails and one beast of an ordeal called The Millennium Trail. Not for the faint of heart or out of shape. You can also bike around the lake or go fishing. One of the unique elements is the scattered artwork, mostly sculptures, that are placed all about the park. It's an adventure in and of itself tracking down the different monuments and statues. There are also some sizable gardens to enjoy, plenty of daily activities for the family, and concerts at the lake amphitheater.
The Bloomfest event is a celebration around the burst of color that comes with Spring.
There are many small hiking trails and one beast of an ordeal called The Millennium Trail. Not for the faint of heart or out of shape. You can also bike around the lake or go fishing. One of the unique elements is the scattered artwork, mostly sculptures, that are placed all about the park. It's an adventure in and of itself tracking down the different monuments and statues. There are also some sizable gardens to enjoy, plenty of daily activities for the family, and concerts at the lake amphitheater.
The Bloomfest event is a celebration around the burst of color that comes with Spring.
What to do part deuce
Bernheim loves to encourage local and nationally recognized artists to create art for the park. Pretty much all of it is climbable so the kids (and silly adults) love it.
A few times a year, there are big events that are more like county fairs with all the different activities. If you're in town for one of these, you will think it's great.
Be sure to head up to the Canopy Tree Walk and scare your friends with how the elevated path sways in the breeze. Don't throw rocks at the turkey vultures that are eye level, though, that's how a Birdemic starts.
Bernheim loves to encourage local and nationally recognized artists to create art for the park. Pretty much all of it is climbable so the kids (and silly adults) love it.
A few times a year, there are big events that are more like county fairs with all the different activities. If you're in town for one of these, you will think it's great.
Be sure to head up to the Canopy Tree Walk and scare your friends with how the elevated path sways in the breeze. Don't throw rocks at the turkey vultures that are eye level, though, that's how a Birdemic starts.
Photo Shop
If you're in Kentucky during the Autumn, there are some awesome sites to see with the changing leaves. I recommend heading down into one of the many creeks so you get the arch of the trees and reflection of the colors on the water.
The many pieces of art can create some neat photos, too, just think about angles (macro, low, off-center) to give it an artistic flair of your own.
If you're in Kentucky during the Autumn, there are some awesome sites to see with the changing leaves. I recommend heading down into one of the many creeks so you get the arch of the trees and reflection of the colors on the water.
The many pieces of art can create some neat photos, too, just think about angles (macro, low, off-center) to give it an artistic flair of your own.
Party Time
The park is a great place to bring a date. Going for a stroll around the lake or goofing off by climbing the huge sculptures are both fun outdoor activities. After that, you can get a nice meal at the cafe and stroll around the gardens.
When the park has their big events, there is music, drink, interactive art installations and more.
The park is a great place to bring a date. Going for a stroll around the lake or goofing off by climbing the huge sculptures are both fun outdoor activities. After that, you can get a nice meal at the cafe and stroll around the gardens.
When the park has their big events, there is music, drink, interactive art installations and more.
Adventuring
If you're a hard core hiker, register for the Millennium Trail. Make sure you start early enough!
If you love running, there is a nearly contiguous running path around the park and you should add on the lake and some trail running, too!
Ticked Off
One thing that ExJack has never gotten used to is being a buffet for ticks. Some of Bernheim's trails, since they are not overly used during the week, can be a real firing squad of those disgusting little buggers. Tuck your clothes in, bring spray, and have your hiking buddy check you every few miles.
If you're a hard core hiker, register for the Millennium Trail. Make sure you start early enough!
If you love running, there is a nearly contiguous running path around the park and you should add on the lake and some trail running, too!
Ticked Off
One thing that ExJack has never gotten used to is being a buffet for ticks. Some of Bernheim's trails, since they are not overly used during the week, can be a real firing squad of those disgusting little buggers. Tuck your clothes in, bring spray, and have your hiking buddy check you every few miles.
Jack's Favorite Trails
Lake Nevin Loop: an easy gravel trail around the lake. Some good long views, elevated walkways over wetlands, plenty of places to sit, some birdhouses and art work along the path. Good for running, too.
Knob Top Trail: Easy trail that ascends some, but finishes before you get too tired.
Fire Tower Loop: A (kind of) high elevation trail with some fresh smells from being up in all the trees.
Wallet Roll
If you're there on a weekend or holiday, it will be about $5 per car. If you're there on a weekday, it's free! This is not a state-funded park, but it is set up to be cheap (or free) to everyone. Inside the park, the prices at the gift shop and cafe are perfectly reasonable. This is a very inexpensive trip, especially if you've just bought a bunch of high-end bourbon next door.
Lake Nevin Loop: an easy gravel trail around the lake. Some good long views, elevated walkways over wetlands, plenty of places to sit, some birdhouses and art work along the path. Good for running, too.
Knob Top Trail: Easy trail that ascends some, but finishes before you get too tired.
Fire Tower Loop: A (kind of) high elevation trail with some fresh smells from being up in all the trees.
Wallet Roll
If you're there on a weekend or holiday, it will be about $5 per car. If you're there on a weekday, it's free! This is not a state-funded park, but it is set up to be cheap (or free) to everyone. Inside the park, the prices at the gift shop and cafe are perfectly reasonable. This is a very inexpensive trip, especially if you've just bought a bunch of high-end bourbon next door.
The Seal Club
Bernheim is one of Jack's favorite places in all of America, though he knows that is partially just a personal taste. Still, pleasant outdoors abounds here! Travel Well Traveled Official Seal of Approval.
Bernheim is one of Jack's favorite places in all of America, though he knows that is partially just a personal taste. Still, pleasant outdoors abounds here! Travel Well Traveled Official Seal of Approval.
Travel Tip #32: Sunscreen, bugspray, hand sanitizer, water bottles, sealed crackers are your best friends.
Travel Well Traveled Forest Warrior Essay
The Unsung Sites:
Tell the World About Your Diamond in the Rough
Ol' Jack debated on whether or not to include Bernheim in a Travel Well Traveled issue. It seemed rather parochial compared to some of the grand places he usually wrote about. However, it is good to remember that just because something is local and down home to me, it may be exotic to you. Issue One of TWT was about Gokurakuji Temple and Dojo, located at the end of a lonely, winding road up in some minor mountains in Japan. The dojo is not a famous place (though many people think it quite striking when they see pictures of it) and probably seemed rather mundane to the local Japanese, but it was a special place to me.
Bernheim is much the same. Honestly, there are plenty of other places to see in Kentucky if you're here on a tight schedule: a race at Churchill Downs, baseball history at Slugger Museum, Mammoth Cave, the Corvette Museum, Bourbon Trail, Lincoln's Birthplace, the Moonbow, the Natural Bridge, Thunder Over Louisville, The Riverboats, Thoroughbred Retirement Park, just to name eleven of Kentucky's many great offerings. So, why an issue for this little park?
Well, maybe because I thought The Derby was already famous enough, or I thought you might be one of those travelers who enjoys getting off the red-haired step child path and exploring sites that are not as well worn. So, this issue is for you, hypothetical reader. I wanted to highlight a diamond that I'm not sure many people know about. I wanted you to know an alternative to the top twenty on other travel websites.
For me, Bernheim has helped define my childhood. I grew up around Louisville and spent many a sweltering Summer day hiking and playing at this park. I developed an understanding and love for nature by seeing the myriad colors of the flowers, the towering trees (that looked especially big to a 6 year old), and the legions of insects that sprang out of the undergrowth. I began to understand problem solving by forging a path through water-cut ravines that bisected the trail ahead, or scrambling around the non-thorny area of a Zeus-blighted tree.
And there was art there, sitting amidst the nature. It was both clashing and melding all at once. I remember crawling all over sculptures and wondering about the antiquity of statues. Bernheim helped fire my imagination in a way that the smaller or more typical city parks did not.
The park has changed some over the years, but it has only refined itself, added here and there. The visitor center was rebuilt as a green building, complete with a living roof. The art installations grew in scope and frequency with living mazes built out of curving branches, ton-heavy concrete blocks that echo sound, and many bizarre creations that would be at home within an artist's squat. But the feeling of the park, the simple openness of the main prairies and the exploratory side trails, remains. So what sort of local gem is special to you? Is it a peaceful park like mine? Or is it a street that looks glorious after a snowfall? A pub that has the best grub this side of the hemisphere? Crumbling stairs that lead to a basement club where brash, young bands play for standing room circles of smoke and nods? Grandparents' farm? A forgotten cemetery? An under-appreciated antique store? Your own backyard?
I think you should share this place with the rest of us. Now, if you're worried about an invasion of folks tromping through your secret trampoline, then you should share with vague brushstrokes. Tell us the similes and metaphors, but not the literal nature if you wish to keep the location unspoilt.
But share. I think there are moments and moments in places that we should keep only to ourselves, but there are the larger places that might help your fellow travelers find some solace, too.
Tell the World About Your Diamond in the Rough
Ol' Jack debated on whether or not to include Bernheim in a Travel Well Traveled issue. It seemed rather parochial compared to some of the grand places he usually wrote about. However, it is good to remember that just because something is local and down home to me, it may be exotic to you. Issue One of TWT was about Gokurakuji Temple and Dojo, located at the end of a lonely, winding road up in some minor mountains in Japan. The dojo is not a famous place (though many people think it quite striking when they see pictures of it) and probably seemed rather mundane to the local Japanese, but it was a special place to me.
Bernheim is much the same. Honestly, there are plenty of other places to see in Kentucky if you're here on a tight schedule: a race at Churchill Downs, baseball history at Slugger Museum, Mammoth Cave, the Corvette Museum, Bourbon Trail, Lincoln's Birthplace, the Moonbow, the Natural Bridge, Thunder Over Louisville, The Riverboats, Thoroughbred Retirement Park, just to name eleven of Kentucky's many great offerings. So, why an issue for this little park?
Well, maybe because I thought The Derby was already famous enough, or I thought you might be one of those travelers who enjoys getting off the red-haired step child path and exploring sites that are not as well worn. So, this issue is for you, hypothetical reader. I wanted to highlight a diamond that I'm not sure many people know about. I wanted you to know an alternative to the top twenty on other travel websites.
For me, Bernheim has helped define my childhood. I grew up around Louisville and spent many a sweltering Summer day hiking and playing at this park. I developed an understanding and love for nature by seeing the myriad colors of the flowers, the towering trees (that looked especially big to a 6 year old), and the legions of insects that sprang out of the undergrowth. I began to understand problem solving by forging a path through water-cut ravines that bisected the trail ahead, or scrambling around the non-thorny area of a Zeus-blighted tree.
And there was art there, sitting amidst the nature. It was both clashing and melding all at once. I remember crawling all over sculptures and wondering about the antiquity of statues. Bernheim helped fire my imagination in a way that the smaller or more typical city parks did not.
The park has changed some over the years, but it has only refined itself, added here and there. The visitor center was rebuilt as a green building, complete with a living roof. The art installations grew in scope and frequency with living mazes built out of curving branches, ton-heavy concrete blocks that echo sound, and many bizarre creations that would be at home within an artist's squat. But the feeling of the park, the simple openness of the main prairies and the exploratory side trails, remains. So what sort of local gem is special to you? Is it a peaceful park like mine? Or is it a street that looks glorious after a snowfall? A pub that has the best grub this side of the hemisphere? Crumbling stairs that lead to a basement club where brash, young bands play for standing room circles of smoke and nods? Grandparents' farm? A forgotten cemetery? An under-appreciated antique store? Your own backyard?
I think you should share this place with the rest of us. Now, if you're worried about an invasion of folks tromping through your secret trampoline, then you should share with vague brushstrokes. Tell us the similes and metaphors, but not the literal nature if you wish to keep the location unspoilt.
But share. I think there are moments and moments in places that we should keep only to ourselves, but there are the larger places that might help your fellow travelers find some solace, too.
Travel Tip #161: Don't brag to other travelers. Certainly don't lie. Chances are, someone else has actually been there or done that.
Falling Bernheim
New England gets all this jazz for a pretty fall, but we all know they're so far up North they're practically Canadian. Or even, Nova Scotian! But let's have some love for the gorgeous changing of the vast forests of the mid-western-sourthern-central part of the nation. Bernheim offers some breathtaking swaying carnivals of leaves: organges, yellows, reds, stubborn greens.
Festivals and Artwork
Not only is Bernheim a natural place, but it is also a welcome home to lots of strange and beautiful artwork. Ditto on the festivals. The park has numerous festivals throughout the year and many permanent art installations. One installation was a living building made out of wood, another was a massive concrete structure, and there are even more scattered about the park.
Hiking
Whether you're going for a quick mile long loop or a ridiculous all-day marathon hike, Bernheim has you covered. The trails intersect and loop back across each other, rising over steep hills, through thick forests, down small cliffs, and across creeks. It can be as challenging or relaxing as you'd like it to be.
Bernheim Video
Here you can catch a glimpse of some animals, the Millenium Trail, some artwork, a festival, and lots of Fall colors!
30 Seconds of Zen
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Constant Change
Bernheim has been a place that I've visited again and again, over the course of my entire life. Some of my earliest memories of the outdoors are of climbing on sculptures and hiking through the woods of Bernheim. Over the years, the park has changed and yet remained the same. Let me explain: just like a forest seems to exist wholly complete within itself it still incorporates new plants and animals into its midst. Bernheim is like that. There are more art installations now than when I was a boy. Some trails have disappeared while others have been carved from the forest. The visitor center received an upgrade while the petting zoo was put to rest. The festivals have evolved, too, but the park, as always, has remained. The mission of providing a peaceful place to get away from the city has never wavered. The goal of helping to teach the young and the old about the natural world has stayed constant. The commitment to artists and sustainable agriculture has only grown.
In short, Bernheim is a place that is special to me because it has played a big, steady role in my life. While it has always been there, the park itself has grown just like its forests have. It's both a welcome relief to have this consistency and a joyful sense of rediscovery every time I return from overseas to take a walk through its cool paths.
In short, Bernheim is a place that is special to me because it has played a big, steady role in my life. While it has always been there, the park itself has grown just like its forests have. It's both a welcome relief to have this consistency and a joyful sense of rediscovery every time I return from overseas to take a walk through its cool paths.
