Smithsonian says Kentucky has one of the 15 best places to visit in 2025
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Smithsonian ranked Berea a top 15 small town to visit in the U.S. in 2025.
- Berea College marks 170 years with tours, artisan crafts and campus dining.
- Visitors explore artisan studios, nature trails and the Kentucky Artisan Center.
If you’re searching for the perfect weekend day trip in Kentucky this fall, Berea may be tough to beat.
Smithsonian Magazine recently placed the Madison County city in the same league as a California coastal community home to a monarch butterfly pitstop, an Iowa village known for its covered bridges and the Connecticut location that inspired a famous “Gilmore Girls” setting.
In compiling its guide to “The 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2025,” the magazine looked at towns with less than 21,000 residents, based on U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Each location also has a unique reason to visit in 2025.
This year, Berea College is celebrating its 170th anniversary. As the first racially integrated co-ed college in the South, Berea is also known for its tuition-free work study program, where students work for 10 hours a week at shops and galleries on campus to pay their way through school. Berea College does not charge students tuition, and most students attend at zero cost.
Nancy Conley, Berea’s tourism director, called the Smithsonian Magazine nod an honor. Conley responded to the Herald-Leader’s request for comment with an emailed statement that reads, in part: “Berea’s vast amount of natural beauty with extensive hiking and outdoor recreation pairs perfectly with its unique local dining, artisan galleries, working artist studios, antique shops, and other retail therapy opportunities.”
There’s a lot to see and explore in Berea. Here’s why it can hold its own with some of the coziest small towns in America.
Why Berea makes for the perfect Kentucky day trip this fall
According to Smithsonian Magazine’s June 9 feature, what makes Berea one of the best small towns to visit this year is that visitors don’t really need an itinerary at all. Take a drive around and you can likely find some cool stuff.
“Tucked away in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Berea is a hub of creativity,” Smithsonian Magazine travel correspondent Laura Kiniry writes. “To catch woodworkers, ceramicists and jewelry makers engaged in their crafts, simply look for signs or flags stating ‘Studio Artists at Berea: Artists at Work’ scattered around town. Berea’s historic Artisan Village is home to a bevy of shops, galleries and studios, including the Fire and Fern Glass Studio, which offers workshops in making your own glass vase or paperweight, and the Cabin of Old Town, featuring the handcrafted wind chimes, charcuterie boards and cheese slicers of woodworker Tim Wade displayed in a circa 1813 log cabin.”
Just off Interstate 75 at exit 77, the Kentucky Artisan Center offers free admission daily between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The center is a one-stop showcase where visitors can support the work of Kentucky artisans through sales, exhibits, displays, demonstrations and other events. The center also offers a place to eat with its cafe and grill, which serves breakfast and lunch and dessert (including Lexington’s Sav’s ice cream).
At Berea College, visitors can catch a free student-guided tour showcasing the school’s unique history and student craft program, where students make handcrafted brooms, among other items.
While on campus, be sure to sample made-from-scratch soups, perogies, barbecue and the stuffed flatbread at the Berea College Farm Store. The newly renovated historic Boone Tavern, which recently opened with a new bar, decor handcrafted by students and a menu with local, farm-fresh ingredients, is another essential stop while on campus.
“Berea College is proud to partner with the city in making our town so unique,” Jodi Whitaker, Berea College’s spokesperson, told the Herald-Leader in an emailed statement. “Whether it’s hiking parts of the College’s 9,000-acre forest, learning about the history of Berea College and our unique no-tuition commitment, staying at the historic Boone Tavern Hotel or eating at the relaunched Crafted at Boone Tavern restaurant surrounded by a vibrant collection of items from Berea College Student Craft, we agree that Berea is an incredible tourist destination. We look forward to welcoming new visitors to our campus and community.”
For nature lovers, the Pinnacles at Berea offers breathtaking views at daybreak, particularly when fall foliage is at its peak.
Smithsonian Magazine’s ‘The 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2025’
Also included in the Smithsonian feature:
- Chincoteague, Va.
- Pacific Grove, Calif.
- Edgartown, Mass.
- Lockhart, Texas
- Ticonderoga, N.Y.
- Milledgeville, Ga.
- Breckenridge, Colo.
- Tieton, Wash.
- Asbury Park, N.J.
- Truth or Consequences, N.M.
- Washington, Conn.
- Vicksburg, Miss.
- Winterset, Iowa
- Red Lodge, Mont.
Do you have a question about Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
This story was originally published August 21, 2025 at 4:45 AM.