Kentucky is known for its abundance of resident artists and the state’s beauty is well publicized. Kentucky’s Artisan Heritage Trails have blended these resources with the basic requirements of a vacation and created sensible routes for locals and out-of-towners alike to spend an afternoon or a week discovering some of the area’s lesser-known treasures.

A trip that includes visiting museums, wineries, parks, and artists’ studios involves a lot of planning. How do you get from one place to the next? Where to stay? How do you entertain everyone on the trip when interests vary? Stop at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, right off I-75 and get a map, or visit www.KAHT.com. The logistics are already worked out for you. The Artisan Trails are a ready-to-use set of directions with a list of optional points of interest that vary from farms to bed and breakfasts to artists’ studios where you can shop or simply watch work in progress.

The KAHT is a collaborative effort between the National Geographic Society and the Appalachian Regional Commission. What started as four trails in 2001 has expanded to 15 trails that run through rural Kentucky south and east of Lexington. Each trail is designed to promote a particular area’s treasures: artisan studios, local galleries, scenic overlooks, historic points, quaint inns, and regional fare—to name a few of the things we encountered. I chose a lesser-known trail close to home, the Estill Trail.

The Estill Trail begins only 20 miles outside Lexington, so it was a sensible and easy way to get a taste of the trails with only a day to devote. This short drive was akin to visiting another era, another place altogether—and a welcome sojourn into the amazingly rich cultural heritage of Kentucky. At a comfortable pace, I along with a student photographer, her mother, and a friend—explored the back roads of Estill County in a day that, I can comfortably say, equated to a step back into Kentucky’s history…as well as a hopeful step forward into its future.

We reached our first stop, Overlook Stained Glass and Gem Stones, a short drive from I-75, at 10 a.m. We were greeted by our first of many canine receptions that day, and right behind the three tail wagging ambassadors were Bob and Brenda Clair, who, with no prior notice of our visit, greeted us like favored long-lost relatives. My main interest in the trails had been to see the studios and handcrafts, but the vast stretches of natural beauty that surrounded almost every stop were enjoyably distracting.

We lingered outside until the sunlight hit one of Brenda’s glass works in the studio window and beckoned us indoors. As was typical of what we saw that day, we were in a working studio, strewn with the tools and raw materials that were behind the beautiful pieces displayed around us. Agates and gems, collected over numerous years, lay in cases and on shelves all around, and the Clairs were more than willing to tell us their story. They couldn’t have found a more attentive audience.

“The last six months, we seem to be getting some more attention with this KAHT program,” Bob told us when he pointed out the sunburst sign designating the studio as participating in the program.

Stop two left my small sedan bottomed out on the gravel driveway approach to Cusick Creations and we ended up backing out and parking in a nearby driveway (well close by Estill County standards). The hike up to the studio was a hike in the woods and brought us our second, and a bit more daunting, canine greeting. It seems that no one sneaks up to any of these rural studios unannounced! All bark and no bite, we visited a studio-in-progress and glimpsed a Kentucky mountainside that made the hubbub of Lexington seem a million miles away. Cindi Cusick’s talents include painting, photography, printing, and gourd art…and again, the ability to make us feel like we were old friends.

From there the trip into Irvine was a short drive. I called ahead and was assured a particular store would be open, but when we got there, it was closed. However, a nearby jewelry store was warm and hospitable and folks there pointed us to another Irvine treasure on a nearby side street, Cat’s Paw. The shop is scheduled to officially join the KAHT trail soon. It offers the work of some exceptional local artists, plus antiques. This small-town highlight featured doll houses—some sold, but awaiting the signature of the unique artist who had created them, and whimsical birdcages spun of vines and twigs that seemed to float in the air. A bit off the main street, it was well worth the walk. While heading back to the car, we found the previously closed Front Porch Gallery and Studio had opened its doors. A quaint porched home/gallery on Main Street, it carries the works of a number of artisans, but it was the work of owner Yvonne Summers that caught our eye. A family of avid hunters and an area of vast forests has provided her with a collection of beautiful natural specimens—most notable were antlers—and from these she has woven incredible baskets, from small and functional to large artworks to be hung for display only. Tiny birdhouses, similar in material and look to the well-known Longaberger baskets, were perched throughout and raku pieces hung from the walls and stood on the shelves. Gourds, jewelry, and weavings were found in every corner—and the signature hospitality had become a constant.

A chance encounter with Barbara Napier, executive director of Estill Development Alliance and proprietor of Snug Hollow Farm Bed & Breakfast & Cabin, provided a glance into a bright future for Estill County’s cultural program. “We’ve gotten a grant for $972,000 to restore the Cottage Furnace,” she said. “It’s a statement.”

Legend has it that the owner of the furnace received word that his son had died and, while still in shock from the news, shut down the furnace still in full blast. The molten iron solidified and blocked the entrance, keeping the furnace from ever being fired up again. The iron ore remains inside to this day. The grant will be used to restore it to working condition. Enthusiastic, informative, and smiling, Barb verbally walked us through the attractions of Irvine and its surroundingss, then pointed us towards our last studio, The Glass Garden in nearby Ravenna.

Maria Lainhart, the designer and artist, gladly showed us around, proud of her restoration work and the story of her home. “It’s called the Moberley Place and two years ago my daughter and I found the grave—up across the way in a cemetery there—of the man who built it, John Moberley. It was 100 years, to the day, of the day he died marked on his gravestone. Gave my daughter goose pimples." The views from her window, where exquisite stain glass windows hang, are exquisite as well. "I plant an eighth of an acre with nothing but sunflowers in the summer," she said. "You should see it then." I plan to.

Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails is a developing program that is not without its initial problems, but officials are busy working to correct them. The artwork is unique, the artists and artisans talented and hospitable, and the studios and galleries are nestled amidst Kentucky’s beautiful scenery. The KAHT Web site offers detailed information on all the trails, the attractions on each route, plus phone numbers, descriptions, and detailed directions. Call ahead to make sure of times, take someone to help navigate, and appreciate, and enjoy the vast talents and beauty that our state has to offer.