Explore Appalachia

10/11/2023

03/05/2022

On queue for our evening entertainment was a concert featuring Senora May and dinner at Alley on Main, a swanky little restaurant and bar venue downtown. The place was already pretty packed when we got there, so we were thankful that Judy had made reservations for us. We headed inside and sat up on the second floor, with a perfect overlook view of the stage. Snacking on some appetizers like fried mac ’n cheese, loaded nachos, and flatbreads started off the meal strong, but the burgers and Nashville hot chicken sandwiches really took the cake. Everyone enjoyed watching Senora May’s performance, which was just about as laid back and fun as anyone could dream of!

After the show ended, we were all ready to head back to home base and call it a night. We said goodbye to our hosts and drove off into the sunset- er, moonlight. Thank you again for an incredible day, Johnson County! We can't wait to come back.

02/05/2022

Johnson County recap pt. 7: It was finally time to head to Family Farm! The farm is like an idyllic playground for both kids and adults alike. Kevin and Natalie explored the farm with Chester Griffith and got to hear all about their crop rotation and systems for creating farm fresh deliciousness to share with community members and tourists alike. While they were out exploring, Sydney and Cassidy made it their mission to taste test the sparkling coffee and find some candy for the road. The rest of the team took a coffee break outside by this little brook that runs through the property. The sun started to set, so after watching it go down during some quality conversation and storytelling with Chester and his wife, Melissa, we hit the road to head back to Paintsville. The Griffith family is so kind and welcoming- you've gotta check out their place!

28/04/2022

Johnson County recap pt. 6: While half of the team was on the water, Josh, James, and Cassidy went to the Paintsville Lake Activity, Nature and Edible Trail - Outdoor Classroom. Once we arrived, we met Zac Ebersole, Becky Grace, and their golden retriever, Abraham Lincoln. They were excellent guides during our visit. The trail normally features a variety of edible fruit. We missed out on a lot of the fruit because of the time of year we visited, but Josh tried a persimmon straight off the tree.

While the edible trail itself was awesome, the property had many other notable landmarks too. These included a section of land covered in moss that felt like a fuzzy carpet and a walking bridge over a creek. Our favorite part, though, was a skinny peninsula that extended out into Paintsville Lake. Abraham Lincoln led us to the end of the peninsula where we stood atop an incredible lookout, pictured below! Once we made it to the end, we had a panoramic view of the water surrounded by cliffs. The Edible Trail definitely earns the Explore Appalachia stamp of approval. 😄

27/04/2022

Johnson County recap pt. 5: After lunch, we split into two groups. Kevin, Kaitlyn, Natalie, and Sydney headed out to Paintsville Lake State Park , where they split up into a canoe and two kayaks. The goal was to paddle out to this little island and see if we could catch any fish.
The island was covered with lots of unique vegetation and rocks. Unfortunately, it was insanely windy, which made fishing very difficult. But, like Kaitlyn always says, “it’s calling fishing, not catching.” In spite of the wind, we loved exploring the island and paddling through the beautifully clear water!

25/04/2022

Johnson County recap pt. 4: For lunch, we headed to Smokin' Butts BBQ and it did not disappoint! The restaurant is on a golf course, so we got a stunning view overlooking the green and the mountains in the background. We tried almost every entree on the menu, from pulled pork tacos to the brisket platter, and everything was fantastic, leaving us with full bellies for the rest of the afternoon's adventures. Check out the episode at timestamp 08:32 to see James' full review of the platter!

Ale-8-One

19/04/2022

Johnson County recap pt. 3: Since we were fueled up on caffeine, it was time to start biking! We were able to borrow some bikes to use on the Dawkins Line Rail Trail, which is an old rail trail, originally used for moving lumber, that has been converted into a recreational trail used for walking, running, biking, and horseback riding.

Even though we only road a few miles, the trail was beautiful. The trees were in full color and the cool breeze made the morning ideal. Once we had biked enough to work up a good appetite for lunch, we headed back to the trail head, where Waylon Whitson interviewed us about our trip. He’s the editor for The Paintsville Herald and wanted to feature us in an article, which was a cool way to share more about why we love Appalachia so much! If you want to read the article, check out it here: https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/news/the-holler-creative-visits-johnson-county-to-share-its-trails/article_ac2ed106-4790-11ec-9a7d-6b4b20ae5be0.html

18/04/2022

Johnson County recap pt. 2: Before heading out of downtown Paintsville, we had the pleasure of touring and hearing the history of Mayo Church with Pastor Amy Chapman; she even let us ring the church bells! The view of downtown from that tower is pretty hard to beat.

15/04/2022

Johnson County recap pt. 1: We started off our morning at the The CoffeeHouse, where we were greeted by the lovely Lena and made some delicious drinks to keep us caffeinated throughout the day. The cozy vibes and music are the perfect setting for work, studying, or catching up with friends. We can't recommend the coffeehouse enough!

09/12/2021

KY Fall Hikes 4/5! Sitting at 113 feet, Yahoo Falls is the highest waterfall in KY, and is easily one of the most beautiful natural works of art in the state. There are a few different hikes to the falls, one of which features a loop trail that also takes hikers up to a natural arch. For sake of time, we took the shortest and steepest route down to the falls, which features several flights of stairs, both natural and metal. Not and easy one for those with weaker knees! Other than the stairs though, the shorter trail(s) is easy to use and very well-maintained.
When you reach the falls itself, take the time to climb behind it to get the full scope of the place. There are also a set of rock stairs down to the bottom of the falls and the creek. Definitely climb down *carefully, it’s very slick* to the bottom if you can! You’ll get a whole ‘other view this way. Its magnitude is impressive and it’s easy to see why this is one of the most popular hiking destinations in the state!

06/12/2021

KY Fall Hikes 3/5! ⛰ Another one of our favorites in KY is in Red River Gorge! The Laurel Trail takes you up to Natural Bridge, and then you can continue on a short walk over to Lovers Leap for two spectacular views of the mountains and trees. 
We did this hike in the middle of the afternoon when it was still warm (as in shorts and t-shirts warm). There are a couple of pretty steep spots on the trail, so you'll want good hiking shoes and plenty of water. It's enough of a workout to get your blood pumping without being advanced.
Although there are the two main stopping points at the Bridge and Lovers Leap, there are also beautiful nature views all throughout the trail with lots of shade. If you want to experience two of the best + most popular views in Kentucky, this is the hike for you!

01/12/2021

KY Fall Hike 2/5 = Indian Fort Lookout at the Pinnacles! 🌲
We knew that Berea was one of the areas we wanted to visit, so we drove about 45 minutes up to the Pinnacles trailhead to climb to Indian Fort.
This hike is short, but a good portion of it is very steep climbing up to the top, and the trail is pretty rocky in a few areas. The view is well worth the effort though, so wear some quality hiking boots or other athletic shoes & some water, and make the 2 mile out and back trip to the lookout. You can see rolling farms below and ridges/mountains beyond that.

30/11/2021

An outtake from our most recent episode... sometimes it takes a couple tries 😂

30/11/2021

If you saw our latest episode about our top five fall hikes in KY, you know that Chained Rock is one of the best. Here it is at a glance! -->

We rate the trail as moderately easy because of the many steps at the end, as well as the scramble up to the top of rock itself. The trail is well-maintained and the short walk is an easy task for a view like the one you see from the rock! It overlooks the town of Pineville and surrounding ridges. On clear days, you can see the prominent ridge of Cumberland Mountain, which lies 12 miles to the south. Get out there and see it for yourself!

24/11/2021

⛰ Episode 7 is LIVE on YouTube! ⛰

We showed off some of our favorite fall hikes in this episode.
Watch the video to see where we went!

https://youtu.be/2LjsgZFMYYs

Subscribe to our channel so you never miss a video! ✅

24/11/2021

New episode soon!

Check out these views and tell us if you recognize any of the places we went! ⛰

23/11/2021

A brand new episode is right around the corner! Here are a couple of hints about what we did...any guesses? 🤔

29/10/2021

WATCH UNTIL THE END… you won’t regret it.

29/10/2021

🚨 Episode 6 is live! 🚨

Check out the second half of our weekend in Cumberland Gap!

https://youtu.be/c5hNTtW4NmU

Be sure to subscribe to our channel so you never miss out on what we’re doing.

Gap Creek Coffee House Cumberland Gap Region Tourism Association Guardians of the Gap Ale-8-One The Olde Mill Inn Bed and Breakfast Arts in the Gap Wilderness Road State Park Middlesboro Country Club

27/10/2021

A sneak peek of something you might see in the release of tomorrow’s episode. 👀

Ale-8-One Gap Creek Coffee House Arts in the Gap Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Cumberland Gap Region Tourism Association

26/10/2021

T-minus 2 days until the release of Cumberland Gap pt. 2! Who's excited?!

Ale-8-One Gap Creek Coffee House Guardians of the Gap

29/09/2021

Martin's Station is a living history museum at Wilderness Road State Park in Lee County, VA.

Check out this video to learn about the fort's history and how it was constructed! 🪚

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMCIn8jMRPA

28/09/2021

Kevin and James getting everybody pumped up before heading out on the trails at Black Mountain Off-Road Adventure Area ⛰

27/09/2021

🔥 The Fire Tower 🔥

We took a hike to the Pinnacle K**b Fire Tower one morning last week to check out the early morning view.

We brought some coffee with us and drank it on the tower’s steps while we watched the morning fog lift off the mountains.

It was a pretty short hike and it was definitely worth it to see the area from so high up! This tower is located in Cumberland Falls State Resort Park and it was originally built to help conservationists search for wildfires from miles away.

27/09/2021

We toured the Appalachian Wireless Arena while we were in Pikeville!

We got a behind-the-scenes look at the arena, the ballrooms, and we even got to see the green room where stars get ready before they perform.

Check it out! ⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMykptoHiT0

We took a tour of the Appalachian Wireless Arena while we were in Pikeville, Kentucky. Josh Kesler, the Senior Director of Marketing and Sales at the Arena, ...

22/09/2021

Wanna know one of our favorite places to watch a sunset?

Hit the link!👇

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQCl47YIAe0

Tell us your favorite place to watch the sunset!

21/09/2021

Ever wonder how Breaks Interstate Park got its name? Check it out! ⛰

20/09/2021

Nothing like an afternoon on the water 🎣

Caught anything lately? Post a picture of your biggest catch from the last year in the comments!

20/09/2021

The General Store At Creek Crossing was the perfect place to stop and refuel during our trip to Letcher County!

Special thanks to Tiffany Bullock Scott who told us the story behind the general store and let us know everything that it has to offer.

Check out the video's description for an announcement about the store! 👀

https://youtu.be/WjdzK8bVbwA

We stopped by The General Store (AKA The General Store at Creek Crossing) in Letcher County, KY, and talked to Tiffany Scott about their shop!The store has b...

04/11/2020

One Horse, Three Horsepower

Gunsmoke was one powerful pony! 🐴
Thanks again to The Stables At Creekside Glen for having us!