As you turn back toward Lexington, stop in the village of Berea, which justifiably calls itself "The F olk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky." The shopping (or browsing) really begins on the 16-mile approach to Berea. Several flea markets line U.S. 25 from Renfro Valley north to Berea. Who knows what you might find?

In Berea, take a look at one cluster of crafts shops near the Welcome Center and another at College Square. At Appalachian Mountain Dulcimers, 110 Center Street, step inside and say hello to woodworker Warren A. May. He's been crafting dulcimers-the "official musical instrument of Kentucky"-at his shop for 25 years. You're invited to watch him work.

Budget find: If you're a crafts fancier, spend the night in a room decorated with local crafts. Weaver Neil Colmer and his wife, Mary, a doll maker, operate a two-room bed-and-breakfast called Morning Glory above their shop, Weaver's Bottom Craft Studio, at 140 North Broadway (859/986-8661). Great rooms, they go for $40 or $60, sharing a bath. You can nod off knowing that the handwoven blanket covering you sells for $3,000. Ritz-Carlton guests don't sleep as stylishly.

Kentucky was once the American frontier, and the little town of Harrodsburg, just west of Berea, was founded in 1774 as the first pioneer settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. The event is marked by a large timbered fort, Fort Harrod ($4), said to be an exact replica of the original. A state-park site, it ably transports visitors into the past. Daniel Boone paid a visit not long after the town was laid out.

Save an hour or two to stroll the nearby Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill ($10.50 for a self-guided tour). The carefully preserved town, built solidly of stone, was founded in the early 1800s by a now-nearly vanished religious community that practiced celibacy and promoted a peaceful way of life. More than 30 original buildings occupy 2,800 acres of farmland-a lovely landscape of green rolling hills and meadows. Costumed interpreters recall life in the Shaker heyday, and artisans re-create the Shaker brooms and ot her handicrafts for which the residents once were famous.

Afterward, take U.S. 68 on the short drive back to Lexington. The quiet road winds through a rocky canyon past the soaring palisades of the Kentucky River. On this Kentucky itinerary, the views never stop.

Details

From Cumberland Falls, take Kentucky Route 90 east to Corbin and I-75 (very scenic) north to Renfro Valley. Pick up U.S. 25 into Berea. From Berea, head west on Kentucky Route 954 and 52 to Danville and then north on U.S. 127 to Harrodsburg. From there, follow U.S. 68 to the Shaker Village and Lexington. Stay and dine in Lexington (see Day One). Next morning, retrace 70 miles back to the Cincinnati airport.