Discover Pikeville: History, Culture, and Trails

Pikeville offers a variety of reasons to visit, from city life and local history to art and outdoor activities. If you’re looking for a hotel in Pikeville, start planning around the purpose of your trip. Downtown, you’ll find the Appalachian Wireless Arena and the Appalachian Center for the Arts; Hillbilly Days is celebrated there. Bob Amos Park has trails and a running track, while the Levisa Fork offers water-based activities. These differences give your trip planning a clear direction without prescribing a fixed itinerary.

Festivals, Events, and the Arts

Hillbilly Days is an annual festival held in downtown Pikeville and has been celebrated in Pike County since 1977. If the festival is the reason for your trip, check the festival dates before making your plans. The Appalachian Wireless Arena is in the heart of downtown and serves as a venue for entertainment and conferences. It’s a useful landmark if your stay is tied to an event or conference.

The Appalachian Center for the Arts is also downtown and provides space for theater, music, and visual arts, as well as community enrichment. The center also offers arts education to people in the region, intended to foster collaboration, partnership, and civic engagement. The arena and arts center appeal to different interests: one focuses on entertainment and conferences, while the other offers a range of art forms and promotes arts education.

Local History and Culture

At the Big Sandy Heritage Center Museum, you can see artifacts related to the McCoys, the Hatfields, and the Hatfield-McCoy Feud. The museum also displays the world’s largest collection of Perry Cline memorabilia. These topics give your visit a tangible connection to the region’s history. The Pikeville Cut-Through Overlook is on Bob Amos Drive. The Pikeville Cut-Through project moved almost 18 million cubic yards of earth and rock—a remarkable scale for a project that also features in an activity on the Levisa Fork.

Brewery and Distillery Tours

Dueling Barrels offers brewery and distillery tours for $12 per person. Guests aged 21 and older receive four tasting tokens for the brewery and/or distillery. On the tours, visitors can explore Appalachian history and culture through brewing and distilling. Topics include the Hatfield-McCoy Feud, the beginnings of bluegrass music, and moonshine production on the Tug Fork. Tasting policies may change; check the current terms before your visit.

Trails and Water Activities

The Bob Amos Trails in Bob Amos Park comprise five trails ranging from 0.25 to 4.7 miles long. The park is also home to the 4.5-mile Real McCoy Trail. In addition, the park has a seven-lane track for walking and running. This means you’ll find both a designated track and named trails of varying lengths in the park.

The Hatfield-McCoy River Trail System is recognized as a Kentucky Blue Water Trail. A two-hour kayak tour is offered on the Levisa Fork waterways, passing the Pikeville Cut-Through project. This is a man-made channel that relocated a mountain and a river; the project moved almost 18 million cubic yards of earth and rock. Kayak tour operating details may vary seasonally. The Levisa Fork also has gentle rapids and flowing shallows. Conditions are suitable for families and beginners, as well as canoes, kayaks, and small one-person pontoon boats.

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