Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest

The Frederick Law Olmsted landscape architecture firm started work on designing the park in 1931 and it opened in 1950.

Bernheim Forest was given to the people of Kentucky in trust and is the largest privately owned natural area in the state.

The arboretum features formal and informal plant collections and various modern facilities, including handicapped accessible restrooms.

The natural area contains most of Bernheim's hiking trails, and is primarily a beech-maple forest with access via paved roads.

Hiking trails range in difficulty from "casual" short walks to strenuous jaunts designed for "the more serious hiker," per Bernheim's website.

[1] The Millennium Trail is by far the longest and most challenging; as a result Bernheim asks that hikers set out before certain times in the morning (the deadline varies by season), as well as register at the visitor center prior to starting the hike.

Activities one can engage in at Bernheim include walking, running, hiking, picnicking, birdwatching, bicycling, plant identification, photography, fishing, and special events.

Designed by the architecture firm William McDonough + Partners, the center is constructed of recycled materials and has live plantings on the roof.

The parking lot for the center was specifically located so that mushrooms could absorb contaminants that cars emit so they would not affect the water streams nearby.

[3] Bernheim offers memberships that include free year-round admission; discounts on educational programs, annual events, and at the Welcome Center; free entrance into many other national gardens through the Reciprocal Admission Program by American Horticultural Society; and subscription to a quarterly newsletter.

In 2019, Bernheim added three "forest giants" created by the Danish artist Thomas Dambo, which have attracted many new visitors to the Arboretum.

That letter, dated August 30, 1939, set the following goals: Bernheim was a true visionary, and he himself wrote that "nothing is static in this world".

Artists interact with the public in workshops, demonstrations or other activities as well as sharing finished pieces found throughout the arboretum.

Past artists have worked in photography, painting, sculpture, video, performance, and the written word.

In his 1929 autobiography, "The Closing Chapters of a Busy Life," Bernheim also wrote that "I am comforted in the firm belief that the good a man does lives after him."

In accordance with the firm's recommendations; roadways, paths and natural areas were created, trees were planted, and farmland was restored to meadows, lawns and forest.

Originally built as the Nature Center and completed in 1962, this multi-functional building is sited on the old Jones Farm property.

Today it houses administrative offices and remains a well-used venue for educational and cultural displays, events and includes a wild life viewing room.

Global Change, bird migration, insects, amphibians, small mammals, and grassland grazing as well as stream restoration are currently being studied.

Designed by William McDonough + Partners of Charlottesville, Virginia and Barnett and Bagley Architects of Lexington, it was conceived as a "building like a tree" with pergolas, arbors and living roof, along with other design feature that reflect the ecology of Kentucky, created to connect to its sense of place.

Located in the Children's Play Garden, five structures support large, living green roof boxes while providing seating, shelter and shade.