Things to Do in Pikeville, Kentucky
The best things to do in Pikeville, Kentucky, are following the Hatfield-McCoy feud, looking down on the Pikeville Cut-Through, and touring Dueling Barrels Brewery & Distillery. Pikeville is a city of 7,754 people and the seat of Pike County. It sits in a tight bend of the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River.
That bend flooded the town year after year, so Pikeville moved the river. From 1973 to 1987, crews cut a gap 523 feet deep through the mountain and moved nearly 18 million cubic yards of soil and rock. The river, a railroad and a four-lane highway now run through the cut, and the old riverbed became new downtown land.
Big Sandy Heritage Center Museum
This regional history museum claims the largest collection of authentic Hatfield-McCoy feud and Big Sandy Valley Civil War artifacts. It also holds the world’s largest collection of Perry Cline memorabilia, fossils, Native American artifacts and pioneer history. Since 2015 it has filled the fourth floor of the old Hall of Justice on the courthouse square.
★ Good to know Start here before the driving tour; the feud makes more sense once you’ve seen the documents.
Hatfield-McCoy Feud Driving Tour
The Pikeville-Pike County Welcome Center hands out a free self-guided driving tour of feud sites, with directions and audio narration. Stops include historic Dils Cemetery, the Randolph McCoy homeplace and well, feud monuments, the Pike County courthouse and the Pawpaw Trees site. Randolph McCoy and his wife and daughter are buried on the hillside at Dils, overlooking town.
★ Good to know The brochure and audio are free. Call the welcome center or ask for one by mail, since many stops are out on county roads.
Pikeville Cut-Through Overlook
The New York Times once called the cut-through “the eighth wonder of the world.” It’s 1,300 feet wide and 3,700 feet long. The best view is from the overlook on the mountain at Bob Amos Park. From the top you can see the rerouted river and all of downtown.
★ Good to know Bob Amos Park also has a rubberized walking track and hiking trails, so you can make a morning of it.
Dueling Barrels Brewery & Distillery
This brewery and distillery opened on Hambley Boulevard in 2018. The tour tells the region’s story through brewing and distilling, from the Hatfields and McCoys to bluegrass and moonshine. Guests 21 and up get tasting tokens for the brewery and distillery.
★ Good to know Book the full tour ahead by phone or online; online bookings are non-refundable.
The Appalachian Center for the Arts
Locals call it “The App.” It’s a professional theater of about 200 seats on Second Street downtown. The season mixes plays, musicals, concerts, holiday shows and a cult classic movie series.
★ Good to know Shows run in short stretches, so check the season calendar before you plan an evening around one.
Fishtrap Lake State Park
Southeast of town, this state park sits on a 1,130-acre lake behind a 195-foot dam. The Army Corps of Engineers built the dam in the 1960s for flood control on the Levisa Fork. It has boating, fishing, hiking and swimming. The lake is known as one of the region’s better fishing lakes.
★ Good to know The park is about 7 miles from Pikeville, so it’s an easy half-day on the water.
Also in town
The 7,000-seat Appalachian Wireless Arena hosts concerts and games downtown; the University of Pikeville, with its osteopathic medicine and optometry colleges, is right in town.
Where are the Hatfield and McCoy feud sites near Pikeville?
They’re spread around Pike County, from Dils Cemetery on the hillside above town to the Randolph McCoy homeplace. The Pikeville-Pike County Welcome Center gives out a free driving tour with directions and audio narration.
What is the Pikeville Cut-Through?
It’s a 523-foot-deep gap cut through a mountain between 1973 and 1987 to move the Levisa Fork away from downtown. It carries the river, a CSX rail line and U.S. 23, 119 and 460. You can see it from the overlook at Bob Amos Park.
When is Hillbilly Days in Pikeville?
Every April, usually mid-month, in downtown Pikeville. The 2027 festival runs April 15 to 17, and it raises money for Shriners Children’s Hospital in Lexington.
What is Pikeville, Kentucky, known for?
The Hatfield-McCoy feud, the Pikeville Cut-Through and Hillbilly Days. It’s also a college town, home to the University of Pikeville. For more trip ideas, see our small towns in Kentucky.
Where to find them
- Big Sandy Heritage Center Museum 172 Division St., Pikeville, KY 41501 Website Directions
- Hatfield-McCoy Feud Driving Tour 685 Hambley Blvd., Pikeville, KY 41501 Website Directions
- Pikeville Cut-Through Overlook 9 Bob Amos Drive, Pikeville, KY 41501 Directions
- Dueling Barrels Brewery & Distillery 745 Hambley Blvd., Pikeville, KY 41501 Website Directions
- The Appalachian Center for the Arts 218 2nd St., Pikeville, KY 41501 Website Directions
- Fishtrap Lake State Park 2204 Fishtrap Rd., Shelbiana, KY 41562 Directions
Plan your trip: for events and current visitor info in Pikeville, see Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce →
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Where to stay in Pikeville
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