How do you describe paradise?
“Paradise” is the one word proclaimed by almost everyone on their first visit to Buzz Mountain. Trying to describe this paradise in words will never equal seeing the beauty firsthand.
From Coal to Color
Located in Isom, Kentucky, Buzz Mountain sits on a former coal “strip mine,” where the land was once removed to expose and extract layers of coal. Decades have passed since mining was active at this location, and nature has returned wholeheartedly. Now, flowers abound!
At Buzz Mountain, we literally have plants in bloom every single month of the year. EVERY month! May is probably the peak month for flowers, with thousands of blooms and the smell of roses wafting through the air. But even in the dead of winter, there are hellebores, lungwort, hyacinths, and other varieties blooming—some putting off their own perfume.
While the daytime view with all the flowers is amazing, it’s just the warm-up for the evening.
The Evening Show
Some of the best sunsets ever seen can be viewed from Buzz Mountain, and we call it the “evening show.” The only disappointment in a great sunset is taking a picture and realizing the picture doesn’t look nearly as amazing as it did in real life. But on those really spectacular evenings, even the pictures look good—just not as good as the real view.
Once the sunset is over, the show still isn’t.
With a virtually unobstructed sky and the ability to make it completely dark, there are times when the “late-night show” is the best one. Celestial parties are better in the dark, and comets, meteors, stars, and planets are the special guests. Occasionally, even the Milky Way shows up for the party.
For years, there was an open invitation to Aurora Borealis. She kept us waiting, but finally showed up in the fall of 2025—and put on a dazzling display of color.
Quiet Until It Ain't
It’s super quiet on Buzz Mountain, day and night. At night, without all the sounds of civilization, the sounds of nature can actually seem loud.
When you have privacy, nature, flowers, and beautiful scenery, how could it get any better? I’ll tell ya how: add in some music from some local bands, that’s how!
Shindigs on the Mountain
There’s nothing like a shindig on the mountain, and Buzz doesn’t disappoint in that regard. Eastern Kentucky is loaded with great musicians, with some becoming super famous. Buzz Mountain has been hosting local bands for almost 10 years now, continuing a nearly 20-year tradition that started on the Bottom. Ain’t that how all good success stories start—on the bottom? Black Bottom, for me.
We feel it’s our civic duty to provide a stage to our local bands—it’s your duty to provide the audience.
The Buzz BARn and Shindig Shelter sit at 2,000 feet above sea level. The small mountain peak on the back side of the property is the only location that was not leveled during previous mining. Its height is roughly 2,300 feet, making it the highest spot in Isom—although at times, I guarantee it’s more high down on the level part here.
Music events are held in the BARn during cold weather and outdoors at the Shindig Shelter during warmer weather.
So, How Do You Describe Paradise?
Maybe you don’t. Maybe it’s something you have to see, hear, and experience for yourself. Buzz Mountain can be quiet enough to hear nothing but the wind and the critters, loud enough to hear a band echo across the mountains, bright enough to be covered in flowers, and dark enough to see a sky you forgot was up there.
It’s a place shaped by coal, reclaimed by nature, and filled with a whole lot of stories along the way.
If you’ve been here, you probably already understand. If you haven’t, well... maybe someday you will.