Entry No. 24 — the Louisville file — filed under: folk-art-environment
Bernheim Forest Giants
A trio of colossal fairytale troll sculptures—Mama Loumari, Little Nis, and Little Elina—crafted from recycled local wood, bourbon barrel staves, and scrap pallets by Danish artist Thomas Dambo.
The story
In 2019, Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo arrived in Clermont with a simple premise: construct a family of colossal forest trolls using nothing but regional scrap. Working with local volunteers, Dambo gathered discarded wooden pallets, fallen forest limbs, weathered bourbon barrel staves, and offcuts salvaged from the nearby Louisville Slugger plant to build three giant creatures embedded right into the timberland.
The family consists of Mama Loumari, her son Little Nis, and her daughter Little Elina. Mama Loumari is the centerpiece—a massive, visibly pregnant giant lounging on her side in an open-air 'forest kitchen' complete with giant wooden pots and utensils scattered around her. Her children sit nearby, framed by the surrounding canopy as if caught mid-play.
The art lies in the textures. Up close, you can trace the seam lines of individual pallet boards and whiskey staves forming their muscular limbs and weathered faces. They look less like installed public art and more like organic forest inhabitants that woke up after a hundred-year sleep beneath the Kentucky pines.
What it's like
Finding the trolls requires following oversized yellow wooden footprints set into the dirt paths along a roughly two-mile woodland loop. The trail itself is an easy, mostly flat walk, but because the giants are Bernheim's headline attraction, mid-day weekend crowds can stack up fast. Go early on a weekday morning if you want to stand beneath Mama Loumari's ribcage in relative peace.
The move: Follow the giant yellow wooden footprints along a two-mile woodland loop trail to find pregnant Mama Loumari lounging among the trees in her forest kitchen.
- 📍 Clermont / Shepherdsville
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 2075 Clermont Rd, Shepherdsville, KY 40165
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest — Stay inside the same 16,000-acre preserve after dark to catch their guided night-sky and stargazing programs.
- Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History — Since the giants are built partly from whiskey barrel staves, head 13 miles south to Bardstown to see pre-Prohibition bourbon history.
- The Little Loomhouse — Swap giant outdoor woodwork for intimate historic cabin folk art, located just up the road on Kenwood Hill.
Good to know
How long is the hike to see all three forest giants?
The trolls are positioned along an easy, family-friendly woodland trail loop of about two miles.
What materials are the Bernheim Giants made from?
Artist Thomas Dambo built them using recycled scrap wood, including shipping pallets, bourbon barrel staves, local fallen branches, and wood waste from nearby manufacturing.
Who are the three giants in the forest?
The trio includes Mama Loumari (lounging in her forest kitchen) and her two troll children, Little Nis and Little Elina.
Where are the giants located?
They are located inside the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest at 2075 Clermont Rd in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Atlas Obscura · thomasdambo.com · herlifeinruins.com · travelbullitt.org
last checked: 2026-07-21