Small Town Beauty in Kentucky

Bardstown is located in the center of Kentucky’s Bourbon region, where whiskey is aged in barrels to produce a strong, flavorable drink.

The Bardstown Bourbon Company and Willett Distillery are just two of the several bourbon companies in the area open to tours and product samples.

The Women’s Civil War Museum honors women’s contributions to the conflict.

The Civil War Museum has one of the biggest collections of American Civil War artifacts.

My Old Kentucky Home State Park is one of Bardstown’s most endearing historical sites. This 1818 plantation house, named after the state hymn, is Kentucky’s first state-owned park.

Berea is a lovely college town that is devoted to the arts and its stunning Appalachian scenery. Because students and artists create crafts, paintings, music, and other artwork, it is known as Kentucky’s Arts and Crafts Capital.

Founded in 1855, Berea College is an educational institution that offers a variety of learning opportunities to students. 

The Kentucky Artisan Center offers food, publications, and the creations of more than 800 Kentucky artists.

Enjoy the scenery of the Pinnacles in the Berea College Forest with granite outcroppings and many hiking opportunities.

Kentucky is best known for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Fried Chicken/KFC. The town of Corbin was the start of KFC. Colonel Sanders first served his fried chicken in a little eatery in Corbin.

Today you can visit the diner Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum, with antiques of a bygone era.

The Pinball Museum of Corbin is home to pinball machines manufactured between 1969 and 2022.

The Cumberland Falls State Resort Park has trails that wind around a 60-foot-tall cascade known as the “Niagara of the West."

Harrodsburg is the oldest town in Kentucky, established as a military garrison in 1774, and includes some of the state’s top historical sites.

Fort Harrod State Park is a recreation of the old fort and is the most famous.

Within the park:

The Lincoln Marriage Temple, where Abraham Lincoln’s parents were married in a frontier ceremony.

The 1813 Matheny-Taylor House, also called the Mansion Museum, includes a sizable collection of Revolutionary and Civil War antiquities.

In the 1800s, Harrodsburg also drew the Shakers, a new religious community seeking a location. They established a Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill and were well known for their crazy religious ceremonies.

The town of Hodgenville is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. His family relocated to Indiana when he was a child. There are several museums maintaining his legacy.

The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park houses his birthplace inside a monumental structure.

The Lincoln Museum in downtown Hodgenville features an amazing collection of wax figures and artwork inspired by Lincoln that spans his entire life.

La Grange is a tiny community located east of Louisville. The railroad center, which offers a variety of train-themed events and family-friendly activities, had become a favorite.

The Main Street Train travels up to thirty times a day along the rail line running through the center of Main Street.

The La Grange Railroad Museum offers visitors model train exhibitions.

You can enjoy lounging by a spring-fed lake at the FRP La Grange Quarry.

With Victorian-style buildings lining the streets and quaint shops, Midway is a haven for horse lovers.

It is close to the Kentucky Horse Park.

Horse activities in the countryside surrounding the town make it possible for visitors to get up close and really appreciate these magnificent creatures.

The community of Paintsville is where country music legend Loretta Lynn was born and is firmly anchored in its musical legacy.

Loretta Lynn's birthplace is in Butcher Hollow. Butcher Hollow is located just south of Paintsville.

The Country Music Highway Museum offers a look into country music history.

Jenny Wiley State Resort Park’s serene surroundings echo the stories that inspired many country music’s greatest hits.

Ale-8 and beer cheese are two distinctive culinary traditions found in the town of Winchester.

The original Ale-8-One Bottling Co. is open for tours. Created in 1926 during the height of Prohibition, it is still a Kentucky staple.

Take a tour of Boonesboro’s Civil War fort, constructed to stave off Confederate attacks.

Fort Boonesborough, a state park, was constructed in 1775 by none other than Daniel Boone.