The Kentucky Bucket List

I’ve been through Kentucky a few times but never really stopped to experience all it has to offer. Check out my bucket list of what to experience and where.

Jump To:

Bowling Green

Frankfort/Versailles

Lexington

Louisville

Paducah

Bowling Green

Kind of Visit: Outdoor adventures, historical - You can’t leave without visiting the Corvette Museum!

WHERE to Stay

• Embassy Suites by Hilton

• Grand Victorian Inn

• Kentucky Grand Hotel

• The Club at Olde Stone

WHERE to Dine & Drink

• 440 Main

• Anna’s Greek Restaurant

• Cambridge Market and Cafe

• Hickory and Oak

• Home Cafe and Marketplace

• Local Taco

• Milk & Honey Bakery

• Preservation Tasting Room & Bottle Shop

• Spencer’s Coffee

• The Bistro

• The Derby Piano and Dessert Bar

• The Office at 912 (Speakeasy)

Things to See & Do

• Capitol Arts Center

• Drake Vintage Music & Curios

• Fountain Square

• Historic RailPark & Train Museum

• Kentucky Museum

• Lost River Cave

• Mammoth Cave National Park (It’s a 45-minute drive from there.)

• National Corvette Museum

• Riverview at Hobson Grove

• Traveler's Cellar Winery

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Frankfort / Versailles

Kind of Visit: City - Historical and if you’re into wine and/or bourbon, you’re in luck!

WHERE to Stay

• A Storybook Inn Bed and Breakfast (Versailles)

• Charred Oaks Inn (Versailles)

• Montgomery Inn BnB (Versailles)

• The Kentucky Castle (Versailles)

• The Ruin Bed and Breakfast (Midway)

• The Woodford Inn (Versailles)

WHERE to Dine & Drink

• Addie’s at The Woodford Inn (Versailles)

• Adelia’s Bakery & Cafe

• Bourbon on Main

• Cliffside Diner

• Heirloom (Midway)

• Holly Hill Inn

• Kentucky Coffeetree Cafe

• Main Street Diner

• Poppy’s Bakery

• Rick's White Light Cajun Diner - Frankfort’s oldest restaurant.

• Serafini

Things to See & Do

• Buffalo Trace Distillery - Built in 1812.

• Capital City Museum

• Castle & Key Distillery - Built in 1887.

• Go wine tasting in Versailles and Midway

• Grand Theatre - Built in 1911 and was a vaudeville house.

• Hit the Bourbon Trail in Versailles

• Josephine Sculpture Park

• Liberty Hall Historic Site

• Old Governor’s Mansion - Built in 1798 and housed 35 governors!

• Rebecca Ruth Candy Tours and Museum - They’ve been making handmade chocolate since 1919!

• The Old State Capitol

• Vest-Lindsey House - One of Frankfort’s oldest homes.

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Lexington

Kind of Visit: Historical but if you’re a foodie, and/or a bourbon lover, and/or a horse race lover… this town is for you!

WHERE to Stay

• 21c Museum Hotel

• Chateau Annette

• Elwood Hotel & Suites

• Lyndon House Bed & Breakfast

• The Sire Hotel Lexington, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

WHERE to Dine & Drink

• A Cup of Commonwealth

• Bear & The Butcher

• Beetnik

• Blue Door Smokehouse

• Bluegrass Tavern - If you’re a bourbon lover, this is your spot!

• Coles 735 Main

• Corto y Lima

• Hall’s on the River - Tip: Try their famous beer cheese!

• Honeywood

• Lockbox - 21c Hotel is known for putting GREAT restaurants in their hotels - this is no exception!

• Malone’s

• middle fork kitchen bar

• Pour Decisions (Speakeasy)

• Saul Good

• Shakespeare & Co. - Housed in a historic building on Short Street, the restaurant quickly became known for its over-the-top Victorian decor.

Things to See & Do

• Henry Clay Estate

• Hunt-Morgan House

• Keeneland - Professional horse racing course open throughout the year.

• Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour

• Kentucky Horse Park

• Kentucky Theatre

• Mary Todd Lincoln House

• Monroe Moosnick Medical and Science Museum

• Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farms

• Old Kentucky Chocolates

• Raven Run Nature Sanctuary

• Red Mile Harness Track

• Schimpff's Confectionary

• World’s largest ceiling clock

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Louisville

Kind of Visit: Historical - But also great if you’re into things like the Kentucky Derby and baseball!

where to Stay

• 21c Museum Hotel Louisville

• Chateau Bourbon B&B

• Dupont Mansion Bed & Breakfast

• Hotel Distil, Autograph Collection

• Louisville Bourbon Inn

• Omni Louisville Hotel

• The Brown Hotel

• The Seelbach Hilton Louisville

• Vu Guesthouse

where to Dine & Drink

• 610 Magnolia

• Bar Vetti

• Black Rabbit (Speakeasy)

• Buck’s Restaurant & Bar

• CC’s Kitchen

• Everyday Kitchen

• Gertie’s Whiskey Bar (Speakeasy)

• Harvest

• Hell or High Water (Speakeasy)

• Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar

• La Bodeguita De Mima Cuban Restaurant and Rum Bar - For dessert, order the Abano de Chocolate, a chocolate cigar made with almond cake, Nutella mousse, and chocolate ganache, served with coffee ice cream.

• Lobby Bar & Grill at The Brown Hotel

• Pin + Proof (Speakeasy with a bowling alley!)

• Proof on Main - 21c Hotel is known for putting GREAT restaurants in their hotels - this is no exception!

• Swizzle

• The Bard's Town

• The Lantern Room at Brooklyn and The Butcher (Speakeasy)

Things to See & Do

• Angel's Envy Distillery

• Cave Hill Cemetery

• Churchill Downs

• Conrad-Caldwell House Museum

• Frazier History Museum

• Historic Frankfort Avenue

• Kentucky Derby Museum

• Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft

• Locust Grove

• Louisville Palace Theatre

• Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory

• The Mega Cavern

• Waverly Hills Sanatorium

• Whitehall

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Paducah

Kind of Visit: Historic - Great for a weekend trip!

WHERE to Stay

• Belle Louise Historic Guest House

• Lynnhurst Family Resort

• Market House Theatre Guest Apartments

• The 1857 Hotel

• The Lake House Inn at Sledd Creek

• The Respite Bed and Breakfast

WHERE to Dine & Drink

• Cynthia’s Ristorante

• Etcetera Coffeehouse

• Kirchhoff's Bakery and Deli

• Parker’s Drive-In Restaurant

• Pipers Tea & Coffee

• Red’s Donut Shop

• The Freight House

Things to See & Do

• Clyde F. Boyles Greenway Trail

• Fort Massac State Park

• Maiden Alley Cinema

• Silent Brigade Distillery

• The Coke Plant

• The National Quilt Museum

• William Clark Market House Museum

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