Kentucky

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Foal in corral at Three Chimneys Horse Farm, Old Frankfort Pike.

Lottie Davies

Overview

Horses thunder around race tracks, bourbon pours from distilleries and banjos twang in Kentucky, a geographical and cultural crossroads that's part North, part South, part genteel and part country cousin. Every corner is easy on the eye, but there are few sights more beautiful than the rolling limestone hills around Lexington, where long-legged steeds nibble under poplar trees on multi-million dollar farms that you can visit. Bourbon distilleries also speckle the countryside, prime for scenic road tripping to swirl and sniff a dram at the source. It's like an offbeat version of California's Napa Valley, but with fewer crowds and headier alcohol. Caving, rock climbing and hiking prevail in the unspoiled parks and forests. And while big cities Louisville and Lexington have farm-to-table restaurants, cocktail bars and all of the other hipster requirements, most of Kentucky is made up of small towns with quiet scenes.

01 / Attractions

Must-see attractions

Muhammad Ali Center
Louisville
This must-see museum tells the tale of the city's most famous native: a local boxer nicknamed the Louisville Lip or, simply, The Greatest. Highlights…
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
Louisville
See how baseball's most famous bat is made. Hillerich & Bradsby Co have been manufacturing the Louisville Slugger here since 1884. Admission includes a…
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park
With the longest cave system on earth, this national park has some 400 miles of surveyed passageways. Mammoth is at least three times longer than any…
Jim Beam American Stillhouse
Kentucky
Beam is the country's best-selling bourbon. Watch a film about the Beam family, take the 90-minute tour through the factory and warehouses, and then…
Speed Art Museum
Louisville
Built in 1927 and revamped to the tune of $60 million in recent years, Kentucky's most important art museum – unaffiliated but on the University of…
Maker's Mark
Kentucky
Touring Maker's is like visiting a historic theme park, in a good way. You'll see the old gristmill, the 1840s master distiller's house and the old…
Old Forester Distilling Co
Louisville
A new Whiskey Row facility that opened in 2018, Old Forester itself is a classic brand, around since the 1870s. The distillery lets you view the entire…
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
Louisville
The first distillery to open on Whiskey Row, Evan Williams puts on quite a multimedia show. Exhibits transport you back to the 1780s when bourbon-making…