Things to do
If you have any extra time in Kentucky,
here are some things we’d recommend.
Restaurants
Casual:
Distillery district— Located near the Manchester Hotel, this area has a few restaurants and bars.
Goodfellas Pizza— In the Distillery District, with outdoor seating.
Kentucky Native Cafe— Outdoor bar in a greenhouse garden, with drinks and small bites. Really nice on a pretty day.
Wallace Station— A country roadside deli. A beautiful short
drive through horse farms.
Bourbon and Toulouse— Casual Cajun and Creole restaurant that was a favorite in high school.
Stella’s Kentucky Deli— Downtown deli with local Kentucky menu.
Country Club Restaurant— Smoked meats and outdoor seating.
Skyline Chili— Cincinnati chili chain has a location here :)
North Lime Donuts— Local donut shop.
Less casual:
Lost Palm— Roof bar at the Manchester Hotel that serves food
Millstone— Contemporary southern food in a historic building
Ethereal Public House— Downtown pub restaurant
Carson’s on Main— Downtown sit-down spot with good food
Bourbon on Rye— Downtown spot with bourbon varieties and bar food
Tony’s— Downtown steakhouse by Rupp Arena
Bourbon Distilleries
The Bourbon Trail has become very popular in Kentucky these days and there are a lot of distillery options. You'll need to book a tour to visit most distilleries- we’d recommend booking a tour early!Here are a few that we’d recommend, for more info and a full list visit the Bourbon Trail website.
A newer distillery in a historic building with outdoor space to wander. It’s a beautiful 30 min drive through horse country down Old Frankfort Pike. Book your tour ahead of time. We stopped nearby at The Stave after our tour for southern food.
One of Kentucky’s most famous bourbon distilleries, about 10 minutes from Castle and Key in Versailles, Kentucky. Book your tour ahead of time.
These are both located right by The Manchester hotel, in the Distillery District of Lexington, if you’re looking for a quick tour that doesn’t require a drive.
Horses
Lexington is famous for its horses, often spotted from the road as you drive through rolling green hills. If you want to see them up close, here are a few tours and experiences.
Tour KeenelandRaces at Keeneland (Lexington’s horse racing track) won’t be running in May, but you can still tour the beautiful grounds and see a peak into how it works.
Churchill DownsHome of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs is located in Louisville, Kentucky (about 1.5 hours from Lexington). They will have horse races running in May. This is probably a full-day commitment, but it can be fun if you want to see horse-racing up close.
Tour a horse farm You can visit a working horse farm- there are all sorts of tour offerings on this website or the Lexington tourism site.
Old Friends Farm houses retired racing Thoroughbreds.
You can go riding on a guided tour at farms
like these: Big Red Stables, Stepping Stone Ranch
Other Things
If you happen to have some time, here are a couple other things to check out.
Red River GorgeAbout an hour east of Lexington, Red River Gorge is a stunning natural area full of cliffs, arches, and hiking trails.
A country driveThis is my favorite thing to do when I’m home- particularly down Old Frankfort Pike to Versailles. Pass by Wallace Station for lunch outside.
Ashland, Henry Clay's EstateLocated in Lexington. The historical home of Henry Clay and surrounding gardens. James and his parents went on a tour here in October and loved it.