Centrally located in the heart of the Bluegrass, Bardstown sits in the midst of a variety of unique and diverse attractions, restaurants and shopping. Its picturesque, small-town atmosphere makes Bardstown very appealing to leisure travelers looking for all sorts of fun.
Bourbon immersion: Bourbon Capital of the World. Official Trailhead of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam, Barton 1792, Willett Distillery. Bourbon-themed Bourbon Manor Bed & Breakfast inn, cafe, spa and Bourbon Bar. Upscale tasting bar and gift shop Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace. Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. Menus offering bourbons by the hundreds (Kreso’s-140, Rickhouse-120, Bourbon City Bistro-120). Home of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.
Kentucky’s Official Outdoor Drama: “The Stephen Foster Story,” a Broadway-style musical, on stage in My Old Kentucky Home State Park, home of “My Old Kentucky Home,” iconic Federal Hill, where Stephen Foster reputedly visited and was inspired to write Kentucky’s state anthem.
Trainiac town: Kentucky Railway Museum holds more than 70 pieces of rail equipment, plus dining car exhibit, ticket office and a display of steam locomotive whistles. 22-mile excursions through the Rolling Fork River Valley feature Thomas The Tank Engine®, train robberies, Civil War, pizza outings, mysteries and other themes. My Old Kentucky Dinner Train serves four-course dinners in restored vintage dining cars while rolling through Kentucky Bourbon Country. Themes include murder mystery dinners and bourbon/dinner pairings.
Commune with the spirits: Bardstown Ghost Treks – 2-hour tours led by Certified Ghost Hunter Patti Starr, Saturdays June through October (Fridays added in October) and 90-minute “Visit With The Spirits Of Wickland Psychic Tour” – Friday evenings year-round.
Have a religious experience: New Kentucky Holy Land Trail and brochure lists all the things to see and do: Tour Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral. Buy a fruitcake laced with fine Kentucky bourbon at the Abbey of Gethsemani. Schedule a private retreat at the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Motherhouse. Browse the Bardstown Art Gallery/Thomas Merton Bookstore.
Bed and Breakfast here: With 16 unique B&Bs, Bardstown has a place for you to sleep and eat.
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