7 Bucket-List Small Towns In Kentucky

Locals have known it for years, but Kentucky is way more unique than most people realize. While it’s famous as the birthplace of bourbon, you’ll also find the world’s longest cave system here, along with elite thoroughbred farms and a UNESCO Creative City that’s a magnet for artists and creators. If you want to experience the true individuality of the Bluegrass State, these seven towns are essential additions to your travel bucket list.

Cave City

Cave City is one of those places that should be on the bucket list of people across the United States. Home to Mammoth Cave National Park, this town is the gateway to the longest-known cave system on earth. The National Park Service offers several types of tours in the caves, ranging from wheel accessible tours to lantern tours and even crawling tours for the particularly adventurous! Beyond the national park cave, there are other fantastic tours to check out in the area, such as Crystal Onyx Cave, a privately owned cave that features even more beautiful rock formations and tours that last about an hour. Those with families may also enjoy spending a day at Dinosaur World, an entertaining park that has hundreds of life-size dinosaur replicas on display and a 5,000 square foot gift shop to find that perfect souvenir.

Bardstown

Proudly known as the Bourbon Capital of the World, Bardstown has 11 distilleries within 16 miles of its main square. If you are looking for distillery recommendations, make sure to check out Bardstown Bourbon Company, a modern distillery with cutting-edge facilities. Their tour options include a traditional flight of four core whiskeys, a “straight from the barrel” sipping experience, and interactive cocktail-making sessions. Willett Distillery is another great distillery to visit. Renowned as being one of the state’s original family-owned distilleries, it sits on the same estate nearly a decade later. To learn more about the history of bourbon, you can also swing by the Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History, which exhibits a variety of whiskey-related artifacts that range from precolonial days to post-prohibition years.

Paducah

Designated as a UNESCO Creative City, Paducah has an unmatched artistic atmosphere. The town hosts all kinds of arts festivals throughout the year, such as the Lower Town Arts & Music Festival, which takes place each spring in the Lower Town Arts District, filling the streets with art vendors, live music, family activities, and food. You can also find art museums unlike any other here, like The National Quilt Museum, which collects and presents some of the best contemporary quiltworks from across the country. For a live performance, check out the schedule at The Carson Center, which hosts touring Broadway productions, dramas, well-known entertainers, and more.

Elizabethtown

Known to the locals as “Etown,” Elizabethtown is one of those classic Southern spots that has a little bit of everything, making it a great destination if you just can’t decide where to visit. Here, you can find quirky museums like the Swope's Cars of Yesteryear Museum, which exhibits vintage and antique cars dating back between the early 1900s and the 1960s. It also has some wonderful performing arts venues, such as the Historic State Theater, an art deco theater from 1942 that puts on concerts throughout the year. Or if you prefer to get outdoors, you will find plenty of parks around town. The Elizabethtown Nature Park is one of the most impressive, a 104-acre park with walking trails that connect with the Freeman Lake Park trail system.

Harrodsburg

If you are craving a historical experience, you will find it in Harrodsburg. This town is famously home to Old Fort Harrod State Park, which houses a full-scale replica of a 1774 fort constructed by James Harrod, furnished with pioneer-era utensils, furniture, and tools. Continue your trip back in time at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, a 3,000-acre property that brings Shaker heritage and history to life through a historic center, a working farm, and a nature preserve. You can complement your historic experience with an afternoon on the water at Herrington Lake, the deepest lake in Kentucky, and a great place to boat and camp.

Winchester

Winchester claims the unique title as the Beer Cheese Capital of the World, meaning that you’re going to want to arrive in town with an appetite. Each June, the town hosts the Beer Cheese Festival, commemorating the cheesy treat with lots of food, music, a 5k, a pageant, and more. Year-round, you can explore the town’s Beer Cheese Trail, which features 15 beer cheese stops at establishments around town, including breweries, steakhouses, markets, and more. Winchester is also home to the soft drink Ale-8, the only surviving Kentucky soft drink. Signing up for a tour online, you can tour Ale-8’s facilities for free, learning about the drink’s history and getting to see up close where it was made.

Midway

Midway sits right at the heart of thoroughbred country, surrounded by rolling hills and world-class horse farms. Airdrie Stud is an excellent farm to visit if you want to learn more about these horses, one of the most historic thoroughbred farms in Kentucky. Each tour visits the stallions, mares, and foals, and some tours might even include hands-on experiences! The Bluegrass Scenic Railroad and Museum is another worthwhile attraction to add to your itinerary, which offers rides aboard a historic railroad, passing through the gently rolling hills of the countryside. This area has some notable vineyards to visit as well, such as Equus Run Vineyards and Winery, a nearly 40-acre estate that produces award-winning wines and spirits.

A State Packed With Personality

The personality you will find in Kentucky is incredible, and these seven towns are some of the best representations of it all. Between its beer cheese festivals, unique soft drink factories, historic fort replicas, and quilt museums, there is always something new to explore here. In fact, these destinations are really just the tip of the iceberg! The more you explore Kentucky, the more you realize that a trip through this state is truly one of a kind and incredibly memorable.