9 Kentucky Small Towns With Unmatched Friendliness
Kentucky's friendliest towns know how to put on a great cookout. That's why London, Kentucky, brings out the world's biggest stainless steel skillet to fry up fried chicken during its biggest festival.
These towns don't settle for regular festivals. They craft them around their best cultural elements, whether that's the folk art tradition of Berea or the railroad-town vibe of La Grange. Even outside of festival seasons, visitors can experience plenty of hospitality in these Kentucky towns through learning quilting in Paducah or touring Bourbon distilleries around Midway. That's just a few reasons why these nine Kentucky small towns are so friendly.
La Grange
La Grange is called the Kindness Capital of Kentucky, with signs adorning lawns and public buildings around town that urge people to "Be Kind." It's easy to keep a positive attitude in La Grange, thanks to its small-town vibe and Main Street Train. The cargo train runs through downtown up to 20 times a day, passing right next to several museums and local cafes. You can learn more about the railroad at the La Grange Railroad Museum & Learning Center, which preserves locomotives and cabooses from the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Visitors can also see the museum's historic L&N dining car, which is available to rent for private functions.
Visitors can walk a few blocks from the museum to get a cup of coffee with friends at La Grange Coffee Roasters. The town really comes alive in May with the La Grange Rail Fest, a celebration of all things railroad-related with food vendors, crafts, and music.
Corbin
Corbin has one of the greatest success stories in Kentucky. In the middle of the Great Depression, a man named Harland Sanders began selling fried chicken from a small cafe. By 1952, he brought his concept to the world with the first KFC franchise in South Salt Lake, Utah. Corbin maintains the original cafe as part of the Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum. This isn't the only quirky museum in Corbin, as the Pinball Museum of Corbin collects machines from the 1960s to the present.
In this museum, visitors can play with these vintage machines rather than just look at them. Corbin overall has an offbeat culture, best seen during its Colonel Fest in April, with a Colonel Sanders lookalike contest, and the NIBROC (Corbin spelled backward) festival in August, featuring a pageant, carnival rides, and food vendors.
London
In London, one can enjoy a serene afternoon while also spending time with other cyclists down its rural roads. The town is called the Cycling Capital of Kentucky for its bike-friendly roads and mountain biking trails. Every April, cyclists crowd the town for the Redbud Ride, named after the flowers that grow in the town in the spring. However, cyclists can take the various routes of the ride year-round, including the Yellow Route, which begins in downtown London.
The community also knows how to throw a good cookout after a bike ride, especially during the World Chicken Festival, held each September with chicken cooked up on the world's biggest stainless steel skillet. History lovers will also find something to enjoy in London at the Camp Wildcat Battlefield, the site of a Civil War battle in October 1861. Each October, reenactors put on a Camp Wildcat Battle Reenactment with horse and bayonet charges.
Paducah
Paducah's friendly attitude comes from its willingness to share its creative spirit. The town is a designated UNESCO Creative City for its use of public spaces for artistic expression. One such example is the Wall to Wall Murals, painted by expert muralists on the floodwall trail by the Ohio River, representing scenes from Paducah's history. Another creative spot is the National Quilt Museum, showcasing both local and international quilts, alongside quilting classes.
This community was also home to Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman, and the Lloyd Tilghman House & Civil War Museum preserves that legacy. Where Paducah really comes alive is with its sheer variety of festivals, ranging from the Lower Town Arts & Music Festival in May to the Dragon Boat Festival in August, where competitors have races in Chinese-style dragon boats by the River Discovery Center.
Hodgenville
Hodgenville's small community was once home to one of America's most famous Presidents: Abraham Lincoln. He was born here in a log cabin in 1809, but his family struggled to get land titles and left in 1816. Many of the landmarks he grew up exploring are still around in the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, including Sinking Spring, where his family got water within the park's Birthplace Unit.
Abraham Lincoln's heritage plays a key role in Hodgenville's culture, with local artists displaying Lincoln-themed artwork at the Lincoln Museum and variety acts performing at the Lincoln Jamboree. Even the town's fall festival is named after him: the Lincoln Days festival held annually in October, with food and 19th-century pioneer games.
Georgetown
Georgetown is one of the fastest-growing communities in Kentucky, with families coming in from across the region for job opportunities at the Toyota Factory and to enjoy its laid-back atmosphere in places like Old Friends Farm. This farm houses retired thoroughbred horses, some of whom raced in the Kentucky Derby. Tours of the facility enable guests to interact with and feed the horses.
Another popular place to tour in Georgetown is the Ward Hall mansion, built in 1857 in the Greek Revival style. Families can also enjoy peaceful nature walks at the Toyota Biodiversity Trail or Scott County Park. In September, downtown Georgetown has parades, food, beer, and other celebrations for the Best of the Bluegrass - Festival of the Horse.
Midway
As the name implies, Midway sits in central Kentucky and is close to many towns and attractions, including the Bourbon Trail, which passes through some of the best Bourbon distilleries in Kentucky. One of the town's biggest distilleries is Bluegrass Distillers at Elkwood Farm, which grows its own blue corn for use in its whiskey. The distillery offers tours, tastings, and bottles for purchase.
Wine enthusiasts can make their way slightly to the east to Equus Run Vineyards, a 40-acre facility on the shores of the South Elkhorn Creek. The town comes together to celebrate its Bourbon heritage at the Midway Bourbon & Blues Festival held each June. Later in the fall, Midway celebrates the changing of the seasons with the Midway Fall Festival in mid-September, a tradition that dates back over 50 years.
Middlesboro
Middlesboro's geology is unique in Kentucky, as the land around it was formed by an extraterrestrial visitor millions of years ago. Around 300 million years ago, this land was struck by a meteor, leaving behind an impact crater where the city of Middlesboro now rests in the Appalachian Plateau.
Residents and visitors alike in Middlesboro can easily access several scenic points in the Appalachian Mountains, including Tri-State Peak, which sits at the border of three states, and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, which features hiking trails and historic settlements. In town, friends gather for an ice cream or burger outside at the old-timey Conley's Drive-in Restaurant. Every year in the fall, country musicians come down for the Cumberland Mountain Fall Festival, a celebration of all things Appalachia with food, vendors, and beauty pageants.
Berea
Berea has always had a strong sense of justice and a willingness to stick together against outside pressure. That's why Berea College was the first racially integrated higher learning institution in Kentucky. Bereans also stand together through a dedication to older styles, including folk art and crafts. The town is known as the Folk Art & Crafts Capital of Kentucky for its several artisan galleries, ranging from the Kentucky Artisan Center to the Log House Craft Gallery.
Every July, the town hosts the Berea Craft Festival, where regional and local artists share their wares and enjoy good conversation about their craft. Bereans also enjoy a good walk in the woods, which is why the college maintains the Berea College Forest for Appalachian hiking. One of the most scenic trails in the forest is the Pinnacles Trail, for its overlooks of the Appalachian Mountains and of Berea itself.
The Many Capitals of Kentucky
A lot of these towns are "capitals" of Kentucky, like the cycling capital of London, the folk arts of Berea, or the kindness capital of La Grange. What this reveals is that visitors can find experiences that match their interests while still enjoying the state's signature hospitality. Visitors can have a good laugh while taking a photo with a Colonel Sanders impersonator at the Colonel Fest, chat with expert artisans at the Berea Craft Festival, or celebrate Appalachian culture in the meteor crater town of Middlesboro. All of these communities are at the top of their game when it comes to hospitality and friendliness.
