Exclusive Kentucky Getaways
If you’re looking for a destination full of exclusive and one-of-a-kind experiences, the Bluegrass State should top your list. Stay in a castle surrounded by horse farms. Blend your own bottle of Kentucky bourbon. Taste famous Kentucky dishes where they were first created. See the Run for the Roses at legendary Churchill Downs. Craft a getaway you won’t forget in Kentucky.
Specialty Dining
Food is just as important as the journey on any memorable vacation, and Kentucky chefs know how to whip up something special. At Holly Hill in Midway, Chef Ouita Michel uses local ingredients to craft seasonal fine-dining favorites. Expect items like Catalan roast lamb, beef carpaccio and pan-fried flounder, along with an award-winning wine list and more than 100 bourbons.
The historic Brown Hotel in Louisville is the birthplace of the Kentucky delicacy, the hot brown. First served in 1926, the hot brown is made with roasted turkey, bacon, tomatoes, Pecorino Romano cheese and Mornay sauce, all piled open-faced on toast. Get it in either the casual J. Graham’s Café or fine-dining Lobby Bar & Grill.
Another Louisville must is Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse. This Whiskey Row steakhouse takes inspiration from the bourbon industry, cooking its steaks and seafood over flaming oak-aged barrels. Pair steak, lobster or king crab with sides like baked mac and cheese or sweet-potato casserole and your favorite spirit in an upscale atmosphere.
Exclusive Bourbon Experiences
Kentucky is well-known as the epicenter of bourbon and home of the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail®. Visitors flock to the Bluegrass for tastings, tours, whiskey thieving (sampling bourbon straight from the barrel) and more bourbon experiences across the trail’s 56 featured distilleries. Many of these offer private and exclusive tours. Newport’s New Riff Distillery features Blend, a monthly blend-your-own session where you join distillers in the sensory lab to create your own bourbon from a blend of three barrels. Check out New Riff’s other unique tour options here.
In Loretto, get an immersive lesson in wood finishing and whisky maturation on The Oak Experience at Maker's Mark Distillery. This exclusive five-person tour includes whisky thieving, wood-finished bourbon sampling and even planting your own American White Oak on Star Hill Farm. Browse more Marker’s Mark Distillery tours here.
Horse Farm Tours & Racing
The Kentucky Derby, “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” is held annually at Louisville’s Churchill Downs. Don your best hat, sip a mint julep and join a crowd of more than 150,000 in cheering on 20 of the world’s best thoroughbreds on the first Saturday in May. Can’t make it for the race? Visit the Kentucky Derby Museum to tour the track and discover 150 years of unrivaled racehorse history.
Explore another legendary track at Lexington’s Keeneland. Catch the Spring or Fall Meets each April and October or take a guided tour of the grounds of this National Historic Landmark. The Morning Works Tour invites you to watch a morning training session on the iconic track. The Behind-The-Scenes Sales Experience highlights the thoroughbred auction house. Visit the stable area, training track, Sales Pavillion and racing office on the Backstretch Tour. Play owner for a day when you book the exclusive Owner’s Experience.
Learn about equine-care practices, tour a feed mill, meet former racehorses or spend a day with the foals at a nursery farm when you choose your own Kentucky horse adventure with Horse Country Tours.
Unique Lodging
If you’re traveling the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, consider staying at the award-winning Bourbon Manor Bed & Breakfast Inn. Located in Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World,” the B&B offers 10 spirit-themed guest rooms across two historical houses, the 1810 Federal House Cottage and the 1823 Greek Revival Manor. Expect antique furnishings, designer sheets, private baths, Gilchrist & Soames spa toiletries, Terry spa robes and a gourmet country breakfast each morning. Book a massage or trigger-point therapy session from the onsite spa to add to the relaxation. Or pair your stay with two distillery tours, local dining, a bourbon history tour and more with the Bourbon Tour & Tasting Package.
The Kentucky Castle in Versailles is a fairy-tale lodging experience. With 18 enchanting accommodations, the castle features four tower suites, interior castle suites, king guest rooms, tiny homes, a cabin, a farmhouse and luxury glamping. Add a romantic farm-to-table dinner at Castle Farm or be pampered like royalty at the spa. Before your stay, peruse their event calendar to see what’s happening at the castle. Popular events include murder mystery dinners, castle tours and afternoon tea.
Can’t-Miss Museums
From paintings and portraits to sculptures and stained glass, Kentucky art museums take art lovers on a journey through a variety of disciplines, showcasing the works of world-renowned artists.
The Speed Art Museum in Louisville is the state’s largest art museum. Covering 6,000 years of artwork from around the world, the museum’s extensive collections include wood-panel carvings from 19th-century Nigeria, a third-century Roman sarcophagus and Claude Monet’s 1882 “The Church at Varengeville.”
See the intricate pieces of Hot Glass Master of Color Stephen Rolfe Powell at the GLASS National Art Museum in Danville. Browse the glass and ceramic works of Powell and other featured artists, including Dale Chihuly and Lino Tagliapietra.
The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art is home to 4,000 pieces, including works from Pablo Picasso, Charles Willson Peale and Sir Thomas Lawrence. See a variety of art forms when touring the museum’s permanent collections and exhibits, like the William Taylor Stevenson 18th-Century Drawing Room, the Mildred Stout Field Stained Glass Gallery, the Jim and Peggy Ryan Victorian Parlour, the Ryan Sculpture Park and more than 1,000 American folk art objects.
“America’s Sports Car” is widely considered a piece of art in its own right. Head to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green to learn about this American icon and see how the classic builds have shaped pop culture. Then, jump into the driver’s seat and race around the track at NCM Motorsports Park.