Lexington, KY is a true gem! I'm lucky enough to be able to get in my car, drive one and a half hours from Cincinnati to a completely different scene. This weekend I did just that and spent a full day asking myself why I don't drive to Lexington more often.
Lexington is the 2nd largest city in Kentucky and is known as the Horse Capital of the World. If you're a horse lover this is the place for you!
Kentucky Scenic Byway
We started our day by taking the scenic byway. If you're visiting, I really do encourage you to do this! We spent at least a couple of hours driving the country back roads and admiring the scenery. I couldn't get enough of the rolling hills, endless fences, beautiful horses grazing, and rustic barns that looked like they belong on a postcard.
I couldn't find an official map, but there are plenty of signs that say "Kentucky scenic byway" to follow around and give you a general idea of where to go. Here's a helpful way to start: when you're in Lexington go west on Highway 60. Take Pisgah Pike Road on your right (a couple of miles after passing Keeneland). Turn right onto Paynes Mill Road. Next, this is where you get lost in the rolling fields and picturesque horse farms! Turn on any little road and you will find some amazing places.
This blog post contains affiliate and referral links which may reward me in the event of a subscription or sale (at no extra cost for you).
Kentucky Horse Park
The Kentucky Horse Park is so many things in one. It houses the International Museum of the Horse, it's a working horse farm and an equestrian competition venue. It has been home to many championship horses as well. We saw a large variety of different horses! They have daily shows and educational events. This place is a must if you plan a visit to Lexington. Plan on spending a couple of hours here!
Castle and Key Distillery
Kentucky is well known for its bourbon, but this gin and vodka distillery will leave you speechless. It was a last-minute decision to go here, and I'm so happy we did! Driving through back roads, you come across a rustic looking castle. Along with the castle, there's so much to look at. You're in rustic heaven. When you enter and go around the side, you will be even more amazed. There's a really beautiful covered spring house, a stream with a waterfall, chairs to sit in along to stream, and even a beautiful nature walking trail to walk through while enjoying your drink. We each tried the gin and vodka in a specialty cocktail and it was so refreshing. This distillery used to be a bourbon distillery that was forced to shut down during prohibition.
Distillery District- Old Pepper
Okay, don't worry, we weren't going to leave Kentucky without tasting bourbon! We took a visit to the Distillery District and it was amazing. It's been a community redevelopment project to bring these old abandoned buildings back to life again, and they did just that! We enjoyed a tasting at James E. Pepper Distillery. There's also a brewery, shopping, restaurants, and icecream....
Distillery District- Crank and Boom Icecream
This place is ah-mazing! Please try the waffle cones if you go here. They are made in-house with cinnamon and so, so, so good. Here we got scoops of honey-bourbon and Kentucky Blackberry. They also sell boozy floats! This was seriously the perfect ending to our day!
Have you been to Lexington? Let me know what you loved about it in the comments below!
Thanks for reading, feel free to share, and happy travels! <3