We took a trip to visit Bardstown Kentucky which has been named the Bourbon Capital of the World. There are 11 unique distilleries within 16 miles of Court Square. There is more to Bardstown than just bourbon the walkable downtown is home to nearly 200 historic buildings and has been declared The Most Beautiful Small Town in America.
We learned, during our trip, that there were many surprises for us to see and learn about. We were only there for a weekend which cut down on how much we could visit and see.
Here is a link to the video that we did during our visit but keep reading below the video for more of our insights about Bardstown.
During our time in Bardstown, we stayed at the Talbott Inn.
The Old Talbott was built in 1779 and the oldest western stagecoach stop in America. The Talbott Inn is right next to the Old Talbott Tavern which was there first. It is one of the oldest buildings in Bardstown and right on the main circle leading to the downtown area. It can be confusing to figure out where you are to check in to the Inn. We later learned that there are two places that you can check in. One right next to the tavern and the other desk is in the brick building behind that later became part of the inn.
In the center of the circle is that Old Courthouse that is now the visitor center for Bardstown and the county.
Even at night they have the visitor center looking very nice.
As you walk downtown you will find many shops and pubs.
As we walked down the main street, we found that almost every store front was being used. There was maybe one or two store fronts that were empty.
As with any restored downtown, there is limited parking on the main street. You can park in the lots one street over from the main street. It is just a short walk to get to the stores.
Do not just stay on the main street and shop because there are store fronts down the side streets and even on the streets behind the stores that are on the main street. We didn’t, but you buy a carriage ride to take you around to see the town.
At the end or close to the end of the shopping area as you walk downtown you will come up to a park. This is called the Mayors Park in honor of all the past mayors of Bardstown.
This park gave us a great place to stop and rest before we start to walk back down the street.
Not too bad of a picture of two old folks on their first trip after I retired from 41 years.
The main reason that we came to Bardstown was to take a ride on My Old Kentucky Dinner Train ! We really enjoyed the ride and meal. We will be posting about that next. We did not really know anything about Bardstown when we went, which we can find enjoyable, and found there was so much to see and do. There was not enough time in the weekend that we were there to visit everything that is offered. There may be another adventure in the future.
We were able to spend time at four of their museums that is located around Bardstown but there are many more to see. Bardstown is also home to the bourbon trail where you can visit many of the distilleries which offer tasting and other services at each one. For us we found that Bardstown was more like what Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg was like when we were younger. No big entertainment other than local bands at the restaurants and pubs. Walking around enjoying the town and countryside.
For more information you can visit their website Visit Bardstown Kentucky and if you have been to Bardstown leave a comment below, we would like to hear your thoughts.
