 Home / U.S. State Travel Guides / U.S. Vacations / U.S. National Parks / U.S. State Highpoints / U.S. Road Trip Planning  KENTUCKY TRAVEL GUIDE
Welcome to the bigroads.com travel guide to Kentucky! Hopefully the information on this page helps provide some inspiration and tips to help you plan your next trip to Kentucky. Take note that I build and maintain this website as both a hobby and public service. I take joy in performing travel research and sharing my experiences and adventures. I do not make any profit from this website, and you will see no ads on it. Your constructive feedback about this site and its content is encouraged. Please email me if you have any suggestions or ideas for improvement.  OVERVIEWTOP 10 ATTRACTIONS IN KENTUCKYBigroads.com ✮ Tour some of the world-class bourbon distilleries in Bardstown, Frankfort, Lexington, and/or Louisville ✮ Go hunting for arches and natural bridges in the spectacular Red River Gorge Geological Area ✮ Embrace the horse-obsessed culture and attractions in Louisville ✮ Tour one of Kentucky's amazing underground caves (e.g. Mammoth Cave National Park, but there are many others) ✮ Visit the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green ✮ Go camping in Daniel Boone National Forest ✮ Try via-ferrata climbing with Southeast Mountain Guides ✮ Visit the original KFC restaurant in Corbin ✮ Wander the historic district of Berea, the "folk arts and crafts capital of Kentucky" ✮ See one of Kentucky's best waterfalls at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park If I could select only one place to visit in Kentucky, I would choose the Red River Gorge Geological Area. The hiking and scenery there is fantastic, especially if you seek out some of the lessor-known arches and other geologic attractions. I also absolutely love the via ferrata climbing park in nearby Campton (Southeast Mountain Guides; reservations required). For a list of 10 great attractions in each U.S. state, click here. 5-STAR ATTRACTIONS IN KENTUCKYBigroads.com Southwestern Kentucky ✮ Floodwall Murals, Paducah - giant painted walls ✮ Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area - excellent hiking and ATV/ORV-riding; elk & bison prairies ✮ National Quilt Museum, Paducah - one of the top quilt museums in the U.S.; even if you don't like quilts, you'll likely appreciate the art/designs  Northern Kentucky (including Newport; see below for the Louisville and Lexington areas) ✮ Ark Encounter, Williamstown - giant Christian religious attraction; not sure if this should be classified as a religious theme park or museum? ✮ Creation Museum, Petersburg - religious attraction based on a "young Earth creationist explanation of the origin of the universe" ✮ Newport Aquarium, Newport - good aquarium near the Kentucky-Ohio state line Louisville Area (including Bardstown) ✮ Big Four Bridge, Louisville - attractive pedestrian and cyclist bridge connecting Kentucky with Indiana; great city views ✮ Cave Hill Cemetery & Arboretum, Louisville - famous historic cemetery; resting place of Colonel Sanders (of KFC fame) and Muhammad Ali ✮ Churchill Downs / Kentucky Derby event, Louisville - site of the Kentucky Derby horse race (typically held the first Sunday in May) ✮ Conrad-Caldwell House Museum, Louisville - historic Victorian mansion tours; known for its Richardsonian Romanesque architecture ✮ Distilleries in Louisville - there are at least ten (yes, ten!) 5-star rated distilleries (e.g. bourbon producers) in this city ✮ Distilleries in Bardstown - there are several 5-star rated distilleries (e.g. bourbon producers) in this city ✮ Downtown Bardstown - attractive downtown with stores and shops; many distilleries in the town and more nearby ✮ Jim Beam American Stillhouse, Clermont - one of many excellent whiskey distilleries in Kentucky ✮ Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, Louisville - great venue for music, dance, and theater ✮ Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville - excellent exhibits on Thoroughbred horse racing ✮ Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Harbor, Louisville - the largest and best amusement/water park in Kentucky; 6 roller coasters as of 2022 ✮ Louisville Mega Cavern, Louisville - one of Kentucky's best caves; underground zip line and adventure tours are highly rated ✮ Louisville Slugger Field - one of the finest minor league baseball parks in the U.S. ✮ Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Louisville - tour the country's prime baseball bat maker; a giant bat sits near the front entrance ✮ Maker's Mark, Loretto - one of many excellent whiskey distilleries in Kentucky ✮ Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville - sports museum and cultural center ✮ Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville - former sanatorium with paranormal tours offered ✮ World's Largest Bat, Louisville - this famous roadside attraction rests in front of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Lexington Area (including Berea and Frankfort) ✮ Berea Pinnacles, Berea - great hiking to some of the best views in the state ✮ Boone Creek Outdoors, Lexington - excellent outdoor zip-line canopy tours ✮ Distilleries in Frankfort - there are several 5-star rated distilleries (e.g. bourbon producers) in this city ✮ Distilleries in Lexington - there are several 5-star rated distilleries (e.g. bourbon producers) in this city ✮ Great American Dollhouse Museum, Danville - more than 200 dollhouses on display; miniature neighborhoods and villages ✮ Keeneland, Lexington - famous horse racing park; you can watch morning workouts ✮ Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington - an excellent working horse farm ✮ Legacy Trail - 12-mile paved trail that runs north-to-south within Lexington ✮ Old Friends at Dream Chase Farm, Georgetown - engage with retired racing horses ✮ Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg - the finest living history museum in Kentucky ✮ Sun Valley Farm, Versailles - visit a thoroughbred horse breeding farm ✮ Toyota Visitor Center & Plant Tour, Georgetown - take a free tour of this automobile manufacturer ✮ Wild Turkey Distillery, Lawrenceburg - one of many outstanding distilleries in KY ✮ Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles - one of many outstanding distilleries in KY Mammoth Cave National Park area (including Bowling Green) ✮ Canoeing/kayaking the Green River - some of the best canoeing/kayaking in KY ✮ Chaney's Dairy Barn, Bowling Green - famous ice cream spot ✮ Crystal Onyx Cave, Cave City - excellent cave tours ✮ Diamond Caverns, Park City - one of several excellent show caves in KY ✮ Dinosaur World, Cave City - giant dinosaur statues ✮ Fork in the Road, Franklin - roadside attraction of a giant fork ✮ Hidden River Cave & American Cave Museum, Horse Cave - one of several excellent show caves in KY ✮ Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo, Horse Cave - animal park with interactive experiences ✮ Lost River Cave, Bowling Green - excellent cave tours ✮ Mammoth Cave National Park - offers some of the finest cave tours in the U.S.; the longest cave system in the U.S. ✮ Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike & Hike Trail - 9-mile gravel trail that starts within Mammoth Cave National Park ✮ National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green - the ultimate ode to the Chevy Corvette; perhaps the finest auto museum in US dedicated to 1 car ✮ NCM Motorsports Park, Bowling Green - one of the best non-NASCAR race tracks in the U.S. Central Kentucky (excluding Louisville and Lexington areas) ✮ Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, Hodgenville - famous small log cabin where Abe Lincoln was born ✮ Daniel Boone National Forest - huge national forest with all your typical national forest activities (hiking, camping, etc.) Northeastern Kentucky (including the Red River Gorge area) ✮ Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill - famous for its caves and natural bridges; campground and in-park lodging ✮ Dawkins Line Rail Trail - 36-mile rail trail from Hagerhill to Evanston in eastern KY; longest rail trail in KY; mix of asphalt & crushed stone ✮ Gray's Arch, Red River Gorge Geological Area, Stanton - one of the best arches in the eastern U.S. ✮ Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Slade - hiking trails to one of the best natural bridges in the eastern U.S.; campgrounds and in-park lodging ✮ Prestonsburg Passage Rail Trail - 8.6 mile paved rail trail from Prestonsburg to David in Eastern KY ✮ Red River Gorge Geological Area, Stanton - many outstanding geologic attractions; most of the best scenery and hiking in KY is here ✮ Red River Gorge Zipline, Campton - excellent zip-lining tours ✮ Southeast Mountain Guides, Campton - an outstanding via ferrata rock-climbing experience; there are only a few places like this in the U.S. Southeastern & Southcentral Kentucky ✮ ATV/ORV-ing in the Black Mountain Off Road Adventure Area - one of the best (if not the very best) place to go offroading in the state ✮ Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area - excellent kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking; don't miss Split Bow Arch ✮ Colonel Harland Sanders Café & Museum, Corbin - home of the original KFC; a small museum is on site and there are a few good photo-ops ✮ Creelsboro Natural Bridge, Jamestown - one of the best natural attractions in the state ✮ Cumberland Falls, Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Corbin - one of Kentucky's most beautiful waterfalls (and certainly it's most famous) ✮ Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Middlesboro - beautiful scenic views of three states ✮ Daniel Boone National Forest - huge national forest with all your typical national forest activities (hiking, camping, etc.) ✮ Split Bow Arch - an outstanding natural arch in the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area There are also hundreds (if not thousands) of arches and natural bridges to be found across Kentucky. Going "arch hunting" can be great fun, and Kentucky is one of the top states in the U.S. for doing that. Are you aware of any other 5-star attractions in Kentucky? If so, please email me at gparsons66@hotmail.com. For a list of 5-star attractions in neighboring states, click on any of these links: IL | IN | MO | OH | TN | VA | WV BEST TOWNS & CITIES TO VISIT IN KENTUCKY✮ Bardstown - a small town famous for its historic downtown and bourbon distilleries; some call it the "Bourbon Capital of the World" ✮ Berea - a very small city with a historic district that has art galleries and boutique shops; the "folk arts and crafts capital of Kentucky" ✮ Frankfort - a small city with a beautiful state capitol building plus several outstanding distilleries; it has many historic buildings ✮ Louisville - a major city with excellent museums that is also obsessed with bourbon (there are more than 15 distilleries there) My favorite city in Kentucky is Louisville - I recommend that first-time visitors spend at least 2-3 nights there. The bourbon distilleries are world-class and there are several excellent museums. I would walk across the Big Four Bridge. If you have children (or maybe even if you don't), I highly recommend taking the underground zip-lining tour in the Louisville Mega Cavern. Great day trips from Louisville include (a) Mammoth Cave National Park, (b) the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, (c) any of these cities: Bardstown, Berea, Frankfort, and Lexington, (d) the town of French Lick in Indiana and (e) all the other tourist attractions, including show caves, near Mammoth Cave National Park. My favorite small town in Kentucky is Bardstown - I recommend that first-time visitors spend at least 1-2 nights here. Visit all the amazing distilleries in the area and explore the area around its historic downtown. If you want to visit Mammoth Caves National Park, stay in Cave City or Bowling Green. Horse Cave is another option. Click here if you'd like to see a complete list of towns and cities that I find interesting across the entire U.S. WHAT IS KENTUCKY FAMOUS FOR?✮ baseball bats ✮ bluegrass music ✮ bourbon / bourbon distilleries ✮ caves ✮ coal mines ✮ Corvettes ✮ fried chicken ✮ geologic formations ✮ horse breeding ✮ horse farms ✮ horse racing ✮ natural arches ✮ natural bridges ✮ tobacco ✮ waterfalls Click here if you'd like to learn what other U.S. states are famous for. NATIONAL PARKS IN KENTUCKYNational Parks ✮ Mammoth Cave National Park - guided cave tours within the largest cave in the U.S.; the park also offers hiking, cycling, boating, and more National Monuments ✮ Camp Nelson National Monument ✮ Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument National Recreation Areas ✮ Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area ✮ Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area National Forests ✮ Daniel Boone National Forest ✮ George Washington & Jefferson National Forest National Historical Parks / Other National Parks ✮ Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park ✮ Cumberland Gap National Historical Park ✮ Fort Donelson National Battlefield ✮ Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail ✮ Trail of Tears National Historic Trail For more information on Kentucky's national parks, visit the Kentucky page of the National Park Service. For an overview of all U.S. national parks, click here. STATE PARKS IN KENTUCKYFlagship / Premier State Parks: ✮ Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill - famous for its caves and natural bridges; campground and in-park lodging ✮ Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Corbin - one of Kentucky's most beautiful waterfall (and certainly it's most famous) ✮ Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Slade - hiking trails to one of the best natural bridges in the eastern U.S.; campgrounds and in-park lodging Other Notable State Parks: ✮ Kingdom Come State Park, Cumberland - many scenic overlooks and several interesting rock formations; several campsites available ✮ Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Pineville - mountain scenery; excellent hiking trails; in-park lodging My favorite state park in Kentucky is Natural Bridge State Resort Park. The natural bridge is large and impressive, and it's very close to all the other natural attractions of the fantastic Red River Gorge Geological Area region. I would spend 2-3 full days in this area if you've never been. Take note that if the Kentucky state park has the word "resort" in its name, it means the park offers in-park lodging (usually historic lodges). To see my list of the top 100 state parks in the country, click here. BEST WATERFALLS IN KENTUCKY✮ Anglin Falls in Mount Vernon ✮ Broke Leg Falls in Wellington ✮ Cumberland Falls in Cumberland Falls State Park, Kite ✮ Dog Slaughter Falls in Daniel Boone National Forest ✮ Seventy-Six Falls in Seventy Six Falls Recreation Area, Albany ✮ Yahoo Falls in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area For a listing of all known waterfalls in Kentucky, visit the World Waterfall Database. BEST CAVES IN KENTUCKYThis section coming soon! BEST SCENIC DRIVES IN KENTUCKY✮ Old Frankfort Pike/KY-1681 - a 17-mile paved route from Frankfort to Lexington that passes through beautiful countryside and horse farms ✮ Red River Gorge Scenic Byway - a 46-mile paved route from Stanton to Zachariah using KY-11, KY-77 (Nada Tunnel), KY-715, KY-15, KY-11 For a list of great scenic drives in each U.S. state, click here. BEST RAIL TRAILS IN KENTUCKY✮ Dawkins Line Rail Trail - 36-mile rail trail from Hagerhill to Evanston in eastern KY; longest rail trail in KY; mix of asphalt & crushed stone ✮ Legacy Trail - 12-mile paved rail trail that runs north-to-south within the city of Lexington ✮ Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike & Hike Trail - 9-mile gravel rail trail that starts within Mammoth Cave National Park ✮ Prestonsburg Passage Rail Trail - 8.6 mile paved rail trail from Prestonsburg to David in Eastern KY For more information on rail trails in Kentucky, visit the website of the Rails to Trails Conservancy. BEST AMUSEMENT PARKS / THEME PARKS IN KENTUCKY✮ Beech Bend Park & Splash Lagoon, Bowling Green ✮ Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay, Louisville ✮ Kentucky Splash Water Park and Campground, Williamsburg ✮ SomerSplash, Somerset ✮ Venture River Family Water Park, Eddyville Take note that Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana is one of the best theme parks in the U.S., and it isn't very far from the northern Kentucky border. BEST MUSEUMS IN KENTUCKYSouthwestern Kentucky ✮ National Quilt Museum, Paducah - one of the top quilt museums in the U.S.; even if you don't like quilts, you'll likely appreciate the art/designs Northern Kentucky (including Newport; see below for the Louisville and Lexington areas) ✮ Ark Encounter, Williamstown - giant Christian religious attraction; not sure if this should be classified as a religious theme park or museum? ✮ Creation Museum, Petersburg - religious attraction based on a "young Earth creationist explanation of the origin of the universe" Louisville Area (including Bardstown) ✮ Conrad-Caldwell House Museum, Louisville - historic Victorian mansion tours; known for its Richardsonian Romanesque architecture ✮ Frazier History Museum, Louisville ✮ Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville - excellent exhibits on Thoroughbred horse racing ✮ Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Louisville - tour the country's prime baseball bat maker; a giant bat sits near the front entrance ✮ Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville - sports museum and cultural center ✮ Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History, Bardstown ✮ Speed Art Museum, Louisville ✮ Swope's Cards of Yesteryear Museum, Elizabethtown ✮ Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville - former sanatorium with paranormal tours offered Lexington Area (including Berea and Frankfort) ✮ Aviation Museum of Kentucky, Lexington ✮ Great American Dollhouse Museum, Danville - more than 200 dollhouses on display; miniature neighborhoods and villages Mammoth Cave National Park area (including Bowling Green) ✮ Historic RailPark & Train Museum, Bowling Green ✮ National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green - the ultimate ode to the Chevy Corvette; perhaps the finest auto museum in US dedicated to 1 car BEST DAY HIKES IN KENTUCKYNortheastern Kentucky ✮ Angel Windows, Red River Gorge Geologic Area ✮ Carter Caves State Resort Park trails (e.g. Three Bridges) ✮ Chimney Top Trail, Red River Gorge Geologic Area ✮ Double Arch / Auxier Ridge / Courthouse Rock Loop, Red River Gorge Geologic Area ✮ Gray's Arch, Red River Gorge Geologic Area ✮ Indian Staircase Trail, Red River Gorge Geologic Area ✮ Natural Bridge State Resort Park trails (e.g. Natural Bridge, Battleship Rock Trail) ✮ Princess Arch, Red River Gorge Geologic Area ✮ Rock Bridge, Red River Gorge Geologic Area ✮ Sky Bridge, Red River Gorge Geologic Area Southeastern and Southcentral Kentucky ✮ Cumberland Falls State Resort Park trails ✮ Dog Slaughter Falls, Daniel Boone National Forest ✮ Pinnacle Overlook, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park ✮ Yahoo Falls / Yahoo Arch, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area The highpoint of Kentucky is Black Mountain (4,139'), located in the southeastern section of the state. You can normally drive right to the top; however, the road may be snowy/icy (or even closed) in winter. To find more hikes in Kentucky or to learn more about the hikes I've listed above, I recommend purchasing hiking guidebooks on Amazon (or from your local retailer). Another option is using alltrails.com, but you have to be very careful when using that website as its information is often wrong or incomplete. Published hiking guidebooks will likely always be significantly better than the information you find online. BEST BACKPACKING TRIPS IN KENTUCKY✮ Beaver Creek Wilderness ✮ Carter Caves State Resort Park ✮ North/South Trail, Land Between the Lakes NRA - 59 miles across the entire length of the national recreation area ✮ Ridge Trail, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park ✮ Sal Hallow Loop, Mammoth Cave National Park ✮ Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail - 290 miles from northern Kentucky to Pickett State Park in Tennessee CLASSIC OUTDOOR ADVENTURES IN KENTUCKY✮ Arch hunting all over the state ✮ ATV/ORV-ing in the Black Mountain Off Road Adventure Area ✮ Backpacking the North/South Trail - 59 miles across the entire length of the Land Between the Lakes NRA ✮ Backpacking the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail - 290 miles from northern Kentucky to Pickett State Park in Tennessee ✮ Canoeing/kayaking Elkhorn Creek ✮ Canoeing/kayaking the Green River ✮ Canoeing/kayaking the Kentucky River ✮ Canoeing/kayaking the Nolin River ✮ Caving in any of Kentucky's many underground caves (some of which offer "wild" cave tours) ✮ Cycling the Legacy Trail ✮ Cycling the Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike & Hike Trail ✮ Cycling the Prestonsburg Passage Rail Trail ✮ Day hiking in the Red River Gorge Geological Area ✮ Hot air ballooning in Louisville ✮ Mountain biking the England-Idlewild Mountain Biking Trail in Burlington ✮ Mountain biking the Silver Creek Bike Park in Berea ✮ Rocking climbing in the Red River Gorge ✮ Via ferrata climbing with Southeast Mountain Guides in Campton (amazing!) KENTUCKY TRAVEL TIPSBoth Cincinnati, OH and Nashville, TN are very close to the Kentucky border, and both have many attractions worth visiting. Louisville and Lexington are only about 75-80 miles from each other, and so it's not too difficult to visit both cities on the same trip. If you have extra time, visit the nearby cities of Berea, Bardstown and/or Frankfort too. UNIQUE / SPECIALTY FOODS TO TRY IN KENTUCKY✮ beer cheese ✮ benedictine (cucumber and cream cheese spread) ✮ bourbon / whiskey ✮ bourbon balls ✮ burgoo ✮ country ham and red eye gravy ✮ derby pie ✮ fried chicken ✮ hot brown sandwich ✮ libwich ✮ mint julep (an alcoholic drink) ✮ mutton ✮ rolled oysters ✮ spoonbread ✮ southern wilted lettuce (kilt lettuce) For a list of unique foods and mom-and-pop type eateries and restaurants in Kentucky (or any other U.S. state), visit the Roadfood.com website. For a list of unique foods to try in each of the 50 U.S. states, click here. For a list of the top-rated beers to try in Kentucky (or any other U.S. state), visit the Beer Advocate website. OTHER KEY KENTUCKY INFORMATIONFrankfort Major Airports: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF); you can also fly into Cincinnati, OH or Nashville, TN and then drive into Kentucky Largest Cities: Louisville (344,794), Lexington (327,924), Bowling Green (75,140), Owensboro (60,767), Covington (41,025) Primary U.S. Interstates: I-24, I-64, I-65, I-69, I-71, I-75 State Highpoint: Black Mountain (4,139') in southeastern Kentucky; you can normally drive right to the top; however, the road may be snowy/icy (or even closed) in winter Professional Sports Teams: None (although nearby Cincinnati, OH does have some) Funny or Unique Town/City Names: Black Gnat, Do Stop, Dog Walk, Hardmoney, Hazard, Hippo, Lovely, Luck Stop, Monkey's Eyebrow, Oddville, Ordinary, Pig, Possum Trot, Poverty, Rabbit Hash, Shoulderblade, and Stab Take note that in general this travel guide intentionally excluded restaurants, lodging/hotels, breweries, wineries/vineyards, and certain other types of attractions (like arcades, ax-throwing, bowling alleys, and escape rooms). These types of places tend to come and go, and keeping up with that would be too challenging. I encourage you to use Google Maps, Tripadvisor, Yelp, and other travel sites that have reader reviews to find the latest and greatest places that I haven't covered here. Angel Windows, Red River Gorge, Kentucky  views from Chimney Rock, Kentucky  giant cocktail building roadside attraction in Lexington, Kentucky  Grays Arch, Red River Gorge, Kentucky  Miguel's Pizza, the most famous restaurant in the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky Birthplace of KFC in Corbin, Kentucky  Natural Bridge in Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Kentucky  Sky Bridge, Red River Gorge, Kentucky  via ferrata climbing near the Red River Gorge in Kentucky Cumberland Falls, Kentucky ROAD TRIP GUIDEBOOKSIn addition to the information found on my website, I personally recommend purchasing these road trip/travel-related guidebooks. Click on any book cover to read reviews and/or purchase these books on Amazon.com.  
 
 
 
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