Central Kentucky
VisitBardstown.com; @VisitBardstown
Bardstown wears the crown of the “Bourbon Capital of the World,” says Stacey Phelps, president of Visit Bardstown. “We have 12 distilleries within 16 miles of our historic Main Street, including James B. Beam, Maker’s Mark, and Heaven Hill, plus many places where you can sample the best bourbons in tasting rooms, cellars, bars, and restaurants. Bardstown is more than just bourbon,” Phelps notes. “Settled in 1780, Bardstown is Kentucky’s second-oldest city, offering a slice of Americana with history, culture, and a strong dose of nostalgia.”
Bardstown’s Museum Row includes America’s largest and most complete collection of museums devoted to the Western Theater of the Civil War. Other attractions include My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, which offers themed rides for all ages; Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History, which completed a major redesign to celebrate Spalding Hall’s 200th anniversary; and My Old Kentucky Home State Park, which features an outdoor summer musical production honoring the iconic Stephen Foster song.
Major event venues include the Log Still Distillery, a 300-acre campus with multiple venues seating up to 700 dinner guests; the nonprofit Guthrie Opportunity Center, with a 20,000-square-foot multipurpose hall; My Old Kentucky Home, with a ballroom seating 200 theater style; and Bardstown Bourbon Co., with a variety of spaces to accommodate approximately 75 reception guests.
The 95-room Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Bardstown can accommodate 80 people in banquet or theater seating; the 35-room Bardstown Motor Lodge is a retro-style hotel suited for small group buyouts; and the 80-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bardstown has space to seat 128 theater style.
