Central Kentucky
VisitBardstown.com; @VisitBardstown—Bardstown is the “Bourbon Capital of the World” and offers planners 12 distilleries for tours and tastings (some with event space) within 16 miles of its historic downtown. “Beyond sampling the best bourbons in tasting rooms, cellars, bars, and restaurants across the destination, there is more to Bardstown than the distilled spirit for which it is famous. Settled in 1780, Bardstown is Kentucky’s second-oldest city, offering a slice of Americana with history, culture, and a strong dose of nostalgia,” says Stacey Phelps, president of Visit Bardstown.
“Bardstown is great for families of all ages,” Phelps adds. “Take a trip into the Kentucky countryside by rail on My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, where you can enjoy lunch, dinner and a ‘bourbon excursion,’ or themed rides like a Princess Tea Party, perfect for the little ones in the group. Whether you are in Bardstown for the bourbon or not, there is plenty to see and enjoy for everyone in the group.”
Coming in spring 2025, The Trail Hotel, a restored luxury resort, will have 95 guest rooms and suites, as well as three event rooms to host 80 people in total.
Historic attractions in the city include the Woman’s Museum of the Civil War; the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto Cathedral, the first Catholic cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains; and My Old Kentucky Home, which has six different venue options to host 350 guests.
Other event spaces include Bardstown Bourbon Co., with space for 75 guests; Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bardstown, with 80 guest rooms and a theater-seating capacity of 128; and Fairfield by Marriott Bardstown, with 92 guest rooms and meeting space to accommodate 75 people. Log Still Distillery in nearby Gethsemane is a 300-acre complex with cottages, a tasting room, and a variety of event spaces, including a 350-seat chapel, a banquet hall seating 700, and a 2,300-seat amphitheater.
