The countdown to this year’s Kentucky Derby began exactly 150 days before the Running of the Roses on May 4. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the famous horse race and Louisville is going all out.
And that’s not the only anniversary Kentucky is celebrating this year. It’s the 25th year of the Bourbon Trail and the 100th anniversary of Kentucky State Parks. Which seems to sum up the Bluegrass State well.
“When people think of Kentucky, they think of bourbon, horses and the great outdoors,” said Kristie Wooldridge, director of communications for the Kentucky Department of Tourism.
So whether you visit for the Kentucky Derby, celebrating the great American spirit on the Bourbon Trail or just enjoying bluegrass nature, we have you covered.
Stay
For those who wish to stay close to Derby action, the historic Brown Hotel in the heart of downtown Louisville combines Old-World charm with modern amenities. Sip an old fashioned in the massive and elegant lobby dating to the 1920s before embarking on Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail, its many museums—the Louisville Slugger Museum was such a wonderful surprise!—and restaurants, many of which incorporate bourbon in their dishes.
Shelby County lies only 30 minutes east of the city and offers a more affordable alternative to Louisville during busy Derby days. Try the swanky Bottled in Bond loft or Saddlebred Suites upscale loft, both located in historic downtown Shelbyville in the heart of the Bourbon Trail and an easy drive to both Churchill Downs and Keeneland Race Course in Lexington.
Visit
Of course, Churchill Downs is a world-renown racetrack which every first Saturday in May hosts the Kentucky Derby and everyone with an affection for bluegrass will sing “My Old Kentucky Home.” But the historic track also houses a museum, gift shop and restaurant that’s open throughout the year and offers guided tours of the facility outside of race days. Recently, the museum has enjoyed an expansion with new interactive displays, such as being able to ride a racehorse, and an emotional and beautifully filmed surround film detailing the racetrack’s long history.
Only three-year-old thoroughbreds participate in the Kentucky Derby, but those veteran racehorses too old to race may enjoy the good life at the end of their days at the Old Friends thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown. For instance, Silver Charm, age 30 and the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner, is one of 175 former champions living at the farm. Visitors may meet Silver Charm, the horse whose lifetime winnings amounted to nearly $7 million, and take a tour of the property.
Bourbon
The Kentucky Bluegrass Region, where bluegrass grown with limestone nutrients helped produce some of the strongest racehorses in history, also provides the perfect ingredients for bourbon. Elijah Craig realized that the waters of Royal Spring in his middle Kentucky home helped make delicious alcohol, but aging the liquid in charred oak barrels added a unique caramel flavor. Thus, bourbon as we know it today was born and Craig, the “Father of Bourbon,” founded Georgetown. Many distilleries exist in this town east of Frankfort, known as the “Birthplace of Bourbon,” with Limestone Farms distillery opening this month.
Get outside
The Kentucky state park system includes 45 parks and historic sites and one interstate park so there’s lots to choose from, from the mountains and hollows of eastern Kentucky to the Carter County region, which has the state’s highest concentration of caves. Several parks include lakes, rivers and waterfalls, the perfect spots to cool off when temperatures rise. For more information about Kentucky state parks, visit parks.ky.gov.
