devin and ian are getting married
Fixins in ol’ Kentucky
Shaker Village
In addition to hosting our wedding, Shaker Village has a lot to offer and we hope you take advantage of as much as you can while you are there for the weekend! There are 34 surviving buildings, self-guided and staff-led tours, talks, music, demonstrations, exhibitions, hands-on activities and more. You can spend time with local artists in their studio spaces, take a horse-drawn wagon or hay ride, and dine on traditional favorites and seasonal Kentucky dishes prepared with straight-from-the-garden ingredients. There's also canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, and more!
Mammoth Cave
Originally christened a "grand, gloomy and peculiar place," one of Kentucky's natural wonders is underground, and it's one of the largest cave systems in the world! Located in central Kentucky, you can go on amazing tours of the cave full of stalagmites, stalactites, and beautiful limestone formations! Also nearby is a plethora of cheesy fudge shops and roadside attractions (yes, there is indeed a place called Dinosaur world.)
Kentucky Folk Art Center
One of Kentucky's greatest treasures is its tradition of folk art, and the museum in Morehead displays beautiful handmade art from all across the state. The carvings, fiber arts, and paintings are inspiring and really give a great sense of the spirit the state.
Red River Gorge
If you want a great hiking adventure while you are in Kentucky, you shouldn't miss out on Red River Gorge! It's in the mountains of eastern Kentucky and September is the perfect time of year to explore one of the most beautiful places in the state (or the world/universe.)
Berea
Berea is one of the most special towns in the state, a community of artists, writers, musicians, and educators nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. There are countless galleries and shops to find amazing handmade creations from both professional artists and students at Berea College. It's a charming and important town full of history, art and beautiful hiking at the nearby Pinnacles!
Perryville Battlefield
"I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." - Abraham Lincoln. No state was more divided in the Civil War than Kentucky, and you can get in touch with some of that history at Perryville, which is one of the most unaltered Civil War sites in the nation. It can be a very humbling experience to walk through the places that felt the full force of the most difficult part of our Nation's history.
Old Friends Farm
If you want to experience the perfect image of thoroughbred horses grazing on rolling hills of Kentucky bluegrass then Old Friends is your place! It's a retirement farm for racehorses! Old Friends provides a home to retired thoroughbreds, rescuing them from the often horrible fates of many racehorses. It's a great cause and beautiful place to walk around and meet some amazing horses.
Kentucky Railway Museum
All abooooard!!! Kentucky has a rich railroad history, it was once home to the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N), at one point on most important rail lines in the country. The museum is in New Haven (my ancestral homeplace) a cute town of just a few hundred. You can see beautiful old trains from the golden age of rail travel in America and even go on an excursion ride through beautiful Nelson County in Central Kentucky.
Kentucky Bourbon Trail
My great, great, great, great, great, great, grandfather Walter Boone claimed to be the first distiller of Kentucky whiskey and it was the family trade for generations. Kentucky is renowned for it's bourbon and you can visit many of the distilleries and get a real glimpse of Kentucky's finest liquid folk art.
Kentucky Derby Museum
And they're off!!!! Probably Kentucky's biggest claim to fame is a 2-minute horse race the first Saturday in May, and you can visit the track, and learn all about the history and stories of the Derby at the museum at Churchill Downs.
Kentucky Science Center
A great spot for the little ones in Louisville. There's always a bunch of really fun exhibits, in a beautiful building right in downtown Louisville. The Science Center is a great place to learn about space, physics, biology and all sorts of cool sciencey stuff!
Louisville Mega Cavern
Underneath Louisville is an old Limestone mine that sat mostly empty for decades, and in recent years it's been opened up for tours, light shows, underground mountain biking, and zip-lining!
The Speed Art Museum
Louisville is a city full of the arts, and the newly refurbished Speed Art Museum is a beautiful and inspiring place to experience all sorts of art from the old masters, and contemporary artists. It's one of Louisville's artistic treasures and shouldn't be missed!
Locust Grove
Despite sounding like it could be named for a biblical plague, Locust Grove is a beautiful 18th century mansion, and the grounds are really lovely to wander through. There are tours of the house and its a really fascinating way to learn about life in the late 1700s, when Kentucky was still the western frontier.
Saint James Court
Louisville has one of the most beautiful historic neighborhoods, with some of the best preserved victorian era houses. St. James Court has a beautiful fountain and it's really nice to just wander around and see all of these beautiful old homes.
Big Four Bridge
How often do you get to walk across the 2nd largest river in the country? Well you can take a nice walk all the way across the river from Kentucky to Indiana on the Big Four Walking Bridge! Watch the barges go by and maybe even catch a glimpse of the Belle of Louisville sternwheeler chugging on by.
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
Hey sports fans, right in the heart of downtown Louisville is the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory where you can see how they make the world famous baseball bats and learn all about it's history including the bats of many of the greats! It's also home to the worlds largest baseball bat, you can't miss it, it's 120 feet tall.
Falls of the Ohio
Take the quick trip across to the other side of the river in Clarksville, Indiana to visit the falls of the Ohio. You can take a walk along the banks of the Ohio along the rich fossil beds and find some amazing imprints of ancient critters in the rocks, or collect some of the beautiful driftwood. There's also a nice museum and visitor center to learn about the pre-history of the Ohio Valley.
The Seelbach Hotel
F. Scott Fitzgerald was stationed in Louisville for a time druing World War I and the Seelbach was a favorite of his, the Scene in the Great Gatsby where Jay Gatsby and Daisy meet is a hotel based on the Seelbach. It's a beautiful old grand hotel and it should be on your list of places to get a drink or just stop in and re-live a little bit of the roaring twenties.
Muth's Candies
A Boone family favorite! At nearly 100 years old, Muth's Candies is an old fashioned candy store with handmade chocolate and the louisville specialty, caramel "Modjeskas." Great for anyone with a bit of a sweet tooth.