Beyond Bourbon: Historic Sights and Hidden Gems in Frankfort
As home to a distinctive selection of bourbon bars and five distilleries, including Buffalo Trace—a National Historic Landmark and the oldest continuously operating distillery in Kentucky, which is also the world’s most award-winning distillery and the No. 1 tourist destination in Frankfort—Kentucky’s capital city revels in its bourbon heritage. But Frankfort also showcases Kentucky history and heritage through its museums, landmarks, outdoor attractions, and little-known treasures.
Historic sights and delights
History buffs can follow 12,00 years of history at the Thomas D. Clark Center’s “A Kentucky Journey,” spotting Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch among 3,000-plus artifacts along the way. From 1798 to 1914, 35 Kentucky Governors lived at the Old Governor’s Mansion, a Federal-style manse visited by eight U.S. Presidents. On the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of the country’s oldest Executive residences and may be toured by appointment.
Join museum staff at the Old State Capitol to see a portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette, an 1848-era law library that doubled as a post office and the decorative plasterwork of Harry Mordecai, born enslaved but able to earn his and his family’s freedom through his craft. A guided tour of the Liberty Hall Historic Site reveals not only the stories of the Senator John Brown Family, who moved into Liberty Hall in 1800/1801, but of the famous Gray Lady Ghost reportedly spotted in one of the home’s bedrooms.
Rebecca Ruth Candy gives a delicious taste of history through a factory tour that looks back more than 100 years to 1919 when substitute schoolteachers Ruth Hanly (Booe) and Rebecca Gooch joined forces to create a candy company. This being Kentucky, it all leads back to bourbon and the happy accident of Booe—who had become the sole owner of Rebecca Ruth in 1929—creating the now world-famous chocolate-enrobed Bourbon Ball candy.
Walking through history
Frankfort has a variety of walking tours that delve into topics including history, art, architecture, and, yes, bourbon, too. Let the Father of the Modern Bourbon Industry guide you through the streets of downtown Frankfort on the Colonel E.H. Taylor Audio Tour. The Kentucky Historical Society’s most popular tour is Tipsy Town Tales, combining stories of drunkenness and debauchery with the chance to purchase special, ahem, drinks at local pubs.
A self-guided Downtown ArtWalk and a guided Public Art Walking Tour are both available to see the murals, sculptures, architecture, and other downtown art for which Frankfort is rightly famous. For the self-guided, 40-stop Historic Frankfort Walking Tour, pick up a brochure and map at the Frankfort Visitor Center.
The great outdoors in the city
Frankfort has a number of hidden treasures throughout the city, including Kentucky’s only sculpture park at the free-admission Josephine Sculpture Park. Meander along mowed paths to see 80 works of contemporary art set on 40 acres of meadowland. And not just see, but in some cases touch, climb on, and even paint. Additionally, the park has picnic areas and hosts concerts and nature workshops.
Another hidden gem: West Sixth Brewery Farm. This farm for the taproom is 120 acres of family-friendly fun with farm tours, a covered shelter, a 4-mile mixed-use trail for mountain biking, trail running and hiking, a catch-and-release fishing pond, chickens, honeybees, and cider apple orchard. And weekends bring out the food trucks.
Nature lovers can see waterfalls in the city at Cove Spring Park, as well as wetlands and wildlife. Ophiophilists (that is, snake lovers), can see the reptiles among indoor exhibits at Salato Wildlife Education Center. Black bears, bobcats, bald eagles, and bison, among other species, may be spotted at the outdoor exhibits. More than 40 native species make their home in this 12-acre urban sanctuary, which also includes four miles of hiking trails, two lakes, and picnic shelters.
But back to the bourbon
A unique adventure awaits at Kentucky River Tours, the nation’s only boat-based bourbon tour. Board the 15-passenger Trace of Kentucky or the larger, 49-passenger Bourbon Belle to explore the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® by boat and learn why the river is so important to the bourbon industry and Kentucky. Several bourbon-related tours are offered, including a Friday and Saturday River Tour and Taste and the mid-week Bourbon and Boats tour that features a premium bourbon tasting.
Canoe Kentucky offers fully guided adventures on the Kentucky River and Elkhorn Creek—the state’s most popular paddled stream—along with rentals of canoes, kayaks, SUP boards, and rafts. Take the helm with a Kentucky River Downtown Paddle excursion that is perfect for beginners or those wishing for a relaxing way to experience the river, stopping at a restaurant along the way.
Frankfort offers a perfect blend of history, nature, and bourbon. Whether you're exploring its landmarks, enjoying outdoor adventures, or savoring a glass of bourbon, there's something for everyone. Come experience all that this charming city has to offer!
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