Top 12 Things to do on Your #CFBroadtrip
Come Find Bourbon is a road trip that’s about the destinations more than the drive. The route can be beautiful, but distances are short—great news since you’re here for the abundant bourbon experiences in Covington, Frankfort, and Bardstown, Kentucky! To see everything of interest you’ll want to return again and again. To help prioritize your to-do list, these popular stops rank high.
Covington
Located in Northern Kentucky at the edge of Bourbon Country on the Ohio River, Covington celebrates bourbon culture with The B-Line® tour that features distilleries, bars and restaurants. These four stops rank among favorite bourbon-centric to-dos on and off that tour:
- Knowledge Bar & Social Room at North by Hotel Covington is a very cool space that locals and visitors equally enjoy. It expertly blends sophistication, relaxation, and an energetic vibe. Savor cocktails crafted by master bartenders alongside chef-crafted light bites.
- Prohibition Bourbon Bar has the cozy vibe of a small Prohibition-era speakeasy. Tucked inside Newberry Bros. Coffee, it boasts the world’s largest collection of bourbon! Build your own tasting flight, try a recommended flight, or let a pro choose a mystery lineup.
- Revival Vintage Spirits and Bottle Shop offers mind-boggling opportunities to taste and purchase rare and vintage libations. Whether there’s a specific brand, style, or year that you’ve always wanted to sip, realize that dream here. Knowledgeable staff members can guide your journey and recommend sips to suit your palate.
- Wenzel Whiskey offers a whiskey blending experience. Come tap from the finest barrels and make your own one-of-a-kind blend. Limited releases like “The Proprietors’ Blend” are also available for purchase while supplies last.
Beyond bourbon, don’t miss the Roebling Suspension Bridge, Devou Park, Covington Yard, local shops including Donna Salyers Fabulous Furs and Purple Paisley Local Artisans, Mainstrasse Village, Newport on the Levee, and St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption modeled on Notre Dame.
Frankfort
Nestled on the shores of the Kentucky River, Kentucky’s capital city boasts natural beauty, social charm, and spirited history. We like to say that Frankfort is “Kentucky Distilled.” When bourbon is your key interest, these four stops are must-dos:
- Buffalo Trace Distillery is the world’s most award-winning distillery, world’s third oldest distillery, and the oldest continually-operating distillery in the U.S. Today it produces Buffalo Trace, E.H. Taylor, Blanton’s, Eagle Rare, and Van Winkle, among other brands. Several different tours are offered, each about an hour long with a tasting.
- HOC: A Bourbon Library promises a curated, one-of-a-kind experience for all levels of bourbon enthusiasts. The whiskey bar aims to be “a one stop for dusty, uncommon, and local favorite sips.”
- Kentucky River Tours, the nation’s only boat-based bourbon tour, offers a variety of tours that showcase the Kentucky River’s role in bourbon history. April through October you can take your pick among the tour options or book a custom private tour.
- Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory Tours & Museum is the birthplace of the famed Kentucky Bourbon Balls. Learn the story during a 20-minute production tour and then enjoy sweet deliciousness at the retail counter.
Beyond bourbon, don’t miss the
Josephine Sculpture Park,
Kentucky Floral Clock,
Daniel Boone's Grave at Frankfort Cemetery overlooking the city, walkable downtown shops including
Completely Kentucky and
Poor Richard's Books, and the new
MIX District.
Bardstown
Bourbon traditions run deep in Bardstown, the state’s second-oldest city. The Bourbon Capital of the World is home to 2.8 million barrels of aging bourbon—that’s more than a third of the world’s aging bourbon!
- Heaven Hill Distillery, established in 1935, is the largest independent, family-owned bourbon distillery in the world. It produces 1,300 barrels a day. Visit to enjoy a tasting experience in one of three tasting rooms, walk through an interactive exhibit gallery, have a drink at the Five Brothers Bar, and browse the huge gift shop.
- Old Talbott Tavern ranks as one of the nation’s oldest bars and the world’s oldest bourbon bar. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Old Talbott Tavern on Court Square in historic downtown Bardstown has provided shelter, food, and drink to visitors since it opened in 1779!
- Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History delves into the history of American whiskey from pre-colonial days through the 1960s. Items on display include Abraham Lincoln’s liquor license, advertising posters, prescriptions used to purchase spirits during Prohibition, moonshine stills, novelty whiskey containers, rare antiques, and more.
- Volstead Bourbon Lounge in historic downtown Bardstown is a retro bar and lounge. It’s known for its speakeasy atmosphere, great craft cocktails, and list of more than 400 bourbons.
Beyond bourbon, don't miss the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, guided tour with Around the Town Carriage, Women's Museum of the 1800s and Civil War Period, Old Bardstown Colonial Village and Park, walkable downtown’s 20+ restaurants/bars and shops including Blind Pig Market, and Evergreen liquors, and My Old Kentucky Home State Park.
Come Find Bourbon supports responsible bourbon enjoyment. Must be 21 to participate and always enjoy your bourbon like a true Kentuckian, responsibly. Come Find Bourbon is a marketing partnership between meetNKY, Visit Frankfort, and Visit Bardstown.