singermom4

We will be visiting Lexington, KY over Memorial Day weekend and driving from Chicago. We are a family of four - two boys ages 6 and 10. I have booked two nights at Springhill Suites at the Red Mile.

We will start driving Saturday am and I think we will reach Lexington by 3 or so depending on the length of our lunch stop.

Some attractions I think would be interesting are Kentucky Horse Park, Shaker Village, maybe Perryville Battlefield. I think Falls of the Ohio is too far to do on a long weekend? Would appreciate some help on how much time we should spend at each attraction and which ones are better for am or pm. Also looking for restaurant suggestions - kids are well-behaved and used to eating in nice restaurants. Ideal restaurant has great food (they prefer adult menu to kids menu - we share plates) but casual atmosphere. An overly long mealtime also would be hard to fit in our weekend. We don't mind getting back late into the Chicago area on Monday as the kids have Tuesday off too.

Thanks for any help!

singermom4

Oh yes, one more question. My husband and I would probably find the distillery tours interesting. Is that highly inappropriate for children (don't intend to give them a sample) or would they find it very boring?

Thanks again!

abram

My kids liked the distillery tour--it was interesting to see how a product was made, even if they don't get to have any.

aileen679

If you find that you are pushed for time, you could skip the Shaker Village. It's interesting from an adult point of view, but the boys will probably be bored to tears.

singermom4

Is there enough to do in Lexington? I don't want to drive around too far as the boys will be tired of the car by the time we get there. Is there time for a stop in Louisville on the way back - would that be time better spent?

BetsyinKY

In Lexington, visit the Kentucky Horse Park. I think it would be perfect for boys the age of yours.

Dukey

I agree that Pleasant Hill might not interest the kids very much..they serve a great lunch, however.

BetsyinKY

Whoops! I've been out in the sun all day with middle school students, or I would have realized you already had the KY Horse Park on your agenda! I haven't checked the schedule, but you might see if the Legends are playing (minor league team)at home that weekend. They have a fun area for kids and the games are very family oriented. If the boys like sports, they might enjoy a visit to the UK Basketball Museum. There is a decent children's museum called the Explorium of Lexington, which features lots of hands-on exhibits.

As far as restaurants, two of my favorite casual places in Lexington are the Atomic Cafe (N. Limestone) which has a Caribbean influenced menu and Ramsey's, which has grown into a local chain, and has great "meat and three" type meals. There are about 3 Ramsey's located around Lexington, but my favorite is still the downtown location on E. High.

August04

I concur with the previous Shaker Village/Pleasant Hill comments. It's a pretty place, but I think it is overrated as a tourist spot. It can be boring. Regarding food...we have been there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the years, and I have been underimpressed.

Definitely would recommend the Kentucky Horse Park. For a distillery tour I would recommend Maker's Mark, even though it is a bit of a drive. There were kids when we went, and they seemed to enjoy dipping the Marker's Mark bottles in wax at the end of the tour.

Restaurant recommendations:
Like the previous poster mentioned, Ramseys is a good casual option if you are looking for a meat/vegetable type place. I've always heard great things about Billy's Bar-B-Q in Chevy Chase (101 Cochran Road, 859-269-9593) but I haven't been there yet. Joseph-Beth Booksellers would be a great stop...they have a gigantic children's section and a good cafe with outdoor seating if the weather is nice(www.josephbeth.com, 859-273-2911). Chain restaurants in the area with reliable service and food include Abuelo's (Mexican) at Fayette Mall and Carrabbas (Italian) near the Hamburg area. For pizza, Pazzo's and Joe Bologna's are local favorites (I personally prefer the pizza at Pazzo's...but it is more of a college atmosphere near UK).

Local places we have tried recently that I would NOT recommend include: Regatta Seafood, Holly Hill Inn, and Giuseppe's.

If you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, there is a dinner train in Bardstown. The setting and meal is a step up from casual, but the kids might get a kick out of being on a train ride during dinner, if they don't mind that type of atmosphere (www.kydinnertrain.com).

I hope you enjoy your trip! Please post about it when you return, I'd love to hear any recommendations you have...we are still learning about this area.

LLindaC

Why are you visiting Lexington? Family? I agree that the horse park is fabulous, but Louisville has so much more to offer tourists. We're having Abbey Road on the River that weekend. So many great things to do and see...

singermom4

Lousiville is also a consideration. I ended up picking Lexington thinking it would be 'more different' from a big city like Chicago. Hoping for a bit of southern feel? Another option is to stay between the two places (recommendations?) and visit both.

Autoeng

I know that I will get railed for the following but Lexington will bore your kids to death, I live here and have two boys so I know.

You could do Kentucky Kingdom in L'ville (which I really like for the price) or King's Island in Cincy (cost too much) but those are just your regular amusement parks. Newport Aquarium would be a good choice for the boys. L'ville Slugger Museum never dissappoints boys and you get a free mini bat.

Maker's Mark is too far of a drive for a distillery tour and I don't think a 6 year old would enjoy it much.

The Legends are on a long home stand over Memorial Day weekend so I highly recommend taking in a game.

The train in Bardstown isn't bad but I would just do the day run instead of the dinner deal. Cost is too much and it is the same run but with a meal.
Rafferty's has good food and generally something for everyone.

You could do a Gatty Town afternoon (think Chucky Cheese for older kids) if you can't put together enough for the kids to do. Guarantee they would like that.

Falls of Ohio is too far unless you do a L'ville day. Maybe do it ane the Slugger Museum in the same day...

Someone else asked why you were in Lexington. I think you would be better served either staying in Cincy or L'ville as well if you are doing it for a family mini-vaca.

aileen679

It's hard to know what boys that age will or will not like. The Horse Park is something that most will find interesting if they are interested in horses. If they aren't, well, the amusement parks in Louisville are a better choice.

We spent one evening in Lexington at a trotting race track. My husband and I both found watching the horses run was entralling. We had never seen anything like it. Would boys the age of yours like it too? It's hard to say. I think they would, my kids certainly would have!!

singermom4

I am starting to get discouraged about this weekend trip. The bane of living in Chicago seems to be that there is nowhere interesting to go in drive-able distance! Really, really don't want to do amusement parks - I like to travel to experience culture, food, history - boys (really, only the younger one as my older is a mini-adult in tastes) may disagree but I think I offer them enough fun things most of the time. Chicago has a fabulous aquarium, zoo, museums, sports teams, lakefront etc. Countryside around Chicago is not pretty - Lexington sounds picturesque.

GloriaE

We took our then 12 year old grandson to Kentucky last year for a few days. He loved it. We were not able to stop at the Kentucky Horse Park, but we did take him to Sinking Springs Farm (Where Lincoln was born) http://www.us-parks.com/abraham_lincoln/index.html

We also went to Mammouth Caves and the Perryville Battlefield. He really loved all of it and the countryside is so green and beautiful. In the little town of Bardstown there is a corner drug store, The Hurst Drug Store with a counter with stools that you can order and eat lunch at, he really got a kick out of that. Maker's Mark Distillery is not too far from Bardstown. There is plenty to do if you don't want to be in the city and are looking for some history. We didn't try it, but I think there are several canoe type trips that you can take from just outside of Lexington that I remember seeing when I was planning our trip last year. Have fun!

singermom4

Plan B -

Leave Chicago Saturday a.m. Arrive Louisville mid-afternoon. Look around, have dinner, spend night in Elizabethtown?( thinking this is a central location?).

Sunday a.m. head to Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, look around Lexington, have dinner at Merrick Inn. Head back to Elizabeth town to sleep.

Monday a.m. head to Kentucky Down Under - head back to Chicago early to mid afternoon.

Possibly get a bourbon distillery tour somewhere in there too.

Comments? Suggestions?

BetsyinKY

Personally, this sounds like a lot of driving to me, given your short time frame. I think you would be spending more time in the car than actually doing things. Louisville to E'town is close to an hour and E'town to Lexington is about an hour and a half. If you want to do Mammoth Cave, I would just head straight to the Bowling Green area. Louisville does have a lot to offer tourists, but it has a different, more metropolitan feel than the Lexington area, which is surrounded by horse farms and bluegrass country. Since you are coming from a large city and are looking for "un-city" things to do, I would still opt for Lexington (unless you want to do Mammoth Cave). Basically, you will only have one full day and two half days, which I think could be easily filled in Lexington. If you get there around 3pm on Saturday, by the time you get checked into your hotel, it will be practically time for dinner. I would eat someplace fun downtown, stopping by Thoroughbred Park to let the boys pose with the horse statues. After dinner, Joseph-Beth bookstore might be a fun stop, as mentioned earlier. Sunday you could spend the morning/early afternoon at the KY Horse Park and then take in the Legends game that night. Monday morning, you might be able to arrange for a tour of a horse farm or if you really want to see Louisville, too, you could leave Lexington early Monday morning and spend the afternoon exploring Louisville before heading home. Check out www.visitlex.com for some more ideas on attractions and restaurants in Lexington.

singermom4

Yes - I checked all the mileages and it is too much driving. I think I will stick with the original plan. I guess anything you see every day would seem boring after a while. Lexington sounds quite different from the area I live in. I know my 6 yo would have enjoyed Kentucky Down Under (he's just fascinated by all things Australian right now) but it's too much of a trek.

maj

Another area not mentioned which we love is the Natural Bridge/Red River Gorge area just east of Lexington. You get a feel for the Appalachian area. You can take a sky ride to the top of the Bridge and walk back down a trail to the lodge.

I agree that you can fill in your days just around the Lexington area. Keep your original plans also (Shaker Village, distillery, Perryville Battlefield). You can take a quick walk through in Shaker Village, maybe eat lunch or dinner there. If your kids get bored somewhere -- head on to the next.

Autoeng

Curious as to how your trip turned out.