10 Best Hotels in Kentucky, USA

Four-foot tall red plastic penguins line the roof of this boutique hotel and modern art museum like friendly sentries. When it opened in 2006, 21C immediately attracted national acclaim for its elegant restoration of a 19th-century building, attention to service, and cutting-edge art collection. Guests mingle with gallery visitors and locals who are dining in the hotel's award-winning restaurant, Proof on Main. All of the designer-decorated rooms are spacious, but the best have private patios overlooking the city, where—on a sunny Kentucky morning—you can enjoy room-service breakfast while wearing a plush hotel bathrobe. At the end of the day, soak in the large bathtub while sipping bourbon from the silver julep cup provided in each room.

Opened in 1923, this grand-but-intimate hotel has a gilded second-floor lobby that gleams with marble and polished wood. Rooms are furnished with fine reproductions and luxurious bedding. A special Louisville dish, the Hot Brown, was invented here—you can order the turkey/bacon/cheese sandwich–casserole hybrid from room service.

Practical, comfortable, and affordable, the Best Western is a reliable option if you’re looking for a clean and well-maintained place to lay your head for a few nights. The rooms in this one-story motel are bright and cheerful, as is the lobby, with its burgundy and green theme. The staff is equally animated, and although it’s debatable whether Kentucky is part of the American South, prepare to be called sir or ma’am, just like in Dixie. The Best Western is 10 miles east of Mammoth Cave, just off Interstate 65.

Although it’s not the prettiest hotel you’ll ever visit, this makes a good base if you plan to dedicate most of your Cave City stay to getting out and exploring—it’s just a 10-minute drive from Mammoth Cave National Park and Cave City's restaurant area. The roadside hotel caters primarily to people passing through town in need of a spot to crash for the night, as well as to families and solo travelers on a tight budget, but the management is enthusiastic and takes pride in the property.

This small, European-style hotel is on the edge of historic Gratz Park. The Federalist–Georgian architecture and decor are inviting, and the house reportedly is home to a friendly ghost.

The Historic Cottages, across the lawn in a semicircle on the south side of the Lodge, are wooden cottages on stone foundations near the site of the original Mammoth Cave Hotel, rustic yet comfortably furnished. They are air-conditioned, but supply no TV or Wi-Fi. Each cottage sleeps two people.

The Sunset Terrace consists of a row of 20 rooms close to the edge of the blufftop near the Heritage Trail, with windows providing views of the deep woodlands extending into the hollows. The rooms, which sleep up to five people on two queens beds (roll-away bed available upon request) have a mini-refrigerator, coffeemaker, air-conditioning, cable TV, and Wi-Fi. Four of the Sunset Terrace rooms are ADA-accessible. Pets are not permitted.

The Woodland Cottages, adjacent to the park's main picnic area, are rustic cabins with one to four bedrooms, providing either queen or twin beds, a shower, ceiling fans, mini-refrigerator, coffeemaker, and screened windows and doors for each room. Linens for bed and bath are provided. There is no air-conditioning or heat, and no TV, Wi-Fi, or cooking facilities. Cabins with multiple bedrooms are joined by shared bathrooms. These cabins are pet-friendly for a small additional charge. Call the Lodge to inquire about reservations for the three- and four-room cabins.

If your idea of a perfect vacation involves lots of golf, shooting, wine, or all three, then you’re likely to fall in love with Park Mammoth Resort. This woodsy lodge is located on an 18-hole golf course and caters to golf getaways. It doubles as a convention center and has a few regional business travelers. Staff is polite and professional, and if you're planning a get-together, wedding, or conference, the resort employs event planners to help you with everything. It’s south of Mammoth Cave National Park and is a good alternative to Cave City if you want a more sylvan experience.

Seven U.S. presidents and such notables as gangster Al Capone, the Duchess of York, and author F. Scott Fitzgerald (who set a scene in The Great Gatsby here) have stayed at this historic hotel, which celebrated its 100 anniversary in 2005. Check out the live jazz in the bar off the lobby before retiring to your four-poster for the night.