Seniors Spend Time In Historic Bardstown

Bardstown was named the ‘Most Beautiful Small Town in America’ by the Rand McNally. Senior travelers will find picturesque Bardstown in the heart of Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region.  Bardstown is the second oldest city in Kentucky and is home to Federal Hill, the inspiration for the state song, “My Old Kentucky Home.”

Known as the ‘Bourbon Capital of the World’, Bardstown has the art of distilling the tipple down to a fine art, with some local distilleries dating back as far as 1776 and celebrates this history each September with the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival. Bardstown is to bourbon what Napa Valley is to wine.

My Old Kentucky State Park hosts The Stephen Foster Story, a Broadway-style musical about the ‘American father of music’ and composer of Kentucky’s state anthem. Bardstown’s downtown is a mix of historic buildings, eclectic boutiques and great restaurants.

Seniors Visit Historic Places

With a population of 13,000, Bardstown is the county seat of Nelson County. This historic town was  named for the pioneering Bard brothers David and William, having a 1,000-acre land grant from Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia.

More than 300 buildings in Nelson County are on the National Register of Historic Places; nearly 200 of them are in the historic downtown district. Trip Advisor suggests senior visitors check out the local distilleries, taking one of the Historical and Heritage Tours, and then visit the Bardstown/Nelson County Historical Museum.

Many senior visitors head right for Old Bardstown Village, a recreation of a 1790 frontier community, home to settlers exploring the west. Eight original and authentic log cabins, each 150-200 years old, highlight a creek that runs through the grounds and supplies power to Brown’s Grist Mill.

 Seniors Enjoy Bourbon Capital

Bourbon immersion: Bourbon Capital of the World. Official Trailhead of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam, Barton 1792, Willett Distillery. Bourbon-themed Bourbon Manor Bed & Breakfast inn, cafe, spa and Bourbon Bar. Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace. Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. Menus offering bourbons by the hundreds (Kreso’s-140, Rickhouse-120, Bourbon City Bistro-120) and home of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

I found it of interest that the discovery of Bourbon in 1789 is attributed to Baptist minister Elijah Craig. At any given time, Kentucky has more barrels of bourbon aging than people – some 5 million to its 4.2 million population.

Senior travelers, plan a stop in Bardstown. With ten hotels and a variety bed and breakfasts, accommodations are not lacking.  Enjoy the Old Talbott Tavern, which began operating in 1779, or experience a night in jail at the Jailer’s Inn. Try to top that one! -jeb