8 Slow-Paced Towns to Visit in Kentucky
Whether you consider Kentucky as the “Fair Land of Tomorrow” from the Huron or Wyandot word "Kah-ten-tah-teh"; a place “At the Head of the River” from the Shawnee word "Kain-tuck-ee" or a land riddled with “meadows” and “prairies” because the Mohawks, Delawares, and Catawbas say so, you will undoubtedly consider Kentucky as your next memorable and remarkable vacation destinations. Most importantly, you should absolutely pick some of the many slow-paced towns to visit in Kentucky for your vacation retreat. Even though these locations are rather lackadaisical, it is because of these towns’ relaxed and easy attitudes beside the Appalachian Mountains that one can have an easy and breezy time in Kentucky. Feel at ease yourself when you are admiring the many attractions in the slow-paced towns to visit in Kentucky.
Berea
Berea, “the Folk Art & Crafts Capital of Kentucky,” entreats travelers with an array of artistic and cultural attractions in the Fair Land of Tomorrow. With dozens of artisans’ galleries and studios, you can admire all sorts of aesthetic destinations throughout the town’s streets. Most importantly, you can go beyond town and take the historic Boone Trace, which goes through Cumberland Gap and connects Berea with Middlesboro and Pineville to the north. The Boone Trace was discovered by the pioneer Daniel Boone, who lived on an old trail made by Native Americans and buffalo herds. Since then, the Boone Trace has given newcomers access to Boonesborough, the Daniel Boone National Forest, and Rockcastle River, three of the best destinations on the south bank of the Kentucky River and in the outer Bluegrass Region. So, if you are enthusiastic about seeing more of Berea, then you ought to book a room at either the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel or the Red Roof Inn.
Bardstown
As the Bourbon Capital of the World, Bardstown serenades newcomers with a bevy of both beautiful beverages and a plethora of pleasant places to visit. Only an hour away from the city of Louisville, visit each and every one of Bardstown’s 11 distilleries or wait for the month of September to participate in the Kentucky Bourbon Festival for more exquisite booze. One can admire the oldest operating distillery in Bardstown, the Barton 1792 Distillery & Visitor Center, in addition to admiring centuries-old bourbon at the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. As the name implies, Bardstown is a place filled with modern bards, as seen in the Broadway-style performance of Stephen Foster Story, a story about an American composer named Stephen Collins Foster. For lovers of nature, go gallivanting through the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, and should you ever get exhausted from all the exploration, you can always rest up at either the Old Bardstown Inn, the Fairfield by Marriott Bardstown, or Bourbon Manor Bed & Breakfast.
Danville
As “The City of Firsts,” Danville contains an assortment of historical artifacts for you to peruse along Herrington Lake and the Dix River. From the first Courthouse in Kentucky that was built in the year 1785 to the first U.S. Post Office west of the Alleghenies and the first Constitutional Convention to create the Bluegrass region in the year 1792, these are remembered epochs that have made both Kentucky and Danville historically relevant. Most importantly, it was in Danville in the year 1809 that Dr. Ephraim McDowell became the first physician in the world to successfully remove an ovarian tumor. Those interested in warfare should certainly tour the Perryville Battlefield, the bloodiest American Civil War battle in Kentucky that transpired on October 8, 1862. For more pleasant attractions, you can always visit the third largest Shaker community in the US, the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.
Paducah
Being one of the few communities in the US to be nominated as a UNESCO Creative City is certainly a high achievement. The small town of Paducah on the banks of the Ohio River continues to uphold that title thanks to its dedication to the arts and crafts. One can admire sophisticated quilting techniques and award-winning quilts at the National Quilt Museum or perhaps marvel at the fifty painted panels of Robert Dafford’s Paducah "Wall to Wall" Murals that represent Paducah’s history. More importantly, visitors can be entertained by the Dogwood Trail Celebration each year in the ides of April when Paducah’s dogwood trees are in full bloom. There are many more creative wonders to marvel at in the Creative City of Paducah, so you should definitely consider staying longer in aesthetic accommodations such as the Candlewood Suites and Baymont Inn.
Greenville
Greenville, widely considered the safest urban area in Kentucky, houses a diversity of landmarks and features for everyone. Whether you are paying homage to the victims at the 9/11 Memorial—complete with a 17-foot box beam that was once part of the North Tower of the World Trade Center—or admiring scenic landscapes in the Muhlenberg County Park and around Lake Malone, you will not feel so afraid and lost when you are roaming through Kentucky’s most hospitable small town. Even a wooden sculpture of Yogi Bear will be greeting you in the wild woods of the Brizendine Brothers Nature Park. Only two hours away from the city of Nashville, you can feel even more safe and sound when residing in comfortable accommodations such as The Wickliffe House or the Convention Center Inn (CCI Express Inn)
Hodgenville
Ever wondered how Abraham Lincoln used to be before he became a man of the free peoples of America? Then, journey about 12 miles from the city of Elizabethtown and visit Lincoln’s hometown of Hodgenville. With historic structures lining the North Fork of the Nolin River, one can tour the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site and the Old Sinking Spring Farm to see what the young Lincoln used to be like before he relocated to the state of Indiana. You can also see more of Lincoln’s memorabilia at the Knob Creek Farm. For those of you intrigued by Hodgenville’s outdoors that Abraham Lincoln once traveled through, you can definitely go exploring at both Salem Lake and Pearman Forest. But for those of you who might want to tuck in for the evening, you can always sleep peacefully in remarkable abodes like the Lincoln Lodge.
Glasgow
When Scottish pioneer John Matthews built a town in Kentucky, he named it after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. Since its beginnings, the town of Glasgow has experienced a handful of battles during the American Civil War, which one can learn all about in the old Union fortress of Fort Williams. Besides the martial history of Glasgow, the town happens to be a gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve of the Mammoth Cave National Park. Deep within this magnificent cave system lies the Prehistoric Jewel Site Complex, where one can marvel at ancient tools and instruments used by early Native American hunters. So, for those of you intrigued by Glasgow’s glowing attractions, you can always book a room at establishments like the 1852 Hall Place Bed & Breakfast, which even President Abraham Lincoln once visited.
Maysville
About an hour away from Ohio’s city of Cincinnati, travelers will be amazed and agog at Maysville’s tremendous charm. Several covered bridges, more locally known as “Timbered Tunnels,” cross through some parts of the Ohio River, and the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge connects Ohio’s small town of Aberdeen to Maysville. At the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, one can admire over 4,000 artifacts and award-winning dioramas representing Maysville’s and Kentucky’s history. Most astonishing of all is Maysville’s mural of The Underground Railroad, honoring both Reverand John Rankin, who was a member of the abolitionist movement and stationmaster conductor of the railroad, as well as the freed African-American who escaped the worst of the American Civil War. No need to feel unwelcomed in Maysville, not when you are spending your dreamy nights at places like the Hampton Inn, French Quarter Inn, or Lee House Inn.
Do you love KFC? Then get a whole load and bucket-full of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the state of Kentucky. Whether you are savoring your chicken-delicious meal in bourbon-selling towns like Bardstown or UNESCO-labeled destinations such as Paducah, you should definitely just take your time and cherish your experiences in the slow-paced towns to visit in Kentucky. Each leg of an adventure should be well-remembered and well-loved, and to do just that, you need to keep things smooth and simple and, most of all, slow-paced in your tour of Kentucky’s magnificent small towns.
