9 Of The Most Walkable Towns In Kentucky

Although Kentucky is known for its beautiful bluegrass, we ask you to forget its natural wonders for a few minutes to focus on its urban wonders. By those, we mean heritage buildings, immaculate museums, bustling businesses, and cultural staples like, of course, bluegrass music. However, it is not just Kentucky's big cities that contain such attractions. All can be found within walking distance in the state's small communities. Here are nine places to walk among historic red bricks and beguiling brown stones in The Bluegrass State.

Bardstown

As one of the oldest communities in Kentucky, Bardstown's walking tour is like a trip back in time. There are 48 stops covering three centuries on the Historic Walking Tour of Downtown Bardstown. Representing the early 20th century is the John Fitch Memorial, erected in 1927 and honors the steamboat inventor who died in town. One of the 19th century's representatives is Spalding Hall, which was built circa 1826 and has served as a school, orphanage, and even a Civil War hospital. And the 18th century's top Bardstown dignitary is the Old Talbott Tavern, which was constructed circa 1779 and is considered the oldest building in Kentucky. Besides historic sites, Bardstown is revered for its bourbon. The "Bourbon Capital of the World" hosts five stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Midway

Adjacent attractions aside, Midway is walkable because, with a population of about 1,700, the entire city is no more than a couple miles wide. As for attractions, Midway has The Brown Barrel & Blind Harry's, Heirloom Restaurant, The Midway Bakery & Cafe, Historic Midway Gift Store, Bluegrass Distillers, Spotz Gelato, Midway Boutique, Weisenberger Mill, Holly Hill Inn, Walter Bradley Park, and Equus Run Vineyards. Even with such attractions, you probably would not have wanted to walk through Midway before 2003, but a streetscape renovation project gave it one of the prettiest downtowns in America.

Berea

Berea is famous for three things: art galleries, historic buildings, and a college. All of those are extremely walkable. As the "Folk Arts & Crafts Capital of Kentucky," this 16,000ish-person community hosts The Cabin Of Old Town Artisan Gallery, Top Drawer Gallery, and, in mid-July, the Berea Craft Festival. Mixed among those installations are historic haunts like the Berea L&N Passenger Depot and Welcome Center. And the nucleus of Berea is Berea College, a private liberal arts institution with an enrollment of about 1,450 and its own share of heritage buildings that are subjected to guided tours.

Bloomfield

A truly tiny community that was on the decline, Bloomfield is now blooming thanks in large part to Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and his novelist wife Linda Bruckheimer. Inspired by a trip to rural Kentucky to visit grandma, Linda decided to buy land near Bloomfield in the 1990s. Her husband fell in love with the area, so together, they purchased and restored many more historic and commercial properties. Their work can be seen throughout Bloomfield's walkable downtown, including at Nettie Jarvis Antiques, The Double Dip Soda Fountain, and Ernie’s Tavern, all of which are thriving businesses in Bruckheimer-restored heritage buildings.

Danville

Another small KY community with a superlative nickname, Danville is called the "City of Firsts" since it claims, among others, the site of the first courthouse in Kentucky, the first U.S. post office west of the Allegheny Mountains, and the world's first successful removal of an ovarian tumor. Many such sites, like Constitution Square and the McDowell House Museum, can be seen on the Downtown Danville Historic Walking Tour. Also, as the "Birthplace of the Bluegrass," Danville offers a Public Art Tour and Bites of the Bluegrass Walking Food and Drink Tour, where tourists can visit the Art Center of the Bluegrass and other installations, plus top-notch downtown restaurants.

Winchester

With nearly 20,000 residents and counting, Winchester might not be so walkable if it becomes a full-blown suburb. For now, however, this Lexington neighbor is quaint, friendly, and hospitable, especially to those who take the Downtown Walking Tour. There are 27 stops on the tour, including the Kerr Building, which is a massive commercial construction that has served myriad purposes since 1889; the Leeds Theatre, which was built as a single-screen movie theater in 1925 and now operates as the Leeds Center for the Arts; and the Bluegrass Heritage Museum, which is a late-19th-century Romanesque Revival mansion and preserve of Kentucky history. Moreover, Winchester is home to Winchester Walks, a company that takes the bravest Winchesterians on a ghost tour of supposedly haunted buildings.

Paris

Though not as walkable as Paris, France, Paris, Kentucky, is walkable for multiple species. Humans and horses have free rein of Paris, whose attractions include the Duncan Tavern Historic Center, Bourbon County Courthouse, and Claiborne Farm, the last of which is a thoroughbred horse breeder that housed Secretariat in his retirement years. That GOAT racehorse is buried in Paris and commemorated with a statue, mural, park, and festival. One Paris property that a horse would be wise to avoid is the Paradise Café, which is said to operate in the world's tallest three-story building.

Stanford

A stroll through downtown Stanford might make you feel like you are in a Hallmark Channel movie. That is appropriate because Stanford was spotlighted in a special for Hallmark's cousin network, Great American Family. In 2022, Great American Christmas in Kentucky captured the charm and festiveness of this small "city," complete with beautiful shots of its downtown haunts. Stanford's stupendously strollable sites include The Bluebird, Mama DeVechio's Pizzeria, 4 Generations, Morgan's On Main, Kentucky Soaps & Such, The Stanford Inn, Lincoln County Courthouse, and the mural at 216 West Main Street.

Franklin

A community of about 10,000 people in southwestern KY, Franklin is far away from our other choices, but it makes up for its isolation with stimulation from its vibrant downtown—and proximity to Nashville, Tennessee. Before guzzling gas in Nashville, you can save money, stress, and the environment by walking from Tim's Main Street Diner to Best Donuts to the Brickyard Cafe to the Historic Simpson County Courthouse to the Mill House Cafe to your vacation rental. Sights, bites, pints, lights, and nights can all be enjoyed within a few blocks of Franklin.

Whether it is bourbon in Bardstown, the mill in Midway, the college in Berea, the Bruckheimers in Bloomfield, the "firsts" in Danville, the theater in Winchester, the tower in Paris, the hallmarks in Stanford or the cafes in Franklin, you can experience Kentucky's manmade marvels on foot. Make sure to pack your best pair of sneakers and leave your vehicle at the hotel for tours of those KY towns.