Beyond the Day Trip: 8 Reasons Why Frankfort Belongs on Your Kentucky Itinerary Written by Patti Nickell

Featured image credit: Kentucky Historical Society

Many visitors to Kentucky come and go without ever discovering the commonwealth’s capital city.  That’s a shame as its colorful history and unique attractions are worthy of an extended stay and not just a day trip while visiting Louisville or Lexington.

With that in mind, here are eight reasons to make Frankfort your next Kentucky destination.

1. Drink bourbon in America’s oldest continuously operating distillery

While there is always murkiness surrounding who actually made the first batch of Kentucky’s amber gold, records prove that Buffalo Trace began distilling bourbon in 1775, and it hasn’t stopped since.  The distillery even continued making bourbon during the Prohibition years (strictly for medicinal purposes, of course.)

If you stop in for a tour and a tasting of Eagle Rare, Weller, Blanton’s Single Barrel, or one of their other brands, you can say you have experienced a product as old as America itself.

2. Sample a bourbon ball in the place where the candy originated

You can eat your bourbon as well as drink it, especially if you stop in for a tour and tasting at Rebecca Ruth Candy Tours & Museum.

At the small white cottage in the   shadow of the Capitol Building, you can learn the story of two Frankfort school teachers Ruth Hanly Booe and Rebecca Gooch who founded the company in 1919.

However, it wasn’t until 1938, following the repeal of Prohibition, that Ruth came up with the company’s iconic product.  The now legendary bonbon features a creamy, center infused with real Kentucky bourbon, dipped in dark chocolate and topped with a pecan.

Come see what all the fuss is about.  Never has a piece of candy made such an impact on a city.

3. Spend the night in a house once owned by a bourbon baron

If you can drink and eat bourbon in Frankfort, you can also sleep it – or at least the romance and nostalgia of it.

A white-columned mansion in the city’s historic district today houses the 14-room Ashbrook Boutique Hotel, but during the 19^th century, the mansion, known as “the Queen on the Corner,” was the home of Buffalo Trace Distillery founder Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr.

Taylor’s legacy lingers – in the preservation of many of the house’s original elements such as the Rookwood tile in the bathrooms, custom-designed reproductions in the bedrooms, and the first-floor library lounge, where, just as Col. Taylor surely did, guests can relax over a finely crafted bourbon.

4. See how the wheels of government move in the capital city

You won’t be able to tour the current Kentucky Capitol as it is undergoing a massive refurbishment.  However, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn about the commonwealth’s colorful history and political scene.  You’ll just have to do it on a tour of the Old State Capitol Building until its successor is all spiffed up.

The Old State Capitol, now a museum, served as Kentucky’s seat of government from 1830 to 1910, introducing the Greek Revival style of architecture to the western side of the Appalachian Mountains.

Admire the striking front portico inspired by an Ionian temple; the double circular stone staircase in the central rotunda, and the House and Senate chambers restored to their Civil War-era appearance.

Learn fascinating facts such as how this was the only pro-Union state capitol occupied by Confederate forces; that Daniel and Rebecca Boone lay in state here in 1845, and a former governor William Goebel was struck by an assassin’s bullet outside the building in 1900, making him the only U.S. governor to be assassinated while in office.

5. Visit Daniel Boone’s final resting place……or is it?

No historical figure is more associated with Kentucky than the intrepid explorer Daniel Boone. 

While he didn’t begin his stay in Kentucky in Frankfort, Daniel – along with his wife Rebecca – ended up here, buried in a quiet grove overlooking the Kentucky River in the city’s cemetery.

But did they?  A controversy has swirled for decades that the gravesite only contains one half of the pioneering couple (it has been confirmed that Rebecca does indeed occupy her grave).

As for Daniel, local legend and even a New York City historian aren’t so sure of his whereabouts.  The Boones were living in Missouri at the time of their deaths.  When Kentucky requested the removal and reburial of the Boones in Frankfort, some in the Show-Me State were unwilling to part with the famous man, and it is rumored that a substitute was sent in his place.

A 1983 examination of the skull proved inconclusive, and no further DNA testing has been done.  Thus, the mystery of just who is buried in Daniel Boone’s grave remains unresolved.

6. Take to the Kentucky River

The Kentucky River has been the lifeblood of Frankfort since the city’s founding in 1786.  To understand the importance of this thin thread of water that connects to the Ohio and on to the Mississippi, book passage on a riverboat tour offered by Kentucky River Tours.

Curated tours focus on the beauty of the riverside limestone bluffs, local wildlife and engaging storytelling which highlights rich local river lore.

One of the fleet’s boats, the Bourbon Belle, takes spirits aficionados on the only water-based distillery and bourbon tour experience in the United States (the tour includes a stop at Buffalo Trace Distillery).

7. Explore historic downtown at your own pace

Even with its landscape of rolling hills, Frankfort is a walker’s delight – a place where visitors can see the city’s history unfold over several centuries.

A self-guided stroll will ensure that you don’t miss any of the hidden gems – the beautiful stained glass windows on the second floor of the public library; the very garden where Bibb lettuce was first introduced; a chance to see the city through the eyes of Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr. himself via a self-guided audio tour, and a peep into Liberty Hall, the centuries-old home of the influential Brown family who helped set the course for historical events in Kentucky and America over two generations.

8. Taste your way through the local food scene

For a city its size, Frankfort has a diverse food scene that will tempt any palate.  From diners and dives to fine dining, this city has it all.

Start off your day with a hearty breakfast at Main Street Diner where the retro vibe takes you back to the 1950s and the massive platters take you back to your grandmother’s kitchen.

Sage Garden Café is the perfect garden-to-table brunch or lunch spot, while ethnic honors go to Mami Monchita’s for its authentic take on Honduran cuisine.  Lunch with a view comes courtesy of Bourbon on Main with its terrace overlooking the Kentucky River and its extensive bourbon list.

For a stylish evening out, book a table at Limewater, and before heading to that table, enjoy a pre-dinner drink on the porch with its river view.

Or you could head for another restaurant with a stunning view.  Request a front of the house table at long-time staple Serafini’s, and be rewarded not only with great Italian fare, but a view of the floodlit Old State Capitol Building.

Lastly, if you are a meat-and-potatoes kind of diner, the stunning Cypress + Oak in the Delegate Hotel is the epitome of a classic American Steakhouse.

By now you should be convinced that Kentucky’s Capital City is one that requires more than a quick stop on your way to somewhere else.