Day 1
Keeping in mind that while it may be morning in Frankfort it’s five o’clock somewhere. Kick off your three-day drinkathon with a Bloody Mary or Mimosa at Coffeetree Café. While you’re there, you can also enjoy a light breakfast and a coffee. Afterward, indulge in some retail therapy, as on either side of the café are Poor Richard’s Bookstore and Completely Kentucky. Other nearby shops include Capital Cellars (perfect for finding yourself a nice bottle of wine or bourbon), Glitterati, Broadway Clay, Fancy Flamingo and Kentucky Flower Shop.
If you don’t want to shop, opt for the self-guided Public Art Walk and marvel at the colorful murals and unique sculptures throughout downtown and into Riverview Park.
By now, you’re probably ready for lunch and a bourbon cocktail, glass of wine or a cold brew. For the first, head to Bourbon on Main and order a bourbon flight with your meal. If you prefer a bottle of wine with lunch, it’s just a short drive to The Limewater with its sophisticated menu. And if you want something more casual – a burger and a brew, grab a table on the balcony overlooking the Kentucky River at Goodwood Brewing.
Continuing your “spirited” adventure, a post-lunch suggestion is the tour and tasting at Buffalo Trace, Kentucky’s oldest continuously operating distillery. Both the tours and the tasting are free, but reservations are required for the tour.
For something non-spirits related, consider a drive to Joesphine Sculpture Park, the only dedicated sculpture park in Kentucky. Some 70 works of art are spread across 30 acres of native meadows. The park is open free of charge daily, and if you have your fur baby with you, feel free to bring him/her along (on a leash, of course.)
Make sure you’re back downtown in time for dinner at Mortimer Bibb’s Public House, a little “taste of the Emerald Isle” in the Bluegrass.
Continuing the Irish theme, stop in at Dicey Riley’s Pub for a post-dinner libation. And if your trip happens to include a Friday night in July and August, take an evening stroll and enjoy the free music on the lawn of the Old State Capitol. Check our events calendar for dates and time.
Day 2
Start your morning off with a specialty coffee and pastry at the Engine House, located in a former fire station, before beginning your day of bourbon and wine tasting.
The morning belongs to bourbon, so start with a visit to Castle & Key, one of Kentucky’s showplace distilleries. From the restored castle to the key-shaped springhouse to the lush sunken gardens, it’s home to more than a century of distilling history.
Nearby Glenn’s Creek Distillery is a study in contrast. The craft distillery, located in what was the Old Crow Distillery, produces a pot-stilled, hand-crafted single barrel bourbon.
After back-to-back bourbon tastings, you’ll need some solid refreshment. Luckily, The Stave, on the banks of Glenn’s Creek, offers a menu packed with southern specialties. In nice weather, have your meal on the deck overlooking the creek.
Following lunch, it’s time for more spirits – this time wine, and what better place to do your tasting than in the middle of the Bluegrass’s signature horse farms? Turn into Prodigy Vineyards & Winery and follow the winding road to the tasting room. Be sure to ask for a sip of their Chambourcin, which has been named the best dry wine in Kentucky.
Make dinner reservations at Serafini Restaurant, where the zest of Italy aligns with the spice of the South. As a bonus, ask for a table by the window and get a view of the Old State Capitol building.
There’s no better place for a nightcap than a library – that is, if your destination is the House of Commons Bourbon Library, at this sophisticated bar, which would be at home in New York or San Francisco, sample the flavors of the commonwealth in one of the curated cocktails. Maybe the city’s official drink, the Frankfort?
Day 3
Have breakfast this morning at B’s Bakery, where you can see for yourself if TV’s Food Network was right when they said it had the country’s cutest food.
You’ll need some of that cute food (one of their signature donuts, perhaps) before heading off to another bourbon tasting – this time at Whiskey Thief Distilling Co., the oldest craft distillery on the Bourbon Trail. This is the only place where you can “thieve” your own bourbon straight from the barrel.
It’s back to beer with a trek out to the West Sixth Brewery Farm, where a guided tour will take you behind-the-scenes of the brewing industry. Or you can head out on your own for a walk along the serene fishpond – on your own or with your furry companion, provided he/she is on a leash.
Head back to town for a FRANKfurter (you know you can’t leave without one) at Sig Luscher Brewery. While you’re chowing down on one of the specialty hog dogs with all the trimmings, accompanied by Sig’s smooth Pilsner, let staff tell you the story of the brewery. You’ll enjoy it.
And we hope you have enjoyed this “spirited” foray into Frankfort’s spirits.
