Kentucky and Bourbon Trail

[TexasMarci]

HI all - we want to tour parts of Kentucky in late spring and I was viewing the maps of the Bourbon Trail and it seemed (?) that they go in several directions like the spokes on a wheel - Can someone recommend a spot and/or RV park that is kind of in the midst of it and they we would take day trips? I appreciate any/all suggestions - thanks so much!!

[ROBERT CROSS]

I use the internet Bourbon trail...but we do plan to visit someday. I'll watch the recommendations.

Bob
🇺🇸

[LeatherDog]

Originally Posted by TexasMarci

HI all - we want to tour parts of Kentucky in late spring and I was viewing the maps of the Bourbon Trail and it seemed (?) that they go in several directions like the spokes on a wheel - Can someone recommend a spot and/or RV park that is kind of in the midst of it and they we would take day trips? I appreciate any/all suggestions - thanks so much!!

We have done both the big boys trail (Makers Mark et al.) and the craft bourbon trail. It takes some driving but either Nolan Lake State Park or Taylorsville State Park are very good somewhat central locations. The sites for both are level and fairly private. Only water and electric but the dump stations are well laid out. I would strongly recommend Makers Mark for the very educational tour and tasting and Buffalo Trace for the historical context. If you can go to the north eastern side of the trail make sure you check out the Pogue Distillery in Mayville. Very smooth bourbon and the free tasting and tour are given by the Master Distiller/Owner!

The tastings, especially at the craft distilleries can be very generous, need to be careful if you are driving!

[drairstream]

There is a decent state park in bardstown. My old Kentucky home. Let’s you start at Barton’s, heaven hill and makers all within 5-30 minutes. After that head east to woodford, pappy van winkle four roses and buffalo trace. There are many boutique distilleries along the way in bardstown and off I 64.

[twbucksr]

We stopped at Buffalo Trace on our way to Jackson Center last September. They let us park our 2018 27FBQ right in the middle of the compound so we could take the tour.

We spent the prior night in the very large RV parking lot of the Elizabethtown, (E-town) KY Cracker Barrel.

[Acheron2010]

I count about seven Harvest Host locations in the vicinity of the Bourbon Trail
That would make a great spring or fall trip.

[Wconley]

We signed up for the Springtime in Kentucky caravan with WBCCI for 26 days of wandering around Kentucky this April/May. We’re looking forward to the bourbon trail.

[Lily&Me]

Be sure to go to the Makers Mark distillery, as it is the best one, in my opinion.

Maggie

[Firecracker]

I agree on makers mark. It is an awesome and interesting tour with beautiful grounds. Jim beam was probably my second favorite. Cant recommend a place to park because we visited these when we were in Louisville visiting family. We DID camp at Cumberland falls however, and I made a mental note to ALWAYS understand the size of the spaces AND distance between them if we are staying in a state park in Kentucky. Wow! That was the tightest place we have stayed in during three summers of extensive travel and we only haul a 20 footer behind us!

[Sierradawg]

We do the Bourbon Trail every couple of years. Count on 4 or 5 days to see most of the distrilleries. We always stay at White Acres campground. Big sites and full hookups. https://whiteacrescampground.com/ It’s nothing special but in the center of everything and Bardstown is the bomb....

[Rokitman]

Done the "big boy" trail twice and a modified trail of "big & little boys" once. Our favorite "base campground" is My Old Kentucky Home Campground in Bardstown. But, make sure you bring at least 31' of electric cable and water hose, as the sites share pedestals and spigots. Also, bring a good set of levelers (in case). It's a beautiful, quiet setting, thickly treed. Don't feel like the long drive today? Bardstown as the Heritage Hill Center and Willett craft distillery just blocks from the campground... and there's lots to explore in downtown Bardstown.

[Candominium]

I live in Louisville and have stayed several times at the Kentucky Horse Park’s RV Park just outside of Lexington. It is not that far to Woodford Reserve and several other distilleries. It is a nice well maintained park. You are also about 1:15 from Louisville. In Louisville, I would highly recommend the tour at Angels’ Envy and Rabbit Hole distilleries.

[Atwebs]

Wow, just the perfect topic for us. We are planning a trip to do the Bourbon Trail in the fall at this point and are excited to know about everything to do and see.

[Byrddoggie]

Spring should be a great time to visit, especially if you like horse racing too. The derby (Louisville) is early May and keenland has a two week meet in April (Lexington). If not interested, know those dates when preparing trip as the traffic will be increased more then usual. Also weather here changes fast, so be prepared. As for a place to stay, I highly recommend Cummins Ferry campground in Salvisa, Ky 40372. It’s on the river in a beautiful country setting with lots of wildlife. Lots of amenities. Check out their website, although it’s way better in person. (I’ve stayed year around here for the past 3 years) Reasonable distance to many distillery’s. The closest I believe would be 4 roses, wild turkey (Lawrenceburg), buffalo trace (Frankfort), either Jim beam location (Frankfort, Bardstown), woodford reserve( Versailles), jeptha creed (shelbyville). Many more and also lots of wineries around too, if interested.

[Streamracer]

And dont forget about Jack Daniel's in Lynchburg, Tenn .

[Byrddoggie]

If any of y’all are interested, moonshine is fairly popular around eastern Kentucky, parts of Tennessee and West Virginia. Beautiful country, but hilly and may encounter some backwoods people in the Appalachians

[badkat]

Without a doubt my favorite of The Bourbon Trail. Get on the tour with the retired son of the founder. It is wonderful. They also now have a 5 star restaurant there new as of last year.

[Wconley]

Originally Posted by Byrddoggie

If any of y’all are interested, moonshine is fairly popular around eastern Kentucky, parts of Tennessee and West Virginia. Beautiful country, but hilly and may encounter some backwoods people in the Appalachians

I have a small bottle of moonshine my uncle, who was a KY State Policeman, obtained in a bust from a runner in the late sixties. I’ve kept it since, untoutched for my memories of my uncle and because I don’t want to go blind 😉. We’ll be back to Kentucky this year for the first time since 1970.

[Byrddoggie]

I hope my family members weren’t the perpetrators. ��

[AnGeo]

We've done the bourbon trail many times, lastly this past spring. We found a sweet little campground outside of Shelbyville, KY - Lake Shelby Campground http://shelbycountyparks.com/our-par...by-campground/. It's a small campground on a lake, with a dam at the end of the camping area. It's also about 30 miles east of Louisville, and about 50 miles west of Lexington - a fairly centralized area for exploring the bourbon trail. Make sure you get a Passport on the trail, it makes it part of the fun on the trail. Also, check out the Talon Winery in Shelbyville (off the interstate) - it has some very tasty wines (I particularly liked their Forbidden wine - yum).