Man O’War Memorial at the Kentucky Horse Park
This weekend was super great because we got to play tour guide to my parents and younger brother! Nothing makes you explore a new place more than guests. We really had a fantastic weekend and experienced so much of Lexington and the surrounding area! So I wanted to break down what we did each day to give anyone interested in Lex some ideas.
Friday
Friday AM we made breakfast at home, did a quick drive around Lexington and then ventured to Maker’s Mark. It’s about 75 minutes from Lexington but totally worth it! The drive was beautiful and the countryside just got prettier and prettier. Maker’s Mark is one of the most beautiful campuses I’ve ever seen – you HAVE to go on a tour. But if you can’t get on a tour, you at least have to walk around! The grounds are amazing – my photos seriously don’t do it justice. I could have sat on a rocker looking over their property all day! I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a quick excursion from Lexington!
For dinner we drove to Midway – which is the most adorable small town. Their “downtown” has cute old buildings and a railroad track running down the middle. It has so many adorable storefronts that would be great to checkout during the day. We went to Heirloom for dinner – after multiple locals recommended it – and it did not disappoint. All the food was amazing! My dad and I had the beef tenderloin and it was cooked perfectly. My mom and husband tried the halibut and loved that as well! The appetizers were amazing too – a fantastic dinner and great place for a special occasion. (Be sure to make reservations ahead of time)
Saturday
Another morning with yummy breakfast and then we decided to go to the Kentucky Horse Park. Their website wasn’t the most informative but all the reviews online rave about it, so we decided to head there. It was definitely worth it!! Another area with amazing grounds and I’m really getting into this horse culture guys! So many beautiful animals and it’s so cool to see them. They have tons of shows and events for you to see different horses and breeds. We saw the “Hall of Champions” where they bring in famous horses that have “retired” there now and their “Breeds Barn” where they show some unique and rare breeds. My favorite was probably the “Big Barn” because draft horses are so cool! Maybe it’s just their size but they’re pretty epic. The admission isn’t cheap but I highly recommend it if you’re interested in horses at all!
We were pretty tired after that but my mom and I managed to squeeze in some shopping at the Summit at Fritz Farm. It’s a new shopping area (lots still under construction) but it already has so many good stores! It’s also where you can find Shake Shack – always a good lunch and dinner option 🙂
We decided to make dinner at home and go out for dessert after. We’ve heard a ton about Crank & Boom so that’s where we headed for ice cream and it was so so good! Their ice cream flavors were unique without being weird and their sundaes were delicious. If you want ice cream in Lexington you need to go here – plus the area it’s in (Distillery District) has tons of great bars and restaurants!
Sunday
Since it was Father’s Day we started with donuts (shocking) and more brunch! After that we went to Ashland to walk around and explore their grounds. I’m a bit historic house and it was still awesome even though we didn’t go inside! Their formal garden was beautiful and sitting underneath the super old trees and just chatting was such a fun moment.
I have so many more things I want to explore in Lexington after this first weekend. We are loving it so much and can’t wait to find more fun things to do! I hope you had a great weekend and have a good Monday – see ya!
