Bourbon & old-style charm in Lexington, Kentucky

It doesn’t take long in the state to discover that Kentucky is bourbon country.

Last summer I was driving through Kentucky with my family and we stopped off one night at Lexington, Kentucky – first time for me.

We had been on a loooong drive, so it was good to park and stretch our legs with a walk around downtown Lexington. It’s a small but cute downtown

We stopped off at this eclectic taco restaurant, and enjoyed our dinner there. And yes, of course, I had to order a bourbon-based drink. When in Rome, and all…

And yes, it was pretty fabulous.

I did learn, however, that although Kentucky produces lots of bourbon, purchasing it in urban centers is a little more tricky. It can only be sold in liquor stores and , oddly, they are not in the town center, so we had to wait to purchase some until we were headed off by car the next day.

A little specialty bourbon store in this picturesque downtown would have been appreciated, but no matter, we made the trip so I could bring a bottle back to my husband in Italy. And I discovered (photo below) that there is a heck of a choice of bottles to purchase.

My younger son is a sports fanatic, so there is no way we could leave without also making a stop-off at the University of Kentucky campus – at the edge of the town. The academic year was just beginning – and boy, are there lots of students. But it was fun to walk around and see the pretty campus.

An enjoyable stop-over in Lexington. And one of these days we’ll hit the bourbon trail.

I had no idea there were so many types of bourbon. Now I do…