Lexington honeymoon

Hi!

I was wondering if anyone had any ';must-see'; things around Lexington, KY. My fiance and I will be going there for our honeymoon (and also Nashville) in July. We are staying at the Shaker Inn at Pleasant Hill for 2 nights, but then are unsure of what else to do...

Is there anything we must do in the Lexington area for 4 days (we will have a car)?

Anyone think we should head up to Louisville, or should we relax in Lexington the whole time?

Also, any other romantic hotel ideas?

Thank you!! :)

Lexington honeymoon

I am biased because I live in Lexington and would say to stay here. But, Louisville is a bigger city and has a lot to offer as well.

That being said, some romatic places to stay in Lexington are the Lyndon House B%26amp;B on Broadway http://www.lyndonhouse.com/ and The Storybook Inn in Versailles http://www.storybook-inn.com/

(very cute town about 15 min from Lex). Also in Versailles is Rose Hill Inn http://www.rosehillinn.com/. Another great idea to to stay in Midway. The Scottwood B%26amp;B is only about 8 miles from New Circle Rd and MIdway has lots of cute shops and several high quality restaurants like Black Tulip, Heirloom, and Holly Hill Inn.

The Gratz Park Inn http://www.gratzparkinn.com/ in the Gratz Park Historic district of Lexington is another option. You would be in close walking distance to some of the best restaurants in the city like Jonathan%26#39;s (on the ground floor of the inn). Le Deauville, Third Street Coffee, Mia%26#39;s and some small interesting shops like Mulberry %26amp; Lime.

Depending on what your interests are, there are a lot of things you could do here. There is hiking at Raven Run with a scenic overlook of the Kentucky River. The Kentucky Horse Park is a wonderful place to see horses up close and you can take a ride if you like. Keeneland is not running races, but you may be able to see horses training in the mornings and eat at the track. They still do simulcasts of other races. It is a beautiful place. There are several historic homes you can tour like Ashland, Pope Villa, Hunt Morgan etc. You can do a horse farm tour. Joseph Beth is a local bookstore turned chain, but is a wonderful place to browse and shops for books and some gift items. If you are into live music, the Dame may still be having shows but they will be closing soon because of a new development.

I%26#39;d be glad to offer any other suggestions if you have a particular interest.

Lexington honeymoon

Relax in Lex and really take in the town in a leisurely manner.

If it were me I would stay at Gratz Park so you can be within walking distance of lots of good restaurants. You could start with breakfast at Alfalfa%26#39;s, lunch at Wines on Vine, dinner at any number of good spots. Go to Spalding%26#39;s on Winchester Rd for a decadent donut!

Definitely take a horse farm tour. There are so many amazing farms. Some of the barns are nicer than anything I will ever own! You can take a carriage ride at night (starts at the Radison Hotel). The rides are very nice and informative. Most of the drivers have done the routes for years.

Check out www.visitlex.com for more ideas and a calendar of local events.

I agree that Gratz Park Inn would be your other alternate choice for a hotel.

As for things to do or places to visit, here would be my recommendations:

Jean Farris Winery: I think this is THE best restaurant in Lexington, although it is on the outskirts of town www.jeanfarris.com. Very romantic.

Also for dining, the Rose Hill Inn in Midway would be a good choice.

I would check out Talon Winery and Equis Run Winery - they have concerts throughout the summer that are very nice.

For local restaurants, Ramsay%26#39;s and Alfalfa are probably my pics for casual %26#39;comfort%26#39; food. Alfalfa offers some vegetarian options as well. Atomic Cafe (caribbean) and Stella%26#39;s (lunch counter) are both very interesting options as well.

For night-life, I personally don%26#39;t think there%26#39;s a lot here for %26#39;adults%26#39; (sort of a college town), however I do like Murray%26#39;s Restaurant and also the Merrick Inn. Both are nice, upscale restaurants and they both have nice, outdoor bars with live music where you can eat and/or drink and listen to music. If you like the indoor club thing, I probably go to Bogart%26#39;s at the Campbell House Inn more than anywhere else. It%26#39;s small but normally has a band and has more 30-somethingers. If you want a younger crowd, any of the bars and clubs downtown will have that crowd.

The Kentucky Theater is a neat experience. It is an old theater downtown that runs some interesting movies, most of which are Independent Films. They do have some midnight shows of classics that are really fun to attend.

Oh, and I almost forgot. To me, the ONE MUST SEE near Lexington is in a place called Nonesuch, Kentucky. It is an old school building in the middle of the country that has been remodeled and turned into an antique gallery. This is important - I DO NOT like antiques - I prefer modern decor. However, this place is absolutely gorgeous. The folks who own it are interior designers and really put the antiques together to make beautiful rooms.

But the best part about this place (which is called Irish Acres Gallery)is the restaurant downstairs. It is absolutely delightful - and to me, INCREDIBLY romantic. It is called the Glitz and the food is superb, the atmosphere is enchanting (literally) and the service impecable. They only serve lunch (it is pricey but WELL worth the price) and you must have reservations made well in advance (I%26#39;d make them right away). Here%26#39;s the web site http://www.irishacresgallery.com/

Hope that helps! Enjoy your stay.

Forgot one thing...

McConnell Springs. It is a nice, small park with a short walking trail. I like it because there are springs on the back part of the property that are gorgeous. I think it is beautiful (and romantic).

whiporwil....thanks for posting that. Never heard of the place and often like to surprise my hubbie!

Kudo%26#39;s to the previous postings. They are all great. I do want to suggest a few wonderful restaurants - two are located in downtown Lexington are A la Lucie and Bellini%26#39;s and the other located in Beaumont Center off of Harrodsburg Road is Azur. You can%26#39;t go wrong with any of these. Good luck and enjoy your stay in Lexington.

I%26#39;ve only been to McConnell Springs once but my wife and I were swarmed by mosquitoes. I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;ve ever been to a place that had more. We couldn%26#39;t get our of there fast enough.

I do recommend doing a horse farm tour and bourbon distillery tour. Drive out to Woodford Reserve. It%26#39;s a nice tour and the location is really beautiful.

http://www.woodfordreserve.com

The horse park is fine. They have horseback riding available on their grounds. It%26#39;s a trail ride that is suited for beginners.

If you are looking for outdoors stuff or hiking and don%26#39;t mind a long drive, head down south to Cumberland falls near Corbin, KY or out east to Natural Bridge park. Both are beautiful.

Wow, TravelinGirl, you hit the jackpot on good advice for Lexington.

I%26#39;ll add: have a massage at the Lexington Massage Center.

%26gt;%26gt;Keeneland is not running races, but you may be able to see horses training in the mornings and eat at the track. They still do simulcasts of other races. It is a beautiful place.%26lt;%26lt;

I didn%26#39;t know you could go to Keeneland when they%26#39;re not running races. Good idea....

Thank you all so much for the suggestions. I sure did hit the jackpot. I appreciate it :) We%26#39;re looking forward to taking the advice!

Did you say when you were visiting? I may have looked over it....If you want to relax you could always have a picnic at jacobson park and they offer paddle boats.

Applebees Park you could catch a local Lex Legends baseball game. Also check out the concerts and shows that might be held at Rupp Arena during your stay. I live in Lex now but before I did i enjoyed just driving downtown and looking around in the lil shops and boutiques and dining in the unique non chain restaurants. Farmers market is nice to visit on weekends!! In August the state fair will be going on in Louisville.....

Might want to check that out if that is when you will be here.