This Or That In Georgetown, KY

Written by Kathy Witt

Georgetown is all about choices, whether you’re visiting for the day or vacationing over a long weekend. Bourbon or brews? History or contemporary? Dinner or dessert? In town or out in the country? Will it be this, that or all of the above?

Plan a little or a lot. But no matter what you choose to do, you’ll probably run into a horse or two along the way – this is Kentucky Horse Headquarters, after all.

• Horses and/or Horsepower
  • Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm: Meet a hundred or so of the friskiest retirees you’ll ever encounter. Pet them. Feed them carrots. Stars of the turf, including Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup champs, live their best life here. Guided tours available.
  • Toyota Motor Manufacturing: The numbers are overwhelming: Up to 550,000 vehicles made each year (12.5 million+ since 1988!) in the plant’s 9 million square feet situated on 1,300 Scott County acres.

A virtual tours is currently available.

• Water and/or Walking Trails
  • Elkhorn Creek: The place to get your paddle on. Seventeen miles of splashy canoeing and kayaking fun plus one of the best places for fishing for smallmouth bass.
  • Yuko-en on the Elkhorn: Where you can ZEN out, on pathways weaving through more than five acres of a four-season Japanese-style strolling garden.
• Bourbon and/or Brews
  • Bourbon 30: A private barrel sampling, an artisan craft discussion, a chance to blend and bottle your own bourbon. Need we say more?
  • Country Boy Brewing: A seriously laidback atmosphere means everyone feels at home at one of Kentucky’s favorite craft beer breweries. The taproom, the patio, the brews, the chews – this is where weekends happen.
• Boutique Browsing and/or Scavenger Hunting
  • Downtown shopping: So. Many. Shops. All independently owned and all filled with irresistible treasures. Trust us – you won’t mind at all when your credit card starts smoking. Really.
  • Geocaching Trails: A treasure hunt of a different sort – one that requires a passport and patience and a hankering for history – and Scott County has two, in Georgetownand in Sadieville.
• Study the Horse and/or Ride a Horse
  • Kentucky Horse Park: Four museums, stall-side chats, Parade of Breeds Show, camping, kids activities including pony rides – it’s all here at this premier working horse farm, educational theme park and equine competition facility.
  • Whispering Woods Riding Stables: Where cowboy and cowgirl dreams come to life on more than 250 acres of wooded countryside
• Dinner and/or Dessert
  • More places to satisfy a sweet tooth than you can count on one hand. More than a dozen eateries in a six-block area of downtown Georgetown alone – fine dining to casual, coffeehouses to pubs. More places of deliciousness in the surrounding county. Georgetown dining seems to have a theme, and it’s “more.” So, will it be savory or sweet? 
• History and/or Contemporary
  • Ward Hall: Who dropped her drawers in front of Boston’s upper crust? That would be Georgetown’s own cheeky Sallie Ward (pun intended). Hear her scandalous story on a tour of Kentucky’s grandest Greek Revival manse.

Tours available.

• Art Galleries: Two equestrian-themed galleries equal unexpected downtown delight for horse lovers: The Hockensmith Fine Art Editions and Gallery & Press features photography, paintings, printmaking and sculptures and the Robert Clark Artist Galleryshows off Clark’s equine and artwork.

Workshops available.

Author: Kathryn Witt

Kathryn Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer, syndicated columnist and author of several books, including Secret Cincinnati, The Secret of the Belles and Atlanta Georgia: A Photographic Portrait. A member of SATW, Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Books & Illustrators, she lives in northern Kentucky.

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