Kentucky horse country: Louisville to Lexington

Route description

Start at the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs in south Louisville. The Derby is held on the first Saturday of May, when hotels and campgrounds fill up and prices soar. Outside race days you can join a walking tour of the track. Downtown, the Ohio riverfront has a long waterfront park and a walking bridge to Indiana.

From Louisville drive east on I-64 or on the slower US-60 to Frankfort, about 1 hour. Frankfort is the state capital, with a domed capitol, a floral clock and an old capitol downtown. The Kentucky River runs through the town, and there are several bourbon distilleries nearby. For a scenic drive, take US-421 or US-60 through the horse farms toward Midway.

Lexington is surrounded by bluegrass pastures with stone and plank fences. The Kentucky Horse Park lies north of the city on Iron Works Pike, off I-75. Allow at least half a day for the museums, the barns and the horse shows. The park’s campground has more than 250 sites with hookups and is a good base for exploring the area.

Keeneland, west of Lexington on US-60, is a racecourse with spring and autumn meets in April and October. You can visit for free outside race days and watch the horses exercise in the mornings. Many horse farms offer tours, but most must be booked ahead. Spring and autumn are the best seasons; roads here are narrow, so go slowly.