10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Bardstown That You Shouldn't Miss

Bourbontown Tours is a locally owned and operated tour company located in the heart of Bourbon Country - Bardstown, Kentucky! We also serve the Greater Louisville area as well. We travel to local distilleries and other interesting places along the trail: public, private, event, and corporate tours available for any size group. Call or go online today to book your tour! We will customize your tour for the ultimate experience.

Spalding Hall is home to the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History and the Bardstown Historical Museum. The Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History displays a 50 year collection of rare artifacts and documents concerning the American whiskey industry dating from pre-Colonial days to post-Prohibition years. The museum includes exhibits on President Washington, Abraham Lincoln, authentic moonshine stills, antique bottles and jugs, medicinal whiskey bottles, unique advertising art, novelty whiskey containers, and much more. The Bardstown Historical Museum contains items relating to 200 years of area history. You will find indian relics, Lincoln documents, pioneer papers, John Fitch land grant, a replica of his first steamboat, Stephen Foster memorabilia, a new Trappist monks’ exhibit, gifts of Louis Phillippe and Charles X of France, Civil War artifacts and guerrilla Jesse James hat and wine bottle, St. Joe Preparatory School momentos and much more. Guided tours available.

My Old Kentucky Home is one of the most famous songs to have ever been written, but it is also the name of a hallowed and beautiful Kentucky farm with many rich layers of history waiting to be explored and experienced. My Old Kentucky Home is a marvel of elegance and charm, as architecturally magnificent today as it was more than two centuries ago. Your guided tour by our costumed guides spans two floors of the mansion, originally named "Federal Hill." Our talented guides will sing the song, "My Old Kentucky Home," for tour guests. See 200 year old antique artifacts including paintings, high-style furniture, lavish period decor, and the carefully curated interiors of Kentucky's most famous landmark.

The Stephen Foster Drama Association has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Season. This decision was made based on the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s current guidelines and recommendations for dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. Tickets for the 2021 season will go on sale on June 1, 2020. Visit stephenfoster.com for more information. The Stephen Foster Story is a broadway-style show about the life of America's first composer, Stephen Collins Foster. The performance takes place in My Old Kentucky Home State Park at the J. Dan Talbot Amphitheatre. The grounds on which the theatre lies once belonged to the Rowan family, who were cousins of Stephen Foster, and is home to Federal Hill, the plantation house that inspired the state song. Some of Foster's biggest hits such as Oh Susannah, Camptown Races, Suwannee River, & My Old Kentucky Home help to tell the tale of his struggle to become the first true composer this country knows, and also to find love among the hardships.

Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center is a 4-time Visitor Attraction of the Year winner. Enjoy the art of making whiskey on one of our tours, as our Bourbon hosts guide you through the history of Bourbon, introduce you to the Heaven Hill family, and lead you through an educational tasting of our American Whiskey mashbills. Make sure to visit our retail shop for Bourbon inspired merchandise and limited-release bottles. ***We are currently undergoing renovations to bring you a better experience, but are still offering tours with Bourbon tastings.***

Barton 1792 Distillery was established in 1879 and continues today as the oldest fully-operating Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Situated in heart of bourbon country on 196 acres, the Distillery boasts 29 barrel aging warehouses, 22 other buildings including an impressive still house, and the legendary Tom Moore Spring. Named in honor of the year Kentucky joined the United States, Barton 1792 offers three tours of the Distillery: the Barton Tradition Tour, the Bushel to Bottle Tour and the 1792 Estate Tour.