Frankfort, Kentucky

Why Go

Spend a weekend in Frankfort and much of it happens on foot: downtown is compact enough to walk from a locally owned restaurant to a bourbon bar to an independent bookshop without needing the car. The Old State Capitol and Liberty Hall — an 18th-century home built by one of Kentucky's first U.S. senators — sit within a few blocks of that same downtown, while restored historic commercial buildings now hold many of the shops and restaurants that make the walk worth taking. The Kentucky River runs directly through downtown, crossed by the Singing Bridge — officially the Ann Street Bridge — whose open metal grating hums under passing cars. From downtown, it's a short drive to Buffalo Trace Distillery, which has been making bourbon on the same ground for more than two centuries, through Prohibition and beyond, and remains one of the country's oldest continuously operating distilleries. Castle & Key, a restored historic distillery site founded by E.H. Taylor Jr. in 1887, is another worthwhile bourbon stop nearby. Frankfort works especially well as a weekend built around walking downtown first, then making short trips out for bourbon.

Don't Miss

Buffalo Trace Distillery

Good to Know

• Suggested trip length: 1–2 nights
• Best seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall
• Walkability: Downtown Frankfort is compact and walkable, with restaurants, shops, and historic sights clustered within a few blocks of Broadway and St. Clair Street. Bourbon attractions sit outside this walkable core.
• Parking: Downtown has time-limited street parking plus city-owned garages on Ann Street and Clinton Street. Once parked in the downtown core, many shops, restaurants and historic sights are within walking distance.

Worth Knowing

Downtown Frankfort is compact and walkable, but many bourbon attractions sit outside the downtown core, so plan on driving or arranging transportation between stops. Popular distillery tours should be reserved ahead when possible.