Sites to See

Bluegrass Region

This beautiful region may be all about horses, with racetracks, 450 thoroughbred farms and a world-class park to prove it, but it also reeks of history and culture. Daniel Boone founded a settlement here; Bourbon was invented here, and Berea is at the center of a rich folk art tradition that dates back several centuries.

Major Cites: Lexington, Richmond
Major Roads: I-75 & I-64
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Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue

The musical styles of bluegrass and blues merge here, as the region was the birthplace of the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe (Rosine) and home for a while to the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy (Henderson.) And should you wonder about the third part of the region's equation - barbecue - you need look no further than the Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn, an Owensboro landmark.

Major Cites: Henderson, Owensboro
Major Roads: William Natcher Parkway
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Caves, Lakes, & Corvettes

This region sits atop a number of caves and caverns as well as the world's longest explored cave system at Mammoth Cave National Park. The Green and Nolin Rivers also reside here. Don’t forget to check out the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green and marvel at America's original sports car.

Major Cites: Bowling Green, Cave City
Major Roads: I-65
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Daniel Boone Country

This is the home of The Daniel Boone National Forest. On the Virginia border, the Cumberland Gap remains as majestic as ever, as do the canyons of the Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge's sandstone arches. This is home to both the "Grand Canyon of the South," at Breaks Interstate Park and the "Grand Ole Opry of Kentucky," at Renfro Valley.

Major Cites: London, Harlan
Major Roads: I-75
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Kentucky Appalachians

The Hatfields and McCoys may have once kept the area hopping during their legendary feud, but today all is quiet along the Appalachian front. This is the region where a brave pioneer woman, Jenny Wiley, gained icon status, and a pioneer of another kind, Loretta Lynn, started on her road to country music legend. A region whose beauty is as timeless as the mountains that define it.

Major Cites: Ashland, Prestonsburg
Major Roads: I-64
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Kentucky’s Derby Region

"The most exciting two minutes in sports," otherwise known as the Kentucky Derby; birthplace of the nation's 16th president, Abraham Lincoln; Kentucky's best bourbon distilleries and Fort Knox, the nation's gold depository; the commonwealth's largest urban area - dynamic Louisville.

Major Cites: Louisville, Elizabethtown
Major Roads: I-65, I-64 & I-71
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Northern Kentucky River Region

Historically, this is one of Kentucky's most important areas. Located just south of the Ohio River, the actual dividing line between North and South, and the Mason-Dixon Line. The Northern Kentucky River Region was key in the movement of slaves to freedom in Ohio, and many of the region's towns were important stops on the Underground Railroad.

Major Cites: Covington
Major Roads: I-75 & I-71
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Southern Lakes

Skim over some of the most pristine lakes in the country (with 63,000 acres of water, it is easy to do) or take a train ride through spectacular gorges along the Big South Fork River. Finally, marvel at the cascading water at Cumberland Falls, and make sure you're there during a full moon to see the only moonbow in the Northern Hemisphere.

Major Cites: Jamestown, Somerset
Major Roads: Louie Nunn Parkway
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Western Waterlands

Kentucky's Western Waterlands region hosts two of the largest man-made lakes in the country. The lakes, coupled with the four rivers that flow here - the Ohio, Cumberland, Mississippi and Tennessee - makes the region a mecca for water sports of all kinds. And don’t forget about the 170,000-acre Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area.

Major Cites: Paducah, Hopkinsville
Major Roads: I-24
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Brochures & Maps

There are two ways in which you may obtain our guides and brochures. You may order them via mail direct to your doorstep, (allow 10-14 business days for delivery) or you may download them and view them from your computer.

Printed materials are available by mail only in the U.S. and Canada. International visitors are invited to download the Official Visitors Guide or any of the brochures offered on-line.

The Kentucky Department of Tourism will mail up to five individual brochure requests. Individual requests for more than five brochures will not be honored. If you need to place a request for bulk shipment of brochures please email judy.thomas@ky.gov. Please include the reason for your request.

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Calendar of Events

Kentuckians have a boundless, unbridled spirit when it comes to having fun. They know that the beauty, history and heritage of the commonwealth give them a lot to celebrate. From world-class sporting events to regional festivals, the party never ends in Kentucky.

Kentucky has more than 700 festivals, both large (the week-long Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville) and small (the Mountain Herb Festival in the tiny Appalachian outpost of Confluence.) It has a festival celebrating barbecue (Henderson) and one celebrating bourbon (Bardstown.) Bluegrass Music is the honoree at festivals in Owensboro and Morehead, while the annual Fiddler's Festival draws crowds to Renfro Valley.