IT’S NO SURPRISE to us that Bourbon Country is a great place to find good cheer during the winter months. Amid the rolling hills and charming towns, Bardstown has always stood out as one of the most festive. While it’s located in a slice of Central Kentucky best known for its distilleries, there’s even more to enjoy in and around this area in December. From rides on dinner trains accompanied by Santa and Mrs. Claus to the must-try tasting flights at stops along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, it couldn't be easier to plan an exciting getaway in the Bluegrass State.
JOIN THE CELEBRATION
If you're a first-time visitor, set your sights on the Bardstown Historic District for the full holiday experience. The Old Nelson County Courthouse, which dates to 1892, glows red and green once the sun goes down. Its annual lighting ceremony in late November is a big event that draws people from all over to admire the decor that unfurls along North Third Street, filling shop windows with snowy scenes and festooning doors and streetlamps.
Head to the Old Talbott Tavern, one of the most historic stagecoach stops in the country, for Kentucky cuisine. The building was constructed in 1779 and has seen its fair share of travelers seeking a hot meal and shelter from the winter chill. Nowadays, you can still find a seat in the dining room and order your fill of classic regional dishes and desserts like the Kentucky burgoo, a hot brown, and their famed Talbott Tavern Pie, all of which evoke bygone days eating home cooking by a crackling fire.
HOP ABOARD A DINNER TRAIN
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Southern Living.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Southern Living.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Truth About Tomatoes
Here's how to store them the right way
When Life Gives You Lemons...
Chill out with this nostalgic no-bake dessert
She's Got the Scoop
In Richmond, Virginia, Rabia Kamara creates ice cream that celebrates Black culture and her heritage
More Is More
Designer Gray Benko isn't afraid of color, pattern, or dogs on the furniture
Changing the Game
For this North Carolina pair, pickleball is the ticket to a healthy lifestyle - and a social one
Stitched Together
For South Carolinian Andrea \"Annie\" Cayetano-Jefferson, sewing sweetgrass baskets ties her to generations of Gullah people, including her mother and daughter
Ciao Bella!
The founder of the Italianmade ceramics brand Vietri celebrates high summer with a pair of tables suited for all occasions
The Music of the Mountains
When warm weather arrives, Brevard, North Carolina's open-air concerts and cascading waterfalls fill the town with the song of summer
No Plant Sitter Required
These hardy groupings can stand up to the heat, even while you're away
A Folly Original
This young couple got scrappy to score the South Carolina beach house of their dreams