The Lincoln Jamboree has existed since 1954. As a matter of fact my parents met on the stairs of…read morethe old Cardinal Theater downtown on the square the original location of the Jamboree. My dad worked as a ticket seller/usher and my mom was there on a date. But they ended up married for over 60 years. So the jamboree played a large role in my life. Many famous bands use to stop and eat at the jamboree as they traveled the country via bus. The restaurant was an integral part of the business until the last few years. I remember going with my grandmother for the all you can eat country ham dinners. As a child I will never forget going up in Joel Ray's airplane and flying around the area. Joel Ray made the Jamboree, he mc'ed telling his corny jokes and insisting that the place remain a family place. Since Joel Ray's death the place has undergone a renovation and facelift but is still the place to go to see great family entertainment if you enjoy country/bluegrass music.

Conveniently located near to the Lincoln Birthplace and Boyhood Home historical sites, the Lincoln…read moreMuseum is a small museum with dioramas and other historical artifacts that give a very high level overview of Abraham Lincoln's life. This museum has a pretty great gift shop, which you can get into for free. You can pretty much find any trinket you could possibly be looking for with Lincoln on it. The museum itself costs $8 for adults. I estimate that the museum takes about 45 minutes if you don't linger at everything. The entire first floor of the museum is dioramas with mannequins (maybe a little bit creepy) that tell the story of Lincoln's life from childhood to death. The upstairs includes more exhibits with historical artifacts. Some of the Lincoln mannequins were gone from their dioramas when we visited, which was a bit of a bummer. The staff were very friendly and helpful. They were full of information about the local historical sites and pointed us in the right direction. Convenient parking out front. The Lincoln Museum is very close to the Birthplace and Boyhood Home sites, so you might as well stop by if you're already going to those, but you maybe don't go out of your way to come to just this museum.

I am a self proclaimed presidential history "nerd". I've read a biography on each president in…read moreorder (currently reading F.D.R.), and my bucket list includes visiting all their birth and burial places. I also make it a point to visit presidential libraries, national historic sites, etc. While visiting nearby Lincoln's birthplace, a volunteer told me this museum was worth doing. He was right, I'm glad I took the time. This museum had a lot of neat artifacts, but I'm not sure I'd call it a museum. It's more like...somewhere between a museum following Lincoln's life and an antique store with pieces authentic to the time. It's also part art museum. Some of the pieces include a bronze cast of Lincoln's beardless face as it appeared during his first presidential campaign, which was cool. It also has Thomas Lincoln's hoe, which was dug up in front of Lincoln's cabin in 1914. Bottom line, there aren't very many authentic pieces to the Lincoln's, but there's plenty of stuff worth seeing...like a lot of civil war bullets and other civil war pieces. The only thing I didn't like about the museum was the minimum charge for debit/credit card use. I had to buy something from the gift stop just so I could pay my admission. Overall: glad I took the time.

We take our kids every fall. It gets better every year, they seem to add new attractions every time…read morewe visit. The owners are so kind and helpful. Highly recommend for a family outing in the fall!

On our way up from Knoxville TN to Louisville KY, we made sure to swing by here to see Abraham…read moreLincoln's birthplace! It was thunder storming and lightning abound when we arrived but cleared up during our stroll through the memorial and the visitor center. There is a longer path to the side of the visitor center where it's all covered by trees so we didn't get rained on. Inside the memorial is the replica of the log cabin where he was born. That closes at 4:30pm, whereas the visitor center closes at 5:00pm. I made sure to stop at the sinking springs next to the memorial for the watering hole where Abe took his first drink of water. It felt very cold in that area compared to the humid weather surrounding it. Very cool. So glad we made a stop here on our roadtrip!

Honestly? Abe deserves better, but it just doesn't seem like there's enough material to work with…read morehere, which may not necessarily be anyone's fault. My top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I came by here last Thursday in the late morning at my request. I love presidential shizzle - one of my earliest memories is getting a book of the presidents and learning all of them in order, and instead of going to Disney World (don't get me started), my parents took me to a number of presidential homesteads and birthplaces when I was in elementary school, mostly the heavy hitters in VA and the Adams one in Braintree, MA. And I've legitimately celebrated President's Day by dragging some of my chums to Grant's Tomb at 9AM to listen to a reenactment of the 1873 State of the Union. So I came into this with some nerdy, executive branch street cred. Part of it was definitely the mediocre rainy weather, but I just wasn't that impressed. I want to emphasize that there might not have been anything the National Park Service could have done once they got involved, because the biggest issue here is that the actual birthplace doesn't really exist anymore. I'm sure they got the land/property lines correct, but the log cabin that we all naturally associate with Abe? Gone, so you have to settle for a recreation, and that recreated cabin isn't given its own space outside - it's housed in the Memorial Building, which makes that experience more claustrophobic than it should be, since the cabin takes up about 70% of the room. There may be excellent reasons why it had to remain indoors, but I found that decision pretty curious. And bottom line - it's hard to have a national park based on a birthplace that's largely abstract and not something you can see with your own eyes. The Visitors Center was relatively small but pleasant. I haven't stopped to think about it until now, but I'm guessing that the vast majority of Lincoln exhibits are at his home in Springfield, IL, which I know DOES physically exist. Again, they just didn't have as much to play around with here so they're relying more on fancy/tasteful Lincoln quotes on their walls versus, say, a glass case featuring his top hat. When a sizeable chunk of your Visitors Center is taken up by a gift shop and little movie theater showing a 15-minute video about Lincoln, you're pretty much broadcasting the fact that you don't have a lot of standalone items to display, which is a shame. The biggest selling point is the Memorial Building, notwithstanding the replica cabin situation inside. It's built up on a hill with 56 steps for each year of Abe's life, and bares a pretty strong resemblance to the more notable Presidential memorials in DC. I thought it was cool that several Presidents have stopped by, now knowing that this is a bit in the middle of nowhere, but it's also just an hour outside Lexington so it was also disappointing to learn that no Presidents have visited since Eisenhower. They can't fit in a 15-minute photo op over the course of four to eight years? Come on. It's Abe. The NPS rangers (right word?) were very nice. I'd be curious what the pecking order of historic sites is for the NPS but I have to think this isn't at the very tippy top. Regardless, lots of smiles and at least one of them went out of their way to ask us if we had any questions and to (unprompted) pull out a map to orient us before we left the Visitors Center to explore the grounds a bit. If you're in the area, sure, pay your respects to the beginning of Honest Abe's story. But if you have more time/bandwidth, I think the play is to jump ahead in the timeline and get yourself up to Illinois.

Truly unique and inspiring pieces! Love stopping by here to see what original pieces will be in…read morethis shop. Painting, pottery, glass, furniture, leather work, and framing all happen here! Mostly local artists create what is available for sale. Bill is knowledgeable, friendly talented as he is an artist himself. I would def recommend stopping by here and seeing what treasures are waiting!

This place has some really awesome art! Great gift ideas for the hard to buy for. The owner said he…read moretries to sell work from artists who live in central Kentucky. Be sure to check out this adorable store with unique items!

Burkmann Nutrition has a store in Lebanon and Danville. This is pertinent to the Danville location…read moreand pictures are from that location. I have been to this location in Danville and have never been dissatisfied. Nestled in a little valley beside a railroad track, this is a quintessential farm store. They literally have a "little bit o' ever'thing" as they'd say in Kentucky. Hopefully the pictures I take speak for themselves, but let me detail some of the things I find attractive about this store. First, they have a drive through. So you can pull into the warehouse and get your feed loaded without ever leaving the vehicle. This is a nice convenience. Secondly, customer service. I have always been greeted when entering the store and I have never asked for help, that I didn't get someone to do so. Recently, when asking about flea and tick medicine, the sales floor employee verified with someone else that her answer to my question was correct. I appreciated that she had the humility and the diligence to verify her information before giving me wrong information. Selection of inventory is another great aspect of this business. They have an extensive pet food department, even producing their own brand of quality dog food! They have en extensive selection of flea, tick and worming medicines for house pets. This is the place to find pet toys too! Pets are welcome on a leash. In case you do decide to take your dog, they have a dog wash on location with a free wash program after every so many washes. You can find a large selection of muck boots for all your farm chores. In the side room, you will find all kinds of merchandise pertinent to bovine and equine farming. From feeders to wormers to tack, to fencing supplies, there is a large assortment of items relative to large animal husbandry. They even have a refrigerated medication section in the back room. Overall, this store is definitely one to put on your list of places to shop If you are a farmer, horse owner or pet owner. This establishment also sells wild bird seed for all the amateur ornithologists who love feeding the birds. Try their "no squirrel blend", which is treated with cayenne pepper to repel squirrel consumption! Overall, the store is very clean, well lit, and laid out sensibly. Parking is ample, just watch for those working through the drive through. The restroom is rudimentary, but functional, and it is always clean. Prices are competitive. Outside behind the building you can find feeders, stock tanks, and rolled hay mangers. This store is located in a quiet section of town, with easy access for ingress and egress. As a Yelper, I can honestly say that this is a store I frequent and will continue to do so.

This place is another diamond in the rough, located in rural Casey County (KY). this is a must stop…read moreif traveling thru the areas. They offer a variety of soups, (chicken, beef and pork). They were all superb and seasoned so well. You will not be disappointed in the wonderful taste and quality of food. I have also tried there bone broth is a true delight and a must try. If you are local and looking for locally raised meats this is the place.

This is one of the best kept secrets in KY! Peaceful setting, outstanding hosts that go above and…read morebeyond in all aspects! You are within an hours drive of 12 of the best Bourbon Distilleries out there, and there is a Trappist Monk Abbey just up the road I highly recommend in checking out just for the peace of mind. Lauren and Bill are the best hosts on the planet hands down, no questions asked. Check them out. You will not regret it.