My husband, our two kids (ages 4 and 8), and I had the most wonderful time celebrating the 4th of…read moreJuly at the Kentucky Historical Society. There were so many fun activities for the children, and it was the perfect place to stay cool out of the summer heat. The absolute highlight of our day was visiting the gift shop and meeting Delaney. She was incredibly sweet, answered all of our questions, and even put a beautiful red ribbon in my daughter's hair. She chatted with us throughout the day and truly made us feel so welcome--she is an absolute gem in the middle of downtown Frankfort! My kids are absolutely in love with their new toys, and I will cherish the gorgeous Ginkgo leaf earrings my husband bought me. Thank you for making our holiday weekend so special! Much love, the Blair family from Lexington

The Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort is an amazing modern facility that preserves the…read morehistory of Kentucky. Admission is included with ($8) admission to the Old State Capitol building. We spent about an hour walking through the exhibits and learning. Many of the exhibits are hands-on and educational. The path through starts with the history of indigenous people of Kentucky through modern day. I found the many artifacts displayed very interesting. Information and additional artifacts about the early settlers of Kentucky were interesting as well. A separate area in the museum houses portraits of all the governors of Kentucky. Upstairs is a research library. The gift shop offers various souvenirs, books and locally crafted items for sale. The center is worth a visit if you love history and especially good for kids. There is a dedicated parking lot for the museum, but we found free street parking down the street.

We dropped into this museum on a whim. To be honest, we were looking for something interesting to…read moredo that would also take us out of the cold and windy weather! I'm so glad that we did! The museum has very interesting and well-designed exhibits. We were greeted at the entrance by a gentleman who gave us the "lay of the land", explaining that this museum focuses on the history of Frankfort and surrounding Franklin County, while a larger museum down the street (but closed on Mondays) covers all of Kentucky. He then gave us an overview of what to expect over the two floors of exhibits. A few of our favorite exhibits were: (1) Kentucky Bourbon; (2) Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives; (3) Frankfort and Film (Quick: what's Johnny Depp's connection to Frankfort?); and (4) the Goebal Assassination. The museum is open Monday-Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. (No pressure but useful to continue their food work!)

Fantastic museum! Many artifacts, Frankfort has a surprisingly interesting history!! The museum is…read morequite big and if you have a free hour or so it's definitely worth a visit!!

Today I took the Frankfort Civil War Walking Tour given by the history center. This tour is…read moreconducted periodically and fleshes out details about Frankfort's involvement in the Civil War, important local figures and its political policies during that period of time. For those who simply want to visit the Kentucky History Center, the old state capital, and the Kentucky Military Museum you are in luck. $8 covers all 3 of these. They also have a research library where you can explore your family history if you are from Kentucky. As a member I have taken advantage of the research library and visited the museum numerous times over the years. By the way the Kentucky state capitol building is the only Union capital to fall in Confederate hands.

Our visit started off just right with free parking across the street. Admission covered this…read morebuilding and the state military history museum up the hill a few block away. Get there in time for a tour of the Old State Capitol building for the history of Frankfort and KY. The 200 yr history of the state will take at least 1 1/2 hrs to get it all in.

We checked this place out on a recent walking tour around Frankfort. We enjoyed reading about the…read morehouse. The architecture is pretty cool and stands out in the neighborhood. Worth checking out if you're in the area.

Located in a residential neighborhood in the capital region of Frankfort, this marker denotes an…read moreinteresting home for its architecture. Built in 1910, the "Prairie Style" Zeigler house -- also known as the "Fireproof House for $5,000" -- is the only Frank Lloyd Wright structure in the state of Kentucky. And although it is a Wright design, the plans for it were actually drawn up in Chicago while Wright himself was in Europe. It is on two sides. On the one, "Frank Lloyd Wright, (1869-1959) - Famous primarily as a residence architect, Wright also planned many impressive public structures, including the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo and Guggenheim Museum in New York City. This is the only building of his design erected in Ky. during his lifetime. House was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Over." And on the reverse, "Rev. Jesse R. Zeigler House - The design for this house came from a chance shipboard meeting in 1910 of Rev. Zeigler of this city with Frank Lloyd Wright, the internationally known architect. The Presbyterian minister had local contractor Scott begin construction that year. This is an example of Wright's "prairie house," utilizing open floor plans. See over." This marker is on one of the side streets that is on the way to the Frankfort State Capitol, so you might drive past. I try hard not to intrude on people's privacy so while I wanted to walk up the driveway and check out the property, I did not go further than the sidewalk. There are good pictures and more information here: https://savewright.org/building/zeigler-house/ [Review 13553 overall, 872 of 2020.]

I was very underwhelmed. I had seen this as a must see on a FB "must see" KY road trips. We decided…read moreto surprise my parents and do a family trip. I do not feel there was really "anything" to this. But I must admit, I may be a bit tainted because I have been on other much more interactive train ride. That being said. The gentleman who gave details and shared historical tidbits was very knowledgeable.

Looking for something new to do on Labor Day weekend (also our Anniversary weekend), my wife ran…read moreacross the Bluegrass Railroad Museum. We've always loved doing things that are train-related, so this was an easy decision. Riding the train? Even better, as I've always loved train travel. They have the coach, first class, and the new open-air cars. Those looked awesome, but since it was our anniversary weekend we were looking for a bit more. "A bit more" meant we got to rid in The Cab with the engineers! It was a totally awesome experience, sitting, literally, at the front of the train with the guys making the thing go. As I recall the engineers were Robert and Steve, and were really nice guys. They were funny and informative, and it was cool to see the "behind the scenes" while the train was in motion. The Cab wasn't as big as I expected it to be and the controls weren't really high-tech, then again this was a pretty vintage engine. It was fun as we heard them calling out commands and statuses to each other and with the conductor at the rear of the train. The scenery along the way is beautiful. Horse farms and rolling fields make for post-card ready photographs, and the limestone cuts along the way make you realize just how much work went into getting the track built back during the civil war. We were also told that, while the railroad ties are replaced very 25 years, the iron rails are still the original rails that were laid back then. Once we got to the end of the track we ended up at the Kentucky River, which was seriously cool. While it's no longer viable for river crossings it's still an awesome thing to see. We stopped there for about 15 minutes to take pictures and to take in the scenery. Back on board the train and now the Engine is pushing the train from the rear and the engineers and conductor continued their calls, making sure things were moving safely. Once back at the station it was time to disembark and visit the museum and gift shop, which doubles as the ticket booth. They have a nice array of souvenirs to chose from for anyone at any age. The museum is a bit on the small side compared to others we've been to, but at the same time it's perfectly sized for their operation. There is also a model train exhibit in one of the stationary rail cars, and a few other cars to check out on the grounds. We really enjoyed our visit and train ride - especially riding in The Cab - and we'll be back again. Looking at other reviews it makes absolutely no sense why someone would give this a 1-star rating because it was, in every sense, and absolutely awesome experience.

Found this gem in Versailles, KY. This place is for both young and old alike. There are working…read moretrain displays that are fun to watch. One is from the old Purcell Dept. Store from Lexington, KY. Very cool. It was actually an old Lionel Sales demonstration set that Lionel sold to their dealers. The owner has much knowledge about trains and stories to share plus there are many nostalgic toys displayed throughout. Have Fun!

Neat place to visit in the area. Cheap ($5) per person admission fee, so minimal is today's…read moreeconomy. The wife I visited on our anniversary. She had me worried when she said we were going to a train station. I survived.

We loved our visit to the Old State Capital of Kentucky. The Greek Revival building is stately with…read morea colonial touch. The building served as the State Capitol from 1830-1910 and was the third building to hold the honor. (The prior two buildings were destroyed by fire.) This building, designed by Gideon Shryock, was mostly built using Kentucky limestone from nearby Kentucky river. The facade is unusual in that there are no windows at the front entrance, only a huge door. The front is adorned with massive columns. We entered on the side. $8 tickets gave us access to the building plus two other museums. A walking tour with paper guide is available if you want to wander at your own pace. A guided tour is available in the afternoons. The beautiful central spiral limestone staircase and ornate dome are the focal points of the building. On the main floor, is a renovated version of the State Library, completed with period books and furnishings of the 1850's. A meeting room on the ground floor, tells the governing history of Kentucky in photos. The main floor also housed the courts, but those rooms are currently closed to the public. Upstairs are two large room that housed the legislative branches of the state government. The rooms are in the process of renovation and hold some of the original furnishings. Outside on the Square, is a statue of William Goebel, the only Governor in the U.S. to be assassinated while in office. Goebel was shot outside the courthouse in 1900. Ramps and elevators are available inside, as well as restrooms. We found free street parking about a block away. I recommend a visit.

This National Historic Landmark served as Kentucky's Capitol from 1830 to 1910. This Greek Revival…read morestyle building features a unique self-supporting staircase and was the only pro-Union State Capitol occupied briefly by the Confederate Army during the Civil War. We only took photos of the exterior of the building as we had time constraints. It's a beautiful building on nicely landscaped lawns. The neighborhood is also interesting with museums and shops. Note, however, that many attractions and shops are closed on Mondays.