Key Takeaways

• Frankfort, Kentucky, is the state’s capital, but it has a small town feel, with mom-and-pop businesses in a historic downtown and plenty of opportunities to spend time in nature.

• Plan a fall weekend with tours at area distilleries, hiking trips on scenic trails, and fine dining.

• Several new hotels, like The Delegate Hotel and The Ashbrook Hotel, offer new upscale places to stay.

Besides the enticing aroma of freshly made muffins and croissants, what’s most striking about Andy’s Artisan Bread—a husband-and-wife-run bakery that sits within a block or so of the Kentucky State Capitol—is the eclectic mix of foot traffic coming through the door. Legislators and lobbyists in suits chat with families while a city councilman exchanges first-name pleasantries with constituents, young and old, in line. The staff greets everyone with the same warm welcome, and customers leave smiling, with a half dozen pastries in hand, knowing the goodness they’re about to enjoy.

This is Frankfort in a nutshell. Because of its smallish size, Kentucky’s capital (population 28,000) is a city where neighborliness and politics go hand in hand. It has, at times, been overshadowed by larger nearby destinations like Louisville or Lexington, but thanks to its ideal location as a hub on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, that could be changing.

Over the past two years, a host of downtown businesses that cater to bourbon-minded visitors have opened—including new cocktail bars like House of Commons: A Bourbon Library (above left), with curated shelves that sparkle with high-end and hard-to-find bottles and Howser Tavern, a speakeasy-themed bar inside the St. Clair hotel, where they have an aged pour on hand to suit any taste.

Recently, there has also been a boom in upscale boutique lodging options. The Delegate Hotel (above right) breathes new life into a former warehouse downtown, and The Ashbrook Hotel is a 14-room inn located in the one-time home of E.H. Taylor, who’s called the “father of the modern bourbon industry.” It’s easier than ever to find a well-crafted place to stay in Frankfort that feels in step with the artisanship evident along the trail itself. Once the leaves start to change and the weather turns cool, it’s the prime time to experience it for yourself.

Enjoy A Distillery Day

There’s no such thing as a bad distillery visit—because they all end in tastings—but the Old Taylor Tour at Buffalo Trace Distillery offers a solid introduction to Frankfort’s deep ties with the spirits industry, in both a literal and figurative sense. The tour begins with a captivating overview of E.H. Taylor’s personal history and explains his massive influence on bourbon’s rise in the region. Then, guides lead groups to overlook the sunken “Bourbon Pompeii,” the site of fermenting vats from Taylor’s original 1870s O.F.C. (Old Fashioned Copper) Distillery. Covered in concrete and lost to time for decades, the vats were rediscovered and excavated in 2016 within a building that hugs the Kentucky River.

A short drive away, Castle & Key Distillery is the modern reincarnation of another of Taylor’s business ventures, the Old Taylor Distillery Company. It was built in 1887 as one of the industry’s first bourbon destinations, complete with elaborate European-style gardens, an ornate covered springhouse, and—best of all—a distinctive limestone castle as the hallmark structure. The beautiful grounds have been carefully restored, and the Adirondack chairs that flank picturesque Glenns Creek as it passes through the property offer the perfect spot to savor a cocktail or a boxed lunch from Taylorton Station, a former train depot turned walk-up bar.

Frankfort’s central location puts the bulk of the more than 70 stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail within about an hour and a half of the city. As you chart your route, carve out time for an afternoon at Frankfort’s own Whiskey Thief Distilling Co., which is set on a 127-acre working farm that’s like a postcard tribute to Kentucky’s scenic rolling hills in the fall. Fill your own bottle by “thieving” (or pulling) the spirit straight from the barrel. Then grab a cocktail and lunch of smoked wings and truffle fries on the back patio, and enjoy the bucolic view.

This is not a place where you’ll want to rush, because there’s a strong chance of running into CEO Walter Zausch, who loves to share the benefits of single-pot distillation (which includes Whiskey Thief’s work to grow all their own corn and other grains on-site) with anyone who asks. “We offer every single customer five barrels to taste from—usually four bourbons and one rye—at barrel strength. So we’re not cutting it down with water or proofing it down. It’s the way nature intended,” Zausch says.

Explore Downtown Frankfort

There’s plenty to do beyond bourbon too. Frankfort’s historic downtown district has ample free parking and is very walkable, with cute shops selling fine linens, Kentucky-made crafts, pottery, clothing, antiques, and more.

Start your morning on West Main Street at Engine House Coffee, which opened in 2023 after a 19th-century fire station was transformed into a bustling source for great drinks and conversation. Then head to the Frankfort Visitor Center, where staffers can point you to the best ways to see the city, including free trolley tours (offered from April through October), a public art walk, a history cruise with Kentucky River Tours, or a self-guided audio journey that retraces E.H. Taylor’s rise to fame through six stops.

Explore the mix of stores along St. Clair Street until it hits West Broadway, where Kentucky’s Greek Revival-style Old State Capitol—in use from 1830 to 1910—is hard to miss. Go in for a visit, or (for a unique vantage point) walk across the street to Frankfort’s well-loved independent shop Poor Richard’s Books. Their upstairs room full of antique tomes provides panoramic views of the historic statehouse and its statue of former governor William Goebel, who was assassinated on the grounds in 1900.

For a blast from the past, take note: The $8 admission to the Old State Capitol will also get you into the Kentucky Historical Society’s Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, which is just a short stroll away and worth the visit to admire Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch as well as exhibits on Kentucky’s early settlement—including Daniel Boone artifacts. Free self-guided tours of the state’s current capitol building might be paused due to the structure’s ongoing restoration, but if they’re available, take one. The beauty and scale of the soaring interior rotunda, completed in 1910, is inspiring.

Break For Bourbon Balls

Nearby is another hallowed Frankfort landmark: Rebecca Ruth Candies, the birthplace of the bourbon ball. The company was founded in 1919 by Ruth Hanly Booe and Rebecca Gooch, but Booe later took on full ownership before developing her famed candy recipe in 1938. The family-run business still operates and offers public tours of its factory. Inside, a small team of workers places a pecan on every chocolate-coated confection as it goes down the production line. Farther along, candies are packed into boxes by hand, readying them to join the roughly 3 million treats Rebecca Ruth sells each year. Much of the factory equipment has been in use since the 1960s, making the production floor feel like a throwback to the past.

Looking ahead, a new visitors center addition is in the works. Sarah Booe, Ruth’s great-granddaughter, now serves as Rebecca Ruth’s operations manager. While offering a sneak peek at the new space (which has displays of memorabilia and vintage candy-making tools as well as windows that look onto the factory floor), she admits she has big shoes to fill but says carrying on her family’s legacy is a blessing. “We have guests from every continent coming to this little pocket of Kentucky to visit with us,” she says.

Enjoy The View

Frankfort has both steep hillsides and low valleys along the Kentucky River, which runs through the heart of the city. Several spots around town provide stunning overlooks of the modern state capitol framed by fall foliage and the winding riverbank, including—perhaps most notably—Daniel Boone’s grave site, which sits on a hillcrest at the Frankfort Cemetery.

Cove Spring Park has 3 miles of hiking trails on a 240-acre preserve right in the city. Even non-outdoorsy types will like a quick trip here because there are picnic tables and a lovely waterfall to enjoy within eyeshot of the entrance parking lot. Just a short drive away, Josephine Sculpture Park sprinkles accessible displays of more than 70 creative works along well-maintained paths, so you can get in your steps for the day and net some art-appreciation points at the same time.

If that isn’t quite your style, West Sixth Farm delivers an alternative: a post-hike beer. Located less than 10 miles from downtown, the large site features its own hop field, an apple orchard, a fishing pond, and 4 miles of trails that are open for public hiking or mountain biking—plus, easy access to brewery favorites such as its ever-popular West Sixth IPA.

Finish With A Fine Meal

Fresh from a walk in the woods (and, hopefully, showered and in clean clothes), cap off your day with an upscale dinner at Limewater. It operates out of the Glen Willis house, a renovated 1815 home that has patio views of the Kentucky River just a stone’s throw away. The restaurant opened in 2022 and features a rotating seasonal menu as well as craft cocktails like their signature old-fashioned, The 1815. It’s run by husband-and-wife co-owners chef Axl Wheeler and Isabelle Hay. She is a direct descendant of—you guessed it—E.H. Taylor, proving once again that in Frankfort, bourbon history runs deep.

Read the original article on Southern Living