Bardstown, Kentucky

With its historic sites, vintage lodging and plenty of shopping and dining, Bardstown is one of our favorite Kentucky small towns. The town is named for David Bard, the man who obtained the land for the city from the governor of Virginia, and his brother William Bard, the surveyor who laid out the town. First settled in the 1780s, Bardstown is the second oldest city in Kentucky. The Old Talbott Tavern, built in 1779 and located just off the Courthouse Square in the center of Bardstown, exemplifies Bardstown's rich history.  Several notable American icons have passed through the tavern's doors, including Abraham Lincoln and Daniel Boone. Bardstown is the home of My Old Kentucky Home State Park. Here, Judge John Rowan and his wife Ann Lytle Rowan built Federal Hill, the mansion that allegedly inspired Stephen Foster's song My Old Kentucky Home. In 1983, Bardstown's downtown historic district was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. The Civil War Museum in Bardstown is the fourth-largest Civil War museum in the country. This small town’s distillery history is celebrated in its annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival and the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey contains artifacts of whiskey production.