The Bluegrass State is celebrating The Year of Kentucky Food in 2018. Every region in the state has created a Signature Menu boasting their bests – those heritage recipes that rely on what’s available locally combined with a dash of pure Kentucky ingenuity that’s finger-lickin’ good! Here are four Kentucky towns that know that what you bring to the table tells only half the story. The other part is serving up those time-honored foodstuffs from Kentucky’s Culinary Hall of Fame – the bubbling Hot Browns, Kentucky Bibb salads and lots and lots of fried chicken – in an atmosphere of Southern charm in a place filled with history and adventure, tradition and unexpected delights. Find the Signature Menus for these two regions and others on the new Kentucky State Parks Culinary Trail where restaurants at nine Kentucky State Parks are serving the special meals through Oct. 31. Pick up a Culinary Passport at any state park; passports stamped at all nine parks net a free gift. Meanwhile, here’s where to eat in Kentucky!

Elkhorn Creek is one of Kentucky’s loveliest and longest creeks, ideal for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. In fact, it’s the best small mouth stream in Kentucky. Photo: John Stephen Hockensmith.

Where to Eat in Kentucky: Georgetown and Harrodsburg, the Horses, Bourbon & Boone Region

Birthplace of bourbon? Possibly. A small town bursting with charm in the midst of Kentucky Horse Country? Definitely. Georgetown is at the epicenter of one of the least known but most disputed claims in the state – that of the true birthplace of bourbon. Many cities claim this distinction, yet Georgetown is home to the Royal Spring Park where it is said Rev. Elijah Craig, in 1789, first distilled bourbon whiskey.

The fastest-growing city in Kentucky, Georgetown lists Kentucky Horse Park, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Tour, Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm, the official Kentucky-Japan Friendship Garden – Yuko-En on the Elkhorn – and Whispering Woods Riding Stables among its major attractions.

Get your meditation on at Yuko-En on Elkhorn Creek, the official Kentucky-Japan Friendship Garden, an homage to Georgetown’s sister city since 1990, Tahara, Japan. Photo: Georgetown Tourism.

Horse Racing’s living history museum, Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm is home to nearly 200 former racehorses whose racing and breeding careers have ended, including such stars of the turf as Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners Silver Charm and War Emblem. Photo: Hannah Sither.

A picturesque and well-preserved Victorian-era downtown is filled with locally-owned shops, restaurants, craft breweries and distilleries. Hidden gems include Ward Hall, a Greek Revival antebellum plantation mansion set to scandal by one saucy Sallie Ward; the circa 1917 Rosenwald School; Steve Hockensmith Fine Art Gallery; Heirlooms & Gretchen’s authentic stained glass shop. Fourteen lodgings give visitors plenty of choice of where to stay.

At the largest Toyota Manufacturing Plant in the world, buckle up for one of the top 10 industrial tours in America and see how more than 2,000 cars are made each day, including America’s bestselling car, the Camry. Photo: John Stephen Hockensmith.

Two years before the Declaration of Independence was signed, frontiersman James Harrod was busy establishing what would become Kentucky’s oldest town. Old Fort Harrod State Park with full-scale replica fort commemorates this first permanent settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains, and Harrodsburg has remained busy ever since.

Old Fort Harrod State Park has a full-scale replica fort that commemorates this first permanent settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. Photo: Harrodsburg/Mercer County Tourist Commission.

Surrounded by the bourbon and craft distilleries of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, Harrodsburg provides an official stop on the Trail at the Beaumont Inn. Lemons Mill Brewery put it on the Brewgrass Trail. Sip moonshine at Olde Towne Distillery; visit more than a dozen wineries in the region. Championship golf, horseback riding trails, backroads and byways for bicycle enthusiasts and water sports at Herrington Lake add adventure. Sternwheeler Dixie Belle provides excursions to the geologically ancient Kentucky River Palisades.

Brewer LeMayne Ellis of Lemons Mill Brewery, the first tavern or taproom in Harrodsburg/Mercer County since before the 1920s. The brewery has 18 beers on tap under Lemons Mill Brewery’s OCD Squared brand. Photo: Ad-Success.

Overnight options include Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Beaumont Inn, Bright Leaf Golf Resort and a fun variety of guest lodgings. Authentic and historic, postcard-pretty Harrodsburg bustles with locally-owned shops and a dynamic mom-and-pop restaurant scene that includes a James Beard America’s Classic recipient.

Named a top hidden travel destination by BBC News, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is a landmark destination that shares 3,000 acres of discovery in the spirit of the Kentucky Shakers. Photo: Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.

Celebrating 55 years in 2019 is Bright Leaf Golf Resort, Central KY’s first all-inclusive resort and one that offers Stay and Play All-Inclusive Golf Packages and the popular “Birdies to Bourbon” package that combines Kentucky Bourbon Trail distillery tours and golf. Photo: Harrodsburg/Mercer County Tourist Commission.

The Signature Meal on the Culinary Trail for the Bluegrass, Horses, Bourbon & Boone region, home of Georgetown and Harrodsburg, is served at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Appetizer – Beer Cheese; Entrée –  Kentucky Beef; Sides – Grits, Spoon Bread, Limestone Bibb Salad with Sorghum Vinaigrette; Dessert – Bourbon/Chocolate Dessert; Beverage – Ale-8-One, straight or mixed with bourbon.

Where’s the beef? At Georgetown’s Local Feed Seasonal Kitchen & Craft Bar. Photo: Georgetown/Scott County Tourism.

Where to Eat in Kentucky: Lebanon and Shelbyville, the Bourbon, Horses & History Region

Located in the Heart of Bourbon Country, Lebanon is the only place on the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail® to see both bourbon barrels and fine Kentucky bourbon being made. Attractions include Maker’s Mark Distillery, Limestone Branch Distillery, photo op-stop Maker’s Mark Water Tower, the Kentucky Cooperage and Jesters Winery.

Lebanon is the only place on the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail® where it is possible to see both bourbon barrels and fine Kentucky bourbon being made. Photo: Lebanon Tourist & Convention Commission.

Lebanon is home of the legendary Maker’s Mark Distillery, a stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, where visitors can take a tour and a tasting and dip their own bottle into Maker’s signature red wax. Photo: Lebanon Tourist & Convention Commission.

Gorley Naturalist Trail has challenging hiking and biking and the scenic splendor of 47 bridges. Fagan Branch Reservoir and Sportsman’s Lake beckon canoeists, kayakers and boaters and fishers and anglers for waters stocked with rich variety of fish. Lebanon is part of Kentucky’s historic Holy Land, with sites including the Sisters of Loretto Motherhouse, and on the Civil War Discovery Trail. Visual and performing arts are found at Angelic Hall at Centre Square, home of Kentucky Classic Arts, and Stillhouse Art Museum.

The 3.2-mile Gorley Naturalist Trail has hilly terrain, steep climbs, 47 bridges and a forested backdrop, and also encircles the scenic Fagan Branch Reservoir. Photo: Lebanon Tourist & Convention Commission.

Shop for antiques and artisan-made crafts downtown. Forty eateries tempt, everything from casual full-service restaurants to home-style cafes to an old-fashioned soda fountain. Accommodations options: Hampton Inn, bed and breakfast inns, golf club lodging, cabins, RV parks and camping.

Marion County Country Ham Days, held annually in September, is among Lebanon’s most beloved events, a list which also includes the Bluegrass Music Kickoff in January and Jets Over Kentucky in July. Photo: Lebanon Tourist & Convention Commission.

ShelbyKY is all about the Stables, Tables & Designer Labels. The communities of Shelbyville, Simpsonville and Shelby County form the American Saddlebred Capital of the World. Home to 90-plus Saddlebred horse farms and breeding and training facilities, ShelbyKY gives visitors a rare peek into the world of the captivating Saddlebred show horse.

Each year, thousands and thousands of dollars in prizes and trophies are on the line at the Shelbyville Horse Show, to be awarded in various divisions, including American Saddlebred, Fine Harness, Pleasure Horse, Hackney/Harness Pony, Friesian and Equitation. It promises to be a fantastic event. The show takes place in late July/early August at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. Photo: Visit ShelbyKY.

ShelbyKY’s dining landscape includes culinary icons Science Hill Inn at Wakefield-Scearce Galleries, Claudia Sanders Dinner House and Bell House Restaurant and nearly two dozen other locally-owned dining venues. It is home to The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass, Kentucky’s only designer outlet mall, and the interior design, antique, home accessory and furniture shops comprising “Design Destination.”

Dine in gallery-style dining rooms at The Bell House Restaurant, tucked in a charming, traditional house built in 1902 and offering American fare and wine, along with afternoon tea. Photo: Visit ShelbyKY.

Attractions include Jeptha Creed Distillery; Talon Winery; the Shelby County Community Theatre; and lots of outdoor adventure – water sports (fishing, canoeing, paddle boating), horseback riding, golf and fall-fun pumpkin patches and corn mazes. Simpsonville’s Whitney M. Young, Jr. Birthplace is on the new U.S. Civil Rights Trail. Overnight choices include brand name hotels, group lodgings, bed and breakfast inns and downtown lofts.

Jeptha Creed is a farm-to-bottle bourbon and spirits craft distillery – the first locally-owned distillery to come to Shelby County, KY, since Prohibition – that produces bourbon, vodka and moonshine using an heirloom corn called Bloody Butcher. Photo: Visit ShelbyKY.

Named for a key figure in Civil Rights Movement, Shelbyville’s Whitney M. Young Birthplace & Museum is one of only three landmarks in Kentucky on the new U.S. Civil Rights Trail. Photo: Visit ShelbyKY.

The Signature Meal on the Culinary Trail for the Bourbon, Horses & History region, home of Lebanon and Shelbyville, is served at Rough River Dam State Resort Park. Appetizer –  Kentucky Bibb salad; Entrée – Hot Brown; Sides – Succotash; Dessert – Bourbon Biscuit Pudding; Beverage: An Old Fashioned.

In addition to Bibb lettuce, Shelbyville’s Science Hill Inn serves a true Kentucky classic: the Hot Brown. Photo: Visit ShelbyKY.

Accolades for central Kentucky cities:

• Georgetown: USA Today 10Best named Old Friends #2 and The Kentucky Horse Park #6 among “Best Kentucky Attractions-2017”; Money magazine chose Georgetown as the “Best Place to Live in Kentucky”; U.S. News and World Report declared Georgetown one of “8 Small Southern Towns to Visit in 2018.”
• Harrodsburg: One of the “10 Most Beautiful Towns in Kentucky” (TheCultureTrip.com); one of Best Choice Reviews’ “50 Best Small Town Downtowns in America”; one of Smithsonian Magazine’s “20 Best Small Towns to Visit”; one of BBC NEWS Magazine’s “Five hidden US Travel Destinations”; one of the “10 Most Beautiful, Charming Small Towns in Kentucky” (OnlyInYourState.com).
• Lebanon: awarded the Main Street Downtown Beautification Award in 2018. Maker’s Mark, the bourbon, distillery and visitor experience, has won multiple awards in Kentucky Living magazine’s “Best In Kentucky” reader write-in contest.

• ShelbyKY: No. 1 “Best Town to Raise a Family in Kentucky” and among the best places in the U.S. to live and work (Niche.com); one of the 10 safest places in Kentucky and one of America’s most caring cities (Movoto.com).

It’s a delicious year to explore the Year of Kentucky Food! Learn more about it, here, then find out where to eat in Kentucky, planning a very satisfying trip that includes food, drink and so much to do!

Hungry for more? Get an authentic recipe for Kentucky fried chicken and see how the various regions put their spin on the classic. Then get The Beaumont Inn’s recipe for Corn Pudding, here.

Please note: This is a sponsored post in conjunction with the four regions in Kentucky.