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Suggested itineraries for trips in Central Kentucky

By Patti Nickell | Contributing Travel Writer

• One-day trip
• Three-day trip
• Five-day trip

When I was a child, vacations seemed much simpler. They always lasted the same length of time (a week), they always took place at the same time of year (in the summer), and, at least in my family’s case, they always centered on the same destination (a beach-side cottage in Florida’s Panhandle).

Today’s vacation has many more options. It can be taken throughout the year, families are often looking to pack their itineraries with new places, and a vacation can come in a number of sizes — small, medium and large.

Here are some suggestions for exploring Central Kentucky in all sizes of trips.

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One day in the Bluegrass

If you have only one day in Central Kentucky, make it all about the horses. They are, after all, our tourism superstars.

Get up early and start the morning with breakfast at the Keeneland Track Kitchen. Even if your visit doesn't fall in April or October, when Keeneland Race Course has its two annual Thoroughbred racing meets, the track is open all year for visitors to take in the tranquil beauty of the course, designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. If you're looking for breakfast the way your grandmother made it, join owners, trainers, exercise riders, grooms and anyone who loves horses (and such calorie-busting goodies as crisp bacon, grits and buttery biscuits) in the Track Kitchen, a Keeneland landmark.

Afterward, walk off some of those calories by strolling over to the grandstand and watching horses and jockeys work out. They do it all year, not just during racing season.

After seeing where the horses work, it's time to see where they play once they have retired from racing. A horse farm tour is an absolute must for any visitor to Lexington, whether you are a first-time or frequent traveler to the Bluegrass.

The afternoon is reserved for the Kentucky Horse Park. The only park of its kind in the world, the 1,200-acre park of rolling farmland is dedicated exclusively to the horse. Featuring some 50 breeds — from the Thoroughbred to the Appaloosa, from the Belgian draft horse to the Spanish Paso Fino — the Horse Park offers something for every horse lover. Kids will love the Parade of Breeds and the Hall of Champions, where retired equine athletes are brought out of their stalls for daily photo ops. There are carriage tours and pony rides, two excellent museums (the International Museum of the Horse and the American Saddlebred Museum), and two theaters that offer films chronicling America's love affair with the horse. It's icing on the cake if your visit happens to coincide with one of the special horse events throughout the year.

It's been a long day, but don't call it quits just yet. Finish off the day with a meal at a nice restaurant or bar.

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Three days in the Bluegrass

Day 1: See above.

Day 2: It's all about history today. During the early days of its founding, Lexington was known as "the Athens of the West," and it's easy to see why when you visit some of the city's historic homes.

Begin your trek into the past with a visit to the Mary Todd Lincoln House on Main Street and see the girlhood home of the often controversial wife of the 16th president. Now lovingly restored, it is the first house museum in America to honor a first lady. If you purchase a ticket to the Lincoln House, it also allows you entry into three other historic homes.

One of them, the Federal-style Hunt-Morgan House, also known as Hopemont, was the home of Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan. The building also houses the Alexander T. Hunt Civil War Museum.

Once you have finished touring the house, stroll through lovely Gratz Park, a peaceful oasis in the heart of the city. Just across the square from Hopemont is the Bodley-Bullock House, whose owner was as passionate a supporter of the Union cause as Morgan was of the Confederacy. You can also admire the neoclassical Old Morrison hall on the campus of Transylvania University, designed by noted Kentucky architect Gideon Shryock.