What to do with your out-of-town guests? A locals’ guide to Lexington tourism

This is the time of year when many people in Lexington welcome family from across the Commonwealth — lo, the world — to share holidays in the Bluegrass. After all the baking, gift-wrapping and opening, and catching up on a year’s worth of stories, what else is there to do? If you are looking for some special diversions for out-of-towners, here are a few suggestions.

It’s horse season

If you didn’t get a pony for Christmas, don’t pout. There’s always next year. In the meantime, you can indulge your — or your visitors’ — horse fantasies.

There was a time when the only way to see Lexington’s top attraction was through a few tour operators who were allowed access to some of the area’s 450 farms.

That has changed over the past few years, as farm owners have realized that their business is a whole lot of other peoples’ pleasure. With the advent of Horse Country in 2015, humans and equines have developed a real love connection.

Currently, 37 farms and equine attractions have signed on to welcome visitors to their business, according to Anne Sabatino Hardy, Horse Country’s executive director. Hardy says there is a limited schedule in the winter and over holidays as compared with the rest of the year, but “visitors can still tour at several great locations, including Claiborne, Spendthrift, Runnymede and Taylor Made Farms, as well as Hallway Feeds.”

Some others might take visitors on request, so it’s best to contact them at Visithorsecountry.com or 859-963-1004.

Other places to take horse-loving friends and family: Keeneland’s track kitchen for breakfast and Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Get in the spirit(s) of the holidays.

Don’t let that menacing mural at the entrance to the Distillery District deter you. You and your visitors will find plenty of holiday cheer in one of Lexington’s oldest (and newest) areas.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, two distilleries on the site, James E. Pepper and Old Tarr, produced some 36,000 barrels of bourbon a year. The bourbon bonanza went bust after Prohibition, and it took half a century for it to come back with a vengeance.

Come back it did, and the Distillery District is again bursting at the seams, not just with the renovation of the old Pepper Distillery complex, but with a host of other dining and drinking establishments.

If all in your party are 21 or older, enjoy craft beer at Ethereal Brewing or moonshine at the Barrel House Distillery. If you have kids in tow, go for pizza at GoodFellas, burgers at Middle Fork Kitchen and gourmet ice cream at Crank & Boom Ice Cream Lounge.

Another place to take bourbon-loving and beer-loving visitors: Town Branch Distillery, just on the edge of the Distillery District, for state-of-the-art tours and tastings. The distillery is part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which could certainly consume the better part of your holiday, if you choose.

Have fun in the cold weather

If your guests are from North Dakota or Michigan, or even if they’re from Florida and don’t mind the cold, there are plenty of places to take them for outdoor fun.

Bundle up and join the skaters at the ice skating rink in Triangle Park, or go on an invigorating hike at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. It’s technically inside Lexington’s city limits, but Raven Run has the feel of a remote forest reserve.

Watch early morning Thoroughbred workouts at Keeneland Race Track or photograph the bronze racehorses at Thoroughbred Park.

The vines aren’t in full bloom, but you can see the promise of what spring will bring, and then thaw out in the tasting rooms at area wineries including Talon, Equus Run and First Vineyard (and find out that the last one was the first commercial vineyard planted in the United States).

For those guests who don’t like the cold but want to see something cool: Southern Lights at the Kentucky Horse Park has three miles of lighted holiday displays, which can be seen from the warmth and comfort of your car.

However, if you want to see other attractions, including exotic animals at the petting zoo and local crafts, you will have to get out and walk. Southern Lights continues through Dec. 31.

The draw of the arts

If your guests are art lovers, they are in for a holiday treat. Lexington is becoming quite the venue for arts of all kinds. Take a walk downtown to see the colorful murals and seasonal Christmas designs like the falling snowflakes. It’s both free and fun.

If you and your guests want to explore a bit more in-depth, book a one-hour walking tour (Tuesdays and Thursdays) through Art Connects. Starting off with a stroll through 21C Museum Hotel’s ever-changing collection of contemporary art, this guided walk takes in galleries, artists’ studios and public art, as well as some of the city’s interesting architecture.

The tour concludes at Artists’ Attic in The Square, with a chance to meet the resident artists and artisans, and enjoy seasonal refreshments. Tours are $30 a person and must have a minimum of two people.

Other artsy venues: The Headley-Whitney Museum for diamonds and dollhouses; The Living Arts & Science Center, designed to appeal to the child in all of us; Loudoun House, a beautiful Italianate villa which is home to the Lexington Art League.

So, don’t stew over what to do with out-of-town guests this holiday season. From horses to highballs, outdoor activities to outstanding art exhibitions, Lexington has you covered.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 3:15 PM with the headline "What to do with your out-of-town guests? A locals’ guide to Lexington tourism."