Welcome to Lebanon, the Heart of Bourbon Country!

 

Trip 1

Canton Cooperage, Kentucky Bourbon Tasting Room, Maker’s Mark, Heaven Hill, Oscar Getz Museum, Bourbon/Cooperage Heritage Room, Buffalo Trace, Rebecca Ruth Candy.

 

3 days, 2 nights

Arrive in Lebanon and visit some local attractions. Continue the day with lunch at one of more than 30 restaurants located here, featuring cuisine from steaks and seafood to Chinese and Mexican to every type of fast food imaginable.

Next, tour Canton Cooperage and learn all about the process of making wine and bourbon barrels. It’s fascinating!

Afterwards, visit the Kentucky Bourbon Tasting Room at Blues on Tap in our historic downtown and finish the day by sampling one of our finer restaurants, each with a unique regional flare, then enjoy the lovely vistas of this beautiful area.

Your second day begins with a leisurely breakfast at your hotel or bed & breakfast or you can get a hearty country breakfast at one of the local restaurants. Then head down the road on KY 49 to Marker's Mark Distillery, just minutes from downtown Lebanon near Loretto.

This distillery is set in a picture perfect spot. Originally built in 1805 as a gristmill, Maker's Mark is the world's oldest operating bourbon whiskey distillery on its original site. It is one of the smallest distilleries, crafting bourbon in batches of less than 19 barrels. Each bottle is hand-dipped in its signature red wax. If you purchase a bottle, you can hand-dip your own!

Enjoy lunch at Hawk’s Place or Cozy Corner in Loretto and continue on KY 49 to the Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center. At the center you will walk through time with interactive exhibits and displays of bourbon's early days, take a tour of a rick house and have a taste of heavenly bourbon! Afterwards, you can visit the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History in downtown Bardstown before returning to Lebanon through Springfield to enjoy another one of our finer restaurants and check out some live entertainment or relax for the night.

Start your third day by visiting the Bourbon/Cooperage Heritage Room in the Marion County Historical Museum after breakfast then have a casual lunch before heading to Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky’s capital.

Located on the banks of the Kentucky River on an ancient buffalo crossing that became a pathway for westward-moving explorers and settlers, Buffalo Trace is the oldest continuously operated distillery in the country and was one of only four distilleries allowed to produce alcohol (for medicinal purposes) during Prohibition.

While you’re in Frankfort, visit Rebecca Ruth Candy Inc., home of the “Inventors of Bourbon Ball Candy.” Two young women, Rebecca and Ruth, started this candy business in 1919, one year before women had the right to vote. Ruth’s family continues making candy with the same time proven secret recipes and methods today and they offer tasty samples at the end of the tour.

Day 1:

♥Morning: Arrive, visit local attractions.

♥Afternoon: Lunch in Lebanon, tour Canton Cooperage and visit the Kentucky Bourbon Tasting Room.

♥ Evening: Supper in Lebanon, take leisurely drive or relax.

Day 2:

♥ Morning: Breakfast provided by lodging or at local restaurant, tour Maker’s Mark Distillery.

♥ Afternoon: Lunch in Loretto, tour Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center, visit Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History in Bardstown.

♥Evening: Supper in Lebanon, enjoy live entertainment or relax.

Day 3:

♥ Morning: Breakfast provided by lodging or at local restaurant, visit Bourbon/Cooperage Heritage Room at Marion County Historical Museum.

♥Afternoon: Lunch in Lebanon, tour Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, visit Rebecca Ruth Candy Inc.

♥Evening: Your choice of activities or relax before departing.