1 Jun 2022 - Kentucky Horse Park, Bourbon 30 Distillery and Downtown Georgetown!

 1 Jun

We had an enjoyable day first visiting the Kentucky Horse Park complex and then the Bourbon 30 Distillery in downtown Georgetown KY.  The weather was warm and clear with the high at 88F.

We headed out about 1000 hrs and drove south of Georgetown to the Kentucky Horsepark Campground.  We wanted to have a look at it for possible future visits.  It has 260 sites with electric and water, no sewer.  It is a mature campground and well-maintained with lots of shade.  There is volleyball, basketball, a camp store, 12 miles of hiking trails and a pool on-site. This campground would be great for anyone with a deep interest in horses as the Kentucky Horse Park museum and all the activities are within walking distance, plus you get a discounted entry fee if you are a camper.   

These fifth wheels also carry horses in the back!  They are everywhere here!

After we left the campground we made our way to the Kentucky Horse Park complex.  There are many buildings here including the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the US Dressage Federation, the US Professional Horseman's, the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association, and others.  We came here to see the International Museum of the Horse, but there is a whole lot more to see than that!  If you were really into all aspects of horses you would want to spend several days here.  That is where the camping would be perfect! 

We started in the Visitor Center.  Here we paid our modest admission and then were directed to the Breeds Barn as the next "show" was to start within a few minutes. 

One of the many outdoor monuments.  

This one commemorating Secretariat who won the 1973 Triple Crown

We had to hustle to the Breeds Barn so we missed the movie in the Visitor Center

 We both assumed the "show" at the Breeds Barn would be a movie of some sort - not so much!  It was an outside show involving different breeds of horses and it was outstanding! 

This area was surrounded by bleachers.  The horses entered from the left side

Horses were ridden out in pairs and a narrator told us all about the different breeds.  Today we saw these beautiful creatures:

Tennessee Walking Horse

Chincoteague Pony from Assateague Island

Quarter Horse

Haflinger

Morgan Horse

Friesian

English Shire

Side shot of the English Shire

Afterwards all the horses were brought back out near the fence and everyone was encouraged to pet them and ask questions of the handlers.

Doreen and her favorite since we visited the Assateague Island 

and saw these horses there last summer.

Next stop was a walk through the Kids Barn where you could not only learn all about horses but kids were encouraged to touch and feel various displays

We then made our way to the International Museum of the Horse.  Here we learned about the history of horses from basically the stone age, through the medieval times all the way up to today. 

The various displays illustrated how horses played such an important part in various times of our history.

Sicilian Carretto

Concord Coach - US Mail carriage

 A series of displays highlighting Black jockeys.  This is a balance beam used to weigh jockeys, 

Pre-Derby party attire!

The 1977 "Horse in Sport" textile banners created 

by a New York teacher and several students.

We then transitioned into the Arabian Horse Galleries.  There were various displays highlighting the horse and Arabian horsemen back in history.

Towards the end of the display were various carriages and horse-drawn vehicles.  

Conestoga Wagon

Various carriages

More carriages

An 1885 horse-drawn hearse manufactured in Sterling IL

That was about all the time we could spend here today.  We want to head into Georgetown on the way back to the campground, and it is on our way.  Just a few miles up the road we stopped at Bourbon 30 Distillery which is just a block from the historic downtown area of Georgetown.

The Bourbon 30 Distillery

  It does not look like much on the outside, but it is what is on the inside that counts!  Bourbon 30 is small.  They are a family-owned, family-run bourbon distillery dating back to  1845, claiming to be one of the first distilleries in Kentucky.   They distill various bourbons, wheated bourbons, rye's, etc.  To be called a bourbon they must be made in the United States with at least 51% corn mash.  It must enter the barrel with no more than 125% alcohol content and that can only be adjusted with water.   

We were given a short tour of the process before sampling a few of the products:

Bottles awaiting labels.  Wax sealing process on the left

The bourbon "milk cow" where the bottles are filled by hand

Barrels where the bourbon is aged.

Our bourbon server!

After the tasting we headed up one block to the historic downtown Georgetown area.  We walked the main street and found a small cafe where we had lunch. 

Looks like a thousand other "downtowns", like DeWitt IA where I grew up

The beautiful Scott County Courthouse

An old White Owl cigar advertisement, obviously recreated

Inside Fava's Restaurant, a typical old school café 

complete with soda fountain and ice cream shop

, 

Doreen had a grilled tenderloin and I had a traditional southern fried bologna sandwich!  It was about 1/2" thick and delicious!  On the way back to the truck we passed a political event for a gubernatorial candidate, complete with a musical group.  

That's about it for today.  Tomorrow we head to Frankfort KY and the Buffalo Trace Distillery tour and tasting!