Lexington is the 2nd largest city in Kentucky. The city
boasts impressive statistics of the good, bad and indifferent varieties.
The University of Kentucky is in Lexington, and its beloved Wildcats
basketball team has won more games than any other team in college basketball
history. Lexington claims to be the Horse Capital of the World, and
with 450 working thoroughbred farms in the area, maybe it is. The Asthma
& Allergy Foundation of America named it the “Worst City for
Spring Allergies”. Lexington’s JIF Peanut Butter plant produces
more peanut butter than any factory on earth.
If watching a Wildcats game doesn’t interest you (don’t
say that out-loud in Lexington) then you can take in a little Lexington
history on the African American Heritage Trail in the city’s downtown,
which features 10 important sites in the chronicle of African American’s
struggle from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement. The 1814 Hunt-Morgan
House is a federal mansion with a Civil War mini-museum. A bit of living
history can be seen touring the county’s myriad horse-farms. Call
Bluegrass Tours (800-755-6956), Horse Farm Tours (800-976-1034) or Thoroughbred
Heritage Tours (800-808-5533) to make reservations to see these magnificent
beasts run their paces.
Outdoor adventure is all around Lexington Kentucky. Hikers will love
the beautiful scenery among the forest-topped, limestone cliffs of the
Kentucky River Palisades in the 100-acre Jim Beam Nature Preserve, home
to endangered Gray and Indiana Bats. The Raven Run Nature Preserve’s
470 protected acres are home to wonderful native wildlife and 400 species
of plants.
Kentucky is 2nd only to Alaska when it comes to navigable waterways.
The canoeing and rafting opportunities are excellent on the Kentucky
and Licking Rivers, and the Elkhorn River has 6 miles of whitewater
gorges. There’s also good boating and fishing to be done on the
lake at Jacobson Park.
Those looking to “rough it”
when visiting the Lexington Kentucky area can do so at Kentucky Horse
Farm Campgrounds, which features 260 year-round sites with water and
electrical hook-ups, bathhouses, an outdoor pool and volleyball and
tennis courts.
