Lexington-Fayette
Introduction
Lexington is a consolidated city, coterminous with Fayette County, Kentucky, where it also serves as the county seat. It sits in the Bluegrass region of the state and is the second-most populous city in Kentucky.
Before you go
Lexington was founded in 1775, before Kentucky became a state, and takes its name from the Battles of Lexington and Concord — not the other way around, despite what many assume. Its early urban growth legislation, which controlled lot sizes and required continuous suburban expansion, has kept the surrounding Bluegrass Region landscapes largely free of sprawl, leaving a fairly sharp line between the city's suburbs and the countryside. Lexington sits at the centre of an interconnected metropolitan network, ringed by smaller picturesque towns, with Frankfort and Richmond each about a 40-minute drive away in opposite directions. For orientation and practical help once you arrive, the Lexington Visitors Center is on West Main Street at Broadway, in The Square shops across from the Convention Center and Triangle Park; you can park on Main Street or Algonquin Street, or in The Square garage off Short Street. The city is generally safe, with crime rates that compare favourably to other cities of its size, and the University of Kentucky campus is patrolled by its own police department. If you're walking central campus, look for the "Cat's Path" — recommended routes marked with signage and paw print logos and patrolled regularly on foot and by cart.Getting there
Lexington is served by Blue Grass Airport (LEX), a medium-sized regional airport with flights from Allegiant, American, Delta and United, and daily non-stop service to more than a dozen cities. It sits directly adjacent to Keeneland Race Course and only a few miles from downtown. Lextran runs an express bus from the airport once an hour between 6AM and 6PM, and all major car rental brands have desks here, along with plentiful taxis and hotel shuttles. International facilities including customs exist, but no carriers operate scheduled international flights, so most travellers clear customs at a connecting airport. Louisville's Standiford Field (SDF) and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG) are larger airports, each about a 1½-hour drive away.
By car, you'll usually arrive on one of the two interstates that arc around the city's northern and eastern edges: I-64 runs east–west, linking Lexington with Louisville, while I-75 runs north–south, connecting it with Cincinnati and Knoxville. Neither interstate penetrates into the city; to reach the far side, use New Circle Road (State Route 4), a loop road that is highway-grade for three-quarters of its length, or simply take an arterial road through downtown outside peak hours. The Martha Layne Collins Bluegrass Parkway, starting near Versailles and ending at I-65 in Elizabethtown, and the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, which begins just east of Lexington and gives access to the Appalachian region, also serve the area. Amtrak's Cardinal is the nearest passenger train, with stations in Maysville and Cincinnati, both about a 1½-hour drive away, but it runs only every other day and calls at night. Greyhound's Lexington station is on the north side of town, about ten minutes from downtown.
Getting around
Lexington is spread out, and unless you are mainly visiting downtown or the university campus — which are within walking distance of each other — a car is the most convenient way to get around. Downtown itself is compact and easily navigated on foot or by bicycle, though the typical way to get around is still by car. Cars can be rented at the airport or at several locations in the city. Taxis should be called in advance, as they are not easily hailed on the street; there is a taxi stand in front of the airport, and from 6PM to 6AM one operates at the corner of Main and Upper Streets, next to the old courthouse.
Bus service is provided by Lextran, running from the downtown Transit Center to many parts of town and the airport. Most mainlines run every 35 minutes during business hours; others run every 35 minutes only during rush hours and every 60 minutes at all other times. Buses operate Monday through Friday from 5AM to midnight, Saturday from 7AM to midnight, and Sunday from 7AM to 9PM. Transfers between routes are free and can be obtained when paying your fare; they are good for an hour and a half but cannot be used for round trips on the same route. Buses can be tracked in real time on Lextran's MyStop website or from Google Maps. There is no local rail, metro, or tram network.
By car, Lexington's roads form a wheel-and-spokes pattern: arterial roads radiate from downtown, and New Circle Road (KY-4, sometimes called "Circle 4") forms a circle around the inner city. The radial roads are mostly named after the neighboring towns they lead to, such as Nicholasville, Richmond, and Winchester, though as you approach downtown they take on different names. Directions will frequently start with "Take New Circle to ____ Road, then turn north/south." Man o' War Boulevard forms a half-circle further out, but its lower speed limit and abundance of traffic lights make it less ideal for circling the city.
Traffic can be challenging during rush hours. Nicholasville Road has reversible lanes to help the flow — be aware of the lights, which change throughout the day: a green arrow indicates appropriate lanes for driving, white turn-only arrows indicate a center turning lane, and a red X indicates lanes in use by oncoming traffic. If possible, avoid traveling north on Nicholasville Road during the evening rush hour, as most lanes switch to southbound traffic to let people exit downtown. Traffic is also heavy near the University of Kentucky on basketball or football days: downtown can be quite congested when UK plays at Rupp Arena, and Tates Creek Road and Nicholasville Road both move very slowly when UK plays at Kroger Field.
Most major arterial streets have multiple names, especially as you approach downtown — Nicholasville Road becomes Limestone, Harrodsburg Road becomes Broadway, and so on — and this is also true of many smaller streets. When you ask for directions, locals may not know exactly what the street is called where you're going, so remember that the same road may go by any of those names at your destination. Almost all the arterials, and many smaller roads, are also numbered U.S. Highways or Kentucky State Roads, but no one refers to them by number — the sole exception being New Circle Road, which is KY-4 and sometimes called "Circle 4," though more often just "New Circle." Downtown, Main Street divides cross-streets north and south, and Limestone marks east versus west; addresses downtown usually specify a cardinal direction, which gives a clue to what area of the city you're in.
Where to stay
Lexington's accommodation is spread across the city rather than concentrated in a single quarter, with the biggest cluster of chain hotels along the I-75 corridor at exits 104, 108, 110 and 115, and another group downtown near the University of Kentucky and the convention complex. Rooms in the city are taxed at 13.4%, and a complete list of hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts is maintained at www.visitlex.com.
- Budget: The interstate exits are where you'll find the simplest options, including Comfort Inn & Suites and Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham on Buena Vista Rd, Motel 6 Lexington East and GuestHouse Lexington on Elkhorn Rd, Days Inn Lexington on N. Broadway, Red Roof Inn Lexington South on Wilhite Dr, and Bluegrass Extended Stay on Richmond Rd.
- Mid-range: A broad band of comfortable chain properties runs from downtown out to the highway. Holiday Inn Express-Downtown/University sits on Export St, while Holiday Inn Express-Lexington Northeast on Sharkey Way places you a short drive from both the centre and Bluegrass Airport. Others include Hotel LEX - Hotel and Conference Center, Comfort Suites on Fieldstone Way, Hilton Garden Inn and Hyatt Place on Bryant Rd, Marriott SpringHill Suites on S. Broadway, and the Clarion Hotel on Newtown Pike, which has a large atrium with an indoor pool and arcade plus an attached restaurant and sports bar.
- Splurge: Downtown addresses include The Sire Hotel Lexington, Hilton Lexington Downtown Hotel & Conference Center on West Vine St, and the Hyatt Regency Lexington on West High Street, which is integrated into the Convention Center and Rupp Arena. Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa sits further out on Newtown Pike.
- Camping: Kentucky Horse Park Campground, about seven miles north of the city on Iron Works Pkwy, offers paved back-in sites with electric and water hookups, fire rings and picnic tables, plus a grocery, gift shop and two bathhouses. Extras include lighted tennis and basketball courts, a junior Olympic-size swimming pool, horseshoes, croquet and a recreation pavilion, with planned activities on most weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Primitive sites are available for a more rustic stay, and wireless internet is offered.
Food & drink
Lexington has an unusually strong independent restaurant scene for a city its size, thanks to its college-town energy and affluent local base. You'll find chains here too, but the privately owned places are the draw. Look for Kentucky classics: the Hot Brown, an open-faced sandwich of turkey, bacon, and cheese sauce; burgoo, a game stew that varies with whoever makes it; beer cheese, a spicy cheddar-and-beer spread; and bourbon balls, chocolate-bourbon truffles with pecans. Note that smoking is banned in restaurants, bars, and many public buildings. For budget eating, downtown gives you Third Street Stuff & Coffee near the Transylvania campus, a coffee shop with an artistic vibe that also serves sandwiches; Bourbon n' Toulouse on East Euclid, dishing Cajun and Creole standards like étouffée, gumbo, and jambalaya with vegetarian and gluten-free options; and Charlie Brown's, a low-lit sandwich spot off UK's campus where you lounge on sofas among bookshelves. Tolly-Ho on Foreman is the 24/7 college greasy spoon, known for its tiered burgers, shakes, Epic Fries, and cheddar tots, and it gets packed when the bars close. Around town, Brontë at Joseph-Beth Booksellers builds a monthly menu around novels and cookbooks, Gumbo Ya Ya in Nicholasville serves changing Cajun plates and its Yatwich, and Mousetrap on Tates Creek Road offers sandwiches and soups from a glass case alongside cookware and chocolates. Mid-range choices include Columbia's Steak House downtown, a long-time favorite known for its "Nighthawk" tenderloin special, and Joe Bologna, a moderately priced Italian spot in a former church and synagogue with stained glass and a square pizza. Oasis in Chevy Chase is a go-to for Middle Eastern food, with chicken shwarma, hummus, and an expansive lunch buffet. Around town you'll find Bella Notte, a trattoria-style Italian place, El Toro for classic Mexican, and Ramsey's, a "meat and three" serving Southern cooking with locally sourced ingredients and all-day breakfast. Winchell's is arguably the best place in town for a hot brown. For a splurge, Dudley's on Short serves American fare in a converted old mansion, and Le Deauville is the downtown French bistro. Further out, Hall's on the River in Winchester pairs Southern seafood with a scenic drive and its famous beer cheese, and The Kentucky Castle near Versailles runs a farm-to-table restaurant in its eccentric castle setting.What to see and do
Lexington packs a surprising amount into a compact downtown, and much of it is walkable. Start with the historic homes: Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, sits near downtown in a park you can wander even without touring the house, while Hopemount in Gratz Park was built by John Hunt-Morgan and displays early Kentucky furniture, 19th-century paintings, and antique porcelain, plus a Civil War museum upstairs. The Mary Todd Lincoln House is the girlhood home of Abraham Lincoln's wife, and Waveland, a Greek Revival plantation home built by a grand-nephew of Daniel Boone, preserves outbuildings including a smokehouse, icehouse, and slave quarters. Boone Station, on a wooded tract in Fayette County, marks the settlement Daniel Boone established when Boonesborough grew too crowded, and offers a short trail and a family grave site. Downtown, the Kentucky Theatre shows foreign, independent, and art films in a restored two-screen cinema with interior murals, and the Central Library is worth a look for its rose-colored granite facade and a five-story Foucault pendulum in the atrium; Phoenix Park next door has greenery, fountains, and a small statue marking the point from which distances to Lexington are measured. Triangle Park, especially after dark, invites you to slip off your shoes and wander its step-like fountains, with summer movies, a winter ice rink, and occasional concerts through the year. Beyond the historic sites, Lexington makes a good base for the Kentucky bourbon trail, with several distilleries in town. Barrel House Distilling, a micro distillery on the craft tour, pours vodka, moonshine, rum, and bourbons; Bluegrass Distillers and James E. Pepper also offer tours; and Town Branch, part of Alltech's brewing and distilling operation, gives you a double-header of beer and whiskey, including its signature Bourbon Barrel Ale. You can also tour the headquarters and production facility of Big Ass Fans, the manufacturer of oversized industrial ceiling fans, by reservation. For events, the Woodland Art Fair fills Woodland Park with juried artists, live music, and a Kid Zone, and the Festival of the Bluegrass takes place at the Kentucky Horse Park. Pick up ACE Weekly, a free local indie magazine, for write-ups of what's on around town.When to go
Lexington has four distinct seasons, and no prolonged extremes of heat, cold, rain, wind, or snow. Summers are hot and humid, with moderate nights and occasional breezes off the plateau; late spring and summer are slightly wetter than the rest of the year. Keep in mind that this is a recognized high-allergy area, so pollen can be a factor for visitors, especially in late spring and summer.
- Summer: Hot and humid days, moderate nights, and occasional plateau breezes. Expect some days at or above freezing-level heat, and slightly wetter conditions than the rest of the year. Pollen is often heavy.
- Winter: Moderately cold with occasional mild periods. January is the coldest month, and some days have a high at or below freezing, but cold spells are not prolonged, so milder days are mixed in.
- Spring: Cool plateau breezes and moderate conditions, turning slightly wetter in late spring. Pollen is often heavy thanks to the area's high allergy rating.
- Autumn: Cooling temperatures and moderate conditions, with rainfall generally a bit lighter than in late spring and summer. It is a quieter stretch between the summer heat and winter chill.
Festivals & events
Lexington's festival calendar includes the Festival of the Bluegrass, held each June. If your visit falls in that month, plan around it.
Three days in Lexington-Fayette
Day one: Start at the Lexington Visitors Center on West Main Street, then walk the downtown grid around Broadway, The Square, Main Street, Algonquin Street and Short Street, taking in Triangle Park and the Convention Center. Lexington sits in Fayette County in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky, and the surrounding countryside is the Bluegrass itself. If you have time before dinner, head out toward Keeneland Race Course.
Day two: Give the day to the University of Kentucky and the Cat Path, then use Lextran to get around town. For a change of scene, Frankfort and Richmond are both within reach, and the drive through the Bluegrass Region is the point of the trip. Concord and the Battles tied to this part of Kentucky are part of the local story.
Day three: Fly out of Blue Grass Airport, also called LEX, served by Allegiant, American, Delta and United. If you would rather not fly, Louisville's Standiford Field, or SDF, and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky are the other options. Allow time for one last look at the Bluegrass before you go.