Summertime in Kentucky!

My husband and I moved to Kentucky right in time for summer to start last year! We are from Utah so we are use to very hot, dry summers. Kentucky is very opposite of that! It was more of a medium heat and muggy type of summer. It rained quite often, but it was so cool when it did. We found some yummy summer treats, foods, things to do and see! So, here I am sharing that with you today! 

Lemonade

The best place for a lemonade in Kentucky is Bardstown Bourbon Company Kitchen. We ate there, but I would go just for the lemonade any day! The lemonade comes with a dried lemon and a cute straw. It is freshly made in house and doesn't have a super sweet flavor. It is the best lemonade I have had! We do like the flavored lemonades at The Cheesecake Factory which use to be our number one spot. Chick-Fil-A does make theirs fresh, but it does taste the most sweet out of all the options. We love the lemonades from Adli too! They have a few different flavors and we have liked them all! 

Rain Storms

Rain storms in Kentucky are a sight to see. They come out of no where and pass through just as quick. The lightning and thunder is amazing and lights up the whole sky. The sky gets really dark through the storms and then the sun will be right back up and acts like nothing happened. I'm always in awe anytime we have a storm here. 

Lightning Bugs

If you catch the rain storm make sure to stick around and look for the lightning bugs right after! They tend to hide out in the trees while it rains and then they are very active once the storms pass. The dusk hours are the best time to catch them out. It was the highlight of my summer watching the lightning bugs! 

Big Four Bridge

If you are looking for something outdoors, easy to get to, and free then Big Four Bridge is the right spot for you. First off it is free, the parking, the bridge, all of it. There are lots of parking lots and is easily assessable. The bridge is a mile long to walk across and back. There is plenty of space for big groups. There is a kids park and splash pad near the bridge, along with swings, walkways along the river, and events throughout the year. 

Bernheim Forest

We loved the Bernheim Forest Giants trail this past summer. We need to try the other trails too, but that is a great starter. They have a visitor center you can buy souvenirs and get a map of the trails. They have ponds, paved trails, grassy field trials, and art pieces throughout the park. They do ask that you donate when you enter the forest, but you don't have to either. In the summer the fields are filled with all sorts of flowers and greenery. It is a beautiful, fun outdoor outing. The fall time was just as pretty too! 

Ice Cream

Kentucky has surprisingly so many ice cream shops to go to! My top soft serve spot would be Thompson's Mart in Bardstown. They have eight flavors of ice cream and you get to serve it up yourself. For a hard scoop I would say Comfy Cow has been my favorite. They have the cutest pink stores and lots of flavors to pick from. Kentucky is known for Graeter's and Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen for some ice cream as well. 

Playa Bowls Acai Bowls 

Our favorite Acai Bowl spot in Kentucky is Playa Bowl. They have a few locations around town. I crave smoothies so much during the warm months of the year! They have great smoothies, but the bowls are my favorite. I got the peanut butter and banana base with Cocoa nibs, bananas, and granola and loved every bite of it. 

Parks 

If you have kids then Kentucky is a great spot for you! There are parks everywhere! Bernheim Forest has a nature park with rocks, rope course type activities, a rope swing, a sandbox and outdoor items to play with. If you go to the Big Four Bridge, they have multiple parks along the water front and a splash pad area. We have passed multiple little walking trails and parks all over Kentucky! I love looking for the little small town parks because they have the best old time parks like when we were growing up! 

Out Door Seating

Almost every little food place has outdoor seating! During the summertime these restaurants are popping with the outdoor seating! We prefer eating our food indoors, but it is fun to have the option! Even the coffee shops and ice cream shops have outdoor seating options. It is very common here and is so fun! 

Movie Deals on Tuesdays! 

I'm pretty sure this is year round, but we tend to go to the movies way more in the summertime. We found that Cinemark does $6.00 movies on Tuesdays. My husbands favorite date night is the movies so we love that we get a good deal and a midweek date!

Simpsonville Outlets 

There is only one outlet shopping mall in the Louisville area, but it is an awesome spot. I one hundred percent prefer to go to the outlets during the summertime than winter! We found ourselves at this outlet mall quite a bit last summer. They have awesome stores and deals. The mall is large with lots of walking areas, a few food spots, and great little photo ops. 

NuLu 

There is the cutest little spot downtown in Louisville called NuLu. It is a little main street of shops, food spots, and murals. One of my favorite spots in Kentucky and especially in the summertime. They do have events during the summer along that street. I love the murals that are on lots of the buildings. It is a great place to go walk, shop, eat lunch and lots of treat options! You can check out all the fun things to do in NuLu here: NuLu Kentucky! 

BBQ

I feel like summer is just meant for BBQ! We haven't tried a ton of BBQ spots yet, but the few we have are awesome! There is a popular spot called Feast BBQ that is in the NuLu area. It is a fancy type of BBQ style restaurant. We loved the pulled pork and the Macaroni and Cheese fried balls. We love the Family Made BBQ in Bardstown too! They have really good brisket and green beans. We went to 4th Street Live to the Guy Fieri's BBQ spot. The turkey was too die for and the brisket wasn't too bad! We didn't love any of the sides at that one though, not the best! We have lots more to visit on our list this coming summer! 

What fun things do you like to do during the summer?