Date Ideas in Kentucky!

My two favorite things are spending time with my husband and exploring this world! We try to see, eat and do new things for our dates! Kentucky has so many cool places and so much that we haven't seen or experienced yet, so there is definitely more to do for us, but this list is our favorites we have done so far! I figured February was all about love, so why not give you a reminder to spend some time with your loved ones and take them on a date! Here are our favorite Kentucky dates so far! 

Hiking in Bernheim Forest Date- One of our go-to dates is hiking at Bernheim Forest! There are multiple trails, lakes, picnic tables, benches to sit and enjoy the scenery and some art pieces to hike to. It can be free if you'd like, they just ask for a donation. We tend to do the Forest Giant's trail to see all the different landscapes the forest has to offer, but they have a lookout trail that is really neat too! This would be a great spot for a picnic, to play games, take family and friends to, and would be a great spot to have a family day with your kids! We have hiked in Bernheim and gone into Bardstown for an ice cream cone at Thompson's Mart. It is the best ice cream ever, well at least for a gas station! There are food spots and shopping in Bardstown too, if you want to make a day out of your trip to Bernheim Forest. 

Elizabethtown Date- There is a city that is known as E-town that is a fun date spot in Kentucky. There is a five mile path around a lake called Freeman Lake that is fun to walk around, lots of food spots, shopping, and some fun treat spots. We have gone for Valentine's donuts at Amazin' Glazin'. Our favorite cupcakes are from A Sweet Retreat in E-town. At Christmas they have a free light show in the Freeman Lake park that was super fun to go to. We have gone shopping at Target, Hobby Lobby, At Home and grabbed a treat at the Peach Cobbler Factory for another fun date night. I have a coffee shop, a couple of food spots, and dessert spots on my to try list still, so there will be plenty more E-town dates for us! 

NuLu Date- One of our favorite downtown Louisville dates is the NuLu area! We have gone on hot chocolate dates at Quill's Coffee or Please & Thank You. Our yearly Christmas chocolate date has changed to going to Muth's Chocolates now since we don't have a See's Chocolate. There are a few different ice cream, bakeries and treats in the area that are yummy to go to. The food scene is the best in this area! We like Guacamole, Naive Cafe, Doc Crows, Feast BBQ and Royal Hot Chicken. A dinner date is super fun in NuLu! 

Big 4 Bridge Date- Another really neat spot in Kentucky is the Big 4 Bridge! This is another free thing to do in Kentucky. You are able to walk a mile across the Ohio River into Indiana. We have walked across a few times and it has been so fun every time! My favorite is the swings all along the river front that you can sit and enjoy the scenery. You can walk along the riverfront as well! There are events and concerts here too! At night the bridge is all lit up with different colors so that is super fun to go see too! 

Lexington Date- Lexington is about a forty-five minute drive from Louisville. We did a day trip to go see all that Lexington has! On the drive be sure to look for the castle, you can see it from the highway so that is super fun to see! We stopped for donuts at Spalding's Bakery for breakfast, cinnamon rolls from Futile for a treat, looked for murals, stopped at the Costco and then headed to Buc-ee's. We have gone to My Old Kentucky Chocolates store and shopped in the area. There are so many fun food spots that are on my list to try and some more donuts of course! There are some walking trails, Keenland Farms to go see the race horses and a mall. 

Downtown Bardstown Date- A really cute main street is in Bardstown! We love the vibe of Bardstown. We just did a coffee shop date at Fresh Coffee on main street that was perfect for the cooler weather. There is a donut shop right around the corner, so hot chocolate and donuts for a morning date is perfect! There are the cutest storefronts to shop at while you walk main street. At Christmas we went to the town square to see the Christmas tree and the decorations. The Stephen Foster house is just up the road a bit from main street. My favorite soft serve ice cream is at Thompson's Mart not too far from the main street. This is just an adorable town! 

Outlet Shopping Date- We tend to go out shopping for our dates quite often! We usually are looking for something specific so it is for a purpose, but we try to make it fun too! The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass is one of our favorite areas to go shop at. They decorate for the seasons so there are fun photo spots and decor to look at. They have all our favorite stores and always have great deals! We went on Black Friday and that was a mad house, but every other time we have gone it has been super quiet. We like to go shop and grab some lunch afterwards! 

Dinner Date- We don't go out to dinner very often in Kentucky, but the places we have tried have been a hit! We love The Eagle for their chicken, French fries and corn bread in a skillet. Guacamole is the cutest restaurant and has really good modern Mexican Food. The dinner we went to had live music playing which added to the cutesiness of the restaurant. Taco Luchador isn't necessarily a sit down restaurant where you get served, but it is a fun atmosphere and the food is the best! We love the street tacos from there! I have the Brown Hotel for a Hot Brown on my dinner date list and a few other restaurants around town. 

Brunch Date- We tend to go to brunch the most for food! Kentucky is awesome for brunch spots! We love First Watch and Wild Eggs the best, but have tried some new spots recently too! Naive Cafe is the prettiest little cafe in town! The food wasn't our favorite, but the cinnamon roll and scenery would get me back there again! Con Huevos is a spot we actually really like! It is a Mexican style breakfast spot that has awesome breakfast tacos, Tres Leches pancakes and Caramel French toast. We like to go get brunch and then do our grocery shopping on Saturdays! 

Movie Date- We usually go to a movie theater in the St. Matthew's mall. We like walking around the mall, going to Trader Joe's and watch a movie in the same area! The movie theaters all have the nice reclining chairs now and you can't go wrong with movie theater popcorn! If you want a movie night but not at the theaters then grab the movie theater popcorn from Trader Joe's and snuggle up on your couch at home! That is just as fun! My husband loves going to the movies so we do go when all the fun new movies come out! 

Museum Date- Kentucky has so many museums! We have done the Corvette Museum, Churchill Downs Museum and driven to the Indiana State Museum so far! I am not a museum type person, but we went to an art museum in New York and that changed my whole perspective! I have the Slugger Museum, 21C Museum and Mohammad Ali Museum on my to go list. The Corvette Museum was neat to see for the story of the sink hole. I don't think I would have connected as much if it wasn't for the history, but if you like cars then it is a great spot! Churchill Downs was so neat to see in person, but that would be a once kind of experience for me! It is just neat to see the history of what has happened in the state. We are looking forward to more museum dates! 

Road Trip Date- We live by so many other states in Kentucky! We have done day trips to Indiana and Tennessee that have been so fun! There are so many fun food and treat spots in the surrounding states. We have also gone to do all the touristy things in both states. I love Tennessee for the atmosphere and all the yummy food spots. We did a weekend road trip to Atlanta that was super fun too! It is just a good time to have a long drive to talk, listen to a podcast together and have a dance party. We have a lot of good talks on our drives and it doesn't hurt to have yummy foods and new scenery. 

Buc-ee's Date- I am adding Buc-ee's all by itself here because this is a memory I will have forever! My husband and I go to Buc-ee's a few times a year because we love it that much! Our first time was on a road trip to Georgia, but we found that Kentucky had a store and now a second one has opened! We have gone and tried every flavor of beef jerky by them giving us samples and have gotten quite a few of their foods options. That was a top date for us for sure! The vibes of the gas station just spark the soul. The treats all are great and it is a have to go at least once kind of place! 

Coffee Shop Date- One of our most frequent dates is a hot chocolate date! We love all the coffee shops in Kentucky. They have great options in all different areas, so you really can stop somewhere good no matter where you are. We love North Lime Coffee and Donuts, Heine Brothers Coffee, Please & Thank You, and Quills Coffee. We usually go during the fall season the most so I can get my pumpkin steamers, but it is fun anytime of the year! You can hike and then grab a cold drink or on a cold wintery morning grab a hot drink for an outing! 

Malibu Jacks Date- This is a fun indoor arcade, mini golf, rollercoasters, laser tag, car racing type of place! They have everything you can think of all under one roof. It is a fun place for kids too! Adults can ride all the rides and play any of the attractions so it is fun for us too! Kentucky has a few different indoor fun centers like Dave & Buster's, Trampoline Parks, Top Golf and Breakout Games. There are outdoor miniature golf spots too! Whatever type of activity you like, I am sure there is place in Kentucky for it! These spots are great for the super hot or super cold days here. 

Cumberland Fall's Hike Date: This last fall, my husband and I went on a day date to Cumberland Falls. We hiked down to the falls and were in awe at the falls. The river is beautiful and then there is a spot where the water drops into a lower river. The scenery and sounds were so relaxing and enjoyable. There are tons of paths to walk around the area and great picture taking spots. Being in nature does so good for your soul! We love our hiking dates and love when we find new and cool spots. 

Crescent Hill Reservoir Date: We just found this spot in Kentucky and are obsessed! The reservoir is free to walk around and has free parking! It is about a half mile around the water and has a paved walkway the whole way around. We walked a couple laps around the water and then stopped for pizza and a hot chocolate along the shops on Frankfort Avenue. This was a great way to get some exercise, have good talking time, sun time and of course food!

Bakery Date: We go to bakeries quite often for a date! Kentucky has some really great bakeries. Our favorite is Blue Dog Bakery, Hadorn's Bakery, Sweet Retreat Cupcakes, Penny and Pearl's Bake Shop and so many others! Something about a bakery just makes my heart happy. Seeing all the beautiful bakery items, the smells of the bakery and the vibe are all so fun! 

What are your favorite dates in your state?