2 Years Living in Kentucky!

My husband and I just hit our two year mark living in Kentucky! We have explored so many fun places in Kentucky, but have so many more spots to try! I thought it would be fun to reminisce about our favorite places to eat and places to see. So, here are our favorite places we have visited in Kentucky and our favorite food spots too! 

Our Favorite Kentucky Places to Visit: 

Cumberland Falls

We drove about two hours to see Cumberland Falls and it was worth every mile! The park is really easy to get to and easy to navigate. It is free to park and to go to the falls. There is lots of seating, walking areas, a resort, gift shopping and great look out spots. The falls are quite the sight to see. The sounds are so peaceful and it's just cool to go look at. Cumberland Falls Blogs found here! 

State Capitol

We stopped by the State Capitol on a rainy day and it was under construction, but it was still so cool! The state capitol building was built in 1910. The architecture is really neat to look at. There is a parking lot that overlooks a river by the capitol building as well that was really cool to see! 

Frankfort Avenue

This is a popular and really neat street in Kentucky. Frankfort Avenue has so many cool food spots and things to see. We enjoy walking along the Crescent Hill Reservoir and even along Frankfort Avenue in general. There are lots of coffee shops that all have been good. I think we have tried them all along this street. Our favorite bakery is on Frankfort Avenue, called Blue Dog Cafe. There is great pizza, cookies and chicken spots too! The popular Halloween street is right off of Frankfort Avenue on Hillcrest Street. Frankfort Avenue Blogs found here! 

Bernheim Forest

We have gone to Bernheim Forest lots while living in Kentucky! It is a donation entry, but can be free if you don't donate. There are miles of trails and so many areas to the park. We have done quite a few of the trails and have loved all of them. You can see art pieces at multiple spots in the forest. They have a gift shop, cafe, nature park for the kids to play and sometimes has food trucks by the trails. Bernheim Forest Blogs found here! 

Buc-ee's 

Kentucky just opened their second Buc-ee's location! We have been to both locations and they are the exact same and just as fun! There are a lot of really good treats and snacks to pick up from Buc-ee's. Check out my Buc-ee's blogs here: Buc-ee's blogs found here! 

Corvette Museum

Cars aren't my favorite thing, but Kentucky does have the National Corvette Museum. The building is really cool and they have a lot of cars on display. The building had a sinkhole, so the history of the museum is really interesting. It was a fun stop especially if you are a car person! 

NuLu

One of my favorite areas in Kentucky is downtown in the NuLu area. NuLu is right in downtown Louisville that has some really fun food spots, shopping and a great area to walk. I love Muth's Candies, Feast BBQ and Please and Thank You coffee shop. There are some cool murals in the area and lots of cool looking storefronts. NuLu blogs found here! 

Big 4 Bridge

Big 4 Bridge is one of must see spots in Kentucky! It is free to go to and easy to get to. There is free parking and lots of parking areas. The bridge is a mile across the Ohio River and goes into Indiana. The bridge has different colors of lights at night. If you can only do one thing in Kentucky, this would be my top suggestion! There are walkways along the riverfront and big swings to be able to sit and enjoy the scenery. Big 4 Bridge blogs found here! 

Churchill Downs Museum

Churchill Downs is a really neat spot to see in Kentucky. The grounds are beautiful and the building is just elegant. We took a museum tour where you get to go the race track and see where the races happen. It is massive and so well taken care of. The museum was a great learning experience of the sport and history of the races. We love watching the Derby each year since living in Kentucky! Churchill Downs blogs found here! 

Cherokee Park

If you go to Cherokee Park, go during the fall time! The trees are massive and in the fall the colors are so vibrant and full on fall vibes. There are miles of paved trails in Cherokee Park. It is free to park and walk the park. This park is a miniature Central Park type area and created by the same land architect. It is a beautiful area and one of my favorite Kentucky places. 

Simpsonville Outlets 

There is a quite large outlet shopping center in the Simpsonville area in Kentucky. We love to go anytime of the year here, but the winter does get pretty chilly. Black Friday shopping there is so fun and well set up. There are great deals and lots of stores we enjoy browsing through! It's a great area to go walk around at! 

Our Favorite Kentucky Places to Eat:  

Mussels and Burgers

My all time favorite burger spot is in Kentucky, called Mussels and Burgers. It's located in downtown Louisville. The restaurant is a bar style, but has a really cool vibe and is elegant. The burgers are huge and come with lots of yummy toppings. I love their mushroom burger the best out of all mushroom burgers I have had! The French fries are just as good as their burgers! I crave this spot all the time! 

Blue Dog Bakery and Cafe

Our favorite bakery in Kentucky is Blue Dog Cafe on Frankfort Avenue. My husband and I have gone to this bakery quite often since living in Kentucky. I have tried almost everything off the menu and my husband's go-to is the Morning Glory Muffin. The cookies are delicious and all the pastries. I have also gotten bread from there and it is so fresh and delicious!  

Penny and Pearls

Kentucky has a lot of good cookie spots, but Penny and Pearl's is one of my favorites! The storefront is little, but adorable. There are rotating flavors as well as some staple flavors. They have the yummiest rice Krispy treats with a cookie bottom. My favorites are the Browned Butter Lemon, Birthday Cake and the Snickerdoodle cookies. So yummy! 

Jagger's

One of our go-to fast food spots in Kentucky is Jagger's. They have chicken and burgers. I love their Crazy Good Burger which has their house made sauce and then their mushroom burger is pretty good as well. The French fries are the star of the show though! They are shoe string fries with a good crisp and a yummy seasoning. It's not a good burger spot without a good milkshake too! They have a banana split milkshake that is my favorite! 

Taco Luchador

Oh, my mouth is watering writing about Taco Luchador! If you need a good street taco in Kentucky then Taco Luchador is the spot! They only have one location now, which is such a bummer! The tacos come with all sorts of toppings and all are so tasty. My go-to is the Barbacoa tacos and my husband gets the Carne Asada. We have tried the Tortas, bowls and salads, but our favorites are the tacos. They have the coolest restaurant and are great to go as well! 

Big Nita's Cheesecake

By far the best cheesecake I have ever eaten is from Big Nita's Cheesecake! They have the littlest storefront close to downtown Louisville. I would suggest getting in line early to make sure you get the flavors you want and before they run out of stock. They sale out quite often and always have a line down the street. The line does go quickly and they are always so patient with each customer. The flavors rotate, but I love any of the vanilla type flavors like their Little Debbie Christmas Tree flavor at Christmas. My husband loves the Turtle or strawberry flavors as well! We have not gotten a slice we haven't liked! 

Graeter's Ice Cream

One of Kentucky's known ice cream shops is Graeter's Ice Cream. They have storefronts all over Kentucky. We love their Strawberry ice cream cake. I get a sugar cone at this spot with a good portion of an ice cream scoop. The Butter Pecan flavor or Dark Chocolate Brownie are my favorites there. My husband likes their strawberry and the Butter Pecan as well! 

Nord's Bakery

Best donuts hands down in Kentucky is Nord's Bakery. The bakery is adorable and has a line majority of the time! I love their vanilla frosted donuts, frosted filled donut and their glazed donuts. They also have the popular Kentucky shaped cookies. Make sure to get a couple of donuts, you'll want another bite once you finish your first donut! 

Hadorn's Bakery

Another cute bakery in Kentucky is Hadorn's Bakery. It is located in Bardstown which is another adorable downtown area. Their donuts aren't our first choice, but the feel of the area gets me there all the time! They do have our favorite glazed donut holes. They sale out quickly on those, so go early! They are also known for the Yum Yum, which is a cinnamon glazed pretzel donut covered in a chocolate and vanilla glaze. This is a cool spot to stop by and then to explore the main street there. 

I Love Juice 

Our favorite smoothie spot is called "I Love Juice." The storefronts are simple, with a small menu, but so good! This is definitely a healthy version of smoothies. We love the Green Smoothies and their Healthy Blast flavor. We try to replicate their smoothies at home because they are so good! 

A Sweet Retreat

There is a cupcake shop in Elizabethtown called "A Sweet Retreat." The storefront is super cute and they have great variety on cakes, cupcakes, cookies and brownies. We love their cupcakes! They have rotating flavors, but a few staples. I love the Vanilla Vacation flavor and my husband loves the Snickerdoodle cupcake. Their cookies are soft and have good flavors and options. 

Where should we try next in Kentucky? What are your favorite spots?