Kentucky 2015: Lexington Part 2

(This is an extremely late post....we traveled to Kentucky in June.  I am still trying to catch up.)

Wednesday we spent the morning playing at Jacobson Park.  I lived less than a mile from Jacobson my first year out of graduate school, so I have ran/walked many miles around that park.  Plus, it has one of the coolest wooden play structures I have ever seen.  One of my college friends Cheylin and her son, Carter were able to meet us.  It was wonderful to catch up with her.  

It was a low key day for us.  We ate lunch at Ramsey's, a local favorite, did a little shopping for UK gear, swam, enjoyed Orange Leaf froyo, and ate a simple dinner at the hotel.  

Thursday morning we drove to Frankfort to tour Buffalo Trace Distillery.  Wow!  The grounds were beautiful.  I do not enjoy bourbon, so I was a little skeptical about taking the tour particularly with our 2 children in tow :)  However, it was something Sam had been looking forward to for some time. I admit I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and the tour was filled with historical and interesting information.

The store houses were fun to explore.  Our guide was excellent and really helped me appreciate the whole process.

I know NOTHING about bourbon, but if I am remembering correctly Blanton's is one of the best.

The tour ended with a bourbon tasting.  They served delicious root beer and chocolates to the kids.  Bennett loved it.  Zoe not so much.  Bennett also requested a souvenir.  He found a small stuffed Buffalo.  I am not a huge souvenir person (minus a coffee mug or Christmas ornament from special places we've been), but we bought it for him.  Surprisingly, Fuzzy the Buffalo has been loved well.  Bennett sleeps with him every night.

After the tour, we took our own tour of the grounds.  The kids played on the playground for a short time.  Sam and I took in all of the beauty that is KENTUCKY:  rolling hills, lots of green space, gorgeous trees, and the smell of the great outdoors.

We left Buffalo Trace and stopped by the Candleberry Factory hoping to purchase a few of my favorite candles before heading to Asbury College.  It was a quick drive through Wilmore, so we could take a walk down memory lane and show the kids where Sam went to college, where we got married, and to indulge in some ice cream at Sim's Drugstore.

Our adventures continued once we arrived at my cousin's farm in Lancaster Thursday afternoon.  I will share about our time there sometime within the next few months :\  Maybe, I'll have our 2015 vacation documented before our 2016 vacation time :)

Kentucky 2015: Lexington Part 1

We arrived in Lexington Monday afternoon.  We checked into our hotel before heading downtown with no plan except to drive, look around, and stop if we wanted.  We stopped at a new coffee shop: A Cup of Common Wealth and then walked across the street to walk around Triangle Park.  The kids enjoyed seeing and climbing on the horses.

We then ventured to Joseph Beth Booksellers (one of my favorite Lexington locations) and spent a few hours reading books and browsing the toys and other merchandise.  Bennett was in heaven.  I left him in the children's section while I shopped in a neighboring section and he never made a peep, nor did he come to find me.

Our evening ended at Bourbon n' Toulouse where we indulged in the Cajun food we have been craving for years :)  Bourbon n' Toulouse holds a special place in our hearts.  It is where we ate on our first date and it is the best cajun we have ever eaten (I didn't enjoy cajun food when I went to New Orleans and Sam has never been).

Tuesday we were off to explore the Kentucky Horse Park.  Despite living and working only a few miles from the Horse Park for 10 years I had not been on the grounds since high school.  While working in Georgetown I would often drive around the outskirts to see the horses and take in the beautiful rolling hills, but honestly you don't have to go to the Horse Park to see this beauty on a day to day basis.  There are horse farms with rolling hills surrounding Lexington on almost every side.

Zoe cracks me up!

The Kids Barn was full of fun facts about horses and interactive exhibits for the kids.  We arrived early, so we had the barn to ourselves.  Bennett is our "trivia kid", so he thoroughly enjoyed the Kids Barn.

I was grateful my cousin and her daughters were able to meet us.  My cousin, Allison, is not only my cousin, but a lifelong friend.  It was a blessing to spend time with her and for our kids to spend time getting to know one another.

Meredith wanted to ride the pony over and over again.  Fortunately, her little sister did not want to ride, so she was able to ride twice.

Zoe was nervous and almost decided not to ride.  I am glad she faced her fear, because she loved it.  They both wanted to ride more.

We ventured over to the Horses of the World Barn.  Just as the name states we visited different types of horses from around the world.  The kids enjoyed seeing the different horses and the adults enjoyed seeing and reading all about the various horses.

Zoe waved at every horse we visited.

The kids were beginning to fade.  I had hoped to watch the Breeds Barn Show, but it did not appear the time was going to work for our crew, so we finished our Horse Park experience at the Hall of Champions.  Several champion horses reside at the Kentucky Horse Park.  It was neat to see a few of those horses in person and to hear of their accomplishments and challenges during their careers.

After naps, we swam at the hotel before enjoying pizza at Pazzo's and a walk through the rose gardens at the Arboretum.  Pazzo's not only has tasty pizza and handmade pretzels it is where Sam and I first met.  It is where I first thought he was a little too loud and he thought I was a little snooty :)    The Arboretum is hands down one of our favorite places in Lexington.  It holds many memories for us as individuals and as a couple.