We asked our staff “What’s something people must try when they visit your hometown?” Check out our hometown favorites in this month’s Staff Sound-Off.
We moved all over the place when I was a child, and each place has something neat! But my family finally settled in central Kentucky when I was a teenager. One of the best things about Kentucky is it has its own take on Southern comfort food, so we make sure to treat friends from far off to a meal at Ramsey’s whenever they’re in town. My favorite thing to get is a hot brown with sweet tea and a big slice of gooey, chocolatey May Day pie to round it off. They also have a country store that’s perfect for local jams and sauces if you want a Kentucky Proud souvenir or a present to bring home from a trip to the Bluegrass.
— Ashley Ricks, graphic design & circulation
The Killer Brownies at Dorothy Lane Market in Springboro, Ohio. Look them up — they have a website because they are so good. Anyone can get them delivered.
— Kyle Anderson, director of advertising sales
I claim two hometowns. I grew up in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and if you go, you have to eat at Ferrell’s Hamburgers downtown. I have friends there who will wish I had picked something a little more contemporary, but you can’t miss Ferrell’s. Go late at night and let your date have the seat. We’ve been in Bardstown, Kentucky, for the past 28 years, and the answer there is even more obvious: bourbon. As we tell the entire world, bourbon comes from Bardstown.
— Mac Lacy, publisher
Berthoud, Colorado, is a quaint small town between Boulder and Fort Collins. While it has grown some over the years, downtown still maintains its adorable “Norman Rockwell” feel. Some of the classics, like the Wayside Inn and Dinner Theater — which served the best fried chicken, honey rolls and bread-n-butter pickles — are a thing of the past. But several stores I grew up with still remain. Berthoud would be a perfect afternoon stop for a unique shopping experience. The old-school dime store pharmacy, Berthoud Drug, has been around for over 100 years. The Indigo Sky Trading Co., owned by my high school cheerleading sponsor, Gena Feldman, is the place to shop for antiques and handcrafted goods by local artisans. They offer various art classes in stained glass, mosaics and jewelry that would be perfect for a group.
— Donia Simmons, creative director
I’ve spent my entire life in Lexington, Kentucky, which is famous for its Thoroughbred horse industry. I don’t have much to do with the horse business, but I always encourage visitors to spend an afternoon at Keeneland Race Course. Surrounded by fieldstone fences and rolling bluegrass hills, it’s perhaps the most scenic race track in the country. If you happen to visit during one of the racing meets in April or October, you’ll enjoy a unique sample of the best of Kentucky food and culture — even if you know nothing about horseracing.
— Brian Jewell, VP & executive editor
