We asked our staff “What’s the most exciting thing people should do when they visit your hometown?” Find out what our homegrown picks are in this month’s Staff Sound-Off.
My hometown is Hopkinsville, Kentucky. I’d recommend a full-blown downtown culinary day that includes breakfast at Whistle Stop Donuts, hamburgers at the counter of Ferrell’s Snappy Service for lunch, a local brew from Hopkinsville Brewing Company that afternoon, and dinner at The Mixer, where the locals gather. On a nice day, you’d never need a car.
— Mac Lacy, Publisher
My hometown is Frankfort, Kentucky. I would take visitors to the capitol and have them make a wish in the Floral Clock Fountain (one of my favorite things to do as a kid); tour local distilleries; browse the shop and have lunch at Wilson’s Nursery; go kayaking down Elkhorn Creek; explore downtown; attend a show during the Summer Concert Series; take a ride over the Singing Bridge; and eat at Jim’s Seafood.
— Telisa Rech, Advertising Sales Manager
I would say horse racing at Keeneland, but there is so much more to do in Lexington.
— Sarah Sechrist, Controller
When in Lexington, people should go to the Distillery District. In addition to a distillery, restaurants, bars and an ice cream shop, there are also a couple of really cool live music venues where you can catch a show.
— Rachel Crick, Staff Writer
Years ago, I would have said Berthoud, Colorado’s Ye Old Wayside Inn, which was a nationally known restaurant and dinner theater. It was famous for its butter pickles, honey butter and above all its fried chicken, which garnered a visit from Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken sometime in the 1950s or ‘60s. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1993 after a Christmas Eve fire, was reopened in 1995 without the dinner theater and closed for good in 2007.
Nowadays, I would tell you to grab a frosty mug of root beer at the old A&W in Berthoud. The restaurant has been family-owned and operated since 1971 and is still in its original building. Berthoud is a very small town with Norman Rockwell vibes. It’s a perfect stop for an afternoon of shopping with antique shops, boutiques, a spa and a drug store that has been in operation for more than 100 years, (Berthoud Drug), along with ice cream parlors and a coffee shop. Make sure to visit The Ranchers Wife, located in an old grain elevator, and Indigo Sky Trading Co.
— Donia Simmons, Creative Director
In Lexington, go to Keeneland for a horse race!
— Kyle Anderson, VP, Sales & Marketing
I grew up in central Massachusetts and I would say the different history sites around the area are a must. However, the place I have lived the longest is Richmond, Kentucky, where the first battle of the Kentucky Campaign took place. The city’s Civil War battle re-enactment is a must for American history buffs.
— Ashley Ricks, Graphic Designer & Circulation Manager
There’s nothing more exciting in Lexington than watching the University of Kentucky Wildcats play basketball in Rupp Arena — if you can get tickets. I’m not a huge sports fan, but the atmosphere in there is absolutely electric. Lexington takes college basketball fandom to a whole new level.
