See Kentucky by Rail: Train Trips and Museum’s You’ll Love

Across Kentucky, rail experiences take visitors on journeys through time and across diverse landscapes from horse country to Appalachia.

  Whether someone is a lifelong train enthusiast or just looking for a unique way to explore, there’s plenty to discover in the Bluegrass State.  

 Enjoy dinner and views like no other through the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train in Bardstown.  The train features restored 1940’s vintage dining cars that provide beautiful views of Kentucky’s rolling hills while serving multi-course meals, bourbon tastings and themed dinners.  

 Up for some exercise? Pedal through the Kentucky countryside with Rail Explorers Bluegrass in Versailles. Here visitors pedal rail bikes that are specially designed to be operated by people of all ages and abilities as they coast along 10-miles of the most beautiful countryside in the world. The route offers scenic views of hills and thoroughbred horse pastures on the way to Young’s High Bridge which offers views of the historic Wild Turkey Distillery and the Kentucky River. 

There are plenty of reasons to visit the Historic Railpark and Train Museum in Bowling Green. Housed in the former Louisville & Nashville Depot, this fun and interactive attraction allows visitors to learn from real conductors, pullman porters and cooks who worked on the historic L&N rail line. After wandering the museum, be sure to check out the RailPark’s five restored railcars.  

Right on La Grange’s main street, just north of Louisville, is one of the few remaining street-running train tracks in the country. The tracks pass by the original L&N Depot, which is now home to the La Grange Railroad Museum and Learning Center with a large array of railroad artifacts displays, functioning model train layouts and a large outdoor rolling stock. 

In the southcentral Kentucky town known as Stearns, be sure to catch the Big South Fork Scenic Railway. This 16-mile journey on the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway gives a birds’ eye view of some beautiful Kentucky forests.  Those who take the trip in the fall will be in for a treat as they are able to take in the forest canopy as it transforms to an unforgettable palate of yellow, orange, and brown. 

For more information on these unique experiences and others, go to www.kentuckytourism.com and plan your trip today.