Historic B & B with Park Views and Fine Southern Cuisine

Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region is the textbook image of idyllic farmland—a landscape of rolling hills divided by rail fences into orchards, wineries, and horse pastures. In 1926, the Cleveland Orphanage Institution decided it was the perfect setting for educating children. They rebuilt the Cleveland Home as a Dutch Colonial Revival building, providing plenty of room for kids to run around. Today, it’s become The Woodford Inn, a stately, red brick structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Bruce and Linda Parker, two restaurateurs-turned-innkeepers, keep the place as welcoming as ever with warm hospitality and home-cooked southern fare.

The onsite Addie’s Restaurant and Bar is named after Linda’s mother, who used to prepare her family’s large Sunday dinners. The restaurant serves local specialties such as the Hot Brown sandwich ($12) with roast turkey and country ham in cheesy mornay sauce. An equally hearty breakfast often includes pancakes, bacon, and omelets, all served from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. You can dine inside, where paintings of racehorses line the walls, or head out to the patio, which is flanked by grassy lawns and conifers. There’s also a front porch, outfitted in classic southern fashion with rocking chairs and hanging ferns.

Inside, many of the inn's 10 guest rooms overlook the neighboring Woodford County Park. Though no two rooms are identical, all boast Tempur-Pedic mattresses, ornately carved headboards, and jacuzzi tubs. Room 3’s two-person tub makes it a good fit for couples.

Versailles, Kentucky: Bluegrass Country Along Bourbon Trail

The town of Versailles was named after the site of Louis XIV's gilded palace in France, yet the two places share little in common. The American version is located along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, a string of famous distilleries including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, and Wild Turkey. The region is also home to some of the most successful racehorse breeders in the world, whose ponies have gone on to win the Triple Crown and star in the doodles of 12-year-old girls all over the world.

Half an hour east, Lexington has many equine-related attractions of its own, including the Kentucky Horse Park and the Keeneland Race Track, a beautiful course that dates to 1935 and is known for its horse auctions. Nearby, the Mary Todd Lincoln House is filled with rooms made to look much like the ones lived in by Abraham Lincoln’s First Lady.

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