As a seasoned traveler who loves a small town, Shelbyville of Shelby County, Kentucky hit all the right marks for me: pioneer history, boutique shopping, beautiful horses and horse farms and bourbon tastings as part of the greater Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Here are the things you should not miss when you visit.
Horses: America’s Saddlebred Capital of the World
Shelby County Kentucky, aka “America’s Saddlebred Capital of the World”, sits between the renowned home of Churchill Downs in Louisville and the beautiful thoroughbred farms and Keeneland racetrack in Lexington. In Shelby County, you can visit the farms, watch horse shows and even find stables for riding. Here are two farms worth visiting:
Swallowland Farm
Why go: See Icelandic Horses
- Léttleiki Icelandics at Swallowland Farm is one of the few places in the country where you can see Icelandic horses.
- Owner Maggie Brandt happily shares stories about the horses, their history and offers tours of the riding ring and barn.
Icelandic Horse History:
- Transported to North America by the seafaring Vikings over a thousand years ago, these sure-footed horses carry the traits and behaviors borne of their evolution in Iceland:
- Eating 80% of their calories in the brief 3 months of summer, growing fat and using those fat reserves to survive the long winters.
- Growing a double coat in winter that sheds in the spring.
- Being approachable: with few predators in Iceland, the horses are people-friendly and rarely get spooked, making them easy to pet or feed.
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West Meadow Farm
Why go: Meet thoroughbreds and support the farm’s forever-home efforts
- West Meadow is a thoroughbred horse farm where Melanie de Fler provides thoroughbred breeding, birthing and training, and a forever-home for retired racehorses and rescues.
- Tour the farm and meet some of the horses – even pet and feed them.
- The farm also hosts private parties and events and educational sessions meant to connect horses, people and nature.
Bourbon
Shelby County is home to craft bourbon distilleries and part of the greater Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour.
Bulleit Distillery
Why go: Take a tour and enjoy a tasting
- Opened in 2019, Bulleit Distilling Company has 11 barrel warehouses where you’ll get a backstage pass to see bourbon in all its distilling stages.
- At the tasting room/visitor’s center/gift shop, you can taste 3 bourbons and 1 rye whiskey, all complimented by special scents that enhance the tasting.
Distillery History:
- Augustus Bulliet was a miller who used his extra corn to make bourbon. In 1860, while taking his whiskey barrels to sell in New Orleans, he and the whiskey vanished and the Bulleit brand died until Augustus’s great-great-grandson Tom resurrected it in 1987. Today, Bulleit Whiskies are sold in 70 countries worldwide.
Jeptha Creed Distillery
Why go: Farm-to-glass bourbon with a female Master Distiller
- Jeptha Creed, a family-owned distillery, run by Master Distiller Joyce Nethern and husband Bruce, a fifth generation Kentucky farmer. Both their passions are on display: her excellent bourbon and his vintage car collection.
- Unique tasting: rather than samples served in shot glasses, your tasting is drawn straight out of the barrel!
- Nearby are the family’s heirloom Bloody Butcher Corn fields used to craft their spirits.
Downtown Shelbyville
Why go:
- Explore Shelbyville’s downtown antique shops like Reclaimed on Main and The Paisley Pig, and explore its art galleries like Wakefield-Scearce Galleries.
- Of special note:
- What’s now Shelby County, Kentucky was once part of Virginia. Daniel Boone’s younger brother, Squire Boone, founded Shelby County’s first settlement, Painted Stone Station, in 1778, He marked his claim with a stone from the creek, carved his name and date on it, painting it with red paint. A bronze statue of him sits at the entrance to downtown Shelbyville.
- Shelbyville is also the hometown of Kentucky’s first female governor: Martha Layne Collins, and the last home of Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.
What not to miss:
- Shelbyville History Museum: Housed in the 1872 Italianate Presbyterian Manse building, the museum tells the history of Shelby County. A marker on the lawn commemorates Lafayette’s “Farewell Tour” to Shelby County in 1825.
- Art: Shelbyville is filled with art. The Art Walk includes Shelbyville Fountain; a mosaic made from individual tiles painted by a Shelbyville resident to form a beautiful dogwood tree in Sixth Street Plaza; and the many sculptures seen around main street.
- Chatham Gardens: Four columns and a garden on Main Street commemorate what’s left from an Antebellum home destroyed by a fire that once stood here.
- Stargazer Plaza: A covered plaza on Main Street for events and concerts.
- Centenary Methodist church: This red brick church is the second brick church built in Kentucky. Its stained glass windows are masterpieces of art.
- Shelby County Courthouse: This gorgeous Beaux arts building, built in 1912, is the last of Shelby County courthouses on this spot.. Court proceedings are now held in a newer building.
- Shelby County War Memorial; This memorial is in a small park across the street from the courthouse.
- Kentucky Black Trailblazers Experience: Scan the code at the park across from the courthouse to take a virtual tour and meet Elijah P Marrs. Kentucky Black Trailblazers is a first-of-its-kind, immersive experience that tells the stories of several influential Black Kentuckians.
SheBuysTravel Tip: The Shelbyville Arts & Music Festival is held downtown annually in May.
Dining
The Farm Kitchen: Fresh home style country cooking restaurant for breakfast and lunch using ingredients grown on their farm.
The Paddock: This is another breakfast or lunch spot. Besides specializing in coffee, they help those in need of a helping hand.
Dos Mundos: This restaurant in Simpsonville fuses Peruvian and Asian dishes. Monday through Thursday, it’s dinner only. Friday and Saturday, lunch and dinner.
Bell House Restaurant: Enjoy lunch or dinner in a renovated 1902 home. The bell on the front lawn was the city’s fire bell that sat on top of the old firehouse in the town square. This is the place to try Kenducky’s famous Hot Brown sandwich.
Spotz Gelato: This colorful family-owned gelato shop is on Main Street in Shelbyville. The award-winning, handcrafted gelato & sorbet is made from local, Kentucky-Proud ingredients.
My Stay at the Candlewood Suites Shelbyville
I loved the brand-new Candlewood Suites, which opened in May 2025. It’s 45 miles from downtown Louisville. Guests have free wifi, a 24-hour fitness center and an outdoor gazebo grill. My favorite amenity is the complimentary guest laundry.
Why go: It’s just minutes from downtown and next to Weissinger Hills Golf Course.
What not to miss: The suites have fully equipped kitchens, stocked with everything needed for a home-cooked meal: a full-size fridge with an ice maker, a stovetop, a microwave, plenty of counter space and cookware. It even has a dishwasher!
Read More:
- FREE Things to Do in Kentucky!
- Bourbon Beginnings: Explore Historic Georgetown, Kentucky
- A Local’s Guide to Kentucky Derby Events
- 9 Best National Parks in the Midwest
- Hit the Road: Epic Midwest Road Trips You’ve Gotta Try
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