This Motor Lodge Is the Best Place to Crash Along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Bardstown Motor Lodge provides hyper-hip lodging on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

The Bardstown Motor Lodge comprises 30 comfortable guest rooms and five spacious suites. While the freshened-up exterior still rings true to the classic two-story motel of the last century, there’s nothing shady about the rooms. Brightly lit units are accented with electric blue wooden wall panels and modern mid-century furnishings.

Tucked behind sliding stable doors, bathrooms are turned out with upcycled materials. Signature beds are topped with mega-thick mattresses and crisp linens that’ll bear the brunt of one too many chasers. All rooms and suites have a coffee maker, posh toiletries, and hotel-standard bath robes.

Get the party off to a flying start with a king suite. Accommodating groups of four, all five first-floor suites come with a personal wet bar and direct access to the poolside.

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Bardstown Swim Club: a “glampground” for grown-ups

Photo: Booking

Photo: Booking

Photo: Booking

Photo: Booking

Designed to be a hang-out, not a hide-out, the pool deck is the life and soul of the Bardstown Motor Lodge 2:0. The sun-soaked pool is bounded by cabanas, loungers, and Adirondacks where you can guzzle bourbon slushies between laps.

Under the Bardstown Swim Club umbrella, there’s a vintage rec room complete with bar games and a fire-pit zone stocked with all the essentials for a rollicking s’mores party. This is a pet-friendly motel which only adds to the “paw-some” vibe.

Lodge guests have complimentary access to the pool club daily between 11:00 AM and 10:00 pm. Non-residents may snap up a pass for a bargain of $20 per person.

Good food, good booze, good people at Toogie’s Table

There’s no need to roam Third Street with a growling stomach. The chef-led Toogie’s Table is the best restaurant in Bardstown for wholesome farm-to-table Kentucky fare. It’s an easygoing tavern with a private dining salon for hire at Upstairs at Toogie’s.

The kitchen collaborates with regional farmers to showcase local and seasonal ingredients wherever possible. Traditional recipes earn a modern Americana twist: fried chicken comes marinated in apple sauce slathered in hot honey while cast iron salmon is served in a pool of kimchi brodo bone broth.

Stomach responsibly lined, grab a pew at the tasting bar on the second floor where mixologists demonstrate how to turn Kentucky bourbons and top-shelf liquors into next-level cocktails. The bar hosts ad hoc masterclasses and tastings; it’s worth dropping them a line before check-in about bespoke events.

One too many sips of juice last night? The “hangover hash” brunch will put you back on track.

Fun group activities around Bardstown

Bardstown Motor Lodge overlooks the sprawling My Old Kentucky Home State Park. Museum tours led by “singing” guides reveal scandalous tales and intriguing tidbits from this 19th-century mansion. Special events include murder mystery dinners, cocktail workshops, and Barton 1792 bourbon tastings.

Over 6,350 yards of the estate grounds are occupied by the PGA Professional 18-hole golf course. Public green fees are $35 on weekdays and $40 on weekends and holidays. Booking a tee time is recommended to avoid disappointment, especially as part of a bachelor getaway. Tally up and settle any bets over a whiskey tasting at the Heaven Hill distillery, conveniently placed on the course perimeter.

A medley of biking, boating, and fishing activities is available at Taylorsville Lake, a 30-minute drive from the motor lodge in Bourbon Country. The legendary 3rd Street Tap House which stocks dozens of craft ales and close to a hundred bourbons and hosts regular music gigs is two minutes away by Uber.

Getting to Bardstown Motor Lodge

Photo: Booking

Photo: Booking

Photo: Booking

Photo: Booking

Sitting right off the Route 150 highway in downtown Bardstown, this boutique motel is 34 miles from Louisville International Airport and 59 miles from Lexington. And, in homage to the golden era of motels, all units come with a free parking spot.

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