Bardstown sits in the middle of Kentucky’s bourbon and Lincoln country, so nearly every good day trip is a loop you can finish before dinner. These nine routes start and end at Court Square. The short ones (Clermont, Gethsemani, the Lincoln sites) take half a day; Louisville, Frankfort, Lexington and the Shaker Village loop fill a full day; Mammoth Cave needs an early start. Pick by interest, then check the “best days” column, because Monday and Tuesday closures sink more day trips than traffic ever does.
The nine loops at a glance
| Loop | Round trip | Time needed | Best days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lincoln Loop | about 70 miles | half to full day | Any day |
| 2. Loretto and Lebanon | about 60 miles | full day | Tue-Thu |
| 3. Clermont | about 35 miles | half day | Wed-Sun |
| 4. Louisville | about 85 miles | full day | Wed-Sat |
| 5. Frankfort and McCracken Pike | about 115 miles | full day | Wed-Sun |
| 6. Lexington horse day | about 110 miles | full day | Wed-Sun in October |
| 7. Shakers and soldiers | about 110 miles | full day | Tue-Sun |
| 8. Family and quiet day | under 30 miles each way | half to full day | Saturday |
| 9. Mammoth Cave | about 150 miles | long full day | Any day, booked ahead |
Drive times below are realistic estimates from Court Square, padded above the bare routing minimums. Add more at rush hour around Louisville.
1. The Lincoln Loop
Abraham Lincoln was born near Hodgenville and spent his early boyhood at Knob Creek, which sits right on US 31E between Bardstown and Hodgenville. Stop there first, about 30 minutes out: the grounds are open daily, dawn to dusk. Continue to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, about 50 minutes from Court Square, where 56 steps (one for each year of his life) climb to a neoclassical memorial built in 1911 around a symbolic cabin. The Memorial Building is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Then drive into town for the Lincoln Museum on the square ($8 adults) and lunch in Hodgenville.
To stretch it to a full day, come home by way of Springfield and Lincoln Homestead State Park, where Thomas Lincoln courted Nancy Hanks. Full details are on our Hodgenville and Lincoln Birthplace page.
2. Loretto and Lebanon bourbon day
Take the first tour at Maker’s Mark, about 40 minutes south, and eat at Star Hill Provisions. Visit the Loretto Motherhouse Heritage Center (walk-ins Tuesday through Thursday, 1 to 4 p.m.), then drive to Limestone Branch in Lebanon (Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 to 5) and the Lebanon National Cemetery. This is the Marion County bourbon trail, and the farmland drive is half the pleasure. Our Loretto and Lebanon guide has the details.
3. Clermont half day
The shortest bourbon loop. Tour James B. Beam Distilling Co., about 30 minutes away (closed Tuesdays in January and February; the main still is paused through 2026, but tours and the restaurant are running). Have lunch at The Kitchen Table, then walk to the Forest Giants at Bernheim Forest next door, with a suggested $15 per car. On the way home, stop at the Four Roses warehouse in Cox’s Creek, open Wednesday through Sunday. See Clermont, Bernheim and Jim Beam.
4. Louisville: Whiskey Row and the Derby
Be at the Kentucky Derby Museum when it opens at 8 a.m.; admission includes a guided track visit at Churchill Downs. Drive to Main Street for the Louisville Slugger factory and lunch at Doc Crow’s, Merle’s or the Brown Hotel for a Hot Brown. In the afternoon, pick Evan Williams or Old Forester, add the Muhammad Ali Center (Wednesday through Sunday, last entry 4:15), and finish at Angel’s Envy, open until 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The whole plan is on our Louisville page.
5. Frankfort and McCracken Pike
Start with a free Buffalo Trace tour (booked eight weeks out, on a Wednesday at 10 a.m.), about 75 minutes from Bardstown. Continue to Castle & Key for its gardens (Wednesday through Sunday; bars close at 4:30), then Woodford Reserve about 20 minutes down the same road, booked on its 90-day window. Come home through Lawrenceburg. For a gentler version, swap Woodford for the Lawrenceburg pair, Four Roses and Wild Turkey, 10 to 15 minutes apart. Start with our Frankfort and Buffalo Trace guide, which links onward to Woodford and Lawrenceburg.
6. Lexington horse day
Best during the Keeneland Fall Meet, October 2 to 24, 2026 (no racing Mondays or Tuesdays). Watch the free morning workouts and eat breakfast at the Track Kitchen, then visit the Kentucky Horse Park for the 10:30 a.m. or 1:15 p.m. Hall of Champions show (closed Tuesdays) or book a horse farm tour. Back to Keeneland for the afternoon races, a stop at Town Branch Distillery, and home in about 70 minutes. See Lexington and horse country.
7. Shakers and soldiers
Drive about 55 minutes to Perryville Battlefield, site of the largest Civil War battle in Kentucky, fought October 8, 1862. The museum is open daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through October. Lunch in Danville near Constitution Square, then continue to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill (exhibits Tuesday through Sunday, 10 to 5; adults $20). Stay for dinner at The Trustees’ Table, served 5 to 8:30 p.m., before the roughly 75-minute drive home. See our Shaker Village and Harrodsburg guide.
8. Family and quiet day, close in
Everything here is about 25 minutes from Court Square. On a Saturday, ride the Kentucky Railway Museum’s 2 p.m. excursion from New Haven, a 22-mile round trip to Boston, Kentucky (from $17, about 1.5 hours). Before or after, visit the Abbey of Gethsemani, where the visitor center is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thomas Merton is buried in the monastery cemetery. Stay for Vespers at 5:30 p.m. if you like, then drive back to Bardstown for dinner. Read more in our Abbey of Gethsemani guide.
9. Mammoth Cave
The longest drive, about 1 hour 40 minutes, and the only one in a different time zone: Mammoth Cave National Park runs on Central Time. Leave Bardstown by 7 a.m. Eastern (6 a.m. at the park), head west to Elizabethtown and take I-65 south. There is no entrance fee, but cave tours often sell out, so book the Historic tour (2 hours, $24 for adults) or Domes & Dripstones on Recreation.gov before you leave home. On the way back you can stop at Elizabethtown or the free Patton Museum at Fort Knox, which closes at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Plan it with our Mammoth Cave guide.
Tips that apply to every loop
Book the anchor first. On any loop with a famous distillery, the tour time is the fixed point and everything else bends around it. Release days and cancellation policies differ at every distillery, so read the booking terms before you pay.
Choose the driver before breakfast. Rural Kentucky roads are dark and curvy at night, and tastings add up. If nobody wants the job, hire it out through the companies in our tours and transportation guide.
Eat a real lunch. Distillery tastings come on an empty stomach otherwise, and several distillery kitchens on these loops close by mid-afternoon. Then come home to Bardstown for dinner on or near Court Square.
