Bourbon Manor is the B&B to book if bourbon is the whole point of your trip. It calls itself the first bourbon-themed bed and breakfast in the world, and it lives in two pre-Civil War houses on a wooded lot on North Third Street, under a mile from Court Square. Ten antique-filled rooms are named for cocktails, breakfast is a full country spread, and the inn’s own bourbon lounge, the Bunghole, pours more than 100 labels a few steps from your door. It is also the most-reviewed B&B in town, at 4.9 out of 5 from more than 600 Tripadvisor reviews.
The two houses
The property pairs a Federal-style home from about 1810 with a Greek Revival antebellum mansion from about 1823, set on a private, park-like lot with mature trees. Owners Todd Allen and Tyler Horton put about $350,000 into restoring it, according to Visit Bardstown’s roundup of historic stays. The mansion, called the Manor, holds seven rooms. The older Federal House works as a guest cottage with three more.
The result feels like a well-kept private estate that happens to keep a bourbon bar on the lawn: tall ceilings, antiques, fireplaces, and a lawn where you can sit with a glass after the tasting rooms close.
The rooms
All ten rooms have private baths and fireplaces, most with king beds. The rooms page has virtual tours of each.
| Room | Building and floor | Bed | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Old Fashioned | Manor, 1st floor | King canopy | 20 x 20 ft; tub with spray jets |
| Mint Julep | Manor, 2nd floor | Four-poster king | Jacuzzi tub for two, walk-in shower |
| Classic Sazerac | Manor, 2nd floor | King | Walk-in shower |
| Hotty Toddy | Manor, 2nd floor | Four-poster king | Two-person walk-in shower with dual heads |
| Southern Love | Manor, 2nd floor | Queen | Gas-log fireplace |
| Manhattan Honeymoon Hideaway | Manor, 2nd floor | King canopy | Jetted tub, private exterior entrance; steep, narrow, winding stairs |
| Master Distiller’s Den | Manor, 1st floor | King | Private exterior entrance |
| Debutante’s Dream | Federal House, 2nd floor | Queen plus 2 twins | Good for a trio or small family |
| Magnolia Maiden | Federal House, 2nd floor | Queen four-poster | Claw-foot tub |
| Scarlet Starlet | Federal House, 1st floor | Queen | Vintage claw-foot tub |
The Manor rooms mostly have electric fireplaces, with the gas log in Southern Love. The Federal House rooms have decorative fireplaces. For a couple on an anniversary, Mint Julep (tub for two) and Manhattan Honeymoon Hideaway (jetted tub and its own entrance) are the showpieces. If stairs are a problem, stick to the first-floor rooms, and read the accessibility note below.
Breakfast, happy hour and the Bunghole
Breakfast is included every morning, served at 8:30 or 9:30 a.m. You can ask for an early continental grab-and-go if you have a morning tour, and the kitchen will work around allergies and dietary needs with notice (there may be a charge). The inn calls it an award-winning, bourbon-themed breakfast. Tripadvisor reviewers single out puff pastries with eggs, sausage and bourbon-glazed popovers, and one describes a separate meal made for a guest with celiac disease.
The Bunghole Bourbon Lounge sits in its own building on the grounds. It stocks more than 100 bourbons, doubles as a gift shop, and is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Drinks are not complimentary, and there is no food service, so eat first. Reviewers say Todd “makes the best old fashioned,” which is the right review for a man running a bourbon B&B. The lounge is open to the public when it is not booked for an event, so you may share it with locals.
Spa and the bourbon concierge
Bourbon Manor has a guests-only day spa with massage, booked separately. The inn also plans itineraries, coordinates distillery tours and arranges transportation, which is valuable in fall when tour slots go fast. Tell them your dates, the distilleries you care about and if you need a driver, and let them work it out. Our guide to booking distillery tours explains why fall bookings go about three months out.
Policies to read before you book
The inn’s policies page is detailed. The essentials:
- Check-in is between 4 and 10 p.m.; tell them in advance if you will be later. Check-out is by noon.
- A 50% deposit (at least one night) is due at booking, with the balance at the end of your stay.
- Cancel more than 14 days out for a refund minus $25 per room per night. Inside 14 days (30 for groups) the deposit is forfeited unless the room re-books, and inside 7 days you pay for the full stay. A trip-cancellation plan at 15% of the room rate lets you cancel until noon on arrival day.
- Children stay only with a full Federal House or whole-property rental, with a per-child fee.
- No smoking indoors; the damage fee starts at $250.
- Pets are by advance arrangement only, in first-floor rooms, up to 50 pounds, with a $100 deposit, per the FAQ. Settle it before you book.
On accessibility, the inn is candid: no elevators, varied entrances, and a first-floor room is not always step-free. A few reviewers also mention tall beds and a thermostat they could not adjust, so ask about both if either matters to you.
Where it is
At 714 North Third Street, the inn is north of downtown along the main street (US 31E), a little under a mile from Court Square. That is a flat walk of about 15 to 20 minutes to dinner, or a one-minute drive with free parking at both ends. The upside of being slightly out of the center is quiet and a big green lot instead of a shared wall.
Walk south on Third Street and you pass the shops and restaurants of downtown on the way to the square. The Old SteelHouse tasting room is on North Third near the square, and Circa 1856 Chicken Cock is just off it on Stephen Foster Avenue. For a two-day plan built around a base like this, see our two-day bourbon itinerary.
Is it worth it?
For bourbon lovers and couples, yes. Nothing else in Bardstown combines a lounge this deep, a concierge for tours and a full breakfast in a historic house. Rates are not posted on the homepage; one booking site showed prices from $227, so expect a premium over the town’s hotels, plus roughly 10% in room taxes.
Look elsewhere if you are bringing kids for a regular room, need step-free access, or want a pool. Compare the smaller Red Rose Inn on Stephen Foster Avenue, the rest of our historic inns and B&Bs, or ideas for a romantic getaway.
Bourbon Manor fills early in September and October. Open the live map on this page to check its price for your dates against the other inns in town.
