Bardstown’s historic inns are the reason to spend a little more on a room here. You can sleep above a 1779 stagecoach tavern on Court Square, in the stone walls of the 1819 county jail, or in a Federal-era house pouring its own bourbon happy hour, all within a few minutes’ walk of dinner. The best-reviewed are Bourbon Manor, the Red Rose Inn and the Bourbon Ball Inn; the most memorable are the Talbott and Jailer’s Inn. Book early, because most have fewer than a dozen rooms.
The inns compared
| Inn | Building | Rooms | Walk to Court Square | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talbott Inn and Old Talbott Tavern | Tavern 1779; inn building 1913 | 6 tavern rooms + 16 inn rooms | On the square | Not a B&B; restaurant and bourbon bar downstairs |
| Jailer’s Inn | Front jail 1819, back jail 1874 | Nine named rooms and suites | Half a block | Full breakfast, free jail tour, no pets |
| Bourbon Manor | Federal home c. 1810 and Greek Revival mansion c. 1823 | 10 spirit-themed rooms | Walkable | Bourbon lounge, guests-only spa, nightly happy hour |
| Red Rose Inn | 1820 house on East Stephen Foster Ave. | 4 themed rooms | A few blocks | Formerly Arbor Rose B&B; porch rockers, big backyard |
| Bourbon Ball Inn | Restored building from about 1795 | 3 suites | Steps from downtown | Innkeeper-baked breakfast |
| Colonel’s Cottage Inns | Cottages c. 1830-1903; two suites on Court Square | 4 cottages + 2 suites | In town | Whole cottages for families |
| Springhill Winery B&B | 1857 mansion on a vineyard | 4 suites + 2 rooms sharing a bath | Drive, toward Bloomfield | Complimentary wine tastings |
Rates rise and fall with the calendar. On a late-September 2026 weeknight, Jailer’s Inn showed about $160, the Red Rose Inn about $229 and the Talbott Inn about $231 on Google Hotels. Bourbon Manor and the smaller inns take bookings on their own sites, which is the place to see current prices.
Talbott Inn and the Old Talbott Tavern
The only way to sleep on Court Square itself. The Old Talbott Tavern, built in 1779 with stone walls two feet thick, has six guest rooms, each named for someone famous or infamous who passed through. The tavern’s guest lore includes Stephen Foster and Jesse James (the bullet holes upstairs are a legend, and a good one). Next door, the Talbott Inn has 16 renovated rooms with Queen, King or two Queen beds, a fridge, microwave, dry bar and smart TV.
This is an inn, not a B&B, but breakfast is not a problem with the tavern’s restaurant a few steps away. Reserve through the Talbott’s own lodging page. If ghost stories are your thing, the tavern has plenty; if a quiet night is, ask for a room in the newer inn building. More history is on our Old Talbott Tavern page and the stay details on the Talbott Inn guide.
Jailer’s Inn
Nelson County held prisoners on this spot from 1797 until 1987, and the inn keeps both jails. The 1819 front jail, with 30-inch limestone walls, holds most of the guest rooms: the Victorian, Colonial and Library rooms, the Garden Room with a claw-foot tub, the 1819 Room with a double Jacuzzi, a Family Suite with a living room and wet bar, plus the Nautical and Honey suites. Then there is the Jail Cell, with a full bed and bunks once used by inmates. The 1874 back jail is left largely as it was, and guests get a tour.
Breakfast is served at 8:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday, in the courtyard in summer. Check-in runs 2 to 8 p.m. Cancellation is seven days, stretched to 30 days on Derby, Bourbon Festival and Arts & Crafts Fair weekends. No pets. See the rooms, or read our Jailer’s Inn guide.
Bourbon Manor
The most-reviewed B&B in town, with a 4.9 rating from 619 Tripadvisor reviews, and the one to book if bourbon is the point of the trip. Bourbon Manor calls itself the first bourbon-themed B&B in the world. Ten antique-furnished rooms spread across a Federal home from about 1810 and a Greek Revival mansion from about 1823 on a wooded lot on North Third Street. Rooms have private baths and fireplaces (mostly electric, with one gas-log room), most have king beds, and two have jetted tubs.
The extras are the draw: a bourbon lounge called The Bunghole with more than 100 bottles, a nightly happy hour, a guests-only day spa and a bourbon concierge who will plan tours and transport. See our Bourbon Manor guide for room details.
Red Rose Inn
Formerly the Arbor Rose B&B, the Red Rose Inn occupies an 1820 house on East Stephen Foster Avenue, an easy walk from the square in one direction and My Old Kentucky Home in the other. Four themed rooms have private baths. The homemade country breakfast rotates, and the front-porch rockers, back deck and big backyard make it feel like a friend’s house. Reviewers give it 4.9 on both Tripadvisor and Google.
Bourbon Ball Inn
Three suites in a restored building from about 1795 on East Broadway, steps from downtown. Each suite has a private bath, a coffee station, a mini-fridge and a microwave, and some have gas fireplaces. The innkeeper bakes breakfast, and reviewers keep bringing up the cinnamon cake. With a perfect 5.0 from 148 Tripadvisor reviews and only three suites, the Bourbon Ball Inn books up early.
Colonel’s Cottage Inns and Kentucky Bourbon House
A good choice for two couples or a family who want a whole house downtown. Colonel’s Cottage Inns rents four restored cottages: Pioneer Park Cottage (c. 1880, two bedrooms and two baths), Millstone Cottage (c. 1880, two bedrooms), John Fitch Cottage (c. 1830, one bedroom) and Bourbon Cottage (c. 1903, two bedrooms). On Court Square, its Kentucky Bourbon House has two suites, the upstairs Bourbon Loft and the downstairs Chapeze Suite. Expect welcome baskets and the owners’ signature bourbon coffee.
Beyond downtown: winery and distillery B&Bs
Two country options give the B&B experience with more land around it. Springhill Winery & Plantation B&B, about halfway between Bardstown and Bloomfield, puts you in an 1857 mansion on a three-acre vineyard, with a full country breakfast and complimentary tastings. South of town, Log Still Distillery’s Homestead is a historic farmhouse turned B&B with Queen suites published at $189 and a King primary suite at $249. Both are covered on our unique stays page.
Tips for booking a Bardstown inn
- Book direct. Most inns publish rooms and availability on their own sites, and innkeepers can tell you which room has the stairs, the tub or the quietest wall.
- Ask about parking. Some have off-street spaces; others rely on the street or a nearby free city lot.
- Expect old-building quirks: steep staircases, sloping floors and few elevators. If stairs are a problem, ask for a ground-floor room.
- Watch festival cancellation terms. Several inns lengthen them on big weekends.
- Check before trusting a list. Beautiful Dreamer and the Mary May House have closed, and a few other B&B names on review sites show no sign of recent operation. If a website is dead and nobody answers the phone, move on.
Compare inns on the map
The small inns cluster within a few blocks of Court Square, so the live map below is the quickest way to see which still have rooms on your dates and how they compare on price with the motels a block or two away. If your favorite is full, check the one around the corner before giving up on downtown.
