The best things to do in Bardstown sit remarkably close together: tour Federal Hill at My Old Kentucky Home State Park, walk the brick streets of a 26-block National Register historic district, spend an afternoon among the Civil War museums on Broadway, then drive 25 minutes for the Forest Giants at Bernheim. Most of it is within a mile of Court Square, and the rest is a short, pretty drive. Start with the 25 best things to do in Bardstown if you want the ranked list, or use the sections below to plan by interest.
The headliners
Three experiences define a first visit. My Old Kentucky Home State Park became Kentucky’s first state park when Federal Hill was dedicated on July 4, 1923, and the hourly mansion tour ends with a guide in period costume singing the state song. On summer nights, The Stephen Foster Story fills the amphitheater a few hundred yards away, as it has every season since 1959. And the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven runs heritage trains on the oldest stretch of the old L&N from April into December.
For a sit-down version of rail travel, the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train leaves from the depot on North Third Street with 1940s dining cars and a four-course meal cooked on board.
History you can walk into
Bardstown was settled in 1780 and grew up as the Catholic and legal center of the Kentucky frontier, and a surprising amount of that town still stands. The historic district was listed in 1983 and covers 279 properties dating from the 1780s to 1850. Pick up a map and follow the self-guided walking tour past the 1779 Old Talbott Tavern, the old stone jail and the Basilica of St. Joseph.
On East Broadway, Civil War Museum Row puts four museums on one ticket, including the only museum devoted to women’s roles in the war. The History section covers the landmarks one by one.
Outdoors and golf
The big green escape is Bernheim Forest in Clermont: more than 16,000 acres, about 40 miles of trails, three giant wooden trolls by Danish artist Thomas Dambo and a boardwalk 75 feet above the forest floor, on a $15-per-car suggested donation. Closer in, the state park has the Kenny Rapier Golf Course (open since 1933) and, as of September 2026, a free nine-hole disc golf course in its picnic grove.
Other writers on this site cover golf in Bardstown, parks and walking trails, lakes, fishing and paddling, farms and pumpkin patches and scenic drives. One heads-up for anglers: Sympson Lake, the city reservoir west of town, is closed to all boating in 2026 while its dam is repaired.
Plan by interest
Traveling with children, looking for a free afternoon, or dodging a thunderstorm? The by-interest guides sort everything for you: Bardstown with kids, free things to do, rainy day ideas, Bardstown at night, a romantic getaway and the town’s ghost stories and haunted spots.
Shopping
Downtown’s shops fill the old storefronts around Court Square. Browse the shopping guide, hunt through antiques and vintage, see the galleries and murals, or hit the farmers market on a Saturday morning between April and October.
What Bardstown doesn’t have (right now)
A few things visitors expect are missing, so plan around them. There is no movie theater: Keystone Cinemas closed in April 2022. The My Old Kentucky Home campground is still closed for renovation, so look at the camping and RV guide for alternatives. Sympson Lake boating is off for 2026. And no escape room or mini golf course turned up in town. The good news: the city’s new indoor aquatic and sports center on West Broadway is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027.
Where to start
If you have one day, spend the morning at Federal Hill, walk downtown for lunch and the free Getz Museum in Spalding Hall, and give the afternoon to either Museum Row or one distillery tour. The one day in Bardstown itinerary lays it out hour by hour, and the bourbon section handles the distilleries.
When to go
Fall brings the busiest calendar, with the free Bardstown Scarecrow Trail at the amphitheater (September 25 to November 6, 2026), ghost tours at Federal Hill in late October and fall-break trains in New Haven. Summer is theater and concert season. Winter is quiet, and the mansion runs Wednesday through Sunday only from January 2 to March 15. See the events calendar before you book.
