A surprising amount of Bardstown’s best costs nothing. You can walk a 26-block historic district that has been on the National Register since 1983, browse more than 5,000 whiskey artifacts at the free Oscar Getz Museum, stand inside the first Catholic cathedral west of the Alleghenies, hike woodland trails with creek crossings, and, depending on the season, catch a free Friday concert or drive the Scarecrow Trail. Spend your money on a distillery tour and dinner, and fill the rest of the day for free.
Free things to do in Bardstown at a glance
| Free activity | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Oscar Getz Museum of whiskey history | 114 N. Fifth St. (Spalding Hall) | Daily; hours vary by day |
| Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral | 310 W. Stephen Foster Ave. | Outside Mass times |
| Self-guided historic district walk | Starts at 1 Court Square | Any time |
| John Fitch memorial and Old Pioneer Cemetery | Court Square; behind Jailer’s Inn | Any time |
| Community Park woodland trails | 429 E. Halstead Ave. | Dawn to dusk |
| My Old Kentucky Home State Park grounds and disc golf | 501 E. Stephen Foster Ave. | Daily |
| Free Friday concerts | Bardstown Community Park | Late May to late August |
| Scarecrow Trail | State park amphitheater drive | Sept. 25 to Nov. 6, 2026 |
| Light Up Bardstown | Court Square | Nov. 27, 2026 |
Walk the historic district
Start at the Bardstown Visitor Center, inside the old Nelson County Courthouse in the middle of Court Square, and ask for the free walking tour map (it is also downloadable from Visit Bardstown). The Bardstown Historic District covers 26 blocks and 279 properties, with Georgian and Federal buildings dating from the 1780s to 1850. Look for the stone walls of the 1779 Old Talbott Tavern and the limestone jail next door, where Nelson County held prisoners from 1797 until 1987.
On the square, the John Fitch memorial marks the grave of the inventor whose steamboat ran on the Delaware River in 1787; he died in Bardstown in 1798 and was reburied here in 1927 under a monument with a replica of his boat. His first resting place, the Old Pioneer Cemetery behind Jailer’s Inn, has above-ground chest tombs from a burial ground established in 1789. Read the stories in John Fitch and the Pioneer Cemetery, and follow the full route in the self-guided walking tour.
Free museums and landmarks
Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History
The best free hour in town. The Getz Museum fills Spalding Hall, built in 1826 as St. Joseph College and used as a hospital during the Civil War, with more than 5,000 artifacts gathered by Chicago spirits executive Oscar Getz over half a century. Look for Abraham Lincoln’s liquor license, Prohibition-era prescriptions for “medicinal” whiskey and moonshine stills, including one that may have belonged to George Washington. Admission is free and donations are welcome. Hours are Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. More in the Getz Museum guide.
Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral
Right next to Spalding Hall, the Basilica’s cornerstone was laid in 1816, and it became the first Catholic cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains, seat of a diocese that once stretched across what are now 10 states. There is no admission charge. Inside hang the paintings long told as gifts from European royalty; the famous “Rubens,” for example, is now credited to the Italian painter Mattia Preti, and the collection survived a 1952 theft before the FBI recovered it. It is an active parish with weekday Mass at 8:45 a.m., so plan your visit outside services. See the Basilica guide.
Free outdoors
Bardstown Community Park on E. Halstead Avenue has four color-coded woodland trails, from the gentle 0.77-mile Town Creek trail to the steep Federal Hill Loop. Wear boots after rain; there are creek crossings. At My Old Kentucky Home State Park, the mansion tour costs money but the grounds do not: bring a picnic to the tables and grills, let the kids loose on the playground, look for owls and bluebirds, and play the free 9-hole Tulip Grove disc golf course, which opened in September 2026. For flat miles, Dean Watts Park has a paved trail of about 2 miles. Details are in the parks and walking trails guide.
Free events by season
Bardstown throws a lot of parties that cost nothing to attend.
Summer
The city’s free concert series fills Community Park every Friday at 7 p.m. from late May through late August (the 2026 season, its 24th, ran May 22 to Aug. 28). Bring lawn chairs. In June, the free Bourbon City Street Concert takes over North Third Street. Lineups are in summer concerts in Bardstown.
Fall
The Scarecrow Trail is a free drive-through display along the amphitheater driveway, Sept. 25 to Nov. 6, 2026, daily until dusk. The Downtown Halloween Spooktacular brings free trick-or-treating to Court Square on Oct. 27, 2026.
Holidays and market mornings
At Light Up Bardstown on Nov. 27, 2026, the town lights its Christmas tree with hot cocoa and photos with Santa, and the Kiwanis Christmas Parade follows on Dec. 3. See Christmas in Bardstown. Year-round thrift starts at the market, too: browsing the Bardstown Farmers Market at 200 E. Flaget Ave. costs nothing, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings from April through October.
Free bourbon? Almost
Bardstown’s distilleries charge for tours, typically from about $24, and tastings are 21 and over. The free way into bourbon here is the Getz Museum. Inside the downtown Bourbon Capital District, you can carry a drink bought at a licensed downtown business along marked sidewalks during set hours, which makes an evening stroll feel like an event even if you nurse one pour. For cheap tastings and bars with fair prices, read budget bourbon experiences.
Free within a short drive
Two national landmarks nearby charge nothing. The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace near Hodgenville, about 45 minutes south, “is free, and has no associated fees,” according to the National Park Service. Its neoclassical Memorial Building has 56 steps, one for each year of Lincoln’s life. On the way, Lincoln’s boyhood home at Knob Creek is open daily dawn to dusk. The Hodgenville day trip has the plan. Farther west, about 55 minutes away, the General George Patton Museum at Fort Knox is another low-cost option; check its hours and admission before you go.
Bernheim Forest in Clermont is not free, but its recommended admission of $15 per car covers everyone inside and opens 40 miles of trails and the Forest Giants, the best value in the region for a carload.
A free afternoon in Bardstown
Here is how to string the free stops into one easy day. Park in the free city lot off Flaget Avenue and start at the Visitor Center on Court Square for the walking map. Spend an hour at the Getz Museum, then step next door into the Basilica. Walk back along Stephen Foster Avenue past the Talbott Tavern and Jailer’s Inn, and duck behind the jail to the Old Pioneer Cemetery. After lunch, drive to Community Park for the Town Creek trail, or out to My Old Kentucky Home State Park for a round of disc golf and a picnic. On a summer Friday, stay at Community Park for the 7 p.m. concert; in fall, finish at the Scarecrow Trail before dusk.
How to keep the whole trip cheap
Park once in the free city lot between Third and Fourth streets off Flaget Avenue, one block from Court Square, and walk everything downtown. Pick up picnic supplies at the farmers market, start the day with a cheap breakfast from Hadorn’s Bakery, and save the splurge for one great distillery tour. The Bardstown on a budget guide builds a full weekend around these ideas.
