Spend The Night In The Maker’s Mark Family’s Historic Kentucky Home — Complete With Its Epic Bourbon Bar
The Samuels House, a historic 200-year-old manor in Kentucky, is now open for guests to stay and enjoy its luxurious amenities and rich bourbon heritage.
Here in Kentucky, our love for bourbon runs deep. The Bourbon Trail is a quintessential Kentucky experience, and it's getting bigger and better all the time! The newest addition to your Bluegrass bourbon experience is an iconic one; for the first time ever, guests can spend the night in the Maker's Mark Family's historic Kentucky home! The Samuels House is now open for guests to enjoy, and this historic place -- complete with its own bourbon bar! -- is a must for any self-described bourbon sommeliers in the Bluegrass State.
For bourbon aficionados, The Samuels House is legendary.
Set amidst two acres fitted with mature oak trees and surrounded by bucolic Bluegrass beauty, this 200-year-old Federal-style manor is one of the most incredible pieces of architecture in the state -- and South.
Constructed in 1820 by John Samuels, the son of Robert Samuels -- who made whisky for George Washington's troops in the Revolutionary War! -- this property remained in family hands until the 1950s.
This well-appointed property is the perfect mix of old and new; the immaculate space has lux amenities and features, along with dozens of artifacts from the Samuels family.
The home’s centerpiece features a hand-made bar showcasing 50 bottles of whisky spanning 150 years of Samuels family distilling, harkening all the way back to the days of the old T.W. Samuels brand. This is #bourbonbargoals, are we right?!
And true Bluegrass fashion, The Samuels House is located on a pastoral piece of property next to a horse farm! Stop and say "hay" while you're exploring the grounds.
Definitely put The Samuels House on your Bluegrass State bucket list -- the opportunity to stay in the Maker's Mark Family's historic Kentucky home is one you won't want to pass up!
There are so many wonderful places to stay in Kentucky, and that seems especially true in the fall. Sure, you might consider booking a few nights at a beautiful resort, but in our opinion, it's hard to beat the classic experience of a bed and breakfast. Today's feature destination is well-loved among Kentucky locals, but a true hidden gem if you're visiting. And, it just so happens to have the perfect autumn-inspired name. Without further ado, here's more on why you should consider booking your stay at Maple Hill Manor, a scenic spot in Kentucky that comes alive with color come fall.
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Located right along Kentucky's famed Bourbon Trail awaits an accommodation that's equal parts charming and historic: Maple Hill Manor.
The moment you step inside, you'll feel as though you've stepped back in time. Though it's been thoroughly updated, the original home was built in 1851.
The inn has been operating for over 30 years, and the owners pride themselves on providing a relaxing, romantic, and rejuvenating place for guests to stay.
And while this bed and breakfast is a wonderful Kentucky destination throughout the year, it truly shines in the fall, when the estate transforms into a sea of fall colors.
The bed and breakfast features 7 beautifully appointed rooms complete with all the amenities you'll need for a comfortable stay, including en-suite bathrooms. But we have a suspicion that you'll want to spend most of your free time outside!
Would you book a stay at Maple Hill Manor in Kentucky? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments below -- we would love to hear from you! And for even more fun fall activities in the Bluegrass, be sure to check out our fall foliage road trip in Kentucky. It's absolutely breathtaking! (Just don't forget to check out our road trip essentials packing list before you hit the road.)
The weather is perfect in Shelby County, Kentucky. It’s a balmy 70 degrees and sunny, the sky dotted with fluffy clouds. According to the locals, this is unusual for spring in the South, but I’m soaking up every minute of it. Located about 30 minutes from Louisville and an hour from Lexington, Shelby County is perfectly situated between these two hot spots, and, best of all, it’s right on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
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I visited the Bluegrass State for a getaway from my cramped studio apartment in Boston and a taste of a different life. In Shelby County, I swapped subway cars for thoroughbred horses and brusque greetings for Southern hospitality.
I’m Celina, a Boston-based travel, food, and culture writer. I’m a born-and-raised New Englander who migrated from New Hampshire to Boston, and while I love telling global stories, I’ll always have a soft spot for the lobster-loving part of the United States.
Shelby County is known for a few things. In particular, horses. The famous Kentucky Derby is held just a half hour away at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and many horses in the county are either being trained to race on that famed course, or they’re looking for a new post-race career.
Melanie Defler runs West Meadow Farm, a beautiful property where she takes care of future racehorses for Derby investors and nurses rescue horses back to health.
Visitors by the busload flock to the farm to see the powerful thoroughbreds running in the field, the mischievous goats scampering around the barn, and, if they’re lucky, a new foal learning to use its legs. Meet the horses here:
Down the road in Shelbyville, Jeanette Aumon of Cerulean Farms has a similar mission. She doesn’t breed racehorses, but she does rescue them from unfortunate circumstances.
Aumon used to work as an OR nurse; now she puts her caregiving talents to good use nursing horses back to health and vibrancy. And while you’re visiting Shelby County, you can too.
Cerulean Farms is also an incredibly charming bed and breakfast, and I stayed there during my time in the county. There are four rooms in the house, each furnished with warm, cozy interiors and featuring Aumon’s own horse photography.
The center of the home is a gorgeous year round porch where guests can eat their homemade breakfast, enjoy their coffee, and watch the sun rise over the fields.
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Guests can be as involved with the horses as they like while staying on the property. I toured the farm and met a few of the horses with Aumon, but she says other guests are even more involved, one notably helped deliver a foal during their stay.
Full disclosure: coming from Boston, I don’t have much experience with horses, and I’m not totally comfortable around the large animals. At each of these locations you can be as lovey with the horses (or not) as you want. I never felt unsafe or pressured while visiting these farms.
For horse newbies like myself, Lettleiki Icelandics – the largest Icelandic horse farm in North America – is a good place to start. Icelandic horses are smaller than other breeds, and they’re known for being gentle because Iceland has no natural predators to them.
Still feeling concerned? Try visiting the adorable highland cows, complete with rocker hairstyles, at the mother-daughter run T.C. Highlands Farm in Pleasureville.
All that animal loving works up an appetite – and I was in Kentucky, so we had to stop by Claudia Sanders Dinner House, one of the original restaurants run by Colonel Sanders of KFC fame.
There’s some fascinating history on this property and the comfort food is served around large communal tables for a homey feel.
For a more elevated evening, check out Little Mount Lavender, a chic café adjacent to lavender fields that uses locally grown lavender in a variety of delicious cocktails and dishes. After dinner, browse through the marketplace of local artists and lavender products.
Top off a Kentucky night with a stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour: Jeptha Creed. This mother-daughter owned and operated distillery uses bloody butcher corn to craft a unique bourbon flavor.
The tasting experience is also extremely luxe. Guests are guided to the barrel room where the bourbons age and sip samples in wing-backed leather armchairs. Talk about a power position.
If you don’t drink, enjoy an after-dinner indulgence at Spotz Gelato, another woman-owned business famed for its banana pudding flavor.
When I left Kentucky, I didn’t leave empty handed. Yes, I had many memories and newfound horse friends, but I also had something more tangible: a Derby hat.
Dori Lewis has been making Kentucky Derby hats at the Polkadotted Pineapple on Shelbyville’s Main Street for decades, and her mastery shows. This was another stop on my adventure I would love to remember.
Legend has it that the higher the hat, the bigger the luck, so you can believe I walked through airport security skimming the ceiling.
To discover more incredible boots-on-the-ground adventures across America from our team of local travel experts, check out all of the articles in OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers series. What destinations would you like to see featured next on OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers? Tell us where we should go on our nominations page.
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