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Kentucky, a state whose culture draws from the dramatic pasts of the East Coast, southeast, and Midwest regions, is a state many assume they know. But is this really true? As these history-filled towns show, Kentucky is as much a place of surprises as of its beloved traditions like bourbon and moonshine, bluegrass, horse racing, and more. Most visitors head to the state's largest towns, like Louisville, Lexington, or the state capital, Frankfort. But some of Kentucky's most interesting and most beautiful towns are sometimes off the beaten path. 

Grand Rivers

Grand Rivers, with just 350 residents, is a quiet waterside paradise. Sitting above Tennessee in Kentucky's western tip, near the Jackson Purchase region of the state, the lake-rich town and region were once the focus of Boston financier and speculator Thomas Lawson. He billed the area as the next major coal-producing region, but his venture failed after a few years. Grand Rivers remains a small, quaint place today, but Lawson's historic home still stands in town. 

Grand Rivers also offers access to Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley — and to the unique Land Between the Lakes, a 170,000-acre national recreation area. Visitors can see a still-functioning lighthouse at Lighthouse Landing, ride bicycles on the area's trails, or head for ice cream at Craig’s Dairy, a local institution. 

Newport

Newport, population 13,900, sits just across from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is considered a suburb of that city. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers, Newport, settled around 1791, attracted waves of mostly German immigrants in the second half of the 19th century. The town later attracted a different kind of fortune-seeker — the alcohol-peddling gangster during the 1920s, when Prohibition made the sale of alcohol illegal. Their lax approach to the law spawned corruption, briebery, and speakeasies (clandestine bars) across Newport.

In recent years Newport has turned to tourism, as its popular "Gangster Tour" suggests. Parents with young children may prefer the Newport Aquarium, or a family swim along the river beaches, which offer views of the Cincinnati skyline. Adults of all ages can enjoy Newport on the Levee, a dining and entertainment complex in town. 

Elizabethtown

Elizabethtown, with 31,900 people, sits south of Louisville. Established in 1793, the town faced dificulties in the tumult of the American Civil War. First seized by Confederate troops in 1862, the town later changed hands, coming under Union control. Traces of that dramatic past survive today, not least from the cannonball that remains lodged in the side of a downtown building. The site is marked by a historical placard. 

Today, Elizabethtown remembers less dramatic histories, such as at the town's Swope's Cars of Yesteryear Museum, with its displays of historic and beautiful automobiles. Outdoorsy types should head to the Freeman Lake, Elizabethtown Sports Park, or Elizabethtown Country Club. Called "E-Town" by locals, the place is considered as part of a "moist county," with restricted alcohol sales in some circumstances. It seems Prohibition never completely left Kentucky, or at least the parts around Elizabethtown. 

Covington

Covington, population 41,000, sits next to Newport across the Licking River. It is also a suburb of Cincinnati. It owes its development to the fact it became, by 1900, a major transportation hub, with connections to two regional railways and an Ohio River steamboat line. These days, Covington gives the tourist a long list of sees-and-dos, notably in the varied architectural styles of area homes and churches. The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, a massive limestone stucture built in 1895, towers over the town. 

For nature seekers, the Licking River, which makes for the town's eastern edge, has trails and boating of various kinds. The Twin Oaks golf course, also on the Licking, allows for time on the links.

Cave City

Cave City, with 2,400 people, is where to go to see Kentucky's famous Mammoth Caves, with thousands of visitors annually. The town, incorporated just after the Civil War in 1866, sits in cnetral Kentucky, near the banks of Green River. The same river runs through Mammoth Cave National Park. Fun fact: the United States has four towns named Cave City. Kentucky's is the largest. 

Visitors here can catch the Green River Ferry for a peaceful float, or can rent a kayak for a slightly more active time on the water. Travelers may want to stay at the town's Wigwam Village Motel, built in 1937 and one of three surviving sites from a total of seven. The wigwam accommodations are, believe it or not, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Finally, in another chapter of Kentucky's love-hate relationship with alcohol, Cave City in 2005 voted to ²¹±ô±ô´Ç·ÉÌýby-the-drink liquor sales in local restaurants, which overturned a fifty-year ban. 

Bardstown

Called the "Bourbon capital of America," Bardstown, population 13,700, in central Kentucky, celebrates its history of spirits with pride. First incorporated in 1790, the town today focuses its energies on producing bourbon whiskey. Bardstown's Old Talbott Tavern, operating continuously since 1779, has hosted the likes of Daniel Boone and US President Abraham Lincoln. Bardstown invites the º£½ÇÉçÇø for a drink during its annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, held each year. 

For some fresh air, the town features a place whose full name is My Old Kentucky Home State Park. The park includes the stately brick home of John Rowan, a former US Senator. Stephen Foster, a nephew of Rowan and the composer of the song called "My Old Kentucky Home," occasionally stayed in the home as a young person. It is said he may have penned the tune with his uncle's house in mind. The piece has been Kentucky's official state song since 1928. 

Paducah

Paducah, with 26,800 people, is located at the meeting point of the TennesseeÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýOhio Rivers. The Ohio marks the boundary of the city, and of Kentucky, from neighboring Illinois. Padaucah's past includes steamboats, railroads, and Confederate raids during the US Civil War. After º£½ÇÉçÇø War II, Paducah became home to a uranium enrichment plant, first operated by the Union Carbide corporation and part of the United States' growing industry around nuclear technology, whose beginnings were portrayed in the 2023 film "Oppenheimer." Paducah's plant closed in 2013.

For some local culture, visitors may enjoy the National Quilt Museum, which helps explain the traditions that have made Paducah part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network since 2013. For a little fresh air, head to Bob Noble Park, or practice your swing at Paxton Park Golf Course, both in town.  

Kentucky's Historic Towns Are Postcard-Pretty

Kentucky has come a long way, from frontier beginnings and the ravages of civil war, to become an industrial center and with some of the prettiest country east of the Mississippi. Grand Rivers and Covington offer boating and watersports of diverse kinds, while Elizabethtown and Paducah provide a clear-eyed look at the Civil War's local impact. Kentucky's past with legal and illegal liquor means the state's two cultures of drinking and temperance let you drink what you will, or not at all. For all tastes and for a slice of rare natural beauty, Kentucky's historic towns are must-see destinations.