Sample Itineraries
Pack as much fun as possible into your stay in South Central Kentucky. We have something for everyone from Corvette buffs to shopaholics.
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Food, Farm & Family Traditions
Explore Kentucky’s agriculture heritage in South Central Kentucky. Get a glimpse of our past while previewing our future as it relates to food, farm and family tradition. Encounter Texas Long Horn cattle, have lunch in Bowling Green’s oldest brick home, and tour a Victorian house-museum. See poinsettias, tobacco, flowering plants and shrimp farmers. Sample some honey right from the local beekeepers, and watch candles being crafted. Discover how cheese is made and visit the museum of the Barrens. Visit a working farm, a dairy and even an Australian sheep station.
Gifts, Gears & Gadgets
A trip to our area is something both men and women will enjoy. The shopping, browsing, beauty and tranquility of the area conveys a feelilng of “I’m not ready to leave!” This itinerary will take you through the Kentucky Museum with and gifts focusing on our great state. Swing by Rickman Pottery to see original creations and experience life as a Shaker, including lunch at 1869 Shaker Tavern in nearby South Union. Don’t miss the National Corvette Museum, Riverview, a Victorian house museum and our unique shopping and dining downtown at Fountain Square. Wild Bird and Nature Store offers interesting gifts, and you can’t miss Greenwood Mall with over 100 stores. Wrap up your trip by picking up some Kentucky country hams, bourbon and cheese!
Miles of Smiles
Get ready for grins, giggles and miles of smiles when the kids go traveling with their grandparents (or parents). See trains, dinosaurs, kangaroos and Corvettes. Ride a boat underground and race in a miniature stock car. Paint your own works of art and hop off some energy! There’s so much to do, and so much to smile about!
Mystery Trip
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a mystery waiting in Bowling Green for you! Your group will be bowled over and pleasantly surprised at the mysteriously good time you will have on a Mystery Tour! Explore Kentucky above ground, below ground and down under! See candles being crafted and Corvettes being constructed.
Salute and Stay
This military- themed tour offers a chance to honor the lives and sacrifices of Bowling Green and Warren County’s bravest. Visit Aviation Heritage Park to see the F4-D Phantom responsible for a Mig-21 kill in the Vietnam War, see the Veterans Memorial at the Warren County Courthouse, travel along parts of the Civil War Discovery Trail, and tour the National Corvette Museum to see military-inspired models.
Bullets & Biscuits
An adventure in history awaits you. This tour is perfect for the Civil War buff, the antique enthusiast and the southern cuisine craver. See the Kentucky Museum’s ‘A Star in Each Flag: Conflict in Kentucky’ exhibit, the Historic Railpark & Train Museum’s ‘Lincoln and the Railroad’ exhibit, plus many more historic attractions with a Civil War connection!
Caves & Corvettes
Rev up your engines, this day starts at the GM Corvette Assembly Plant where you’ll witness the “birth of a Corvette.” Then ride on over to the National Corvette Museum, the showcase for America’s favorite sports car. After a “high powered” morning, motor on to Fountain Square Park for a stroll through the park, a little shopping and lunch. This downtown district features several locally-owned restaurants.
From downtown, go underground at Lost River Cave & Valley. Here you’ll slip into a lower gear when you take a leisurely boat tour of the cave. Then shift gears and head to the barn, Chaney’s Dairy Barn. At Chaney’s they make their own premium ice cream on the farm. This evening, enjoy slow smoked barbecue at Hog Wild BBQ.
Cookin’ and Cruisin’
The itinerary begins with a tour of the GM Corvette/Cadillac XLR Assembly Plant where step-by-step production of America’s favorite sports car takes place, followed by a visit to the Kentucky Museum featuring the popular exhibit “Recommended by Duncan Hines” among many other fascinating collections.
While at the Kentucky Museum, a chef’s cooking demonstration will heighten your taste buds in preparation for a delicious lunch (available with advanced reservation for groups). The final stop of the day will take you to the “coolest” spot in town, Lost River Cave & Valley, to revisit the historical elements of the Valley and explore the Cave on Kentucky’s only underground boat tour.
VERY IMPORTANT – No cell phones, cameras, electronic devices, purses, back or fanny packs are permitted on the Corvette Plant tour and ONLY closed toe shoes are allowed!
Water & Wonder
Start your day with a trip to Riley’s Bakery and indulge in their made-from-scratch cream horns, Hungarian coffee cake and pastries. Then visit the Barren River Imaginative Museum of Science, a unique “hands-on” science museum. You’ll be amazed by the wonders of science. Next, bounce on over to the Imagination Stations, the area’s only indoor play zone with interactive inflatables.
When you’ve worked up an appetite, go next door to the Cambridge Market. This delicatessen features delicious gourmet specials and desserts. After lunch, make a splash at Russell Sims Aquatic Park. The pools, slides and playgrounds make for a splish-splashing good time. This evening take the entire family to Southern Lanes for bowling, mini golf, billiards, games and more.
Shakers & Shopping
Before you begin day of shopping you’ll want to fuel up with a hearty breakfast from Country Mill. Country Mill is a local favorite for home cooked meals. While you are downtown, make your way to the Kentucky Museum. Here you’ll learn about Kentucky’s past and have a chance to purchase Kentucky crafted products. Next take a short drive to the Shaker Museum at South Union. You’ll marvel at the accomplishments of this innovative religious society. Of course, you won’t want to miss the gift shop!
For lunch enjoy a fresh from the farm meal that includes homemade breads, soup, sandwiches and premium ice cream at Chaney’s Dairy Barn. The Chaney’s have filled the barn with Kentucky crafts and foods. After lunch, it is time to shop again, at nearby Rock Garden Farms. This is the stop for unique finds and one-of-a-kinds. After all this shopping, take time to “cool off” at Lost River Cave. The Cave features a boat tour of the cave and the Old Mill Gift Shop. As evening approaches, shop til’ you drop at Greenwood Mall, have dinner at the food court and ride the antique-styled carousel.
Bowling Green’s Christmas Scene
An itinerary focusing on the first weekend of December. You will find loads of things to do, much of which are FREE! Shop at the Christmas at Shakertown Holiday Market, sample Gingerbred in a Log Cabin at the Kentucky Museum’s Christmas in Kentucky, climb aboard railcars at the Festival of Trains, tour the beautiful Victorian home, Riverview, find that one-of-a-kind gift at the Gallery Hop, and, of course, drive around twinkling Fountain Square Park!
