A lovely evening with the Thorobreds at Mill Ridge Farm. Pizza and wine, and a walk through the…read morebeauty of the farm and the thoroughbreds that reside there. 69

This was a GREAT tour. Took tour on a Sunday but windy…read moreSaturday. Nice sized group. Delightful tour guide, Brittany. First a quick history of the farm. Then we met one of the stallions and fed him carrots. We got in our cars and drove to meet some mares and foals. Took a bit for the mares to come and greet us but they all did eventually. Very friendly horses, especially when you have carrots. Lastly we saw the yearling fillies. Beautiful setting. This was so fun, highly recommend if in the area.

The beautiful Darby Dan Farm embodies the tradition of thoroughbred breeding since 1935. Rolling…read moregreen hills with paddocks lined by white fences are a picture, so much so that the farm was used in the movie "Secretariat". Still in the hands of the family, it upholds the generational belief in the horse as a thing of value 56

If you ever get the chance, this is a beautiful place to see! Ryan gave us a great tour, took time…read moreto answer all our questions, and introduced us to Shackleford. Beautiful grounds, beautiful horses!!

We came to The Castle for the second half of our Honeymoon week and it did not disappoint! The…read moreBartender, Jordan, was awesome and would happily describe any bourbon, cocktail or give you recommendations on where to eat or where to go to see live music. Each day the room was meticulously cleaned and re-stocked. We had the most a phenomenal breakfast brought to our room and ate out on the second floor patio. Our last night there, we ate at the restaurant and had the most delicious beef tartar, crab ravioli and Lamb chops. We also checked out the spar for a couples massage and it was probably the best massage I have ever had. Whenever we had a question or request, the staff happily tried to accommodate us. On the Sip & Stroll tour, our guide even suggested to take our photo then showed us where to stand to get the best picture. 10/10 Highly recommend.

I recommend the bar. If Jordan is behind the bar, buckle up and enjoy the ride. He is…read moreknowledgeable, cool and great to chat with. His knowledge of the area, music and drinks is awesome. For dinner Parker took care of us. The Korean fried chicken was really good. The grounds were well kept and was pretty cool. But was a little disappointed in the manager and some of the hotel amenities. But the room is nice. Service for bar and food was great. Service for checkin and trying to manage the reservation not great.

I can't say enough good things about the second annual Horses & Hospitality event, sponsored by…read moreHorse Country. Last year all the participants gathered at Keeneland for fantastic food, networking, and learning opportunities, before venturing out to a variety of thoroughbred farms. Audra and I experienced the wonder that is Taylor Made, and although it wasn't my first farm tour, it was one I'll never forget. This year, COVID did away with the large group gathering, but the farm tours were able to take place as scheduled. The majority of farms are stud-centric, but - ironically - at Denali Stud you won't find any stallions or breeding sheds. More on that to come. Founded in 1990 by former New Jersey jockey Craig Bandoroff and his wife, Holly, Denali Stud is a 300-acre mare and foal property - i.e. a nursery - situated in picturesque Paris, KY. So what's with the name? I wondered the same. 'Denali' is a mountain range and Eskimo word meaning 'to aspire to greater heights,' and the word 'stud' is synonymous with 'farm' in Europe. Voila! The four barns, office, and other buildings on the property run almost completely on solar energy. Although the farm has produced many successful athletes, some of their most beloved clients date back to the humble beginnings of the farm. Craig, a passionate outdoorsman, has taken great care to curate a variety of trees around the property, carefully labeling many with their type and year planted. As he and his wife prepare for retirement in Lexington, their son and his wife have begun building their own residence on property. Our tour started at a large, centrally-located field full of mamas-to-be. And let me tell you, swollen bellies won't stop those ladies from stampeding toward you in pursuit of a peppermint and a good cheek scratching! From there we got to visit with mares and foals in an adjacent field, before venturing on to the foal bar - where the magic happens. Each stall was occupied by either a mare very close to (or past!) her due date, or a mother and new foal, and I mean NEW - a couple of the foals were only two days old! Pay close attention when you're walking through the barn, as you may recognize some high profile sires; I counted at least three babies by Tapit and one by Real Quiet. Another nearby barn houses some older foals with their mamas, and pregnant mares with less imminent due dates. While Denali Stud is the most recognizable farm in the family's portfolio, there are two others, both of which take their names from mountain ranges: K2, which is dedicated to maiden and barren mares, and Lotse, a 5-barn yearling division. Our guide was primarily Alexis - with additional input from Aly - and her knowledge of the industry, farm, animals, and many other business facets was really impressive. Passion and enthusiasm likes hers is what gets people excited about tourism, and I'm so glad Denali Stud participated in the event this year!

Horse Country provides access to thoroughbred farms and other related businesses to locals and…read moretourists alike who would not otherwise have the ability to experience them. This tour company has a variety of experiences to choose from at various prices and durations which can be booked online. Appointments are scheduled for you, but you must provide your own transportation. You will join other visitors while an individual from the farm walks you through the property, giving its history and showing some of the stallions that stand for breeding.

For several years, while driving on Old Frankfort Pike, I've admired the bluegrass horse track…read more.. never realizing who owned it or which farm it was actually on. No words can describe it's beauty so I won't even make an attempt at it. I've been to a lot of farms and this is by far the most gorgeous. While attending the 41st annual Kentucky Bash held at the tent area on the farm, I learned that the owners of Donamire allow Cardinal Hill to host the event on their beautiful farm as their donation. That makes me want to contribute to the Ball family all over again. I don't know if they give tours or not, but if you ever get the opportunity to attend an event here, do it! I sure would love to learn more about this beautiful part of the Bluegrass!

While I do not claim to royalty, except for a Yelp duchy hither, thither and yon plus I am the…read morebaron of the Southside, I can honestly lay claim to some actual blueblood, albeit watered down from this particular family of Bluegrass royalty. I've been to Donamire Farms twice in my life, both for family reunions, and it's a beautiful setting for such, where thoroughbreds run along fenced rolling Kentucky countryside, and swans float gracefully over placid waters. Horse barns, with interiors kept far more pristine than my boys' bedroom, dot the landscape. A guest house set a couple acres off the main house also lines the circuitous road that travels through the grounds. It, too, is as opulent as the main, albeit a bit smaller, but larger than any place I've ever stayed. It is all a very pleasant backdrop to seeing those I don't see often, likely not often enough.

The tour was so wonderful. Our tour guide was Jeff. He had a lot of knowledge and was so…read moreinformative. He was funny and told us many stories. This was worth every penny.

We had an amazing tour with Jeff. We toured three different horse farms. We were able to pet horse…read moreon the first farm and learn all about the workings of the farm. Jeff was extremely knowledgeable and so engaging. He has been working in the industry for years and followed in the foot steps of his father and grandfather. We could have listened to him all day. There wasn't a question he couldn't answer and we felt like we learned so much from the 3 hours we spent on the tour. The tour bus was comfortable and the tour was well priced. I would highly recommend this tour.

The best quality feed around! Travis, the owner, is awesome and full of knowledge! If you need…read morebedding or food for your chickens, Happy Farmer has the best quality!

From the owner: When Travis Robinson, a farmer and chicken owner, saw how difficult it was to find high-quality…read morechicken feed in the Lexington area, he set out to change that. Starting with feed for just his chickens and a few customers, he is now providing chickens, feed, bedding, and heirloom tools to the community. Today, our team takes pride in our chickens, and in helping you raise happy, healthy birds. Whether you've been farming for years or just beginning your backyard chicken journey, we're happy to be here for you every step of the way.

What a great market in downtown Lexington! It has a great central location that is partially…read morecovered. The 5/3 pavilion is perfect for the farmers market. There was a great variety of items available; pastries, baked goods, meats, cheeses, milk, local beers and LOTS of vegetables. I loved how many vegetable stands there were. Pastry prices were a bit high across the board but the ones I purchased were good. There was even a small amount of local art available which I love to see at farmers markets. I assumed the market was contained to the pavilion but to my surprise I realized the market also lined portions of the streets and around the pavilion. If I lived here I would find it pretty easy to do the bulk of my protein and vegetable shopping here. I almost forgot the mention the plethora of flowers.. GORGEOUS flowers!

I'm so happy farmer's market is open again downtown instead of having to go to Greyline station…read more I went to go get flowers and just browse around. We got there around noon and there was so much to look at. I was drawn to the Dubai brownie but we had lunch right before walking to the market. At the flower table we stopped at I got three stems for 10.00. They do take cash or you can go to the farmer's market information table and buy tokens for your purchase. The fresh produce looked really good long with the baked items on several tables. There is a table that does handmade pasta that looked really good. Since I watch my carb intake sadly I past that table up they also had mini meatballs made with a mix of pork and beef. There was a variety of cheeses, wines, beer, some tee shirts, a food truck that had really interesting drinks and different flavored lemonade flavors. I love seeing all the dogs at the market and although we don't have a dog I thought about getting a cat backpack and taking our cat.

Stopped in to see what they had. A large variety of fruits and vegetables. As always, one has to…read morelook carefully at the produce (to insure perfection). I purchased a few things that I would use this week and a jar of BEAR Jam. I love the tartness of this jam --- Blackberry, Elderflower, Apple and Rasberry. Get it? I noticed plants and hanging baskets in the back of the market, but didn't go there. People were very nice and helpful. 66

Bought some of their apple cinnamon jelly and it barely lasted because it was sooooo good and no…read moreextra additives!! We also got a watermelon and that was delicious! Love supporting local produce!