This is a beautiful mural that is in downtown Lexington distillery District. I didn't even know it…read morewas here I walked around at the restaurant we were at I turned around and boom there was a big giant mural that took up the entire building very impressive this artist definitely took their time there's no telling how long it took to paint this beautiful mural but it was very pleasant and very colorful and just took a lot of detail

Of all of the murals in Lexington, this one was the most controversial. It's located on the outside…read moreof one of the outside walls of the an old warehouse in the distillery district. That "old" warehouse is now home of several the James Pepper Distillery District businesses. Specifically the building that is the home of Fusion Brewery and Battle Axes. When it was first painted, back in 2015 there were only two businesses open in the entire district. And as cool as the area is now, I know that this bad ass mural was part of that growth, for the good. So why was it so controversial? You know those kind of people who like to complain about everything, yeah those are who made it controversial. Although it's a self portrait of sorts, in the mural, he's spelling "Mo" with his hands. NOT a gang sign. I'm serious, people were saying that it was going to cause gang related behavior, and encourage graffiti. Now, I wonder what all those naysayers say about it after how far the district has come along in just a few short years. It's literally one of the most booming areas in Lexington. The artist is a Lexingtonian and if you want to see his story, this video is the best version that I've seen or read: https://vimeo.com/111310990 Like many other artists who shared their talent on the side of Lexington building, the project was sponsored by PRHBTN. Every year they host artists from near and far, to create these spectacular, gigantic forms of street art. Art unlike you'll find a collection in no one city, other than in Lexington, KY.

Battle in the Saddle is a fun event at the Kentucky Horse Park. Locals from farms, Keeneland,…read moreChurchill Downs Rood & Riddle, etc. compete in team penning. Sometimes you will even see trainers on horseback. Root for the calves! General Admission tickets are free. 87

For the most part everything was very nice. First and foremost the horses are well fed and cared…read morefor and we were assured more than once that they spend more time in the fields than in the barns. We caught a few presentations and did the $30 horseback ride. The presentations are brief and interesting and they end with time to get to the next one, but there is a lot of walking. The museum was very well done and easy to navigate. While you are allowed to bring your own food, the cafe food is decent and reasonably priced. We had 2 sandwiches, fries and a drink for $24. The pulled pork was tasty and a decent sized portion. My only complaint is that at the horseback ride I had to stash my purse in a plastic box outside in full sun. I had just bought chocolates at the gift shop and I asked if my bag could be stored in the building for that reason and was told no. Of course my chocolates were melted when I got my bag back. The riding tour is a very slow walk around a few fields. It was pretty but probably more interesting for kids.

Lexington's street art scene continues to impress with bold, imaginative works like this…read moremesmerizing mural that blends aquatic surrealism with striking human portraiture. Dominated by shades of turquoise, cobalt, and seafoam, the mural features a stylized fish and a woman locked in a kind of visual duet--her face poised and expressive, the fish abstract yet animated. This mural is a fantastic example of how public art can transform a wall into a window to another world. Whether you're an art lover, Instagrammer, or just passing through, this is one of those pieces that makes Lexington feel like a city alive with imagination.

There's a really cool Miral that is in Lexington downtown next to the bus terminal. It is huge it…read moretakes up the whole building I am very fascinated to see who painted this and how long it took because it is very detailed and as I said is gigantic goes up and down the entire wall. It's a really cool things to see and take pictures with definitely recommend it

Ok Lexington, this is a must see. Brazilian artist Eduardo and his team are apparently scheduled to…read morefinish this street art mural by Monday November 11th...so if you're reading this in the before then, head out to Water or Vine Street and watch history in the making. http://www.kentucky.com/2013/11/07/2917679/giant-mural-of-lincoln-taking.html

This is a fantastic piece of public art in a neighborhood that I think may have been historically…read moreneglected. It seems like this area may literally have been "the other side of the tracks", but is undergoing a bit of renewal. I believe this artwork, and the possible development of a small park near it, is part of that. This water tower depicts several different important moments in Black history. I believe the official title of the work is Open the Portals of History and Let Culture Flow. The work is a collaboration between several artists and organizations. Amongst the scenes on the mural are Isaac Burns Murphy, a legendary jockey; several famous athletes who were born in Lexington; Paul Laurence Dunbar, a writer and poet who, although not born in Lexington, has a high school in the city named for him and parents who were enslaved in Kentucky; and several other scenes. As of 2021, there are explanations of the various scenes, which I've included photos of. It really was a great idea to take an eyesore of a water tower (it's huge, and at street level) and turn it into something that's beautiful to look at if it can't be removed. Definitely worth a stop for lovers of public art when in Lexington, and worth the time to read about each of those memorialized in the mural.

If you are even remotely interested in American history, presidential families, or powerful women…read moreahead of their time, stop scrolling and just go. The Mary Todd Lincoln House is a beautifully preserved window into the early life of a complex First Lady and the turbulent times she lived through. We opted for the guided tour, and it was absolutely the right choice. Phillip was our guide, and he didn't just recite facts. He gave perspective. Thoughtful, objective, and deeply knowledgeable, he handled the complicated dynamics of a slave-owning border state with grace and clarity. He was also incredibly kind in his portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln, helping us see her not as a caricature, but as a layered, resilient, and deeply human figure. Each room is meticulously curated. Not every item was original to the Todd or Lincoln families, but everything was period appropriate and helped tell the story. The artifacts weren't just on display. They became part of the narrative, which made it all the more engaging. What surprised me most was how much the visit made me reflect on grief ... her profound losses, her perseverance, and the emotional weight she carried as First Lady during the Civil War. It gave me a new respect for her. And even better? My wife, who is not a big history buff, was the one who suggested we go, and she loved it. That says a lot. The whole tour ran a little over an hour and was the perfect pace. Despite the unseasonably hot June day, the air conditioning kept us comfortable, and the staff were welcoming from start to finish. Bonus points for the gift shop, it's small, but full of genuinely cool and thoughtful items. Well worth the money. Perfect for history buffs, curious minds, and even the skeptics. Educational, immersive, and honest. This isn't just a house. It is a home full of stories. And thanks to Phillip, we walked out with a deeper understanding of the people and times that shaped a presidency and a nation.

We wanted to prove to ourselves that we were capable of doing something besides bourbon in…read moreLexington LOL, so we stopped here for a historical fix and were glad we did. For $15 each we could wander through the rooms as long as we didn't touch anything or sit on anything. No guided tour in the morning but there was someone downstairs who cheerily answered our questions. There's a small gift shop. Small but very pretty garden. And everything is nicely air conditioned. Parking lot is small and tight, with overflow parking available next door.

When passing through Lexington, I made a point to do a personal tour of murals in the area…read more(something I often do when I visit a new city; I really love murals and public art). This one was a bit off the beaten path, but I'm glad I made the effort to find it because it's important to me to support artists from minoritized backgrounds, and to appreciate the art they create. This mural was painted by Sundiata Rashid, and appears to date from 2016. The black and white half of this mural features prominent African American figures from Lexington's past, and melds into color to depict the present. Represented on the historical side of the mural are: - Isaac Burns Murphy: One of the greatest jockeys in the history of horse racing, Murphy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955 (the first person inducted). He won the Kentucky Derby three times. Though he was born enslaved (Kentucky in the 1800's; there will be a theme here), he began a career in thoroughbred racing at age 14. He became one of the most famous athletes in America, and it's astounding that given this background he's probably little known outside of Kentucky or racing circles. - William Wells Brown: Born enslaved, he made multiple escape attempts before making it to Ohio, and ultimately settled in Massachusetts. A contemporary of Frederick Douglass, the two had an open rivalry, though interestingly the freedom of each man was paid for by the same supporters in England. He was important as an early example of travel writing, and was the first African American to publish a novel and a play. He also authored what is widely accepted to be the first history of African Americans in the Revolutionary War. Wells Brown is a descendent of a passenger from the Mayflower. - Les McCann, born in Lexington, came from a musical family: His father was a jazz artist and his mother was a fan of opera. Whilst serving in the navy during WWII, he won a singing contest which landed him a spot on the Ed Sullivan Show and brought him greater attention. A multi-instrumentalist, he established his own trio, known as the Les McCann Trio, with whom he performed for decades. He's collaborated and performed with many artists. Currently in his 80s, McCann is still with us. - Yvonne Giles is affectionally known as "The Cemetery Lady". A Lexington native, she is a leader in the movement to preserve African American cemeteries in Lexington. She has authored at least one book on one of these cemeteries; produced brochures to raise their profile; and contributed to tourism publications for Lexington. She has won numerous awards for her dedication to this work, including one from the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation--an organization that established an award named in her honor. As of January 2022, Ms. Giles is still doing this work. - RCO Benjamin wore many hats: journalist; minister; attorney. In fact, he may have been the first Black editor of a white paper when he assumed leadership of the Daily Sun in Los Angeles, as well as possibly having been the first Black member admitted to the California bar. As a lawyer in Lexington, he was working to register Black people to vote and was beaten by a white man who was opposed to this. Though that man was taken to jail, he was let out later the same evening and waited for Benjamin to return home, at which point the man murdered Benjamin. His murderer, having shot Benjamin six times in the back, argued self-defense and was acquitted. - Mary Ellen Britton was a renaissance woman. A free woman of color, she is the first woman to have been granted a license to practice medicine in Lexington. She received an education, and attended Berea College. She even has a connection with my second hometown of Chicago, where she took classes with the American Medical College but perhaps more interestingly tested the inclusion of the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, as the limited participation of African Americans has led to protests of the fair. Dr. Britton never married nor had children. The color half of the mural represents the present, and includes children from the neighborhood in which the mural is painted. The thoughtfulness evident in this mural--from the historical figures portrayed to incorporating children from the neighborhood--is moving. I'm so appreciative of Rashid for identifying these folks to include in his mural so I can learn more about them all. I've added books about or by these historical figures so I can learn more about them specifically and the Black history of Lexington and Kentucky more generally. I've just given you six African American people to learn more about, and I hope you join me in doing so. Review #625 6/2022

The piece is deceptively simple: just a headshot rendered in grayscale tones on a dark brick wall,…read morebut it speaks volumes. The eyes--haunted, intelligent, and defiant--seem to follow you. It's a face with a story, and it pulls you into its silence. There's an emotional tension here, a sense of both vulnerability and resistance, making it an ideal reflection of the complexity of modern identity and cultural memory.

Nice little mural in and amongst several others. It honors Harry Dean Stanton. It's on the side of…read morethe Kentucky Fun Mall building. This was painted to honor the actor, who was a native-born Kentuckian. The artists are Graham Allen and Geoff Murphy.