Awesome sculpture park! It's free, but I left a donation. The sculptures are fairly spread out, so…read morebe ready to walk. It may take you an hour to view them all. They also have seating if you wanted to bring a picnic.

Josephine sculpture park is one of Kentucky's best kept secrets. A massive and free to view…read moresculpture garden located off the backs roads in Frankfort Kentucky. Pulling in I wasn't sure what to expect. I was thinking maybe it was a small drive through sculpture garden with a handful of sculptures. Man was I wrong! There are hundreds of cool and unique sculptures. Towards the back is a gravel parking lot where you can get out and explore. You will Find yourself veering off the main path to see a sculpture and realize there are 30 more hidden in an area. My family and down family friends spent a small portion of our afternoon here. We only allotted ourselves like 30 minutes to view so there is absolutely no way that we seen all the sculptures here. But we did see was nothing short of amazing. Some of the coolest and most unique works you will find in Kentucky. Overall this is a must do for any art lover or anyone who likes to get out and stroll in nature on nice days. We will absolutely come back and check out this free sculpture park on a day when we have more time so we can fully appreciate all the Josephine sculpture park has to offer!

River View Park, located in downtown Frankfort along the banks of the Kentucky River, is one of the…read moremost picturesque and popular parks in Frankfort! The park offers picnic areas and a small shelter to have lunch with beautiful views of the Kentucky River, a 1.4 mile paved walking / jogging trail, access to the river is available with a floating dock for canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and other paddle boats.

First, I will mention that it is winter now so very few parks look their best with all the bare…read moretrees and muddy grass areas. I saw this park on a map and dropped by with no expectations really. It turned out to be mostly a park for baseball fields rather than open areas or walking paths. The sports areas seemed pretty good though and had bleachers and fencing etc suitable for high school type ball games. It had walking access to the Kentucky River and a few paths that were, at the time, very muddy. There was a lot of drainage pipes, construction stuff and other maintenance areas that detracted from the view. Of course the trees had to leaves but I'd expect them to be nice in the right season. The Capitol view was okay. There was a mountain biking path that seemed like it would make a good ride for those interested. Many deer in the area which was very exciting for the dog and fun for me too. My 3 star review is because it just doesn't seem to meet a nice variety of park uses enough and because of all the maintenance areas (fencing, stacked mulch etc that seems permanent) detracting from the park atmosphere. It was easy to access though from the E-W Connector and had plenty of parking. The bathrooms were closed for the season which annoys me but is common in municipal parks (of course no one needs to pee in the winter....).

My wife and I visited here last weekend so she could participate in the Bluegrass State Games…read more Sure, she won. She was the only racer in her class, but she won. That's all that counts. Upon driving into the park, it was immediately obvious that this park was designed for baseball. A huge, well-kept baseball field dominated the landscape next to the parking lot, with some very nice bleachers for an audience. Must be used for local school baseball or something. You can tell people really care about this park. Not being an avid mountain cyclist myself, I can't say a lot about the mountain bike course. It runs about 5 miles around, and is quite treacherous in a few places. There are two pits along the course known by cyclists as "Sinkholes" that are very challenging to bike through. A good portion of the early part of the course is a gruelingly slow ascent. Emily almost gave up in the middle of her third lap... Her calves were cramping bad. This says a lot, considering that she bikes 12 miles everyday through town.

2 Playgrounds 2…read moreBaseball / Softball Fields 2 Batting Cages Dog Park  One size fits all with a creek 3 Pickleball Courts 18 Hole Disc Golf Course

I take my dogs to the Lakeview park dog park every single day. What I don't understand is why it…read morewas built out in the open with no shade the shade trees are just feet away yet both sides are in the direct sun, why wasn't it expanded out to at least have a little shade? In my humble opinion a dog owner did not plan the design or if they did they didn't think about the 100 degree days.

Decent park and several things to do. Could use more signs pointing to what areas things are…read morelocated. Took a while to find the skate park area, which really needs to have the graffiti checked and removed regularly. Didn't really want to spend park day explaining what phallic drawings and the F word were to my 8 year old.

The location is not too far from Frankfort, and a longer way from Lexington. I suspect many…read morevisitors will be passing through for a distillery tour or something like that because there's not a ton of people around here. But one is reminded of all the splendid Kentucky countryside that is privately owned; it's nice that this is open to the public. A couple of trails run through mildly hilly forest and around a pond. There weren't the sorts of spectacular views you'd expect from a major park, but it's nice hiking and the trails were quite well maintained. A climate controlled bird blind overlooks a pond near the parking area. There was no charge to get in and no one else in sight other than a few deer with winter coats when I dropped by.

Our outdoor play group did a meet up here and was going to do the white and blue trails. But we got…read moreliterally 100 yards into the path and discovered HUNDREDS of baby ticks on all 10 members (including the kids). A few of our members were removing ticks for over 30 minutes. We stayed on the trail the whole time. And we all had bug spray on. We understand nature is nature but this is just unacceptable for an kept trail recommended for families and a place that host events. We will only do this in the winter from now on.

Of course the day I'm visiting Frankfort and wanted to see the capitol, it's shrink wrapped in…read morescaffolding. So, the vista was beautiful with the fall foliage, but the capitol was meh, because, well....scaffolding.

On the way in to town, this small park includes a dozen or so parking spaces and a few historical…read moresigns that explain some of the local area. All about the history of the construction of the Capitol, the Executive Mansion and Franklin County. And yes, there's a great view here of the capitol. Note that you will be looking East at the capitol so this is probably not the idea spot for your morning visit to look at the capitol as you're going to be photographing into the Sun. It is a unique spot. I don't know that any of the other State Capitols that I have visited have such a setup. [Review 13552 overall, 871 of 2020.]

On the National Register of Historic Places, the Kentucky Capitol is one of the most impressive…read moreCapitols in the US. After parking (large lot in back for visitors), we made our way past the Rose Garden to the main entrance just as 50 or so school children were exiting the building. Once inside, we were offered the choice of a guided or self-guided tour. We chose the latter. A useful brochure "A Self-guided Tour of the Kentucky State Capitol" is available at the entrance desk. The first floor features the Executive Branch -- the Governor's Office, Secretary of State, Attorney General, etc. -- as well as a tourist information desk and the Capitol Rotunda. The rotunda is highlighted by an Imposing dome that is 180 feet above. Four murals are featured, representing agriculture, industry, civilization, and culture. The second floor is the Judicial Branch, and includes, for instance, the Office of the Chief Justice and the Public Law Library. Interestingly, while we were visiting, there was a ceremony going on to induct young attorneys to practice before the court. The third floor houses the Legislative Branch, and features the Senate Chamber and the House of Representatives. There are some special things to look for while visiting -- (1) state seals, which features two men shaking hands, which illustrates the motto "United We Stand, Divided We Fall". These seals can be found on doorknobs, elevator doors, and more. (2) "high tech" technology from when the building was new in 1910, such as a glass-covered chute that allowed letters to be dropped from upper floors into a brass box near the entrance, and (3) symbols of power and justice, such as eagles and torches. The grounds are picturesque, and include the Floral Clock, Rose Garden, and various other buildings. Note that, in early May, 2023, there was scaffolding around the Capitol's dome, and only a limited number of flowers were in bloom.

Kentucky's picturesque and historic capital is not in a giant bustling city. Instead, it is in the…read moresmaller and friendly welcoming burg of Frankfort. I've stayed in town here on several occasions, and found the people to be quite welcoming. It is a beautiful historic building and if you're a fan of classic revival architecture it is worth coming to have a look. And while you're in town, there are many restaurants and other interesting places to visit.