I moved to Lexington, Kentucky in the summer of 2012. You can read about the ministry assignment HERE. What I want you to know in this post is that you should come visit where I’ve moved.
Seriously. Lexington is an unknown (to many) jewel of a city. Lexington has small city charm with a big city atmosphere. Cheryl and I had traveled here before and I’ve been here for business interests in the past, but it wasn’t until we moved here that we realized how great a city this is.
Here are 10 reasons you need to visit Lexington:
Horses – We aren’t called horse country for nothing. And, horse country is breath-taking. Take a drive through the back roads. A short few minutes after leaving the city limits you are in the middle of incredible views. Keeneland and the Kentucky Horse Park are public use facilities. If you haven’t seen the beauty of horse country, start here.
Downtown – Lexington’s downtown is thriving. If you come for the weekend, arrive on Thursday for Thursday Night Live, where from April through October we have entertainment downtown. The Saturday Farmer’s Market is one of the best we’ve seen. In the winter we have ice skating. In the summer we have water parks. There is something for everyone each day and night of the week. Shopping. Eating. Playing. (If you choose to stay downtown, message me and I’ll give you my top choices.)
Restaurants – There are over 100 chef quality, locally owned restaurants in Lexington. Not to mention all the dives that are unique. I’ve been told there are more restaurants here per capita than any city in the United States. I can’t verify that, but I can say Cheryl and I are on a mission to work through the list, we’ve been here nearing a year, and we’ve got a long way to go. (That said, we’ve found some good ones. If you’re coming, message me and I’ll give some personal recommendations.)
Museums – We have art museums, children’s museums, history museums and horse museums. (Of course). There’s something for everyone.
Arts – We are on the Broadway tour. Can you believe it? Cheryl and I had season tickets this year. We’ve been to New York City. We aren’t missing anything here. We have one of the top orchestra programs in the country at the University of Kentucky. We have children’s theater. Our arts culture is organized, vibrant, and active.
Colleges – This is a college town and a college region. Cheryl and I have loved visiting the University of Kentucky and Transylvania are the better known schools, but we have a huge technical school and numerous lesser known, but equally impressive schools. Within driving distances there are great universities and colleges, such as Georgetown, Berea, Centre, and Asbury. And, colleges often brings sports, and we have plenty of it in Lexington. If you like college athletics, this is a great option.
Short drives – Within driving distance of Lexington there are more day trips than we can count. We haven’t completed them all yet. We can travel to Louisville or Cincinnati in an hour if we want big cities, or dozens of quaint cities like Midway and Danville for smaller venues. Drive a little further and you can find yourself in the mountains of West Virginia or Tennessee.
Baseball – Do you like baseball? My family knows ballparks and our Lexington Legends Class A ball club is one of the most fun parks we’ve ever visited.
Friendliness – Honestly, this is one of the friendliest towns we have ever visited.
Immanuel Baptist Church – Okay, this one seems self-serving, but it is my blog and I do serve at a great church. This church has been serving this community for over 100 years, with a great history, great people, and an incredible future. We are seeing God move in exciting ways. Come experience the energy at Immanuel.
Cheryl and I are well-traveled. We have often noted that there are a few cities where you will never meet anyone who doesn’t enjoy living there. Lexington is one of those cities. We’ve yet to meet one person who doesn’t’ enjoy this city. It’s easy to get to whether by road or plane. We have a great local airport with flights daily through most major carriers.
Come see us!
For more information, go to VisitLex.com.
Have you been to Lexington, KY? What did you enjoy most?
I have a job offer in Lexington. This article is almost enough to convince me to take it. Thanks so much for taking time to write it. I’ll be visiting your church if I take the offer!
It's truly a great city. No one we know does not enjoy living here. And I moved from Tennessee.
I was indeed planning for a place to visit during my next holidays but had no idea where to go. Later on I did have some options but then images of this place just took my breath away. Thanks a lot for the share.
Lots of reasons I love to call it my hometown!
Yes
We made a brief stop in Lexington a couple of years ago. Sadly we weren't able to stay long but your list has given me a desire to go back.
Great city.
I just found your site two weeks ago and have enjoyed tons of post. This one especially because I also live in Lexington (about 2 miles from Tate's Creek.) Maybe our paths will cross one day! Regardless, you're giving me some great sermon ideas and encouragement as a preacher.
Very awesome. Thank you. Hope we meet soon.
Twitter: jasoncrossmusic
says:
We just recently began a new ministry assignment in Roswell/Johns Creek, GA and feel very much the same way. The longer we’re here, the more we love the area. Atlanta’s northern burbs are a bit like living in Disney Land. What amazes me is that even in the midst of what seems like the pinnacle of the American dream, there can still be so much brokenness, but that’s why we’re here–offering hope to everyone, regardless of social status.
We lived in Louisville several years ago and visited Lexington several times. Truly a great city and one of America’s more “undiscovered” gems! Glad to see how God is using you in your ministry there at Emmanuel. We’re serving in a church with over 180 years of history and watch you closely for ideas and strategies for bringing renewal to vital churches with much history. Thanks again for your leadership, vision and generous spirit! You’re an encouragement to many.
Thanks so much Jason. I'm encouraged!
My son and his wife live right across the border in Wayne, WV. So I often make the trip from north Alabama and I always take the loop around Lexington and ssay, sometime we should visit the city. Well, you've given me more reason to visit. The outskirts are beautiful with the fenced fields, horses and beautiful estates. Thanks for the promo.
Absolutely. C'mon.
I'll add it to my short list of places I need to visit. I'll let you know when I make my way out there. Looking forward to some good grub!
Rock on!